vansig wrote:
Particle count per shot is a function of plasmoid diameter (how much fuel is contained in the magnetic bubble), plasmoid lifespan, and how many reactions occur as it collapses. Particle speeds are relativistic, afik.
i’m not sure about those ions being relativistic, though. does 0.028 c sound right?
here’s some discussion from last year..
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090402091850AAAnih4
Here’s what Eric and the Naval Research Lab have to say about using the DPF as a thruster:
ISP: 10^6 (1,000,000 M/second)
With 80% X-ray recovery and 46% efficiency beam recovery, 78% energy to useful thrust.
Thrust-mass ratios of .1N/kg, specific power of 500 kW/kg
6 month transit time to Jupiter. 2:1 total mass/payload ratio.
It also has a slightly more optimistic version of Table 2, showing a scenario where the DPF can show a very slight electrical profit without the X-ray converter. Free heat, anybody?