Dr. F. Fatima Ibrahimi has invented a new fusion rocket thuster concept that can give humans power on Mars and beyond.
U.S. A physicist working for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) at the Department of Energy designed a rocket that would use a magnetic field to shoot plasma particles – an electrically charged gas – into space.
According to Newton’s second and third laws of motion, the defense of velocity means that the rocket is propelled forward – and at 10 speeds faster than comparable devices.
This discovery will enable humans to travel to Mars
Current space-proven plasma propulsion engines use electric fields to propel particles, the new rocket design will accelerate them using a magnetic attachment.
This process is found all over the universe but it is the most observable for humanity on the surface of the sun. When the magnetic field lines converge there, reconnecting before and after separation, they produce a lot of energy.
Torque-shaped machines produce the same energy radiation, known as tor amamx, a magnetic enclosing device, also a leading candidate for experimental nuclear fusion reactors.
Dr. F. Fatima Ibrahimi, chief research physicist at PPPL, said the paper detailing his discovery has been published in the Journal of Plasma Physics.
“I had the idea to sit on the deck and think about the similarities between the car’s exhaust and the high-velocity exhaust particles created by PPPL’s National Spherical Torres Experiment (NSTX),” he said.
NSTX is a precursor to the lab’s existing flagship fusion facility, which is available in the U.S. The investigation is being carried out with funding by the department.
“During this operation, these Tokmak generate magnetic bubbles called plasmoids that move at a speed of about 20 kilometers per second, which seemed like a lot of pressure to me.”
Nuclear fusion is the force that drives the sun and stars. It combines light elements in the form of plasma – free, charged electrons and hot, charged state of matter composed of atomic nuclei that represent 99% of the visible universe – to produce large amounts of energy.
If a reactor operating on the same principles could be rebuilt on Earth, it would “provide an uninterrupted supply of power to generate electricity” according to the PPPL.
The technology uses the same process we have seen in solar flares
Dr. E. Ibrahimi’s new concept works better than existing plasma thrusters in computer simulation – producing an exhaust with a velocity of hundreds of kilometers per second, which is 10 times faster than other thrusters.
That momentum at the start of the spacecraft’s journey could bring the outer planets within the reach of astronauts, the physicist said.
“Long-distance travel takes months or years because the specific impulse of chemical rocket engines is very low, so it takes a while for the craft to accelerate,” he said.
“But if we build thrusts based on magnetic reconnection, then we can understand long-distance missions in the short term.”
He asserted that his thruster concept was directly related to his research on fusion into rja. “This work was inspired by past fusion work and this is the first time plasmoids and recon recon have been proposed for space propulsion,” said Dr. E. Ibrahimi. “The next step is building a prototype!”
