PLASMA CORE ROCKET ENGINES

The basic physics for plasma core rocket engines was already completed in 1985.  At the time successful containment of a fissioning uranium hexafluoride U(93%)F₆ plasma was achieved for ~120 seconds using an argon vortex.  Unfortunately, hydrodynamic confinement of a fissioning fuel in a gas core nuclear rocket without uranium loss is probably unachievable.  This article proposes a plasma core that is magnetically contained and uses one of many possible stable force-free magnetic field configurations. 

ihttp://arxiv.org/abs/2510.07339