The Test Burner, ~2032

Near 2032 the Kronos burner core is built as an integrated test unit — the first time MetroVolt physics meets hardware.

The purpose of the test unit

The ~2032 test burner is the first integrated D-³He tandem-mirror machine in the Kronos program. Its job is to measure, not to sell power: does the plug confine at feasible β, does the 26.49 T field hold, does direct energy conversion work on real particles, and how do materials behave at a neutron fraction near 5.44%.

It carries the same core as both burner housings — Aegis (fixed defense installations) and MetroVolt (data centers and cities). The housings differ; the physics under test is shared, so a single test unit informs both products.

What success looks like

Success is not a headline number. It is a set of measurements that either confirm the design point or reveal where it must change. A confirmed confinement margin and a working direct-conversion chain would be the strongest results; a shortfall would revise the design before any fleet commitment.

• First integrated tandem-mirror burner hardware.
• Measures confinement, plug field, DEC efficiency, materials response.
• Informs both Aegis and MetroVolt housings.
• Gates the commercial decision — no fleet without its results.