Reading an Axial Cutaway
A section along the burner's long axis shows the confine-then-convert chain from central cell to direct converter.
The burner's key view
For the burner, the equivalent of Hyperion's poloidal cutaway is the axial section: a slice along the machine's long axis. It shows the entire chain of the tandem mirror in order, from the central cell where the plasma burns to the converter where escaping energy becomes electricity.
The chain along the axis
- The central cell, the long region of moderate field where fusion happens.
- A high-field plug throat at each end, peaking at 26.49 T in the plug and 17 T at the throat.
- The expander beyond each throat, where the field flares and the plasma spreads.
- The direct-energy converter and end tank at each end.
The field profile
The axial cutaway is where the field-versus-position profile makes sense. The section can plot field magnitude along the axis: a moderate plateau through the central cell rising to the sharp plug peak, then falling through the expander. Confinement is written into that curve, because the ratio of the peak to the plateau is the mirror ratio that reflects particles.
Symmetry and the loss stream
The burner is symmetric about the center of the central cell, so the axial cutaway shows a mirror image at each end. Following an escaping particle from the central cell, through the loss cone at the throat, spreading in the expander, and landing on the converter, is the clearest way to see how the machine turns end losses into power.
Where to go next
Each section of the chain has its own page. See the central cell, the plug throats, and the direct-energy converter.