Patent Document ID: 4584161
Application ID: 06552532
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for simulating the behavior of energetic alpha particles produced in a magnetically confined first plasma wherein deuterium and tritium undergo fusion reactions, comprising the steps of: (a) producing a second plasma which includes deutrons and .sup.3 He.sup.++ ions; (b) providing high energy radio frequency radiation to said second plasma for energizing said .sup.3 He.sup.++ ions to an initial energy distribution closely approximating the energy distribution of said fusion-product alpha particles; and (c) detecting the energies of said .sup.3 He.sup.++ ions, as said .sup.3 He.sup.++ ions lose energy in said second plasma, said detected energies of said .sup.3 He.sup.++ ions corresponding linearly to the energies of said alpha particles in said first plasma as said alpha particles slow down in energy, thereby simulating the energies of said alpha particles as they lose energy in said first plasma.