Fusion Plasma Physicists - Ti-Te Debate - Helion Video

Making a video on the Helion debate: looking for people on both sides of the Ti/Te argument Hi all, I'm Ryan, and I run Ziroth, a YouTube channel (\~500k subs) covering the engineering of electric power, propulsion and energy storage. I'm researching a video on Helion. The aim isn't to prove or disprove it. It's to lay out, fairly and accurately, why some (many?) scientists and engineers have doubts and what the strongest responses to those doubts are. The threads I've been reading so far: Rider's 1995/1997 constraints on non-equilibrium D-³He Lackner et al. (JFE, Feb 2026) on ion-to-electron energy transfer outpacing fusion power at Ti/Te ≈ 10 Nicolas et al. (JFE, 2026) on the confinement times needed for adiabatically compressed FRCs Helion's counterpoint that pulse timescales change the picture I'd love to hear from people who can steelman either side, especially on: Is the Ti/Te ≈ 10 assumption plausible at compressed densities? How much does pulse duration really relax the thermalisation constraint? What would Helion need to publish to settle it? What does Polaris running D-T tell us, if anything? I'm particularly keen to hear from anyone who thinks the critiques are wrong, since that side is harder to find in the literature... I'll be reaching out directly to Helion for answers too! Comment below, DM me here, or reach me on LinkedIn (Ryan Inis Hughes). Happy to credit contributors or keep you anonymous, whichever you prefer. If you have detailed thoughts a DM with your background would be useful to ensure I am getting informed points, thanks!