Hyperion reaches Q_plasma ~1.9 at a confinement quality of H98 = 1.0: exactly the standard H-mode scaling, no enhancement assumed. That is the quietest and most important line in the breeder's case.
Most compact-fusion gain claims lean on a confinement multiplier above 1.0 — a bet that the plasma holds heat better than the reference law predicts. Hyperion does not need that bet. Its design point closes at the demonstrated H98 = 1.0, so the gain rests on physics the field has already shown at scale.
A design that only needs the scaling law it inherits is a categorically lower-risk design than one that needs to beat it. This is the structural reason the breeder is buildable now while the burner carries named physics gates.
| Confinement quality | H98 = 1.0 (demonstrated) |
| Q_plasma | ~1.9 at the paper point |
| Enhancement assumed | none |
| Risk posture | meets scaling, does not beat it |
| Contrast | burner requires named gates |