  The attainment of ultrahigh electric potentials by suppressing the stepped
leader breakdown of a highly charged conductor levitated in a spiraling Taylor
flow opens up the possibility of order of magnitude larger driver energies for
the ignition of thermonuclear reactions by inertial confinement. In reaching
gigavolt potentials, intense 1016 Watt, GeV ion beams become possible. Together
with their large self-magnetic field, these beams should be powerful enough to
launch a thermonuclear micro-detonation into pure deuterium, compressed and
ignited by such beams. In high gain laser fusion the proton flash from the
micro-explosion is likely to destroy the optical laser ignition apparatus, and
it is not explained how to avoid this danger. The possible attainment of
gigavolt potentials could make laser fusion obsolete.
