The energy is released as an X-ray pulse and an ion beam. The ion beam is directed toward the drift tube, which is like a gun barrel hanging down the axis of FF1. Right now, there isn’t enough energy being released to worry about it too much, but as we get to higher energy levels, we will have to slow it down so we don’t blast a hole through the cap on the drift tube. We’ll slow it down with the capture coil, and put that energy into a capacitor bank for recycling and usage on the grid. If we are using the DPF for propulsion in space, we’ll just let the ions fly off, giving the device a push in the opposite direction.
