Editing Nuclear fusion (section)

=== Electrostatic confinement ===
{{main|Inertial electrostatic confinement}}
There are also [[Inertial electrostatic confinement|electrostatic confinement fusion]] devices. These devices confine [[ion]]s using electrostatic fields. The best known is the [[fusor]]. This device has a cathode inside an anode wire cage. Positive ions fly towards the negative inner cage, and are heated by the electric field in the process. If they miss the inner cage they can collide and fuse. Ions typically hit the cathode, however, creating prohibitory high [[conduction (heat)|conduction]] losses. Also, fusion rates in [[fusor]]s are very low due to competing physical effects, such as energy loss in the form of light radiation.<ref>Ion Flow and Fusion Reactivity, Characterization of a Spherically convergent ion Focus. PhD Thesis, Dr. Timothy A Thorson, Wisconsin-Madison 1996.</ref> Designs have been proposed to avoid the problems associated with the cage, by generating the field using a non-neutral cloud. These include a plasma oscillating device,<ref>"Stable, thermal equilibrium, large-amplitude, spherical plasma oscillations in electrostatic confinement devices", DC Barnes and Rick Nebel, PHYSICS OF PLASMAS VOLUME 5, NUMBER 7 JULY 1998</ref> a [[Penning trap]] and the [[polywell]].<ref>Carr, M.; Khachan, J. (2013). "A biased probe analysis of potential well formation in an electron only, low beta Polywell magnetic field". Physics of Plasmas 20 (5): 052504. {{Bibcode|2013PhPl...20e2504C}}. {{doi|10.1063/1.4804279}}</ref> The technology is relatively immature, however, and many scientific and engineering questions remain.

The most well known Inertial electrostatic confinement approach is the [[fusor]]. Starting in 1999, a number of amateurs have been able to do amateur fusion using these homemade devices.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fusor.net/board/ |title=Fusor Forums • Index page |publisher=Fusor.net |access-date=24 August 2014 |archive-date=8 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808074102/http://www.fusor.net/board/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.clhsonline.net/sciblog/index.php/2012/03/build-a-nuclear-fusion-reactor-no-problem/ |title=Build a Nuclear Fusion Reactor? No Problem |publisher=Clhsonline.net |date=23 March 2012 |access-date=24 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030210524/http://www.clhsonline.net/sciblog/index.php/2012/03/build-a-nuclear-fusion-reactor-no-problem/ |archive-date=30 October 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10385853|title=Extreme DIY: Building a homemade nuclear reactor in NYC|access-date=30 October 2014|date=23 June 2010|last1=Danzico|first1=Matthew|archive-date=16 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516133915/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10385853|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Schechner |first=Sam |url=https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB121901740078248225 |title=Nuclear Ambitions: Amateur Scientists Get a Reaction From Fusion |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=18 August 2008 |access-date=24 August 2014 |archive-date=3 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303102549/http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB121901740078248225 |url-status=live }}</ref> Other IEC devices include: the [[Polywell]], MIX POPS<ref>{{cite journal|bibcode=2005PhRvL..95a5003P|doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.015003|title=Experimental Observation of a Periodically Oscillating Plasma Sphere in a Gridded Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Device|pmid=16090625|journal=Phys Rev Lett|year=2005|volume=95|issue=1|pages=015003|vauthors=Park J, Nebel RA, Stange S, Murali SK|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1233951|access-date=25 August 2020|archive-date=23 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023003428/https://zenodo.org/record/1233951|url-status=live}}</ref> and Marble concepts.<ref>"The Multiple Ambipolar Recirculating Beam Line Experiment" Poster presentation, 2011 US–Japan IEC conference, Dr. Alex Klein</ref>