Talk-Polywell.org

If line cusps have the same throughput as point cusps, yes; but I just posted a plot showing that the point cusps are the major loss factor. I just wanted to say that it is really cool how much your picture looks like the picture of the WB7 in operation on the EMC2 website. Clearly, most of the jun...

High beta operation squeezes down the width of a cusp to a few gyroradii (rho). Point cusps get sqeezed in two dimensions, line cusps only in one. If there are only point cusps in the machine then the size of the effective hole is a few times rho^2. If there are line cusps, the hole is a few times ...

Roger wrote:World wide experts say solar and wind is ready to provide 20% of electrical needs NOW.

That is the problem isn't it. 20% of today is 10% of tomorrow and a fraction of a percent of the next day.

Bussard, by the way, is very clear about the fact that you can forget about any configuration with line cusps. Bussard wrote "In any realistic device, the effective overall trapping factor is reduced from the pure WB mode by circulation through the semi-line-cusps at the spaced corners, which allow...

I am interested to know more about Dr. Nebel's history with Dr. Bussard and Polywell/EMC2 prior to Bussard's death. How well did he know Bussard? Had he had technical or consulting involvement with the Polywell project earlier than his assuming the technical helm? Was Bussard close enough with him t...

(Nice Plasma pics from WB7 by the way. Any neutrons yet?) I think we should stay away from asking Dr. Nebel about specific results that he would be reluctant or unable to talk about. We should respect the fact that he can't answer. The only thing asking will potentially do is make him nervous about...

Bussard basically moved from the idea of extraordinary confinement with some recirculation to very good confinement with exceptional recirculation when he went to the WB6. He accepted that line cusps will exist and focused on getting better recirculation. He is accepting cusps in any form in these ...

Bussard basically moved from the idea of extraordinary confinement with some recirculation to very good confinement with exceptional recirculation when he went to the WB6. Bussard wrote: This means that the ONLY Polywell systems that can be made to work are those in which there is NO metal surface e...

Carlson says,

Nebel's answers have not changed my mind, but they are interesting enough to keep me talking. I think, however, that viewforum.php?f=3 is a more appropriate and more convenient forum. Anyone who wants to follow this discussion should move over there.

rcain wrote:However, historically speaking, how many important scientific discoveries have been made entirely by accident? I can think of quite a few.

... as a percentage of the total number of accidents, not very many at all.

Ah, more from Nebel: Dr. Carlson: ... As for the midpoints on the faces of the cubes, since the adjacent conductors have currents in opposite directions they add between the conductors. Between the conductors should be the strongest fields in the entire system. ...and it keeps striking me that that...

Carlson's latest B~R scaling: It looks like Bussard really was thinking about a fixed current density and a fixed ratio of conductor size to machine size. The statements I found were too brief to judge whether they are correct, but it could well be that the engineering constraints work that way, at ...

I can't find any direct on line references, but the baseball coil was used at the end of tandom mirror fusion devices in the 1970's. The idea has been around for a long time. The simplicity of the Bussard shape makes things cost effective. Thanks for the info. I can't find any references either. I ...

Careful, now! Don't get carried away! You are extrapolating. Extrapolation is a useful technique, but you have to verify it is valid. I'm very pleased with this news, but do maintain a proper scientific attitude. The positive news we can take to heart is the recent silence is NOT due to the machine...

"We're fully operational and we're getting data" "The machine runs like a top." "You can just sit there and take data all afternoon." Fully operational has to mean that they are getting neutrons. Getting data has to mean that they are counting neutrons. And it is running like a top!!! "I've been ve...