The present invention includes an apparatus and method for producing x-rays, and/or ion beams and for enabling the generation of fusion energy and the conversion of the energy into electrical energy including an anode and a cathode positioned coaxially and at least partially within a reaction chamber that imparts an angular momentum to a plasmoid. The angular momentum may be imparted through the cathode having a helical twist; a helical coil about the cathode or a combination thereof. The anode has an anode radius and the cathode has a cathode radius that imparts a high magnetic field. The reaction chamber contains a gas and an electronic discharge source in electrical communication with the anode and the cathode. As a result of an electronic discharge a dense, magnetically confined, plasmoid is created about the anode and emits of one or more particles.