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Thank you for your update Rezvan, I hope other people in this forum will also consider applying. I see a lot of smart and passionate members here.

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Another use for neutron source is hybrid fission-fusion reactors, unfortunately bombs are a more likely application.

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Any updates on this topic?
I am basically waiting for:
1)Public invitation for everyone
2)A deadline
3)Rules for application

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Great news Brian!

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Some problems with tubes are that they’re huge and sensitive to mechanical shock.

Those issues can be addressed, and probably the bigger you make them the better they should resist shock. Also I would wonder how scaling of size vs power could work. Imagine a tube made out of champagne bottle.

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They are probably just “fooling around” to see what happens under different parameters.
I would suggest reading a book: “The Art Of Scientific Investigation”, it has some interesting reflections on the research process.
One quote I would like to cite:”Research can be planned, but discovery cannot”.

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Nice thing about vacuum tubes is that they are kind of DIY, unlike transistors.

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Laser controlled plasma switches might be more expensive, it would be nice to compare all alternatives and see what is most cost effective.

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I think it is quite practical if it results in a well controlled pulse. Comparably z machine switches were quite big as well.
There were days when computers used to take buildings and it was not considered impractical.

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Well the usual stuff:think of a revolutionary idea, open the internet and find it researched, implemented and sold… 😀
It is good to hear that this idea is implemented, because that mens it is solid.
Are there any products available?
I am guessing it is all DOD stuff and no way to touch it and probably their parameters are not exactly what we would want.
So anyone would like to help investigate this idea further, as far as I can see what needs to be done:
1)Get the switching requirements for FOFU1
2)Find the appropriate semiconductors (or solid state devices)
3)Use the soldering iron

Also I the DTI mentions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulated-gate_bipolar_transistor
I wonder how they compare.

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Will wrote: I think the link posted in the “Diamond Switches” thread (http://www.divtecs.com/research/high-current-high-voltage-igbt-switch/) is functionally just that. It’s “one” semiconductor switch made up of many switches on one piece of silicon.

Yes, probably much better to sync using laser light, still maybe its possible with silicon semiconductors as well?

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Companion idea that could help make this more viable:
Use of solid state fuses, that burn out if a switch pre-fires so that switches that badly work are automatically disabled.
PS:Somebody with EE background please shut me down in case I am talking nonsense.

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mchargue wrote:
Unless & until a better mechanism is put in place to resolve timing issues between switches, I’m not sure that you’d want to increase the count of them.
As for lower voltage, I think the plan is to increase the voltage in order to increase the amperage, so lowed voltages probably could not be a goal.
My $.02
Pat

I believe you misunderstood my “lover voltage” quote. I mean if you put a lot of switches in serial connection then they should be able to switch higher voltages together than each one separately.
On the other hand if you connect a lot of switches in parallel then they can switch higher current together than separately.
And if you take a lot of switches and connect them in serial and then connect those switching blocks in parallel, then you should be able to deal both with high voltage and current.
To illustrate:
http://imgur.com/xG1E6
B) is for voltage, C) is for current D)and E) is basically the same (E might have more tolerance).

I think better mechanism for switching is easier to find in lower voltage/lower amperage area. Transistors for example, still I am all about vacuum tubes, because they are cooler ;). Of course I am don’t have much understanding in EE, so probably the switching speed could be insufficient. Still I would be really excited about this idea if it could prove viable, as it seems to me it would allow folk outside of LPP to contribute some serious R&D in an open-source manner without having a fusion lab.

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vansig wrote: $400 doesn’t really get you the rights to anything other than a limited licence to use the product for a year; it’s proprietary, all the way down to a dongle on the board.

An you probably have to sign a bullet-proof NDA,
so they can make money later when you publicly say that it is BS and they sue you.

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Of course not. They are claiming magnetic perpetuum mobile

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