On The Propagation of Intense Neutralized Ion Beams for Fusion

We analyzed several properties of an electron neutralized light ion beam that is radially and longitudinally collapsing as it propagates through a diffuse background gas. Considerations of both equilibrium and stability suggest that if such a beam can be produced with an initial effective emittance of ∼2 × 10⁻⁴ cm⋅rad, and is neutralized to one part in 10⁶, then it could be propagated through a background pressure of order 10⁻⁵ Torr, compressed by a factor of 2 − 10⁵, and deliver of order 10¹³ W/cm² on a 0.1-cm-radius target; hence, it could form an economical driver for a pellet fusion system.