Inertial confinement fusion with magnetically compressed ion rings

Abstract

Ballistic propagation and focusing of intense light-ion beams requires (1) close limits on allowable beam divergence (∼5 mrad) and (2) gas-filled magnetic lenses that must function effectively even if deleterious self-fields are generated during the passage of the beam through the lens. An alternative to ballistic focusing was suggested some years ago in which magnetically compressed light-ion rings capable of delivering 3–4 MJ in a pulse of ∼1 ns are transported to the target in a tube. This concept is reexamined in light of recent work on the creation of ion rings and magnetic compression of stabilized liners. The physics issues of (1) magnetic compression, (2) transport of ion rings in a tube, and (3) the interaction of the ring with the target will be explored to evaluate the feasibility of this scheme.