Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC)
A compact toroidal plasma confinement scheme in which the poloidal magnetic field is reversed relative to the external field, creating a self-contained, high-beta plasma torus. FRCs are translateable and ideal for both fusion energy and propulsion.
Verified Primary Sources
- →
- →
- →
- →
- →
External Primary Sources
Related Terms
Related Entities in Network Graph
Timeline Mentions (8)
Project Sherwood established
The U.S. AEC's classified controlled-fusion program begins at LANL and partner labs.
Operation Hardtack I
U.S. high-altitude nuclear tests provide empirical data on high-beta plasma stability and diamagnetic cavity formation in the Earth's magnetic field.
Christofilos Astron experiment at LLNL
The Astron experiment established the field-reversed configuration geometry that prefigured modern FRC research.
Starfish Prime Nuclear Test
A 1.4-megaton detonation at 400km altitude creates a massive high-beta plasma fireball, demonstrating stable macroscopic plasma structures on a geophysical scale.
Foundational FRC Research at LANL
Los Alamos National Laboratory establishes the scientific bedrock for Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) physics through the FRX experiment series.
LANL Field-Reversed Experiment (FRX) Series
Foundational research at Los Alamos National Laboratory (FRX-A, B, C) masters the control of the n=2 rotational instability in FRCs using quadrupole magnetic fields.
Exploratory FRC Experiments Initiated at LASL
Formal Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) research begins at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, led by R. K. Linford and W. T. Armstrong.
Foundational FRC and MTF Research at LANL
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) pioneers research into Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) and Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF), establishing the scientific pedigree for future compact fusion progr