Burner Central Cell
The central cell is the long middle region where the deuterium-helium-3 plasma burns, held between the two end plugs.
Where the burning happens
The central cell is the heart of the tandem mirror: the long, relatively uniform-field region in the middle of the machine where the deuterium-helium-3 plasma is confined and fusion takes place. It is the equivalent of the plasma ring in a tokamak, unrolled into a straight line.
What defines it
- A long axis of moderate, fairly uniform magnetic field.
- The bulk of the fusion-producing plasma volume.
- Bounded at each end by a high-field plug throat that reflects escaping particles.
- The region whose length and density set the fusion power.
The tandem principle
A plasma in a simple mirror leaks out the ends too readily. The tandem mirror surrounds the central cell with end plugs that create an electrostatic potential barrier, holding the central-cell ions in far more effectively than magnetic mirroring alone. The central cell is therefore designed around what the plugs can hold: its density and temperature are chosen so the plugging can confine them.
In the model
The central cell is the long selectable section spanning most of the machine axis. The axial cutaway shows its uniform-field coils and the plasma column running through them, tapering into the plug throats at each end. Its length is a headline dimension because it scales directly with fusion output.
What surrounds it
The central cell only works because of the structures at each end. See the high-field plug throats that confine it and the mirror coils that produce the field.