Shiva Star
Glossary term: Shiva Star
01 Executive_Summary
A pulsed-power facility at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM. Originally built in the 1970s for nuclear weapons effects simulation, Shiva Star stores up to 10 megajoules of energy and discharges it in microseconds. It was used for magnetized target fusion experiments, including the AFRL Shiva Star implosion experiments that compressed FRC plasmas to high densities.
02 Definition
A pulsed-power facility at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM. Originally built in the 1970s for nuclear weapons effects simulation, Shiva Star stores up to 10 megajoules of energy and discharges it in microseconds. It was used for magnetized target fusion experiments, including the AFRL Shiva Star implosion experiments that compressed FRC plasmas to high densities.
03 Deep_Dive_Intelligence
Overview
A pulsed-power facility at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM. Originally built in the 1970s for nuclear weapons effects simulation, Shiva Star stores up to 10 megajoules of energy and discharges it in microseconds. It was used for magnetized target fusion experiments, including the AFRL Shiva Star implosion experiments that compressed FRC plasmas to high densities.
Role: Glossary term: Shiva Star
Entity Type: Concept — Shiva Star is a technical concept or theoretical framework.
Technical Definition
A pulsed-power facility at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM. Originally built in the 1970s for nuclear weapons effects simulation, Shiva Star stores up to 10 megajoules of energy and discharges it in microseconds. It was used for magnetized target fusion experiments, including the AFRL Shiva Star implosion experiments that compressed FRC plasmas to high densities.
Related Concepts: Air Force Research Laboratory, Magnetized Target Fusion, FRC, Pulsed Power, FRCHX
05b Related_Topics (2)
07 Key_Findings
- ▸ Role: Glossary term: Shiva Star
- ▸ Entity Type: Concept — Shiva Star is a technical concept or theoretical framework.
- ▸ Related Concepts: Air Force Research Laboratory, Magnetized Target Fusion, FRC, Pulsed Power, FRCHX
09 Timeline_Mentions (10)
MAGO project begins at VNIIEF (Russian nuclear weapons lab)
Russian MTF program at weapons lab. Communist Party decree. Same dual-use pattern as US.
defense-programsReagan launches SDI — Shiva Star re-directed to 'Star Wars'
SDI directed energy: x-ray laser, FEL, NPB, Brilliant Pebbles. Shiva Star → MARAUDER precursor.
defense-programsMARAUDER program begins — AFRL fires compact toroid plasmoids as weapons
Shiva Star facility. 100 billion g acceleration. Explicitly NOT fusion. Same facility as FRCHX. The critical link.
defense-programsMARAUDER (August 1993): USAF compact toroid weapon, 100 billion g acceleration, Shiva Star, went dark mid-1990s
USAF Phillips Lab compact toroid weapon. 100 billion g acceleration. 9.5 MJ Shiva Star. 'Not a fusion program' — weapons. Physics identical to FRC. Went dark mid-1990s. Lineage: SHIVA I → MARAUDER → F
uap-researchFRCHX Program at Shiva Star
The Field-Reversed Configuration Heating Experiment (FRCHX) at AFRL Shiva Star attempts to compress FRCs using magnetically imploded solid liners.
defense-programsFRCHX Operations Begin
The Field-Reversed Configuration Heating Experiment (FRCHX) begins at AFRL Shiva Star to demonstrate FRC compression by solid liners.
defense-programsFRCHX Design and Assembly Begins at AFRL
The Field-Reversed Configuration Heating Experiment (FRCHX) begins at Shiva Star, leveraging AFRL's pulsed-power expertise.
defense-programsFRCHX Design and Assembly
The Field-Reversed Configuration Heating Experiment (FRCHX) begins assembly at AFRL's Shiva Star facility.
fusion-physicsFRCHX Integrated System Tests
The Field-Reversed Configuration Heating Experiment (FRCHX) is conducted at AFRL's Shiva Star facility, attempting end-to-end MTF demonstration.
defense-programsFRCHX Design and Assembly Begins
The Field-Reversed Configuration Heating Experiment (FRCHX) begins assembly at AFRL's Shiva Star facility to test integrated liner compression.
defense-programs10 FAQ
What is Shiva Star? ▾
What role does Shiva Star play in the research network? ▾
What evidence supports the Shiva Star assessment? ▾
What is the technical definition of Shiva Star? ▾
What is the physics behind Shiva Star? ▾
What external sources document Shiva Star? ▾
How was information about Shiva Star collected? ▾
What is the current status of Shiva Star? ▾
How does Shiva Star relate to compact fusion research? ▾
What documents should I read to learn more about Shiva Star? ▾
External_References 5 REFS
Glossary_Sources
External_Primary_Sources 3
Verified_Primary_Sources 5 SOURCES
Type: concept
Region: glossary
Last updated: Research database snapshot