emc2-polywell
Summary
Founded 1985 by Dr. Robert Bussard (died 2007). Developer of the Polywell fusion concept — combines magnetic cusp confinement of electrons with electrostatic confinement of ions (IEC). Called the 'Wiffleball' approach. Navy funded ~$12M total for WB-7 and WB-8 test devices. WB-8: 500+ high power plasma shots by end 2011. 2013: Major breakthrough — high beta plasma in Polywell cusp with ~100J in 10 μs (700 MW pulse power). Now led by Dr. Jaeyoung Park. Pivoted from hardware to HPC simulation. Published 'Polywell Revisited' — 6D first-principles simulation. Building WB-11 (1-meter scale) to validate predictions. Developing Polywell-based volumetric neutron source for materials testing/tritium breeding. WB-8 final report exists under 'limited distribution' — not public. This is a THIRD approach to compact fusion (alongside FRC and MTF) that the Navy funded.
Deep Dive Analysis
Overview
Founded 1985 by Dr. Robert Bussard (died 2007). Developer of the Polywell fusion concept — combines magnetic cusp confinement of electrons with electrostatic confinement of ions (IEC). Called the 'Wiffleball' approach. Navy funded ~$12M total for WB-7 and WB-8 test devices. WB-8: 500+ high power plasma shots by end 2011. 2013: Major breakthrough — high beta plasma in Polywell cusp with ~100J in 10 μs (700 MW pulse power). Now led by Dr. Jaeyoung Park. Pivoted from hardware to HPC simulation. Published 'Polywell Revisited' — 6D first-principles simulation. Building WB-11 (1-meter scale) to validate predictions. Developing Polywell-based volumetric neutron source for materials testing/tritium breeding. WB-8 final report exists under 'limited distribution' — not public. This is a THIRD approach to compact fusion (alongside FRC and MTF) that the Navy funded.
Entity Type: Organization — EMC2 / Polywell operates as an institutional actor in the defense/aerospace ecosystem.
Network Relationships
EMC2 / Polywell connects to 2 entities in the intelligence network:
Organisations (1):
- → DOE: Navy funded ~$12M for WB-7/WB-8
Persons (1):
- ← Salvatore Pais: Both Navy-funded exotic fusion approaches
Source Documents
Intelligence derived from 5 source documents:
- emc2fusion.com/aboutus/
- Fusion Energy Base — EMC2 article
- NBC News — 'Low-Cost Fusion Project Steps Out of Shadows'
- Navy contract N68936-09-C-0125 — $7.8M for WB-8
- 4orbs.com/research/polywell-bussard/
Key Findings
- ▸ Entity Type: Organization — EMC2 / Polywell operates as an institutional actor in the defense/aerospace ecosystem.
- ▸ → DOE: Navy funded ~$12M for WB-7/WB-8
- ▸ ← Salvatore Pais: Both Navy-funded exotic fusion approaches
- ▸ Fusion Energy Base — EMC2 article
- ▸ NBC News — 'Low-Cost Fusion Project Steps Out of Shadows'
Related Entities (2)
Network Graph
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View in Network GraphSource Documents (5)
Research References
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