Diffusion model for fast alpha-particle transport in Magneto-Inertial Fusion plasmas

Abstract

A diffusion model is developed to describe fast alpha-particle transport and confinement in dense magnetized DT fusion plasmas, tailored to Magneto-Inertial Fusion conditions. The model, derived from the Fokker-Planck kinetic equation using the Chapman-Enskog approximation, includes dynamic Coulomb friction from electrons and ions. This approach improves upon earlier heuristic model [Liberman and Velikovich, J. Plasma Phys. 31, 369 (1984)], which, while valid in the ignition range near 5 keV, lacks accuracy at the higher temperatures ~20 keV required for high-gain Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF). This paper provides explicit analytic formulas for all transport coefficients and characterizes the relationship between the alpha-particle pressure gradient and the associated Ampère force in magnetized plasmas, which are both relevant for MagLIF at high temperatures.