Burner Tandem-Mirror: Model Overview
The burner is a deuterium-helium-3 tandem-mirror generator, a long linear machine with high-field plugs at each end.
The burner in the model
The Kronos burner is a deuterium-helium-3 tandem-mirror generator. Where Hyperion is a compact ring, the burner is a long straight axis: a central cell where the plasma burns, a high-field magnetic plug at each end to stop the plasma leaking out, an expander beyond each plug, and a direct-energy converter that turns escaping particle energy into usable power. It runs in two housings, Aegis for fixed defense sites and MetroVolt for data centers.
Frozen design point
- Fuel: deuterium and helium-3, chosen to minimize neutron production.
- Neutron fraction 5.44 percent of the fusion power, far below a deuterium-tritium machine.
- Plug field 26.49 T; throat field 17 T.
- Direct energy conversion of the charged-particle exhaust.
Why a mirror, not a ring
A magnetic mirror confines plasma along a straight axis between two regions of strong field that reflect particles back toward the center. A tandem mirror adds electrostatic plugging at each end to hold particles far better than a simple mirror could. The linear geometry is what makes direct energy conversion natural: charged particles that do escape stream out along the axis, straight into a converter.
Why deuterium-helium-3
This fuel produces most of its energy as charged particles rather than neutrons, which is why the neutron fraction is only 5.44 percent. Fewer neutrons means less activation and shielding, and charged particles can be converted directly to electricity. The trade-off is that the fuel is harder to burn than deuterium-tritium and helium-3 is scarce.
Status and exploration
The burner is design and simulation work; no hardware net-gain claim is made before the breeder proves out. Continue to the central cell and the plug throats.