Abstract
Norman Rostoker et al. (Article, 21 Nov., p. 1419) describe the concept of a colliding beam fusion reactor (CBFR) that has attracted significant attention in the popular press. It is clear that the media and the public recognize the importance of fusion energy; consequently, the promise of a simple and quick route to fusion is attractive. But there are some serious technical concerns associated with the CBFR concept. Two prominent ones are (i) the extreme difficulty of achieving positive power balance from even an idealized proton–boron-11 (p-11B) reaction process and (ii) the likelihood of unacceptable electron heat losses from such a small (a few centimeters) field-reversed configuration plasma, attempting to burn p-11B. The field-reversed configuration itself, however, is interesting, and excellent research in this area is being pursued at the University of Washington.
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