Abstracto

Reducing fusion plasma confinement energy with specially conditioned electromagnetic fields

H.David Froning

A central fusion physics problem is strong repulsion between fusion fuel ions that must be overcome by strong confining fields that must drive ions close enough so their nuclear fusion can occur. The ions finally experience attraction when their separation becomes shorter than the short ranges of ion-attracting SU(3) strong nuclear fields, and ion fusion then occurs. In this respect, Barrett shows the possibility of conditioning ordinary U(1) electromagnetic (EM) fields with the same SU(2) and SU(3) Lie Symmetry as the SU(2) and SU(3) nuclear fields that accomplish hydrogen fusion in the Sun with less pressure and temperature than is required in fusion reactors on Earth. This has suggested the possibility of SU(2) and SU(3) EM fields causing terrestrial fusion less confinement energy than ordinary U(1) EM fields currently require for fusion. And, this possibility of SU(2) or SU(3) EM fields enabling terrestrial fusion with less confinement energy than U(1) EM fields currently require, is briefly explored for some promising nuclear fusion reactor designs.