From: Chuck Murcko (chuck@topsail.org)
Date: Thu Oct 05 2000 - 10:45:54 PDT
Eugene Leitl wrote:
>
> (((this one is for Wayne B.
>
> if this is for real I wouldn't be surprised if they
> have had achieved ignition in classfied tests by now.
>
> lord, these affairs *are* hard on the heart.
> )))
>
They *do* get considerable D-T fusion with the FCG in the paper listed
below. They just don't use a secondary magnetic pusher to generate a
large fusion yield.
What's most interesting (and potentially scary) is the whole field of
use for this 4th generation stuff: "microyield" fusion explosives of
10-100 tons TNT yield, which are relatively clean in terms of fallout.
Bunker busters, if you will. Or really big excavation charges. These
have never existed before.
China was planning to use (3rd generation, fission triggered
thermonuclear) nukes for excavating a new channel for the Yangtze River
at one point (the nukes would have been used to dismantle a mountain, I
believe).
The US did tests with synchronized small nuke explosions for this
purpose (actually oil field production stimulation), but abandoned the
concept as being too dirty. This work could change that picture.
> From: James Rogers <jamesr@best.com>
> To: transhumantech@egroups.com
> Subject: [>Htech] Flux compression generator fusion triggers
> Date: Wed, 4 Oct 2000 09:24:24 -0700
>
> Here are some interesting papers that discuss using flux compression
> generators as fusion triggers, and some experimental results of the
> same. While current (published) capability is limited to subcritical
> fusion, it is interesting to note that these FCGs, powered by modest
> quantities of chemical explosives, put out a large enough neutron flux
> to sterilize everything for a couple hundred meters. Eventually this
> research will probably lead to very compact fusion powered weapons.
>
> Flux compression generators are wickedly cool devices in their own right;
> where else can you get terawatt (or larger) electrical pulses in such a
> tiny package. Yum.
>
> A scientific paper on the topic:
>
> http://wsx.lanl.gov/Publications/MTF_Phys_Rev_Lett_v2.html
>
> A good paper on comparative capabilities regarding this tech:
>
> http://www.ieer.org/reports/fusion/chap4.html
>
> Enjoy,
>
> -James Rogers
> jamesr@best.com
-- Chuck Chuck Murcko Topsail Group chuck@topsail.org
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