KRONOS FUSION ENERGYWHITEPAPER 023 / 104
The Burner — Aegis & MetroVolt

The Locked Mode M Closing Point: Q_E 1.31, On One Hard Requirement

The burner has a reproducible closing point — contingent on an end-plug density that is specified, not yet demonstrated.

The burner's closing point is locked and reproduces on the deposit's own solver: engineering gain Q_E 1.31 at a helium-3 fraction of 0.30. But it is honest about the price. At the reference end-plug density ratio of 10 the machine does not close (Q_E 0.63, net -160 MWe); closure needs a plug density ratio near 16 — a requirement, not a demonstrated result.

The science

The solve computes every channel: fusion power by cross section, radiation by synchrotron and bremsstrahlung, axial loss by ambipolar theory, confinement from Pastukhov theory. At the design point (n_p/n_c=16, x=0.30, Ti=90 keV, ne=2.6×10²⁰ m⁻³) it reproduces Q_E 1.31 and f_n 5.44%, both length-independent. Net electric then scales with central-cell length: +104 MWe at 55 m, +850 at Aegis (440 m), +2832 at MetroVolt (1400 m).

Why it matters

A closing point is only as good as its reproducibility and its honesty about what it assumes. This one reproduces from the shipped code, and it names the single hard condition it rests on — the end-plug density — rather than burying it. Alpha channelling is assumed nowhere.

The numbers

Design-point gain Q_E1.31 (length-independent)
Neutron fraction5.44% (length-independent)
Reference n_p/n_c=10does NOT close (Q_E 0.63, -160 MWe)
Net at l_c 55/440/1400 m+104 / +850 / +2832 MWe
Closure statusrequirement-class (plug ~16), not demonstrated
Straight answersThe closing point reproduces on the deposit's own solver (M-45); closure is REQUIREMENT-class, contingent on the end-plug density (M-47), never presented as demonstrated. Alpha channelling is assumed nowhere. Earlier Q_E 1.002 / 1.191 / 1.825 are WITHDRAWN as non-reproducible.
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 Quantitative values are simulation-derived and carry the feasibility gates named in the text; superseded values are kept in the record with era labels.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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