Ion Accelerators as Drivers for Inertial Confinement Fusion

A representation of the state of ion driver technology is shown in Table II. As in any such superficial treatment there are some subjective conclusions but the clear generalization is that the light ion machines have the necessary power and energy but lack rep rate and reliability. The heavy ion drivers, on the other hand, are based on developed accelerator technology which is demonstrated to be of high rep rate and reliability, but is still not at the required energy or power levels.