Fusion Reaction Rate Coefficient for Different Beam and Target Scenarios

Abstract

Fusion power output is proportional not only to the fuel particle number densities participating in reaction but also to the fusion reaction rate coefficient (or reactivity), which is dependent on reactant velocity distribution functions. They are usually assumed to be dual Maxwellian distribution functions with the same temperature for thermal nuclear fusion circumstances. However, if high power neutral beam injection and minority ion species ICRF plasma heating, or multi-pinched plasma beam head-on collision, in a converging region are required and investigated in future large scale fusion reactors, then the fractions of the injected energetic fast ion tail resulting from ionization or charge exchange will be large enough and their contribution to the non-Maxwellian distribution functions is not negligible, hence to the fusion reaction rate coefficient or calculation of fusion power. In such cases, beam-target, and beam-beam reaction enhancement effect contributions should play very important roles. In this paper, several useful formulae to calculate the fusion reaction rate coefficient for different beam and target combination scenarios are derived in detail.