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arXiv · 2310.11997

On the Upper Bound of Non-Thermal Fusion Reactivity with Fixed Total Energy

Hua-sheng Xie·Xue-yun Wang
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Abstract

Fusion reactivity represents the integration of fusion cross-sections and the velocity distributions of two reactants. In this study, we investigate the upper bound of fusion reactivity for a non-thermal reactant coexisting with a thermal Maxwellian background reactant while maintaining a constant total energy. Our optimization approach involves fine-tuning the velocity distribution of the non-thermal reactant. We employ both Lagrange multiplier and Monte Carlo methods to analyze Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) and Proton-Boron11 (p-B11) fusion scenarios. Our findings demonstrate that, within the relevant range of fusion energy, the maximum fusion reactivity can often surpass that of the conventional Maxwellian-Maxwellian reactants case by a substantial margin, ranging from 50\% to 300\%. These enhancements are accompanied by distinctive distribution functions for the non-thermal reactant, characterized by one or multiple beams. These results not only establish an upper limit for fusion reactivity but also provide valuable insights into augmenting fusion reactivity through non-thermal fusion, which holds particular significance in the realm of fusion energy research.

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Hua-sheng Xie, Xue-yun Wang. 2023-10-18. On the Upper Bound of Non-Thermal Fusion Reactivity with Fixed Total Energy. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587/ad3f4b

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