jamesr - 10 March 2010 02:41 AM
Although it may be a little frustrating seeing other projects get this much investment; I take it as a positive sign that there is still money around whether from governments or private industry for this kind of research.
What you have to remember is the physics of fission and neutron transport is pretty well understood, unlike some aspects of plasma physics. Accelerator driven fission, in particular is something that an organisation like SCK-CEN has a lot of experience in, since that is how a lot of isotopes for medical uses are made. So they seem well placed to pursue this.
Once the key physics behind FF, like the suppression of bremsstrahlung, has hopefully been demonstrated to be a big enough effect to make breakeven possible. Then, after a year or so for another lab to verify the results, the proposals for serious funding can go full steam ahead.
Very well put, James. You pointed out a number of fusion science disciplines that I was only vaguely aware of. So fiduciary prudence seems to dictate staying inside the sand box. At least for large sums of other peoples’ money.
I’m working on a potential future’s business plan where several groups of 1,000 or more businesses and private investors lead the target (buy a ‘lotto ticket’, if you prefer) for $1,000 to have their favorite alma mater build a state of the art fusion lab around a FoFu-1 clone. The unity announcement automatically makes it SOA 
What I’m coming up with is that I need to sell the Boards of Regents so that they direct the Alumni Relations folks to shake the money tree forest and create the first visible ripple. The benefit is recruiting power and the potential to write ground-breaking papers that few have enough lab to confirm.
Focus Fusion Society 
