prometheus-facility
PROGRAM dossier

Prometheus MIF Facility

Prometheus MIF Facility

PROGRAM Programs Also: Prometheus, Prometheus MIF, Prometheus facility

01 Executive_Summary

Proposed next-generation pulsed power MIF facility. 60-MA machine based on ATLAS technology (mothballed 36 kV facility in Nevada desert). Goal: Q=1 (DT equivalent) low-convergence ratio pulsed-power MIF. ~15 MJ to liner, ~5 us current rise-time, 7.7 km/s shock-less implosion for 0.5 kg liner. $20M/year. Authors: J.H. Degnan (AFRL, MARAUDER veteran), C. Grabowski (AFRL→SNL, FRCHX lead), B. Bauer (UNR), G.A. Wurden (LANL), W.A. Reass (LANL), P. Turchi (LANL, CFS-NM co-founder). LINEAGE: MARAUDER (Degnan, 1990s) → FRCHX (Degnan/Grabowski, 2007-2016) → CFS-NM (Turchi, 2017) → Prometheus (Degnan/Grabowski/Turchi, proposed). The same team spans the entire weapons→energy→commercial chain. ATLAS was a weapons simulation machine at Nevada Test Site.

03 Deep_Dive_Intelligence

Overview

Proposed next-generation pulsed power MIF facility. 60-MA machine based on ATLAS technology (mothballed 36 kV facility in Nevada desert). Goal: Q=1 (DT equivalent) low-convergence ratio pulsed-power MIF. ~15 MJ to liner, ~5 us current rise-time, 7.7 km/s shock-less implosion for 0.5 kg liner. $20M/year. Authors: J.H. Degnan (AFRL, MARAUDER veteran), C. Grabowski (AFRL→SNL, FRCHX lead), B. Bauer (UNR), G.A. Wurden (LANL), W.A. Reass (LANL), P. Turchi (LANL, CFS-NM co-founder). LINEAGE: MARAUDER (Degnan, 1990s) → FRCHX (Degnan/Grabowski, 2007-2016) → CFS-NM (Turchi, 2017) → Prometheus (Degnan/Grabowski/Turchi, proposed). The same team spans the entire weapons→energy→commercial chain. ATLAS was a weapons simulation machine at Nevada Test Site.

Entity Type: Program — Prometheus MIF Facility is a government or defense program/initiative.

Network Relationships

Prometheus MIF Facility connects to 4 entities in the intelligence network:

Experiments (2):

  • → Shiva Star: Successor to Shiva Star facility
  • → MagLIF: Complementary to Sandia MagLIF

Organisations (1):

  • → Compact Fusion Systems (NM): Turchi: CFS-NM co-founder on Prometheus team

Programs (1):

  • → MARAUDER: Degnan: MARAUDER veteran proposes next-gen facility

Research Findings

Prometheus MIF Facility appears in 5 research analysis documents:

AFRL FRCHX Plasma Lifetime 2011:

Findings: AFRL FRCHX Plasma Lifetime 2011

Source PDF: [AFRL FRCHX Plasma Lifetime 2011](/archive/AFRL_FRCHX_Plasma_Lifetime_2011) Date range: 1976-2013 Source org: LANL

Summary

This 2011 report by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) investigates the trapped-flux lifetime...

AFRL LANL FRCHX 2016:

Findings: AFRL LANL FRCHX 2016

Source PDF: [AFRL LANL FRCHX 2016](/archive/AFRL_LANL_FRCHX_2016) Date range: 1981-2022 Source org: LANL

Summary

This programmatic analysis investigates the 2014-2016 closeout of the Field-Reversed Configuration Heating Experiment (FRCHX), a joint initiative by the Air Force ...

ARPA-E ALPHA Fusion Retrospective 2019:

Findings: ARPA E ALPHA Fusion Retrospective 2019

Source PDF: [ARPA-E ALPHA Fusion Retrospective 2019](/archive/ARPA_E_ALPHA_Fusion_Retrospective_2019) Date range: 1956-2019 Source org: LANL

Summary

Produced by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's ARPA-E and Booz Allen Hamilton, this 2019 retrospective reviews th...

