Re: starship-design: Bussard design

[TLG.van.der.Linden@tip.nl (Timothy van der Linden)]

Hi Kelly,

>Synopsis lists it as "A new concept for inertial-electrostatic spherical
>colloding beam fusion (polywell) is based on the use of
>magnetohydrodynamically stable quasi-spherical polyhedral magnetic fields to
>contain energetic electrons that are injected to form a negatice potential
>well that is capable of ion confinement.

...

>Sounds like they electrons are injected into the center to act as the
>negative, to appose the positive charge on the spherical reactor shell.  That
>negative pulls the positive fuel ions in from the outside of the reactor.

Indeed, it sounds like they create some magnetic bottle to confine the
electrons. I guess that in theory something like this can work. Probably
you'd need quite a bunch of electrons per ion to accelerate it upto fusion
speeds.
If the amount of electrons per ion has to be high, you probably could use
the magnetic fields for other fusion designs as well.

>Anyway its about 18 pages of equations and diagrams that I have trouble
>following, and refuse to type in.  Highlights are comments on translational
>and recirculating flows, and a slight prolate displacement problem that can
>induce a local current.  However the "..counterstreaming interaction of
>particals moving through the central region, which couple their momentum to
>each other through spherical electrostatic waves." --- "vastly exceeds any
>possible local perterbation".   
>
>This is a good thing right?  ;)

Electro"static" waves? I always thought that waves implied "dynamics".

Timothy