Lawson criterion

The Lawson criterion is a figure of merit used in nuclear fusion research. It compares the rate of energy being generated by fusion reactions within the fusion fuel to the rate of energy losses to the environment. When the rate of production is higher than the rate of loss, and enough of that energy is captured by the system, the system is said to be ignited. n τ E ≥ L ≡ 12 E c h k B T ⟨ σ v ⟩ {displaystyle n au _{ m {E}}geq Lequiv {frac {12}{E_{ m {ch}}}},{frac {k_{ m {B}}T}{langle sigma v angle }}}     (1) The Lawson criterion is a figure of merit used in nuclear fusion research. It compares the rate of energy being generated by fusion reactions within the fusion fuel to the rate of energy losses to the environment. When the rate of production is higher than the rate of loss, and enough of that energy is captured by the system, the system is said to be ignited. The concept was first developed by John D. Lawson in a classified 1955 paper and published openly in 1957. As originally formulated, the Lawson criterion gives a minimum required value for the product of the plasma (electron) density ne and the 'energy confinement time' τ E {displaystyle au _{E}} that leads to net energy output. Later analysis suggested that a more useful figure of merit is the triple product of density, confinement time, and plasma temperature T. The triple product also has a minimum required value, and the name 'Lawson criterion' may refer to this inequality.