Cosmology Volunteer Sought

Computer savvy volunteer sought for cosmology research project.

LPP Has Opening for Part Time Lab Assistant

LPP’s focus fusion research project needs part-time help! 

Instrumentation – Silver activation detector installed

Per Eric Lerner:

We now have a silver activation neutron detector working.  This instrument, constructed by Dr. Haboub based on a design that has been calibrated by others, uses a standard method for counting neutrons and is much more sensitive than the solid-state commercial neutron dosimeters we already have.

LPP and PPPL Informal Collaboration

LPP has established an informal scientific collaboration with Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), the largest fusion facility in the US.  The collaboration has already yielded valuable suggestions on further steps to improve LPP’s switches.

Progress in Switching – all capacitors firing, but more reliability needed

[From Eric Lerner’s LPP report of February 23 - sorry for the posting delay]

We have continued to make progress with the switches. 

This month we succeeded for the first time in getting all 12 capacitors to fire during the pulse, firing at 24 kV.  However, we cannot yet do this reliably and repeatably. 

At the same time, we have also created conditions in which most of the bank, 7-9 switches, will fire without pre-firing, allowing us to perform the experiments described in the first section. 

What we still need to do is to get repeatable and full-bank firing together.

Fusion Confidence Monitor

Inspired by the HSBC Climate Confidence Monitor (“CCM”), we propose a Fusion Confidence Monitor.

Preliminary Evidence of Angular Momentum Effect

LPP has obtained the first preliminary evidence that the injection of angular momentum into the DPF considerably increases the efficiency of energy transfer into the plasmoid, the size of the plasmoid and thus the fusion energy yield.  On Feb. 19 and 22, the team fired Focus-Fusion-1 at 24 kV with a pressure of 8 torr of deuterium in the vacuum chamber.  In some shots, they connected the angular momentum coil (AMC) to the power supply, so current could flow through it.  In other shots, they left the coil circuit open, so no current could flow.  The shots with the AMC connected have a neutron yield 8-10 times that of those with the AMC disconnected, so this is a large and very promising effect.

ICC recap and Bill Gates TED talk review

On February 16-19, PPPL hosted the ICC Workshop (Innovative Confinement Concepts).  This coincided with Bill Gates’ TED talk, in which he proposed nuclear fission innovations as a solution to the world energy+CO2 crisis.  These two events can be juxtaposed with interesting implications for Fusion research strategy.

FFS New York City Meeting - Feb. 22

The next Focus Fusion Society Meeting has been scheduled for February 22, 2010 at 7pm in the conference room of the Support Center for Nonprofit Management in NYC. 

NYC Meeting in Two Weeks

Our first New York City Focus Fusion Society meeting was a great success!  If you missed it, make sure you sign up for our next event - to be held February 15^th or 16^th.  See below to help us narrow it down.