Oscillating Plasmas for Proton- Boron Fusion in Miniature Vacuum Discharge

Figure 1

(a) Geometry of electrodes in nanosecond vacuum discharge (NVD) under PiC simulations of pB syntheses for U = 100 kV and front ∆t_f = 1 ns (anode-red, cathode-blue, and green area-“anode plasma” with protons and boron ions). Electrons (blue dots), protons (red), and boron ions (Z_B = +3, yellow), and residues of pB reaction products are shown in the anode space at the simulation moment t = 4.45 ns (circles of larger diameter, gray: ⁸, purple: primary α particles, dark orange: secondary α particles [20]. (b) The velocity of electrons on radius, Vr/c < 0, accelerated to an energy of ≈100 keV when passing in simulations through “the anode Pd tubes” (green area) at t = 5 ns (c–velocity of light). The electrons are inhibited in the anode space close to the discharge axis, form a virtual cathode, r_VC ≈ 0.1 cm and are reflected further (Vr/c > 0) by oncoming electron flows in the opposite direction (VC along axis Z is also visible in Figure 1(a)). Protons, boron ions, and pB reaction products are represented partially here also in the vicinity of Vr/c ≈ 0.

(a)

(b)