Recent Progress in Steady State Fusion Using D-³He

The University of Wisconsin (UW) inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) facility has made significant progress since 2000. The operating voltage has doubled to 160 kV. The neutron production rate has increased by a factor of 2, from 4.9 × 10⁷/s to 1.1 × 10⁸s^-1. The D-³He proton production rate has increased by, a factor of over 40. In addition new diagnostics have been developed, including a method to determine the spatial distribution of fusion reactions A new water cooled stainless steel chamber for higher power and lower pressure has been put into operation. Medical isotopes have been produced in an IEC device for the first time.