Talk-Polywell.org

Some interesting news from the Tokamak front. I cannot dig into it deeply, but two interesting points. It implies that the plasma physicists need to revisit their assumptions. And, this breakthrough (if it is indeed such) was derived from one of the smaller Tokamak operations- not Jet, yet to be built ITER, large Japanese or Chinese efforts. Pushing to progressively larger machines may not only cost much more, it may have actually slowed progress.

I also wonder if this decoupling of temperature and particle behavior has any parallels in arguments about the Polywell physics.

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2010/fusi ... -1202.html

Dan Tibbets

There is a 'radiative improved' mode of operation in which contaminants are seeded into the plasma to change its properties, but this doesn't seem to chime in with this news item that says they remove contaminants.

I find it difficult to read MIT fusion news items because they seemingly come out with 'something' (perhaps obliged to for the funders, &c.) on a periodic basis even if they have nothing much to report. Whether this is regurgitating the radiative improved mode or not is difficult to tell!

A link to a published paper would be good here, I have seen nothing in the press recently.

And as for application to Polywell - whether it is adding or removing plasma contamination, I thought the idea was that Polywell neither has any contamination nor has a 'normal' plasma so I don't see the link-up.

Paper:
http://www-pub.iaea.org/mtcd/meetings/P ... xc_1-3.pdf

and slides from latest talk:
http://www.psfc.mit.edu/research/alcato ... a_talk.pdf

some interesting ideas and results. I wonder if they will be able to keep the stability at higher powers.