Effects of nuclear elastic scattering on ignition and thermal instability characteristics of D-D fusion reactor plasmas

Nuclear elastic scattering is included in the analysis of ignition condition and thermal instability in pure and catalysed D-D fusion reactor plasmas. Nuclear-elastic-scattering events take place, to some extent, during the slowing-down of energetic fusion products and enhance the heating of the background ions. The inclusion of this effect relaxes the minimum of the confinement requirement for self-sustained D-D plasmas by about 15%. It enhances, however, the thermal instability of the plasma, leading to an increase in the critical temperature.