Reply To: Newbie pB11 Fuel Questions

[jamesr]

Aeronaut wrote:

Yes, the ion beam is fusion products, rather than either of the fuel ions.

I understood it is mix of products and unburnt fuel from the plasmoid. The fusion products start with high (8.7/3=2.9MeV) energy but are confined in the plasmoid recycling their energy and keeping the plasmoid hot (100’s keV) for ~50ns (ie thousands of orbits of the plasmoid). When the magnetic field collapses the rate of change in B-field creates the huge E-field which accelerates the ions in one direction at ~2.6±0.2MeV and the electrons in the other.

Also regarding the CNO type reactions, apart from the higher temperatures needed – the reliance on the beta+ decay of intermediates means the products must be confined for many half-lives of the radioactive decay – ie hours not nanoseconds. ie impossible in all but large hot stars.