Declaring the Ash: Why f_He4 = 0.05 Is Printed, Not Buried

The number under the gain is the helium ash fraction — and Kronos writes it down.

Hyperion's gain of 3.424 rests on a declared helium ash fraction, f_He4 = 0.05, giving Z_eff = 1.158. The value matters less than the discipline: the basis is stated in the entry, not left silent.

The science

Helium ash from fusion dilutes the fuel and raises the effective charge Z_eff, taxing the gain. Hyperion declares its ash fraction explicitly at 5%, so the 3.424 is conditional on a stated assumption anyone can test, rather than on a hidden one.

Why it matters

An internal audit once flagged an ash fraction carried silently — the exact defect class that moved several earlier frozen values. The remedy was not new arithmetic but a declared basis. That is how a research programme earns the right to freeze a number.

The numbers

Ash fraction	f_He4 = 0.05 (declared)
Effective charge	Z_eff = 1.158
Effect on gain	dilution tax, stated
Direction	lower ash -> higher gain (floor, not ceiling)
Discipline	declared basis, recorded restatement

Straight answersIf a later determination finds a different ash fraction, the gain moves by recorded restatement, not silent change — and because dilution scales with density, a lower true ash only raises gain above the frozen floor.

Kronos is the fusion company that shows its work. Every figure here traces to the openly deposited Kronos simulation programme and design-point records (CC BY 4.0). Read the series, run the code, check us. — All whitepapers

Conceptual design and simulation study; no machine has been built. Quantitative values are simulation-derived and carry the feasibility gates named in the text; superseded values are kept in the record with era labels. This document is informational and is not an offer of securities. © 2026 Kronos Fusion Energy, Inc. · Los Angeles, California.

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