Method of producing energetic plasma for neutron production

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF INITIATING AND SUSTAINING AN ENERGETIC PLASMA FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NEUTRONS IN AN EVACUATED REACTION CHAMBER SURROUND BY A PLURALITY OF ELECTROMAGNETIC COILS IN END-TO-END RELATION COMPRISING THE STEPS OF SELECTIVELY ENERGIZING SOME OF SAID COILS TO ESTABLISH A RELATIVELY LARGE FIRST VALUE OF CONTAINING MAGNETIC FIELD IN A SMALL PORTION OF SAID CHAMBER TO FORM A MAGNETICALLY CONTAINED SUB-VOLUME, SAID SUB-VOLUME BEING FORMED BY TWO MAGNETIC MIRROR REGIONS SPACED APART AXIALLY WITH A UNIFORM MAGNETIC FIELD THEREBETWEEN AND HAVING A MIRROR RATIO OF AT LEAST 3.5 TO 1; INITATING AN ENERGETIC ARC DISCHARGE BETWEEN TWO ELECTRODES, SAID DISCHARGE PASSING THROUGH SAID SUB-VOLUME ALONG THE CONTAINING MAGNETIC FIELD LINES; INJECTING A SELECTED CURRENT OF RELATIVELY HIGHENERGY MOLECULAR IONS INTO THE PATH OF SAID DISCHARGE WHERE A PORTION OF SAID MOLECULAR IONS ARE DISSOCIATED AND/OR IONIZED TO FORM ATOMIC IONS WHICH ARE TRAPPED BY SAID CONTAINING MAGNETIC FIELD TO FORM AN ENERGETIC PLASMA IN WHICH NEUTRONS ARE PRODUCED WITHIN SAID SUB-VOLUME, SAID SELECTED CURRENT BEING AT LEAST GREATER THAN THAT REQUIRED FOR PRODUCING A CURRENT OF ATOMIC IONS SUFFICIENT TO ACHIEVE BURNOUT OF NEUTRAL PARTICLES IN SAID SUB-VOLUME INCREASING THE MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH OF SAID SUB-VOLUME TO A VALUE AT LEAST FIVE TIMES LARGER THAN SAID FIRST VALUE AFTER SAID PLASMA IS FORMED; SIMULTANEOUSLY TERMINATING SAID ARC DISCHARGE AND THE INJECTION OF SAID HIGH ENERGY MOLECULAR BEAM, AND THEN INJECTING RELATIVELY LOW-ENERGY PARTICLES AT A SELECTED FEED RATE INTO SAID PLASMA UNTIL SAID SUB-VOLUME IS FILLED WITH A PLASMA; THEN CONTINUING SAID INJECTION OF SAID LOW-ENERGY PARTICLES WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PERIODICALLY, STEP-BY-STEP INCREASING THE LENGTH OF SAID MAGNETICALLY CONTAINED SUB-VOLUME, EACH SAID STEP COMPRISING DECREASING THE CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE COIL FORMING ONE OF SAID MAGNETIC MIRROR REGIONS TO RETURN SAID ONE REGION TO SAID UNIFORM FIELD STRENGTH, AND SIMULTANEOU-SLY INCREASING THE CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE NEXT ADJACENT COIL TO THEREBY ESTABLISH A MIRROR REGION IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID NEXT ADJACENT COIL, UNTIL SAID SUB-VOLUME HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO ENCOMPASS THE ENTIRE REACTION CHAMBER AND EXPANDED TO ENCOMPASS THE ENTIRE REACTION CHAMBER QUANTITY OF NEUTRONS.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF INITIATING AND SUSTAINING AN ENERGETIC PLASMA FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NEUTRONS IN AN EVACUATED REACTION CHAMBER SURROUND BY A PLURALITY OF ELECTROMAGNETIC COILS IN END-TO-END RELATION COMPRISING THE STEPS OF SELECTIVELY ENERGIZING SOME OF SAID COILS TO ESTABLISH A RELATIVELY LARGE FIRST VALUE OF CONTAINING MAGNETIC FIELD IN A SMALL PORTION OF SAID CHAMBER TO FORM A MAGNETICALLY CONTAINED SUB-VOLUME, SAID SUB-VOLUME BEING FORMED BY TWO MAGNETIC MIRROR REGIONS SPACED APART AXIALLY WITH A UNIFORM MAGNETIC FIELD THEREBETWEEN AND HAVING A MIRROR RATIO OF AT LEAST 3.5 TO 1; INITATING AN ENERGETIC ARC DISCHARGE BETWEEN TWO ELECTRODES, SAID DISCHARGE PASSING THROUGH SAID SUB-VOLUME ALONG THE CONTAINING MAGNETIC FIELD LINES; INJECTING A SELECTED CURRENT OF RELATIVELY HIGHENERGY MOLECULAR IONS INTO THE PATH OF SAID DISCHARGE WHERE A PORTION OF SAID MOLECULAR IONS ARE DISSOCIATED AND/OR IONIZED TO FORM ATOMIC IONS WHICH ARE TRAPPED BY SAID CONTAINING MAGNETIC FIELD TO FORM AN ENERGETIC PLASMA IN WHICH NEUTRONS ARE PRODUCED WITHIN SAID SUB-VOLUME, SAID SELECTED CURRENT BEING AT LEAST GREATER THAN THAT REQUIRED FOR PRODUCING A CURRENT OF ATOMIC IONS SUFFICIENT TO ACHIEVE BURNOUT OF NEUTRAL PARTICLES IN SAID SUB-VOLUME INCREASING THE MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH OF SAID SUB-VOLUME TO A VALUE AT LEAST FIVE TIMES LARGER THAN SAID FIRST VALUE AFTER SAID PLASMA IS FORMED; SIMULTANEOUSLY TERMINATING SAID ARC DISCHARGE AND THE INJECTION OF SAID HIGH ENERGY MOLECULAR BEAM, AND THEN INJECTING RELATIVELY LOW-ENERGY PARTICLES AT A SELECTED FEED RATE INTO SAID PLASMA UNTIL SAID SUB-VOLUME IS FILLED WITH A PLASMA; THEN CONTINUING SAID INJECTION OF SAID LOW-ENERGY PARTICLES WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PERIODICALLY, STEP-BY-STEP INCREASING THE LENGTH OF SAID MAGNETICALLY CONTAINED SUB-VOLUME, EACH SAID STEP COMPRISING DECREASING THE CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE COIL FORMING ONE OF SAID MAGNETIC MIRROR REGIONS TO RETURN SAID ONE REGION TO SAID UNIFORM FIELD STRENGTH, AND SIMULTANEOU-SLY INCREASING THE CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE NEXT ADJACENT COIL TO THEREBY ESTABLISH A MIRROR REGION IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID NEXT ADJACENT COIL, UNTIL SAID SUB-VOLUME HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO ENCOMPASS THE ENTIRE REACTION CHAMBER AND EXPANDED TO ENCOMPASS THE ENTIRE REACTION CHAMBER QUANTITY OF NEUTRONS.