We present an overview of the magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) concept MagLIF (Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion) pursued at Sandia National Laboratories and review some of the most prominent results since the initial experiments in 2013. In MagLIF, a centimeter-scale beryllium tube or "liner" is filled with a fusion fuel, axially pre-magnetized, laser pre-heated, and finally imploded using up to 20 MA from the Z machine. All of these elements are necessary to generate a thermonuclear plasma: laser preheating raises the initial temperature of the fuel, the electrical current implodes the liner and quasi-adiabatically compresses the fuel via the Lorentz force, and the axial magnetic field limits thermal conduction from the hot plasma to the cold liner walls during the implosion. MagLIF is the first MIF concept to demonstrate fusion relevant temperatures, significant fusion production (>10^13 primary DD neutron yield), and magnetic trapping of charged fusion particles. On a 60 MA next-generation pulsed-power machine, two-dimensional simulations suggest that MagLIF has the potential to generate multi-MJ yields with significant self-heating, a long-term goal of the US Stockpile Stewardship Program. At currents exceeding 65 MA, the high gains required for fusion energy could be achievable.
Yager-Elorriaga, David, et al. "An overview of magneto-inertial fusion on the Z Machine at Sandia National Laboratories." Nuclear Fusion, vol. 62, no. 4, Feb. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ac2dbe
Yager-Elorriaga, David, Gomez, Matthew R., Ruiz, Daniel Edward, Slutz, Stephen A., Harvey-Thompson, Adam James, Jennings, Christopher, Knapp, Patrick, Schmit, Paul, Weis, Matthew, Awe, Thomas J., Chandler, Gordon A., Mangan, Michael A., Myers, Clayton E., Fein, Jeffrey R., Galloway, Benjamin Robert, Geissel, Matthias, Glinsky, Michael Edwin, Hansen, Stephanie B., ... Sinars, Daniel B. (2022). An overview of magneto-inertial fusion on the Z Machine at Sandia National Laboratories. Nuclear Fusion, 62(4). https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ac2dbe
Yager-Elorriaga, David, Gomez, Matthew R., Ruiz, Daniel Edward, et al., "An overview of magneto-inertial fusion on the Z Machine at Sandia National Laboratories," Nuclear Fusion 62, no. 4 (2022), https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ac2dbe
@article{osti_1834113,
author = {Yager-Elorriaga, David and Gomez, Matthew R. and Ruiz, Daniel Edward and Slutz, Stephen A. and Harvey-Thompson, Adam James and Jennings, Christopher and Knapp, Patrick and Schmit, Paul and Weis, Matthew and Awe, Thomas J. and others},
title = {An overview of magneto-inertial fusion on the Z Machine at Sandia National Laboratories},
annote = {We present an overview of the magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) concept MagLIF (Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion) pursued at Sandia National Laboratories and review some of the most prominent results since the initial experiments in 2013. In MagLIF, a centimeter-scale beryllium tube or "liner" is filled with a fusion fuel, axially pre-magnetized, laser pre-heated, and finally imploded using up to 20 MA from the Z machine. All of these elements are necessary to generate a thermonuclear plasma: laser preheating raises the initial temperature of the fuel, the electrical current implodes the liner and quasi-adiabatically compresses the fuel via the Lorentz force, and the axial magnetic field limits thermal conduction from the hot plasma to the cold liner walls during the implosion. MagLIF is the first MIF concept to demonstrate fusion relevant temperatures, significant fusion production (>10^13 primary DD neutron yield), and magnetic trapping of charged fusion particles. On a 60 MA next-generation pulsed-power machine, two-dimensional simulations suggest that MagLIF has the potential to generate multi-MJ yields with significant self-heating, a long-term goal of the US Stockpile Stewardship Program. At currents exceeding 65 MA, the high gains required for fusion energy could be achievable.},
doi = {10.1088/1741-4326/ac2dbe},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1834113},
journal = {Nuclear Fusion},
issn = {ISSN 0029-5515},
number = {4},
volume = {62},
place = {United States},
publisher = {IOP Science},
year = {2022},
month = {02}}
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Vol. 201, Issue 1065, p. 192-196https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1950.0052
2008 IEEE International Power Modulators and High Voltage Conference, 2008 IEEE International Power Modulators and High-Voltage Conferencehttps://doi.org/10.1109/IPMC.2008.4743586