The physics of burn in magnetized deuterium-tritium plasmas: Spherical geometry

There is a large region of density-temperature space in which the effects of a magnetic field on heat transport and alpha-particle mobility are significant and the magnetic pressure is small compared with the pressure of a deuterium-tritium plasma. Spherical fusion burn in this regime is examined. It is found that for volume burn, magnetic fields can greatly increase the yield. In regimes where propagating burn does not occur, the burn can be enhanced by a magnetic field. In regimes where propagating deflagration would normally occur in the absence of a magnetic field, magnetic fields actually degrade the cross-field propagation. A detonation wave is harder to ignite in the presence of a magnetic field. Once a detonation wave is ignited, no change in the propagation speed is produced by applying a magnetic field. (author)