The discussion centers on the feasibility of using the Fusor and Plasma Focus for controlled fusion, specifically with fuels like pB11 and D-He3. Key challenges identified include significant issues with electrode contamination and erosion in both systems. The Fusor's electrodes cannot influence the plasma potential, leading to direct contact that compromises plasma integrity. The Plasma Focus, operating in a pulsed mode, also faces similar electrode erosion problems, raising doubts about its practicality for sustained fusion reactions.
PREREQUISITESResearchers, engineers, and enthusiasts in the field of nuclear fusion, particularly those focused on experimental reactor designs and plasma physics challenges.
There are a number of unsolved, and possibly unsolvable, problem with the electrodes in a fusor power system. To begin with, the electrodes cannot influence the potential within themselves, so that the fusion plasma will be in more or less direct contact with the the inner electrode, resulting in contamination of the plasma and destruction of the electrode. Also, the transparency of the electrode will have to be unbelievably good since an ion will have to pass through it on the order of 1010 times before undergoing a fusion reaction.