Enhancement to Fusion Reactivity in Sheared Flows

Abstract

Sheared flow increases the reactivity of fusion plasma. In unmagnetized plasma with flow gradients comparable to the mean free path of reacting ions, fusion reactivity can be more than doubled. The effect is of particular relevance to inertial confinement fusion (ICF), where it allows implosion kinetic energy to contribute to the fusion burn even before thermalizing. In fast ignition, this allows remarkable energy savings because colder fuel stops alpha particles more quickly, enabling ignition in a smaller hot spot.