Temperature and Specific Energy Characteristics of Transient Microplasmas in Tomoiu Internal Confinement Fusion (TICF) Reactors

Constantin Tomoiu

doi:10.20944/preprints202610.0405.v1

Submitted:

04 October 2026

Posted:

07 October 2026

You are already at the latest version

Abstract

Tomoiu Internal Confinement Fusion (TICF) a hybrid chemical-thermonuclear process generates continuous net-positive thermal energy through the continuous formation of transient microplasmas rather than sustained confinement of a bulk plasma, thereby avoiding the plasma-instability challenges associated with maintaining high-temperature, long-duration plasmas in conventional fusion approaches. TICF is a hybrid chemical–thermonuclear process based on the continuous formation and interaction of transient, high-temperature microplasmas within a confined hydrogen–air–water reaction environment. The TICF utilize internally self-generated acoustic, electromagnetic, and magnetic energies to heat, compress and confine transient microplasmas without requiring externally supplied electrical power. The present study focuses specifically on the temperature and specific energy associated with transient microplasmas in the TICF Gamma-2 reactor. The experimental data analyzed were obtained during testing conducted at the City College of New York (CUNY–CCNY) by Professor Marco J. Castaldi and his team. During these experiments, no detectable gamma radiation and no indications of neutron-induced activation or structural degradation of reactor components were reported after several hundred hours of operation. Electrical signatures associated with positively charged particles and transient microplasmas bursts were also observed. These observations are interpreted as consistent with aneutronic nuclear processes involving protium and nitrogen species.

Keywords:

TICF

;

transient microplasmas

;

aneutronic nuclear processes

Subject:

Engineering - Energy and Fuel Technology

INTRODUCTION

Magnetic-confinement systems, particularly tokamaks and stellarators, laser-driven inertial-confinement systems, and magnetized-target fusion represent several of the principal approaches currently being investigated for controlled nuclear fusion.

These systems continue to face major scientific and engineering challenges, including plasma instability, tritium scarcity, extremely high operational power requirements, and material degradation under high energy neutron irradiation and Bremsstrahlung X-ray emission.

Tomoiu Internal Confinement Fusion differs substantially from conventional deuterium–tritium fusion concepts. TICF is a hybrid chemical–thermonuclear process based on the continuous formation of localized, transient, high-energy microplasmas events generated through interactions among hydrogen or hydrogen-containing fuels, air, and water within a confined reaction chamber without requiring externally supplied electrical power.

Under the experimental conditions examined, the calculated thermal energy output substantially exceeded the chemical energy input attributed to the supplied fuel. The TICF reactor architecture continuously generates numerous short-lived microplasmas events within a single reaction and confinement chamber.

During extended TICF reactor operation, no gamma radiation above the detection capability of the instrumentation was reported, and no evidence of neutron-induced activation or associated structural degradation of reactor components was identified. At the same time, electrical signals interpreted as positively charged particle signatures and repeated transient plasma bursts were observed.

Approximately 6,472 transient microplasmas bursts per second were reported during reactor operation using a Tektronix TDS 2012C oscilloscope (Figure 2).

These 6.472 KHz electrical signals are interpreted within the TICF model as evidence of repeated transient plasma events occurring within the reactor. Such short-duration events involve rapid changes in pressure, localized mass transport, electrical charge distribution, and energy transfer within the reaction zone and contribute to the observed thermal behavior of the reactor.

The principal objective of the present study is therefore to evaluate the temperature and energy associated with these transient microplasmas events using the experimentally determined thermal-energy balance of the Gamma-2 reactor.

METHODS

TICF Reactor Principle

The TICF is characterized by the continuous formation of microscopic hydrogen–air–water reaction micropackets that evolve into short-lived, high energy localized microplasmas events. The TICF operates through the continuous formation of hydrogen-air-water micropackets that evolve into transient high-temperature microplasmas through a complex internal chemical-thermonuclear mechanism involving micro-chemical reactions, induced acoustic vibrations, energetic high frequency compression waves, micro-cavitation on liquid water, high-energy collisions, magnetic and electromagnetic interactions, and localized thermonuclear events without the need for external electrical energy input.

These interacting phenomena create localized conditions of high energy density within extremely small reacting masses.

The reactor employs hydrogen or hydrogen-containing fuels together with controlled water injection where water serves as an important reactant and source of protium associated with the high-energy reaction process.

