System Of Converging Plasma Pistons
AssigneeUniversity of New Hampshire
InventorJames J. Connell
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Abstract
A magnetic confinement system includes a magnetic mirror device that includes a chamber to hold a target plasma and a coil arrangement to generate a magnetic field configuration in the chamber to confine the target plasma in cylindrically-symmetric form in the chamber, the magnetic field configuration having open ends. The magnetic confinement system further includes plasma guns to generate plasma pistons and project the plasma pistons at the open ends of the magnetic field configuration. In operation, the plasma pistons converge towards each other to close the open ends of the magnetic field configuration and to compress and heat the target plasma.
Claims9
A method for magnetic confinement of a plasma, the method comprising:
- a) confining a target plasma with a magnetic mirror device, the magnetic mirror device including a chamber and a coil arrangement, the chamber holding the target plasma, the coil arrangement generating a magnetic field configuration in the chamber to confine the target plasma in cylindrically-symmetric form in the chamber, the magnetic field configuration having open ends;
- and
- b) converging plasma pistons towards each other to close the open ends of the magnetic field configuration and to compress and heat the target plasma.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.