Fusion reactor using azimuthally accelerated plasma

A method comprising:

• introducing a fluid to a confinement region through an inlet to the confinement region, the fluid containing a first reactant;
• applying an electrical potential difference between a first electrode and a second electrode to produce an electrical current from the second electrode toward the first electrode, wherein:
• the first electrode has a substantially cylindrical inner surface that has a longitudinal axis and forms at least a portion of a confining wall that at least partially encloses the confinement region;
• the second electrode is located within a region interior to the first electrode and separated from the first electrode by at least the confinement region;
• and
• at least one magnet is configured to provide a magnetic field through the confinement region, at least a portion of the magnetic field in the confinement region being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis;
• and
• operating a control system comprising a voltage and/or current source so as to:
• (a) control a potential of an electric field substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, the potential being between the first electrode and the second electrode, and the potential being sufficient to produce an electrical current from the second electrode toward the first electrode;
• (b) generate, from the first reactant, a weakly ionized plasma of ions and neutrals;
• and (c) produce a Lorentz force resulting from the electric field and the magnetic field that induces azimuthal rotation of the ions around the longitudinal axis, the azimuthal rotation of the ions imparting azimuthal rotation to neutrals of the first reactant, and promoting repeated collisions between one or both of the ions and the neutrals with a second reactant;
• wherein, during operation:
• the repeated collisions produce an interaction between the neutrals and the second reactant that produces a product having a nuclear mass that is different from a nuclear mass of any of the nuclei of the neutrals and the second reactant, and,
• a mole fraction of the ions to the neutrals in the weakly ionized plasma is in the range of about 0.0001% to about 1%.