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Inertial-Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) is an alternative approach to fusion power that potentially offers the ability to burn advanced fuels like D-He³ in a non-Maxwellian, high density core. These aneutronic reactions are ideal for direct energy conversion; since the products energetic ions, they also offer high specific impulse for space propulsion.

The results presented here are the first potential well measurements of an IEC-type device via a collimated proton detector. They indicate that a ~15-kV virtual anode, at least one centimeter in radius, has formed in a spherical device with a cathode potential of 30 kV, and a current of 12 mA. Numerical analysis indicates D⁺ densities on the order of 10⁹ cm^-3, and D⁺₂ densities on the order of 10¹⁰ cm^-3.

Virtual well formation is very important to IEC devices because they are, in effect, 100% transparent electrodes that can create an electrostatic well to confine energetic ions. A brief description of the theory of IEC is given, followed by a greater description of the results.