Experimental Evaluation

From 2019 to 2025, multiple generations of TICF reactors were subjected to experimental evaluation at research institutions, including the City College of New York (CUNY–CCNY) and the University of Maryland, as well as at additional independent laboratories and during public demonstrations.

Thermal-energy output was evaluated using enthalpy calculations based on experimentally measured reactor parameters.

Diagnostic instrumentation used during different TICF experiments included oscilloscopic monitoring of transient electrical and plasma-burst activity, nuclear-radiation monitoring, gas chromatography, voltage measurements, ultrasound measurements, mass-flow measurements, and thermal measurements used to evaluate reactor performance and determine the energy balance.

Control experiments and diagnostic measurements produced several notable observations:

The unique TICF approach. The TICF unique approach, which utilizes hydrogen–water fuel mixtures and transient microplasmas, is designed to avoid the plasma-instability challenges associated with sustained bulk plasmas while also avoid reactor-material activation and degradation—two significant challenges encountered in mainstream fusion approaches.
Formation of transient microplasmas.

Within the TICF mechanism, hydrogen or hydrogen-containing fuels participate initially in microscale chemical reactions where are fully consumed. The subsequent transient microplasmas formation involve water introduced into the fuel–air mixture at the micropackets level.
Water-to-Hydrogen Ratio In the Gamma-2 reactor, the water-to-hydrogen mass ratio reached a maximum of 87.1:1 (Figure 5). Beyond this ratio, additional water appeared to contribute less effectively as a source of protium, while its heat-absorption effect became increasingly dominant. Consequently, further water addition progressively reduced the reactor temperature. These observations suggest that water plays two important roles in the TICF process: a source of protium for the reaction mechanism and a thermal sink for absorbing and transferring energy generated by the transient microplasmas.
Energy Released from Mass Conversion in the ${}_{1}^{15}N$ +P fusion Gamma-2 reactor Using Einstein’s equation (E=m $c^{2})$ the conversion defect mass of 1.25 x $10^{- 10}$ Kg (0.125 ng) into energy corresponds to an energy release of 11.3 MJ. This calculated energy is consistent with the net enthalpy increase determined from the measured reactor parameters by Professor Marco J. Castaldi PhD, and his research team during testing at CUNY-CCMY. This agreement is consistent with the proposed ${}_{1}^{15}N$ +P fusion reaction.
Transient plasma-burst activity.

During reactor operation, approximately 6,472 transient microplasmas bursts per second (Figure 2) were reported using a Tektronix TDS 2012C oscilloscope. These electric signals (6.472 KHz) are interpreted as evidence of the continuous formation of short-duration energetic events within the reactor.
Electrical measurements.

Using a Fluke 114 digital multimeter positive charges particles were detected which are believed to be positive ions generated by decaying of alpha particles in helium4. This finding was documented during testing conducted at CCNY (Figure 4).
Radiation monitoring.

Measurements conducted using a Digilert-50 nuclear-radiation meter detected no gamma radiation above background levels during the monitored TICF reactor operation. No evidence of neutron-induced activation of reactor materials was reported after several hundred hours of reactor operation.
Replacement of water with inert gases.

Replacement of water with inert gases reportedly eliminated the observed excess-energy production (Figure 3 and Figure 4), indicating that water plays an important role in the TICF process.
Replacement of hydrogen with carbon monoxide.

Experiments in which hydrogen was replaced with carbon monoxide (Figure 3 and Figure 4 and 9 and) reportedly continued to produce net-positive thermal-energy balances. Within the TICF interpretation, this observation further supports the role of water as a principal source of protium associated within the high-energy process.
Effect of water addition to air-fuel mixture.

Increased water injection correlated with increased the temperature of flue gases and water steam exiting the reactor (Figure 6).
Tests with modified water compositions.

Tests involving deuterium-depleted water and boron-depleted water reportedly maintained net-positive thermal-energy production (Figure 3 and Figure 4). These observations provide additional comparative experimental conditions for evaluating the role of water composition in the TICF process.
Correlation between water injection and energy production.