Charles Nakhleh Nuclear Physics Stewardship 2021:

Findings: Charles Nakhleh Nuclear Physics Stewardship 2021

Source PDF: [Charles Nakhleh Nuclear Physics Stewardship 2021](/archive/Charles_Nakhleh_Nuclear_Physics_Stewardship_2021) Date range: 1992-2025 Source org: LANL

Summary

This professional dossier evaluates the career of Dr. Charles W. Nakhleh and his strategic leadership roles...

HyperJet MagnetizedPlasmaJets 2021:

Findings: Hyperjet Magnetizedplasmajets 2021

Source PDF: [HyperJet MagnetizedPlasmaJets 2021](/archive/HyperJet_MagnetizedPlasmaJets_2021) Date range: 1961-2021 Source org: LANL

Summary

This 2021 final technical report from HyperJet Fusion Corporation details the development and experimental characterization of magnetiz...

Source Documents

Intelligence derived from 2 source documents:

  • OSTI.gov 1062697 — Prometheus white paper
  • APS DPP 2008 — BP6.21 (Degnan, FRC translation experiments)

05 Related_Entities (4)

MARAUDER
program →
Degnan: MARAUDER veteran proposes next-gen facility
Compact Fusion Systems (NM)
organisation →
Turchi: CFS-NM co-founder on Prometheus team
Shiva Star
experiment →
Successor to Shiva Star facility
MagLIF
experiment →
Complementary to Sandia MagLIF

06 Research_Findings (5)

Finding AFRL_FRCHX_Plasma_Lifetime_2011.md

# Findings: AFRL FRCHX Plasma Lifetime 2011 **Source PDF:** `AFRL_FRCHX_Plasma_Lifetime_2011.pdf` **Date range:** 1976-2013 **Source org:** LANL ## Summary This 2011 report by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) investigates the trapped-flux lifetime of plasma in the Field-Reversed Configuration Heating Experiment (FRCHX). Researchers found that current plasma lifetimes are significantly shorter than the duration required for successful compress

View Source PDF → AFRL FRCHX Plasma Lifetime 2011
Finding AFRL_LANL_FRCHX_2016.md

# Findings: AFRL LANL FRCHX 2016 **Source PDF:** `AFRL_LANL_FRCHX_2016.pdf` **Date range:** 1981-2022 **Source org:** LANL ## Summary This programmatic analysis investigates the 2014-2016 closeout of the Field-Reversed Configuration Heating Experiment (FRCHX), a joint initiative by the Air Force Research Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The report concludes with high confidence that the technology was not terminated but successfully transitioned to a classified program at Lockh

View Source PDF → AFRL LANL FRCHX 2016
Finding ARPA-E_ALPHA_Fusion_Retrospective_2019.md

# Findings: ARPA E ALPHA Fusion Retrospective 2019 **Source PDF:** `ARPA-E_ALPHA_Fusion_Retrospective_2019.pdf` **Date range:** 1956-2019 **Source org:** LANL ## Summary Produced by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's ARPA-E and Booz Allen Hamilton, this 2019 retrospective reviews the ALPHA program’s efforts to develop low-cost magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) technologies. The report highlights experimental achievements from various research teams in advancing intermediate-density

View Source PDF → ARPA-E ALPHA Fusion Retrospective 2019
Finding Charles_Nakhleh_Nuclear_Physics_Stewardship_2021.md

# Findings: Charles Nakhleh Nuclear Physics Stewardship 2021 **Source PDF:** `Charles_Nakhleh_Nuclear_Physics_Stewardship_2021.pdf` **Date range:** 1992-2025 **Source org:** LANL ## Summary This professional dossier evaluates the career of Dr. Charles W. Nakhleh and his strategic leadership roles at Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories. It details his technical contributions to High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) and the Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) program, which serve as

