Ignition of a Deuterium Micro-Detonation with a Gigavolt Super Marx Generator

The Centurion – Halite experiment demonstrated the feasibility of igniting a deuterium – tritium micro-explosion with an energy of not more than a few megajoule, and the Mike test the feasibility of a pure deuterium explosion with an energy of more than 10 6 megajoule. In both cases the ignition energy was supplied by a fission bomb explosive. While an energy of a few megajoule, to be released in the time required of less than 10-9 sec, can be supplied by lasers and intense particle beams, this is not enough to ignite a pure deuterium explosion. Because the deuterium-tritium reaction depends on the availability of lithium, the non-fission ignition of a pure deuterium fusion reaction would be highly desirable. It is shown that this goal can conceivably be reached with a " super Marx generator " , where a large number of " ordinary " Marx generators charge (magnetically insulated) fast high voltage capacitors of a second stage Marx generator, called a " super Marx generator " , ultimately reaching gigavolt potentials with an energy output in excess of 100 megajoule. An intense 10 7 Ampere-GeV proton beam drawn from a " super Marx generator " can ignite a deuterium thermonuclear detonation wave in a compressed deuterium cylinder, where the strong magnetic field of the proton beam entraps the charged fusion reaction products inside the cylinder. In solving the stand-off problem, the stiffness of a GeV proton beam permits to place the deuterium target at a comparatively large distance from the wall of a cavity confining the deuterium micro-explosion.