Phys. Plasmas 17, 052510 (2010); doi:10.1063/1.3428744 (5 pages)
Matthew Carr and Joe Khachan
Nuclear Fusion Physics Group, School of Physics A28, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
Floating potential measurements have been carried out on a Polywell™ inertial electrostatic confinement device that uses magnetic cusps to trap electrons and establish a virtual cathode. In particular, the dependence of the floating potential on the coil current and background gas pressure was studied. The magnetic field coils were driven by a pulsed current supply and it was found that the virtual cathode could only be established within a narrow range of currents. In addition, it was shown that the magnitude of the floating potential increased with decreasing background gas pressure. It is conjectured that the depth of the virtual cathode and its lifetime are dependent on the magnitude of the injected electron current.
Engineering is the art of making what you want from what you can get at a profit.
Virtual cathode and potential well is possible and its lifetime is dependent on current. Perhaps this is wishful thinking, but it sounds somewhat like what Bussard talked about in describing wiffleball formation. Perhaps not a direct parellel, but longer well lifetime with proper current in their pulsed example, is in effect a method to increase the containment time of the electrons, which is what the Wiffleball does. IE: different vocabulary to describe the same effect.
Greeting folks,
If you know of a topic or piece of info that is GENERALLY important to the understanding of Polywell and can think of a good "FAQ" and answer, PLEASE provide it and I will insert into the FAQ. Better yet, get yourself signed up as a FAQ editor.
Also, "back the FAQ", push it, back it up. It COULD be a great tool rather than the fairly anemic one folk show it is now.