View Source PDF → Charles Nakhleh Nuclear Physics Stewardship 2021
Finding HyperJet_MagnetizedPlasmaJets_2021.md

# Findings: Hyperjet Magnetizedplasmajets 2021 **Source PDF:** `HyperJet_MagnetizedPlasmaJets_2021.pdf` **Date range:** 1961-2021 **Source org:** LANL ## Summary This 2021 final technical report from HyperJet Fusion Corporation details the development and experimental characterization of magnetized plasma jets for use in plasma jet driven magneto-inertial fusion (PJMIF). Funded by the USDOE’s ARPA-E, the project successfully demonstrated that adding a bias field coil to existing plasma guns

View Source PDF → HyperJet MagnetizedPlasmaJets 2021

07 Key_Findings

  • ▸ Entity Type: Program — Prometheus MIF Facility is a government or defense program/initiative.
  • ▸ → Shiva Star: Successor to Shiva Star facility
  • ▸ → MagLIF: Complementary to Sandia MagLIF
  • ▸ → Compact Fusion Systems (NM): Turchi: CFS-NM co-founder on Prometheus team
  • ▸ → MARAUDER: Degnan: MARAUDER veteran proposes next-gen facility

09 Timeline_Mentions (1)

1990

MARAUDER 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-programs
View Full Timeline →

10 FAQ

What is Prometheus MIF Facility? ▾
Proposed next-generation pulsed power MIF facility. 60-MA machine based on ATLAS technology (mothballed 36 kV facility in Nevada desert). Goal: Q=1 (DT equivalent) low-convergence ratio pulsed-power MIF. ~15 MJ to liner, ~5 us current rise-time, 7.7 km/s shock-less implosion for 0.5 kg liner. $20M/year. Authors: J.H. Degnan (AFRL, MARAUDER veteran), C. Grabowski (AFRL→SNL, FRCHX lead), B. Bauer (UNR), G.A. Wurden (LANL), W.A. Reass (LANL), P. Turchi (LANL, CFS-NM co-founder). LINEAGE: MARAUDER (Degnan, 1990s) → FRCHX (Degnan/Grabowski, 2007-2016) → CFS-NM (Turchi, 2017) → Prometheus (Degnan/Grabowski/Turchi, proposed). The same team spans the entire weapons→energy→commercial chain. ATLAS was a weapons simulation machine at Nevada Test Site.
What is Prometheus MIF Facility connected to? ▾
Prometheus MIF Facility is connected to 4 related entities in the intelligence network, including MARAUDER, Compact Fusion Systems (NM), Shiva Star. These connections are documented through shared source documents, co-occurrence in research findings, and network graph relationships.
When did Prometheus MIF Facility appear in the research timeline? ▾
Prometheus MIF Facility is referenced in 1 timeline event, including "MARAUDER program begins — AFRL fires compact toroid plasmoids as weapons" (1990). The full timeline provides chronological context for all documented activities.
What source documents are available for Prometheus MIF Facility? ▾
2 source documents are available in the research archive, including primary source PDFs from defense research collections. These documents provide the evidentiary basis for the intelligence assessment.
What does the deep dive analysis reveal about Prometheus MIF Facility? ▾
The deep dive intelligence assessment provides a comprehensive analysis of Prometheus MIF Facility, covering strategic role, network connections, and operational significance. The analysis is derived from 2 primary source documents and cross-referenced with the network graph.

Source_Documents 2 FILES

OSTI.gov 1062697 — Prometheus white paper
PDF Archive →
APS DPP 2008 — BP6.21 (Degnan, FRC translation experiments)
PDF Archive →

External_References 2 REFS

OSTI.gov 1062697 — Prometheus white paper url ↗
APS DPP 2008 — BP6.21 (Degnan, FRC translation experiments) ref
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ID: prometheus-facility
Type: program
Region: main
Last updated: 2026-08-09