vansig wrote:

Yes, excellent stuff! Actually, it’s on the LPP site, too.

Interesting excerpt:
“The electron beam carried about 0.5 kJ of energy and the plasmoid held about 1 kJ of energy, nearly half that stored in the magnetic field of the device. So, this is evidence that a substantial part of the total energy available is being concentrated in the plasmoids and transferred to the beams.”
The electron (beta) beam is not the one to be exploited to extract energy, of course; it’s the alpha (helium) beam, which is not mentioned. I’ve been wondering how that beam is being handled in this experimental rig. It seems not to be used or measured in any way as far as I can tell.

Yes, the “missing” ion beam sticks out. I think he was thinking that we all know it’s balanced by the electron beam’s energy. The drift tube has a Rogowski coil at each end, last I heard. I doubt LPP’s ignoring that output, since it can provide electrical unity in one of Eric’s break-even scenarios.

this opens some questions..
is any actual fusion occurring at this early stage?
are the direction of the beams consistent?

Yes, we have been getting deuterium fusion. It’s nowhere near as difficult as profitable fusion, especially when crippled on the drawing board and planning phases by a steam cycle. Goal #7 is a fresh start, though, using the intended pB-11 fuel.

I’ve always assumed the fields’ polarities were the same in all shots, thus the beams should shoot in the same direction every time. Eric or Aaron?