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I've been reading some about the ITER project, tokamaks, and other approaches to plasma containment. Why can't ion trapping approaches such as an orbitrap be used for fusion plasma containment?
undefined said:Clearly confinement alone is insufficient. You also need temperature on the order of 108K to generate high energy collisions (as you mention), plasma of high enough density that collisions occur frequently for a long enough time to have a good probability of some of them resulting in fusion. However I still don't understand why electrostatic fields wouldn't be very useful in containing the plasma at a decent density for long enough for fusion to commence. Clearly heating would need to be accomplished by some other means (not particularly relevant to my question).
Plasma containment refers to the methods used to control and confine plasma, a state of matter consisting of highly energized and ionized gas. It is necessary for various scientific and technological applications, such as fusion energy and plasma-based electronics.
There are several approaches to plasma containment, including magnetic confinement, inertial confinement, and electrostatic confinement. Each method uses different techniques to contain and manipulate the plasma.
Magnetic confinement involves using strong magnetic fields to trap and control the movement of plasma. This approach is commonly used in fusion reactors, such as tokamaks and stellarators.
Inertial confinement uses high-energy lasers or particle beams to rapidly compress and heat a small pellet of fuel, creating a short-lived burst of plasma. This approach is being researched for its potential use in nuclear fusion energy.
The main challenges of plasma containment include preventing the plasma from cooling or escaping, maintaining a stable and controlled plasma state, and dealing with the intense heat and radiation produced by the plasma. These challenges are being addressed through ongoing research and technological advancements.