An Alternative Design for Electrostatically Accelerated Ion Beam Fusion

Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) is an alternative approach to nuclear fusion which uses electrostatically accelerated ions instead of hot plasmas. The best known device that utilises the principle is the Farnsworth-Hirsch Fusor. It has been argued that such devices have potential applications in spaceflight because of weight and other advantages. However, like other fusion reactors, practical machines have not yet been forthcoming. This paper builds on previous work to suggest an alternative topology for IEC-like reactors. This topology inverts the normal machine structure, potentially has significant advantages standard designs and may achieve the reaction-rates necessary for practical power generation.