Hot-Ion Mode
In a hot-ion plasma the ions are hotter than the electrons (T_i/T_e > 1), boosting fusion output. Kronos treats this posture as a bet it must prove, not assume.
- Condition
- T_i/T_e ≥ 1.5 (prediction P2)
- Why it helps
- Fusion rate rises with ion temperature; electrons radiate
- Hot-ion ceiling (gated, labeled history)
- P_fus ≈ 2.41 GW, P_net ≈ 0.84 GWe
- Operating baseline (Mode D)
- near-thermal Ti = Te = 48 keV: P_fus 1.22 GW, P_net 486 MWe
Fusion reaction rate rises steeply with ion temperature, while the electron channel is where turbulence concentrates and where bremsstrahlung and synchrotron radiation drain energy. A hot-ion mode, in which the ions are kept hotter than the electrons (Ti/Te > 1), therefore buys more fusion power for less radiated loss. Negative triangularity helps by keeping the electron channel deliberately cool.
Kronos states the hot-ion posture as a ceiling, not a baseline. The hot-ion ceiling reaches Pfus ≈ 2.41 GW at Pnet ≈ 0.84 GWe, but only if fast-ion channeling delivers the required credit — it is gated, and its ledgers are labeled history. The operating baseline, ratified 24 July 2026 as the frozen Mode-D point, is near-thermal (Ti = Te = 48 keV): Pfus = 1.22 GW and Pnet = 486 MWe on the exhaust-honest ledger (~510 MWe channeling-gated). Kronos plans and prices to the baseline, and treats the ceiling as upside to be earned.