NRL LINUS
01 Definition
Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) fusion reactor concept (1971) involving a rotationally stabilized liquid lead-lithium liner and mechanical compression. CFS-NM's spinning liquid-metal liner (SLC) concept has strong conceptual similarities to LINUS, connecting the NRL liner approach to modern commercial fusion.
04 Deep_Dive_Intelligence
Overview
LINUS was an NRL fusion reactor concept from 1971 that used a rotationally stabilized liquid lead-lithium liner to compress plasma for fusion. The liquid metal liner was spun to provide rotational stabilization, preventing Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities that plague solid liner approaches.
Connection to CFS-NM
CFS-NM (Compact Fusion Systems New Mexico) was founded by Peter Turchi in 2017. CFS-NM's spinning liquid-metal liner (SLC) concept has strong conceptual similarities to LINUS. Turchi's 42-year career connects LASL (1975), AFRL Shiva Star (1980s-1990s), Atlas (2000s), and CFS-NM (2017), linking the LASL Fast Liner, NRL LINUS, AFRL MARAUDER, and CFS-NM SLC across four decades.
Lineage
NRL LINUS → CFS-NM SLC represents a separate but related lineage to the LANL → LLNL → AFRL compact toroid lineage. Both lineages involve liner compression of plasma, but LINUS/SLC uses liquid metal while FRCHX uses solid aluminum liners.
06 Related_Terms (1)
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
What is NRL LINUS? ▾
How does NRL LINUS relate to other concepts? ▾
When did NRL LINUS appear in the research timeline? ▾
Which entities are associated with NRL LINUS? ▾
Is there a detailed dossier for NRL LINUS? ▾
Quick_Facts
- Category
- Experiments
- Aliases
- NRL LINUS, nrl-linus, LINUS, Liquid Metal Liner
- Sources
- 2
- Related Terms
- 1
- Graph Entities
- 12
- Timeline Events
- 10