MagLIF Magnetic Field Hypothesis

[Jellofish18]

TL;DR

Could MagLIF be improved with a different type of magnetic field implemented into the process?

Hello everyone,

This is my first post on this platform, I'm excited to be a part of this community!

I'm currently doing a research project on Nuclear Fusion, and have been recently introduced to the concept of Magnetized Linear Inertial Fusion (MagLIF). I'm still new to the topic of MagLIF, having more extensive knowledge in the area of Magnetic Confinement Fusion. Upon further research of MagLIF, I discovered the process is highly susceptible to Rayleigh-Taylor Instability (It's expected considering the same holds for Inertial Confinement Fusion). I decided to research the components of MagLIF, specifically the magnetic fields the machinery uses and discovered it uses an axial magnetic field. This got me thinking, and I reflected on my knowledge of Magnetic confinement Fusion and the magnetic fields used by the Tokamak and Stellarator. Because the helical field of the stellarator, despite its complexity, is deemed more stable than the Tokamak, would it be possible to create a machine that combines the two topics; aka a type of MagLIF phenomenon, where the magnetic fields are helical instead of axial?

If possible, would this be too complicated of a strategy? Could this reduce the risk of plasma instability?

Let me know what you think.

 

[berkeman]

Welcome to PF.

TL;DR Summary: Could MagLIF be improved with a different type of magnetic field implemented into the process?

I'm currently doing a research project on Nuclear Fusion, and have been recently introduced to the concept of Magnetized Linear Inertial Fusion (MagLIF). I'm still new to the topic of MagLIF, having more extensive knowledge in the area of Magnetic Confinement Fusion. Upon further research of MagLIF, I discovered the process is highly susceptible to Rayleigh-Taylor Instability (It's expected considering the same holds for Inertial Confinement Fusion).

What level are you in school, or for what level is this research project? What is your mathematical background so far in Plasma Physics and the calculations and simulations that go into understanding these instabilities?

What papers can you link to that explore these instabilities and how MagLIF may be able to deal with them somehow?

 

[Jellofish18]

Thank you for your quick response,

I'm an undergrad, so I would classify this research project to be at an undergrad level however, it's something I primarily am doing for fun in my free time.

I'm starting my upper-division classes in the fall semester, so much of what I've learned in my classes hasn't necessarily been directly applied to plasma physics. However, I've managed to use concepts from my physics classes (Maxwell's equations) and math classes (multivariable calc and linear algebra) to understand plasma physics further outside of class.

Regarding plasma instabilities, the mathematics behind this phenomenon is associated with partial differential equations. It's complicated because these instabilities are non-linear, and at the moment I do believe I possess the mathematical knowledge to understand plasma instabilities beyond a conceptual level.

In the context of my question, the instabilities of primary concern would be kink instability and the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, which I will define with these very helpful photos below.

(1st photo is kink instability, 2nd photo is Rayleigh-Taylor instability)

I'll link some of the papers I've used for my research below. I also recommend The Physics of Fully Ionized Gases by Lyman Spitzer Jr. (he's credited with the creation of the Stellarator), I find the book easy to understand especially with my understanding of Calc and Physics. It also gives a great lesson on the Boltzmann Equation which I find to be helpful.

To clarify, my main concern is the instabilities that arise from MagLIF, as the process itself is highly susceptible to Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities. I'm suggesting that a helical magnetic field may be a more effective way to produce a fusion reaction. However, my theory is highly theoretical at the moment. I haven't found any experiments to explicitly back up this method during my research.

I hope you enjoy these sources below:

https://www.osti.gov/pages/servlets/purl/2311458 (MagLIF Helical Instabilities)

https://theory.pppl.gov/research/re...t, free energy,be investigated in some detail. (This focuses on Magnetic Confinement Fusion however, I recommend looking at all of the research links on this website as it is relevant to the project)

http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2011/ph241/olson2/ (Rayleigh-Taylor Instability in the context of inertial confinement fusion)

An Assessment of the Prospects for Inertial Fusion Energy. 1st ed., National Academies Press, 2013. (I found this book to be informative on inertial confinement fusion, I did access this through my institution.)