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UNCLASSIFIED“
PHYSICAL RESEARCH
Univeraity of California Radiation Laboratory (UCRL)
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" When Dr. Teller became director of UCRL activities at Livermore, he arranged for a
_ review of all controlled thermonuclear research being performed by the laboratory. Asa
result of the review, completed in May, planning for a large pinch tube was rearranged. Several
months will Le devoted to diagnosis of the difficulties In operating pinch tubes of more modest ~
size before proceeding with detailed engineering plans for a larger tube.
It is now certain that a small fraction of the deuterium fons squeezed out from the multiple
compression mirror machine called Toy Top have a high energy, of the order of one thousand
electron volts (Kev).- While this fact is encouraging, the difficulty Nes in the low density of these
ions. Extensive remodeling of the machine was undertaken to permit continuation of these
experiments.
A building estimated to cost $900,000 is under construction at Livermore to house future
thermonuclear devices,
Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
Chief interest continued to be centered on three matters:
1. A toroidal pinch tube about 5 inches in diameter, called the Perhapsatron S-4,
is believed to have been producing more neutrons than any other toroidal pinch de-
vice in the world. Diagnostic work on this machine was proceeding on nearly a
double-shift basis.
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2. Refined diagnostic measurements are being made on a straight pinch tube
about 5 inches in diameter. These measurements reveal for the first time the existence of 2 sheath of electric current.around the pinch, which sheath had been masked
{n measurements on smaller tubes.
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3. There was excellent progress on producing hotter plasmas by shock injection
into a very rapidly rising mirror field. The device employed is called Scylla..It
produces an interesting number of neutrons.
Ground =as broken fora $600,000 building to house fast condensers with a capacity of at
least 12 megzjoules. The probable completion date is November 1959.
Public Discic sure of Experimental Approaches
Information released in January 1958 on controlled thermonuclear research dealt largely
with work co-ducted at Les Alamos on pinch devices. Papers delivered at the May 2 meeting
of the American Physical Society described the stellarator approach undertaken at Princeton
University, the magnetic mirror approach being studied by the University of California Radiation Laboratcry, and the technique for injecting high energy ions into a steady magnetic field,
being explored by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Scientific details of these approaches will
be released for the first time at the Geneva Conference in September, (End of UNCLASSIFIED
section.)
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UNCLASSIFIED
DOE ARCHIVES