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Antimatter Driven P-B11 Fusion Propulsion SystemOne of the major advantages of using P-B11 fusion fuel is that the reaction produces only charged particles in the form of three alpha particles and no neutrons. A fusion concept that lends itself to this fuel cycle is the Magnetically Insulated Inertial Confinement Fusion (MICF) reactor whose distinct advantage lies in the very strong magnetic field that is created when an incident particle (or laser) beam strikes the inner wall of the target pellet. This field serves to thermally insulate the hot plasma from the metal wall thereby allowing thc plasma to burn for a long time and produce a large energy magnification. If used as a propulsion device, we propose using antiprotons to drive the system which we show to be capable of producing very large specific impulse and thrust. By way of validating the confinement propenies of MICF we will address a proposed experiment in which pellets coated with P-B11 fuel at the appropriate ratio will be zapped by a beam of antiprotons that enter the target through a hole. Calculations showing the density and temperature of the generated plasma along with the strength of the magnetic field and other properties of the system will be presented and discussed.
Document ID
20030062058
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Kammash, Terry
(Michigan Univ. Ann Arbor, MI, United States)
Martin, James
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Godfroy, Thomas
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2002
Subject Category
Spacecraft Propulsion And Power
Meeting Information
Meeting: STAIF 2003
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Country: United States
Start Date: February 2, 2003
End Date: February 6, 2003
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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