Across the reported experiments, increased water injection was correlated with increased reactor temperature and thermal-energy production (Figure 3, Figure 4 and Figure 6), despite the expected cooling and dilution effects of additional water in a conventional combustion system.
TICF Gamma-2 reactor exhaust products temperature versus adiabatic flame temperature: In the hydrogen-fuel test of gamma-3 reactor conducted at the University of Maryland by Distinguished Professor Ashwani K. Gupta, Ph.D. (Figure 8), the measured reactor exhaust temperature was 732 C, whereas the calculated adiabatic flame temperature (AFT) was 90 C—approximately 8.13 times lower than the measured temperature. The AFT represents the theoretical equilibrium temperature attainable from the specified chemical reactants under adiabatic conditions. For hydrogen-air combustion, the expected AFT is approximately 2,100 C under standard conditions. Therefore, the observed temperature behavior (732 C/90 C) cannot be adequately explained solely by the chemical combustion process represented by the corresponding heat and material balance and support a nuclear process mechanism.

Collectively, these observations motivated a more detailed analysis of the amount of energy potentially concentrated within the transient reacting microplasmas.

High Temperature and Energy Density of Transient Microplasmas

During TICF reactor operation, interactions among the injected reactants generate short-lived, highly localized microplasmas events in which energy is concentrated within very small reacting masses.

The bulk reactor temperature and measured exhaust temperature remain much lower than the inferred energy scale associated with these localized events. Consequently, it is essential to distinguish between three different quantities:

1. Measured bulk reactor or exhaust temperature, which represents the macroscopic thermal state of the reactor and its products;

2. Specific energy release, calculated from the net energy attributed to the reacting mass; and

3. Particle-energy-equivalent temperature, the net energy release is used to calculate the corresponding particle-equivalent temperature for the transient microplasmas.

The present manuscript examines the Gamma-2 reactor experiment conducted at the City College of New York (CUNY–CCNY) on September 20, 2019, by Professor Marco J. Castaldi and his research team.

The analysis evaluates the experimentally determined thermal-energy balance, net energy release, reacting mass, specific energy release, and corresponding particle-energy-equivalent temperature associated with the transient microplasmas events.

For the Gamma-2 experiment analyzed in this study, the total energy input was 4.407 MJ, while the measured/calculated thermal output associated with the reaction products and steam exiting the reactor was 15.692 MJ.

The resulting net energy release is therefore:

Enet = Eoutput − Einput

Enet = 11.285 MJ

This net-energy value provides the basis for the subsequent determination of the temperature and specific energy associated with the reacting mass.

Because the reacting mass is extremely small relative to the total mass passing through the reactor, assigning the measured net energy to this reacting mass produces a very high temperature and specific-energy value.

The resulting temperature should therefore be described as a particle-energy-equivalent temperature derived from the net energy released per unit reacting mass.

This distinction is particularly important because the bulk TICF reactor operates at temperatures on the order of approximately 1,475 K, whereas the calculated particle-energy-equivalent temperature represents the inferred microscopic energy scale associated with the transient reacting particles.

The Gamma-2 experimental data therefore provides a quantitative framework for investigating the relationship among net thermal-energy production, transient reacting mass, specific energy release, and particle-energy-equivalent temperature in the TICF process.

Gamma-2 Reactor Tested at CUNY–City College of New York (CCNY), (09/ 20, 2019)

Input flow rates form 295 K:

Air: 3.174 Kg/h
$H_{2} :$ 0.031 Kg/h
$H_{2} O : 2.7 K g / h$ - on air-fuel-water mixture

Reactions:

H_{2} +

1/2

O_{2} \to H_{2} O

+ energy

{}_{1}^{15}N

+

{}_{1}^{1}P

=

{}_{1}^{12}C

+

{}_{1}^{4}{H e}

+ 4.97 MeV.

1. Net Energy calculated at 992 K temperature of flue gases and water steam exiting the reactor:

Total input = 4.407 MJ
Total output = 15.692 MJ

Therefore:

E_{n e t} = 15.692 - 4.407 = 11.285 MJ

2. Conversion to MeV:

For 11.285 MJ =

11.285 \times 10^{6} J

Using:

1 MeV = 1.60218 \times 10^{- 13} J

Gives

\frac{11.285 \times 10^{6}}{1.60218 \times 10^{- 13}} = 7.0435 \times 10^{19} MeV

3. Number of Reactions:

Using 4.97 MeV per reaction:

N r = \frac{7.0435 \times 10^{19}}{4.97}

;

N r = 1.4172 \times 10^{19}

reactions

4. Reactant Mass:

m_{p} = 1.673 \times 10^{- 27} kg m_{N 15} = 2.49 \times 10^{- 26} kg

Therefore

m_{r} = 2.6573 \times 10^{- 26} kg

Total Reacting Mass:

M = N m_{r}

A

M = (1.4172 \times 10^{19}) (2.6573 \times 10^{- 26})

M = 3.7659 \times 10^{- 7} kg

M = 0.3765 mg

Mass converted to energy:

Reacting mass: (

{}_{1}^{15}N

+

{}_{1}^{1}P

): 16.007933 u

Product mass: (

{}_{1}^{12}C

+

{}_{1}^{4}{H e}

): 12.000000 u + 4.002602 u = 16.002602 u

Mass defect per Reaction: 16.007933 u – 16.002602 = 0.005331 u

Total mass defect:

(1.4172 \times 10^{19}) (0.005331 u)

= 7.55509 x

10^{16}

u

Using 1 u = 1.66053907 x

10^{- 27}

Kg

Mass converted to energy: 1.25 x

10^{- 10}

Kg (0.125 ng)

Therefore:

Total reaction energy = 11.285 MJ (

7.0435 \times 10^{19} MeV)

Total reacting mass = 0.3765mg = 3.765 × $10^{- 7}$ kg
Mass converted to energy: 1.25 x $10^{- 10}$ Kg (0.125 ng)
Assuming that all of the reaction energy 11.285 MJ is contained as thermal energy within that reacting mass 0.37635mg, then we can calculate the temperature from the average energy per particle.

Step 1: Number of rations:

N r = 1.4172 \times 10^{19}

reactions.

Each reaction involves one proton and one nitrogen nucleus, so the number of reacting pairs is already known.

Step 2: Energy per reaction:

E_{r} = 4.97 MeV

5. Equivalent Plasma Temperature based on net energy produced-Enet:

Using:

K_{B}

= 8.618 x

10^{- 5} \frac{e V}{K}

E n = \frac{3}{2} K_{B} T

Where: Enet =

7.0435 x 10^{25} e V

N r

= number of reactions:

1.4172 x 10^{19}

T = \frac{2 E_{n}}{3 K_{B}}

=

\frac{2 E n e t}{3 N r K_{B}}

=

\frac{2 (7.0435 x 10^{25})}{3 (1.4172 x 10^{19}) (8.618 x 10^{- 5})}

= 3.84467

\times 10^{10} K

T = 3.845 \times 10^{10} K

Using:

K_{B}

= 1.380649 X

10^{- 23} \frac{J}{K}

Where: Enet = 11.285 MJ

\frac{2 (11.285 x 10^{6})}{3 (1.4172 x 10^{19}) (1.380649 x 10^{- 23})}

= 3.84499

\times 10^{10} K

Result

Using the plasma physics relation

E = \frac{3}{2} k T

, the equivalent temperature associated with net energy

11.285 M J (7.0435 \times 10^{19} MeV)

is approximately:

T \approx 3.85 \times 10^{10} K

or about 38.5 billion kelvins.

Important Interpretation

Net energy: 11.285 MJh
Equivalent energy: $7.0435 \times 10^{19} MeV$
Number of 4.97 MeV reactions: $N r = 1.4172 \times 10^{19}$ reactions
Mass participating in reactions: $3.765 \times 10^{- 7}$ kg (0.3765 mg)

Although the particle-energy-equivalent temperature, calculated from the net energy released during TICF operation, corresponds to temperatures on the order of several tens of billions of kelvins, this value represents an energy-equivalent temperature rather than the bulk reactor temperature. The TICF reactor itself operates under comparatively low and safe bulk-temperature conditions of approximately 1,475 K.

The actual microplasmas temperature immediately preceding each energy-release event is considerably lower, due to the presence of trapped microchemical reactant gases acting as a heatsink.

Nevertheless, the characteristic temperatures of the transient microplasmas are expected to remain within the multi-billion-kelvin range, consistent with the particle energy scales and reactor performance characteristics required for sustained aneutronic fusion reactions.

The specific energy released:

\frac{E n e t}{r e a c t i n g m a s s}

Energy released: 11.285 MJ
Reacting mass: $3.765 \times 10^{- 7}$ kg (0.3765 mg)

The specific energy release is:

\frac{E n e t}{r e a c t i n g m a s s}

\frac{11.285 \times 10^{6}}{3.765 \times 10^{- 7}} = 2.9973 \times 10^{13} J / kg

\approx 2.9973 \times 10^{13} J / kg

Specific energy of hydrogen combustion (HHV): 141.8 x

\frac{10^{6} J}{K g} .

