August 8, 2024
Realta Fusion is an early-stage fusion company commercializing magnetic mirror fusion reactors. Realta Fusion aims to design and build the Break Even Axisymmetric Mirror (BEAM), a simple mirror which could serve as a fusion volumetric neutron source (FVNS). Following this, Realta intends to rapidly construct a tandem-mirror-based fusion pilot plant (FPP). Both concepts rely on 100 keV neutral beam injection (NBI) for plasma heating and fueling. In the FVNS, the injection energy is near the peak in the DT fusion reactivity such that the device operates near scientific breakeven. Development of an efficient steady state neutral beam is critical to Realta’s mission, and the expertise of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) Accelerator Technology and Applied Physics (ATAP) division is perfectly suited to address key issues in the neutralizer and ion dump regions of the NBI using particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations.