Fast Liner Experiment
01 Definition
LASL (Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory) experiment (1977) using magnetically imploded aluminum liners to compress plasma. A direct precursor to AFRL's FRCHX (solid liner MTF) and CFS-NM's SLC (liquid metal liner). The Fast Liner also used a coaxial plasma gun for plasma injection, connecting liner and plasma gun technology threads.
04 Deep_Dive_Intelligence
Overview
The Fast Liner Experiment at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) was a 1977 experiment that used magnetically imploded aluminum liners to compress plasma for fusion. A 1977 LASL controlled-thermonuclear-research report listed both a 'fast liner experiment' and a 'gun injection experiment.'
Significance
The Fast Liner Experiment is a direct precursor to:
- AFRL FRCHX (solid aluminum liner implosion at Shiva Star)
- CFS-NM SLC (spinning liquid-metal liner, with NRL LINUS heritage)
- Slough's Fusion Driven Rocket (MIF metal liners for propulsion)
Plasma Gun Connection
The Fast Liner also used a coaxial plasma gun for plasma injection, connecting the liner and plasma gun technology threads. This is significant because it shows that LANL's compact toroid research combined both liner compression and plasma gun formation — the two technology threads that would later diverge into FRCHX (liner) and MARAUDER/HyperJet (plasma guns).
06 Related_Terms (2)
07 Related_Entities (12)
08 Timeline_Mentions (10)
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
fusion-physicsLANL FRC/MTF Research Era
Los Alamos National Laboratory pioneers research into Field-Reversed Configurations (FRCs) and Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF).
fusion-physicsSandia Phi-target Work Published
Sandia National Laboratory publishes early reports on Phi-target work, which remains a primary example of an integrated Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) experiment.
fusion-physicsPPPL Compact Toruses Symposium
PPPL symposium consolidating compact toroid (FRC/spheromak) research.
fusion-researchMAGO project begins at VNIIEF (Russian nuclear weapons lab)
Russian MTF program at weapons lab. Communist Party decree. Same dual-use pattern as US.
defense-programsFoundational FRX Paper Published
W. T. Armstrong and others at LANL publish 'Field-reversed experiments (FRX) on compact toroids,' codifying FRC formation physics.
fusion-physicsFifth Symposium on the Physics and Technology of Compact Toroids
Hosted by Mathematical Sciences Northwest (MSNW), this workshop addressed FRC and Spheromak formation, focusing on slower generation methods and scaling to reactor sizes.
fusion-physicsLANL adiabatic compression of FRCs
Foundational paper on compressive heating of FRC plasmas, later inherited by the CFR program.
fusion-researchReagan launches SDI — Shiva Star re-directed to 'Star Wars'
SDI directed energy: x-ray laser, FEL, NPB, Brilliant Pebbles. Shiva Star → MARAUDER precursor.
defense-programsFRX-C Modified for Plasma Translation
The FRX-C device at Los Alamos is modified into FRX-C/T to study the axial translation of hot, compact toroid plasmas.
fusion-physics09 FAQ
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Quick_Facts
- Category
- Experiments
- Aliases
- Fast Liner Experiment, fast-liner-experiment, LASL Fast Liner, Fast Liner
- Sources
- 2
- Related Terms
- 2
- Graph Entities
- 12
- Timeline Events
- 10