VNL Research Activities
The Virtual National Laboratory for Heavy-Ion Fusion is carrying out scaled experiments and theoretical work to understand scientific questions underlying the generation, transport, and focusing of space-charge-dominated beams. VNL research also contributes to related research programs worldwide, including materials science, computer science, and high-energy-density physics (HEDP). The following links give more information on the listed research areas.
Current and Planned Experiments
High-Current Experiment (HCX)
investigating the transport of a high-current ion beam
through electric and magnetic quadrupoles
Neutralized-Transport Experiment (NTX)
modeling
aspects of the transport of a space-charge-dominated ion beam
in a fusion chamber
Beam-Injector Experiments
studying
the physics and technology of high-brightness ion-beam
sources
Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX)
possible
future experiment to study the integration of beam injection,
transport, and focusing
Previous Experiments
Scaled
Final-Focus Experiment
studying
the dynamics of focusing intense ion beams onto inertial
fusion targets
Beam-Combining Experiment
investigating emittance growth as four space-charge-dominated
beams are transversely merged together
Channel-Focusing Experiments
developing
a concept for economically focusing and guiding driver-scale
beams to inertial-fusion targets
Early
Experiments
including
ion-source work in the 1970s, and the later single-beam and
multiple-beam experiments
Beam Diagnostics
developing
techniques for probing high-current ion beams
Magnet
Design
designing
quadrupole arrays for beam transport
Induction-Module Development
improving
the pulsers and induction cores that accelerate the ion
beams
Simulation and Theory
Simulation
Codes
modeling
the generation, transport, and focusing of heavy-ion
beams
Analytic
Theory
developing
scaling laws and improved numerical techniques
Target
Modeling
examining
new designs for high-gain inertial-fusion targets
For comments or questions contact WMSharp@lbl.gov or DPGrote@lbl.gov. Work described here was supported by the Office of Fusion Energy at the US Department of Energy under contracts DE-AC03-76SF00098 and W-7405-ENG-48. This document was last revised June, 2002.