Primary Intelligence Asset

LANL Magnetized Target Fusion 1996

Declassified Public record OCR verified
INTEL

Executive Summary

This document describes a method for creating nuclear fusion called Magnetized Target Fusion, which uses magnetic fields to trap heat and allow for slower, more efficient compression of fuel. It details research progress at Los Alamos National Laboratory, including collaborations with Russian scientists to develop cost-effective fusion energy technology.
Analysis Confidence: High
ST_CODE: 1C35D9

System Metadata

Source ID

DOC-LANL_MAG

Process Date

8/9/2026

Integrity Hash

SHA256-ron2y20v74p...

Indexer Status

COMPLETE

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INVESTIGATIVE ANALYSIS

Summary

This document describes a method for creating nuclear fusion called Magnetized Target Fusion, which uses magnetic fields to trap heat and allow for slower, more efficient compression of fuel. It details research progress at Los Alamos National Laboratory, including collaborations with Russian scientists to develop cost-effective fusion energy technology.

Origin

The document was authored by Peter T. Sheehey and a research team at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), operated by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Purpose

The research aimed to explore Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) as a middle ground between magnetic and inertial confinement, seeking to reduce the massive driver power requirements of traditional fusion by using magnetic insulation and pulsed-power systems.

Why It Matters

" This report is highly relevant to investigations into high-energy-density physics and advanced propulsion, as the pulsed-power facilities mentioned (Pegasus, Atlas, Procyon) are central to advanced weapons and energy research. The collaboration with the Russian VNIIEF institute on 'MAGO' devices indicates a significant sharing of sensitive plasma physics data often associated with classified aerospace or nuclear development programs. "

Key Claims

  • › Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) uses magnetic fields to suppress electron thermal conduction losses during target implosion.
  • › The document identifies the 'MAGO' plasma experiment as a collaboration between Los Alamos National Laboratory and the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF).
  • › Sandia National Laboratories performed experiments on the electron-beam-driven '<|>-target' (phi-target).
  • › Los Alamos facilities for MTF research include the Pegasus and Atlas fixed pulsed-power facilities and the Procyon explosive-flux-compression generator.
  • › The document states that MTF allows for lower implosion velocities (e.g., 1 cm/us) compared to traditional Inertial Confinement Fusion.

Contribution to the Field

This document provides a technical bridge between theoretical modeling and the physical implementation of the 'MAGO' plasma experiments, specifically highlighting a post-Cold War joint research effort between U.S. and Russian nuclear laboratories.

External Primary Sources (3)

Verified external sources that corroborate the claims in this document.

patent
US Patent 9,947,420 B2 — Magnetic field plasma confinement for compact fusion power
conference 2019
Recent Achievements in the C-2W Field-Reversed Configuration Experiment — APS DPP19
TAE Technologies
paper 2019-06-05
Formation of hot, stable, long-lived field-reversed configuration plasmas on the C-2W device — Nuclear Fusion
H. Gota et al.

Full Transcript

Transcript

Page 1 of 3

INTRODUCTION

LA-UR- aw F-7£,o6>n(>~Sj£, Title: Author(s): Submitted to: Computational and Experimental Investigation of Magnetized Target Fusion JUL 1 9 1996 OSTI Peter Sheehey, Joyce Guzik, Ronald Kirkpatrick, Irvin Lindemuth, David Scudder, Jack Shlachter, and Frederick Wysocki Fusion Technology Los Alamos NATIONAL LABORATORY Los Alamos National Laboratory, an affirmative action/equal opportunity empldyer, is operated by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy under contract W-7405-ENG-36. By acceptance of this article, the publisher recognizes that the U.S. Government retains a nonexclusive, royalty-free license to publish or reproduce the published form of this contribution, or to allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. The Los Alamos National Laboratory requests that the publisher identify this article as work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy. DISTRIBUTION Of THIS DOCUMENT IS UNLMTED^rr "s^asio/ei <K DISCLAIMER Portions of this document may be illegible in electronic image products. Images are produced from the best available original document. DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or use- fulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any spe- cific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufac- turer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recom- mendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. COMPUTATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF MAGNETIZED TARGET FUSION Peter T. Sheehey, Joyce A. Guzik, Ronald C. Kirkpatrick, frvin R. Lindemuth, David W. Scudder, Jack S. Shlachter, and Frederick J. Wysocki Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA 505-667-7879

Cited In (10 references)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this document? ▾
This document describes a method for creating nuclear fusion called Magnetized Target Fusion, which uses magnetic fields to trap heat and allow for slower, more efficient compression of fuel. It details research progress at Los Alamos National Laboratory, including collaborations with Russian scient...
Where does this document come from? ▾
The document was authored by Peter T. Sheehey and a research team at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), operated by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy.
What is the research purpose of this document? ▾
The research aimed to explore Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) as a middle ground between magnetic and inertial confinement, seeking to reduce the massive driver power requirements of traditional fusion by using magnetic insulation and pulsed-power systems.
Where is this document cited in the investigation? ▾
This document is referenced in 10 places across the investigation: 9 Dossiers, 1 Research Rounds. See the "Cited In" section below for the complete list of pages that reference this document.