About this Research Topic
Unfortunately, the pB reaction requires high temperatures to be thermodynamically triggered in a laboratory plasma, which explains why in the last decades most of the fusion research has focused on the DT reaction.
However, several experiments recently conducted with laser-produced plasmas have revived the topic of pB fusion by showing an increase of 8 orders of magnitudes in alpha production over the last 20 years. Most of these experiments were based on the use of high-energy, high-power laser beams.
In addition due to the direct transfer of energy from the protons to the reaction products, α-particles with higher energies were produced. This opens the possibility of triggering new reactions which require high-energy α-particles, which are useful for the production of radio-isotopes of medical interest.
The purpose of this special issue is to give a stage to novel research and review articles that concentrate on studying the main physical aspects related to proton-boron fusion in laser-plasma interactions and other scenarios. The published manuscripts should be dedicated to advancing future energy production by proton-boron fusion, and the development of alpha-particle sources for various applications, but in particular medical applications.
Potential topics may include:
• Laser-driven, and other designs of proton–boron (pB) fusion experiments
• New concepts of pB fusion for energy production, thermal and non-LTE.
• New concepts of diagnostics for proton-boron fusion experiments.
• Study of avalanche processes, and other collective phenomena in pB fusion.
• Numerical simulations of proton-boron fusion and alpha-particle generation.
• pB fusion in laboratory astrophysics.
• pB fusion in inertial confinement design.
• pB fusion in magnetic confinement design.
• Development of alpha-particle sources
• Using alpha particle sources for the production of radioisotopes for medical applications.
• New laser system concepts for the development of high-intensity alpha-particle sources
• New target designs and production for pB fusion and alpha sources experiments.
Keywords: Proton, Boron, Fusion
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.