The Basis for Q_sci 3.076
The breeder's design gain of Q_sci 3.076 is the ratio of fusion power to plasma heating power that yields the neutron flux the foundry needs.
What Q_sci 3.076 means
Q_sci is scientific gain: fusion power produced divided by heating power delivered to the plasma. The breeder's design point is Q_sci 3.076, meaning it produces roughly three and a half times the power injected to heat the plasma. This is the gain the foundry needs, and it is a plasma-physics ratio, not a whole-plant one.
Why this value, not higher
The breeder is sized to a supply requirement. Q_sci 3.076 at 85.0 MW fusion power produces the neutron flux needed to breed the target tritium class output and the helium-3 coproduct. A higher gain is not required for the foundry mission, and pursuing it would make the machine larger or harder without serving the product.
How it is reached
- 8 T on-axis field from the high-field magnet system
- 9.66 MA plasma current for strong confinement
- Negative triangularity of -0.30 for edge and exhaust behavior
- Compact spherical geometry for high plasma pressure
Gain, not net power
Q_sci 3.076 is scientific gain. It is not net electricity and does not imply it, the breeder does not target net electric output. This distinction is central to the whole program: the foundry needs gain, and gain is a lower bar than the net-electric threshold.
Q_sci 3.076 is a design and simulation value for a machine not yet built. It is the headline quantity the confinement gate G1 is built to verify, reported measured-versus-predicted.