This is an extremely high energy density—about:

\frac{2.9973 \times 10^{13}}{141.8 \times 10^{6}} = 2.11375 \times 10^{5}

or roughly 211,000 times the energy density of hydrogen combustion.

Interpretation

A net energy release of 11.285MJ corresponds to an implied specific energy of approximately 2.9973 X 10¹³ J/kg. This value substantially exceeds the energy densities associated with conventional chemical reactions and lies within the range associated with nuclear-scale energy processes.

CONCLUSION

The Tomoiu Internal Confinement Fusion (TICF) process introduces a hybrid chemical-thermonuclear approach based on the continuous generation and confinement of transient hydrogen microplasmas.

Experimental testing conducted between 2019 and 2025 at multiple independent facilities, including the City College of New York and the University of Maryland, reported sustained thermal output-input ratios (Q-values) ranging from 2 to 8 across several reactors configurations.

Sustained excess thermal energy production accompanied by positively charged particle emissions but without detectable neutron or gamma radiation aligns with the proposed aneutronic reaction pathways.

TICF presents a transformative pathway to controlled aneutronic fusion. By achieving continuous, self-sustained confinement of hydrogen-based microplasmas, the process has reportedly demonstrated stable continuous positive net-energy production without external electric power input. The reproductible Q-value, verified in independent laboratories, and the absence of detectable neutron or gamma emission set TICF apart from conventional fusion approaches. The results indicate that TICF represents a viable route toward clean and scalable fusion energy production.

I believe Innovation in fusion should not be limited to refining existing technologies. It should also embrace fundamentally different approaches as TICF that accelerate the path toward practical, clean and commercially viable energy generation.

Figure 1. Gamma-2 reactor tested at CUNY-CCNY showing 11.285 MJ/h excess energy from Protium-N15 fusion reaction.

An electrode with an outer diameter of 0.250 inch and a length of 1.250 inch was installed in the reactor chamber and electrically insulated from the reactor wall. The reactor wall was connected to the ground. Measurements obtained using a Tektronix TDS 2012C oscilloscope reviled (6.472 KHz) electrical pulses associated with approximately 6.472 micro-plasmas bursts per second, which result in the expulsion of mass and energies.

Figure 7. Evaluation report made by Distinguished Professor Ashwani K. Gupta PhD. at University of Maryland Gamma-3 reactor test.

Figure 9. Enthalpy calculation performed by Professor Marco J. Castaldi, Ph.D., for the air–CO–water mixture experiment conducted with the Gamma-2 TICF reactor at the Combustion and Catalysis Laboratory, The City College of New York.

Acknowledgements

The author Constantin Tomoiu resaved no financial support for the research and development, authorship, or publication for this article. Constantin Tomoiu President/owner at TAFE Corp. ticfnuclearfusion@gmail.comwebsite: ticfnuclearfusion.com (203) 522 3944 Mailing address: 28 3^rd Street. Unit 20. Ansonia, CT 06401

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A TICF demonstration reactor has been assembled at the Tomoiu Advanced Fusion Energy (TAFE) laboratory and is available for direct observation of continuous net-positive thermal energy production. The reported performance exceeds 800% of thermal energy efficiency under the demonstrated operating conditions, providing an opportunity for researchers, engineers, investors, and energy stakeholders to independently evaluate this emerging technology

Figure 2. Continuous formations and burst of microplasmas detected by Tektronix TDS 2012C oscilloscope.

Figure 5. Enthalpy calculations at CUNY-CCNY for TICF Gamma-2 reactor made by Professor Marco J. Castaldi PhD.

Figure 6. Reactor temperatures increase with the addition of water to air-fuel mixture (methane, ethanol and CO fuels). Green methane temperature increases from 812 C to 1,209 C, with Methane fuel input from 0.163 Kg/hr. to 0.150 Kg/hr.

Figure 3. Report of evaluations of multiple TICF reactors tested at CUNY-CCNY by Professor Marco J. Castaldi PhD. and his team.

Figure 4. Continuation of evaluation report made by Professor Marco J. Castaldi PhD.

Figure 8. Comparison of the adiabatic flame temperature of the gamma-3 reactor developed by Distinguished Professor Ashwani K. Gupta PhD. And Dr. Kiran Burra at the University of Maryland. Reaction products and water steam exit the reactor at 732C.

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