APPARATUS FOR THE DENSIFICATION AND ENERGIZATION OF CHARGED PARTICLES
This patent relates to a device for materially increasing the energy and density of a plasma to produce conditions commensurate with the establishment and promotion of controlled thermonuclear reactions. To this end the device employs three successive stages of magnetic compression, each stage having magnetic mirrors to compress a plasma, the mirrors being moveable to transfer the plasma to successive stages for further compression. Accordingly, a plasma introduced to the first stage is increased in density and energy in stepwide fashion by virtue of the magnetic compression in the successive stages such that the plasma upon reaching the last stage is of extremely high energy and density commensurate the plasma particles undergoing thermonuclear reactions. The principal novelty of the device resides in the provision of a unidirectional magnetic field which increases in stepwise fashion in coaxially communicating compression chambers of progressively decreasing lengths and diameters. Pulsed magnetic fields are superimposed upon the undirectional field and are manipulated to establish resultant magnetic compression fields which increase in intensity and progressively move, with respect to time, through the compression chambers in the direction of the smallest one thereof. The resultant field in the last compression chamber is hence of relatively high intensity, and the density and energy of the plasma confined therein are correspondingly high. (AEC)
- Research Organization:
- Originating Research Org. not identified
- NSA Number:
- NSA-17-009809
- Assignee:
- U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
- Patent Number(s):
- US 3069344
- OSTI ID:
- 4725943
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-63
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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