DPF Theoretical Seminar at PPPL

On March 18, Lerner gave an invited presentation on the function of the DPF to an audience of some twenty physicists and engineers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, the nation’s largest fusion lab.

Collaboration

Focus Fusion is the fruit of a research program involving dozens of experimental groups over 40 years [more info]. Here we list and link to the various groups we’ve collaborated with most recently.

LPP Submits Patent Application

Lawrenceville Plasma Physics submitted a patent application to the US Patent Office on February 28, 2006.

Latin American Experiment - First Data

The new FFS-LPP collaboration with a Latin American plasma focus group has produced its first data. The data is being used for calibration of the five scintillators that measure neutron flux, x-ray flux and x-ray temperature. Such calibration must be done carefully, because temperature measurements are based on the ratios of the signals from the scintillators when they are placed behind metal filters of different thicknesses. This data ends a long (four-year!) drought of experimental data for our project.

6th Symposium on Current Trends in International Fusion Research

Notes on the Symposium from Eric Lerner:

• Sentiment at the Symposium
• Our Presentation
• TriAlpha Energy at the Symposium

Possible collaboration with Ukrainian Researcher

A possible theoretical collaboration is developing with a Ukrainian researcher, Anton Tykhyy, who has volunteered to help.

NASA Funding Effort

FFS Executive Director Eric J. Lerner is currently seeking NASA funding for focus fusion research.

First Results From Italy

LPP received the first results from the small DPF we are collaborating with at Ferrara, Italy.  So far, only the main Rogowski coil which measures current and dI/dt and the neutron counters are working.  Noise problems are still being eliminated on the downstream Rogowski coils that measure the ion beams. 

Collaboration with University of Ferrara

Note: Collaboration with the University of Ferrara has not progressed as they are still awaiting funding from the European Union. This endeavor is on hold.

New Magnetic Effect Discussed at Conferences

Lerner presented new theoretical results at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society in April 2003 (Philadelphia) and at the Fifth Symposium on Current Trends in International Fusion Research in March, 2003 (Washington, D.C.) showing that giga-gauss magnetic fields produced by the plasma focus will decrease the cooling of the plasma by x-rays, making net energy easier to achieve.