Possibility of Achieving Thermonuclear Ignition by Magnetohydrodynamic Compression of a Solid Target by the Current of a Disc Explosive Magnetic Generator

Abstract

One of the fields of thermonuclear research is gas-dynamic thermonuclear fusion based on spherical cumulative compression of deuterium–tritium (DT) gas using an explosive charge. Unfortunately, due to high compression asymmetry, it was not possible to achieve the ignition threshold, despite more than half a century of the development. The work considers an alternative path based on cylindrical cumulative compression of DT gas by a magnetic field. This method may be free from the drawback associated with compression symmetry. The possibility of achieving the ignition threshold in this way is shown by calculations. At the same time, modern technologies based on explosive magnetic generators make it possible to implement the conditions required for this. However, the analysis shows that the efficiency of converting magnetic field energy into thermonuclear neutron energy, DT plasma burnup, and neutron radiation yield are significantly inferior to the developed approach associated with the compression of preheated magnetized DT plasma (previously MAGO/MTF, now MagLIF).