Physical Properties of Common Two-Temperature ‎Fusion Plasmas

Abstract

Here, we investigate thermal relaxation dynamics in dense, non-isothermal plasmas using a binary plasma framework combined with the effective interaction potential method, which is crucial for understanding thermonuclear burn processes. The analysis covers primary fusion fuels, including DT (neutron-yielding) and aneutronic fuels such as D³He and p¹¹B. Electron and ion temperatures (Tₑ and Tᵢ) are considered independently, since intra-species equilibration occurs significantly faster than inter-species energy exchange due to the substantial mass difference. Addressing the computational challenges associated with simulating confined fusion plasmas—arising from multiple coupled physical phenomena—we introduce, for the first time, the effective interaction potential approach as a computationally efficient and accurate method for dense plasma systems. These potentials account for both (i) long-range charge overlap effects and (ii) short-range quantum interactions. Within this framework, we evaluate critical plasma properties, including stopping power, deceleration time, energy transfer coefficients, absorbed energy, and temperature relaxation rates for p¹¹B, D³He, and DT fuels, providing valuable insights into the optimal conditions for thermonuclear performance.