Talk-Polywell.org

It does sound like this was the sort of news we were waiting for; perhaps all we can expect.

Congratulations to EMC2, The US Navy and Dr Nebel and his team (I am assuming there is some linkage) - 'one (more) small step for man...' etc

Although its true, needs must there will be further purdah, this should be some encouragement for other researchers in the field to continue/start up.

Good work, everyone! Clearly that's a site we should be keeping an eye on. If nothing else, it means that the research is continuing, and that's a good thing. (I also agree that, in this economic climate, research would not continue if the results obtained earlier in the year were not promising.)

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Joe Strout
Talk-Polywell.org site administrator

Finally, a plump, juicy raisin among the dry tea leaves.
Sweet, indeed!

The contract points to the nuance... no?

"The contractor is to specifically investigate the required instrumentation to achieve spatially resolved plasma densities and spatially resolved particle energies."

What does this mean? It specifically says "achieve" not measure. So, i guess there is some expectation that additional instrumentation will help with a problem in spacially resolved plasma densities and particle energies.

Someone brighter than me can figure this out, but, given the participants, it sounds like some application of POPS to polywell in order to solve a 'problem'.

The other contract for ion injection seems to point to looking for continuous operation or at least longer operation. Probably a parallel path. While figuring out the problem tool up for a continuously operating device.

My guesses.

OK - That makes three distinct contracts that we have identified so far, all out of China Lake. That is a different sponsor than before isn't it? And by the way, what is the Navy doing in China Lake? There's not enough water there to float a small canoe.
The question is, what is EMC2 going to do with these three contracts?
Wiffle-ball research
an Ion injector gun
density measurement (achievement) devices.
Are they still working at WB-6/WB-7 scale or have they stepped it up to WB-100 scale? If they go big, won't there need to be power supplies and what else that we might see contracts for?
So let's decide what else they will need on the WB-100 contract scale, and watch the FedBizOps web site for the contract announcements.
https://www.fbo.gov/?s=main&mode=list&tab=list

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Aero

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ ... a-lake.htm

Great news! Thanks guys.

Posted everything here.

http://www.deanesmay.com/2008/10/30/pol ... g-forward/

So we are talking about 2 polywell reactors and an Ion gun ?

On balance, to me this a bit more than nuanced, its good.

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I like the p-B11 resonance peak at 50 KV acceleration. In2 years we'll know.

This is all very exciting, but I am much more interested in the results of the WB-7 experiments.

These are all called "Presolicitations". If it works like all the other awards...next will come the "Solicitation", then the "Award". The most interesting thing are the dates. The time frames for other possible parties to submit are really short...not like typical solicitation to multiple parties which are typically open for much longer time frames (these only appear open for a week or so).

I understand EMC is unique in what it is doing, but hopefully this means they are fast tracking EMC through the Award process. Has anyone found anything like this from last year? Was the last award through the Naval Warfare Center?

I'm pretty happy about this. But I'm not sure I 100% understand what's going on. Is there really three different contracts?

If it's true, doesn't that match what everybody's said is necessary to fast track the program? Building three separate machines to solve the engineering problems all at once, then put it together in a larger one.

My question is, how much is each contract worth?
Oh, and why the Naval Air warfare center?

Roger/John,

It looks to me like

-- 1 contract from Sep for general Polywell research
-- 1 contract for ion guns
-- 1 contract for "instrumentation to achieve spatially resolved plasma densities and spatially resolved particle energies"

It's interesting that these are all funded through separate solicitations. Does this tell us anything about the scale of the projects?

Perhaps someone with Navy contract experience can elucidate.

My guess is breaking into three small contracts may stay under a threshold that allows them to go sole source with minimal hassle.

These may all bolt onto WB7's chamber. This sounds like a wish-list for the pieces we never had the time or money for while the lab was in Manassas Park or San Diego, and a very logical next set of steps now that the basic WB7 machine is "running like a watch".

And here we have been hand wringing for a couple of months about the prospects of going forward.

I'm calling off my proposed publicity campaign unless Rick asks for a push.

I did send this to Alan Boyle (the Oct notice) so we will see if he does a follow up.

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Engineering is the art of making what you want from what you can get at a profit.

The Navy are going all out, I guess they've seen whatever it was they wanted to see to justify the spending. If the evidence was there it was time to stop pussy-footing around with these two-bit, underfunded, stetched experiments. The govt. just blew $750 billion on big bust banker buddies and science can't get a few measly hundred millions for a life changing technology punt, go figure on that one long and hard.

Also looks like the DOE have sucked the big one in trying to shut down any tokomak competition.

Good on the Navy for taking the risk I say. But means we'll probably not hear a lot more about it on the data side for a good few years. Pity as I was looking forward to throwing my two cents worth into the Open Source side of it. Naval Air warfare is significant like Air Born Laser they probably can get any kind of money for far out ideas that promise to fry people silently in the sleep, especially terrorists.

Go Navy.