Method of initiating and sustaining an energetic plasma for neutron production

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF INITIATING AND SUSTAINING AN ENERGETIC PLASMA FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NEUTRONS IN A CHAMBER SURROUNDED BY A PLURALITY OF ELECTROMAGNETIC COILS IN ENDTO-END RELATION INCLUDING THE STEPS OF EVACUATING SAID CHAMBER TO A PRESSURE OF ABOUT 10-6 MM. HG; SELECTIVELY ENERGIZING SOME OF SAID COILS TO ESTABLISH A CONTAINING MAGNETIC FIELD IN A SMALL PORTION OF SAID CHAMBER TO FORM A MAGNETICALLY CONTAINED SUB-VOLUME CONSISTING OF TWO MAGNETIC MIRROR REGIONS SPACED APART AXIALLY WITH A UNIFORM MAGNETIC FIELD REGION THEREBETWEEN, THE MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH IN SAID MIRROR REGION BEING ABOUT 21 KILOGAUSS AND IN SAID UNIFORM REGION BEING ABOUT 6 KILOGAUSS; INITIATING AN ENERGETIC ARC DISCHARGE BETWEEN TWO ELECTRODES, SAID DISCHARGE PASSING THROUGH SAID SUBVOLUME ALONG THE CONTAINING MAGNETIC FIELD LINES; INJECTING A ONE AMPERE CURRENT OF MOLECULAR IONS HAVING AN ENERGY OF 600 KEV. INTO THE PATH OF SAID DISCHARGE WHERE A PORTION OF SAID MOLECULAR IONS ARE DISSOCIATED AND/OR IONIZED TO FORM ATOMIC IONS WHICH ARE MAGNETICALLY TRAPPED BY SAID CONTAINING MAGNETIC FIELD TO FORM A PLASMA WITHIN SAID SUBVOLUME, SAID CURRENT OF MOLECULAR IONS BEING GREATER THAN THAT REQUIRED FOR PRODUCING A CURRENT OF ATOMIC IONS SUFFICIENT TO ACHIEVE BURNOUT OF NEUTRAL PARTICLES IN SAID SUBVOLUME; INCREASING THE MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTHS OF SAID MIRROR REGIONS AND SAID UNIFORM REGION AFTER SAID PLASMA IS FORMED TO VALUES AT LEAST FIVE TIMES LARGER THAN SAID FIRST FIELD STRENGTHS; TERMINATING SAID ARC DISCHARGE; AND PERIODICALLY, STEP-BY-STEP INCREASING THE LENGTH OF SAID SUBVOLUME, EACH SAID STEP COMPRISING DECREASING THE CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE COIL FORMING ONE OF SAID