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Executive Summary

This document details early experiments at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory using the RACE device to accelerate rings of plasma to extreme speeds. By crashing these plasma rings into a target, researchers successfully generated bursts of soft X-rays, a process intended to eventually simulate the effects of nuclear weapons.
Analysis Confidence: High
ST_CODE: 51FA0E

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DOC-LLNL_RAC

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2/3/2026

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INVESTIGATIVE ANALYSIS

Layman's Executive Summary

This document details early experiments at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory using the RACE device to accelerate rings of plasma to extreme speeds. By crashing these plasma rings into a target, researchers successfully generated bursts of soft X-rays, a process intended to eventually simulate the effects of nuclear weapons.

Document Origin

The document was authored by J. H. Hammer, C. W. Hartman, and A. W. Molvik at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, California, under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Research Purpose

The research was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of using a compact-torus accelerator as a high-power density driver. The primary goal was to validate the conversion of plasma kinetic energy into X-ray flux for applications such as nuclear weapons effects simulation.

Relevancy Analysis

" This document is a foundational record in the development of Compact Toroid (CT) and Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) technology, which are pivotal to both advanced fusion research and high-energy-density physics. The focus on scaling these accelerators to megajoule levels for nuclear simulation highlights the intersection of plasma physics with 'black program' interests in directed energy and nuclear survivability. It establishes a technical lineage for current efforts in compact fusion and high-velocity plasma propulsion. "

Extracted Verifiable Claims

  • › The RACE device produces plasma velocities in the range of 10^7 to 3 x 10^8 cm/s.
  • › The directed kinetic energies of the plasma rings range from 4 to 40 kJ.
  • › The soft X-ray output time scale is approximately 5 to 10 microseconds.
  • › Large-scale accelerators (roughly 10s of MJ) are theorized to provide megajoules of X-ray flux in the 10 keV spectral region.
  • › The experiments were performed under Department of Energy contract W-7405-Eng-48.

Technical Contribution

This report provides the first experimental results for soft X-ray production using the Ring Acceleration Experiment (RACE), confirming that measured photon fluences align with theoretical plasma modeling.

FORENSIC_TRANSCRIPT_LOG

Transcript

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INTRODUCTION

I UCID- 21643 INITIAL SOFT X-RAY PRODUCTION EXPERIMENTS ON RACE J. H. Hammer, C. W. Hartman, and A. W. Molvik REPRODUCED FROM BEST AVAILABLE COPY April 4, 1989 This is an informal report intended primarily for internal or limited external distribution. The opinions and conclusions stated are those of the author and may or may not be those of the Laboratory. Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy b.y tti^e, , ? Lawrence Livermore National Labqrat Qry under Cpnt^aiict.'W»746|-^n^-4®. I . ’ ' !■ ': . 3 . 1 r f L DISCLAIMER .-I 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 responsi­ bility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Refer­ ence herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, 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. DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT IS UNLIMITED At. v ** 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 usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, 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. DISCLAIMER Portions of this document may be illegible in electronic image products. Images are produced from the best available original document. DISCLAIMER This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor the University of California nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or the University of California. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or the University of California, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. Printed in the United States of America Available from National Technical Information Service U.S. Department of Commerce 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 Price Page Code Range A01 Microfiche Papercopy Prices A02 001-050 A03 051-100 A04 101-200 AOS 201-300 A06 301-400 A07 401-500 AOS 501-600 A09 601 DO NOT MICROFILM THIS PAGE INITIAL SOFT X-RAY PRODUCTION EXPERIMENTS ON RACE J. H. HAMMER, C. N. HARTMAN AND A. W. MOLVIK Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Livermore, CA 94550 UCID—21643 DE89 011341