From: nuny@bid.nes   
      
   On Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 1:03:04 PM UTC-8, Mr Anderson wrote:   
   > So what are, in your opinion, Best potential candidates for torch drives?   
      
     Since you asked, a pulsed descendant of VASIMR. Yes, Impulse Drive.   
      
    It would use the VASIMR first stage, a medium-power induction heater to   
   convert cold hydrogen (D-T mix; coulomb barrier 0.1 MeV, energy released 17.6   
   MeV) to plasma.   
      
     The plasma would then enter a low-frequency but very high power asymmetric   
   microwave field that would pinch the plasma into small bundles, then squeeze   
   the living crap out of them as they entered the reaction volume. The field   
   would be just below the "   
   arc across the waveguide" threshold so that with plasma within it will arc,   
   using the current to heat the plasma the last little bit to fusion.   
      
     There would be a strong also asymmetric static background field to act as a   
   "rocket bell" for thrust.   
      
     Pulse rate could be as low as a few dozen per second without noticeable lack   
   of smoothness.   
      
     It will obviously need much more robust high-temperature superconducting   
   magnets than we have now, and a very robust highly efficient heat-to-power   
   recovery system to power itself as well as the crew's DVD players.   
      
     Don't ask me where we get the tritium.   
      
      
     Mark L. Fergerson   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)