Reply To: Physics Nobel to Big Bangers

[jamesr]

If you just go back as far as when Filioppov (1961-62) & Mather (1964) came up with the DPF, then if more effort was made into researching them at the time would have meant when progress in understanding plasma phenomena in general was made in the 70s then the DPF would have been better placed to attract funding alongside tokamak projects built in the 80s.

Someone could have come up with the DPF concept before Filioppov & Mather, but not much before. I would say the earliest one could have been built would be maybe 10 years before, but not much more than that – say 1950.

Having said that, I think the whole range of technologies needed to get power from fusion in a DPF mean it could not have been done much before where we are today, maybe 10-15years ago at best.