Virtual Gap Dielectric Wall Accelerator
George James Caporaso, Yu-Jiuan Chen, Scott Nelson, Jim Sullivan, Steven A. Hawkins
U.S. Patent 8,575,868 B2
November 5, 2013
A virtual, moving accelerating gap is formed along an insulating tube in a dielectric wall accelerator by locally controlling the tube’s conductivity. Localized voltage concentration is thus achieved by sequential activation of a variable resistive tube or stalk down the axis of an inductive voltage adder, producing a virtual traveling wave along the tube. The tube’s conductivity can be controlled at a desired location, which can be moved at a desired rate, by light illumination, photoconductive switches, or other means. As a result, an impressed voltage along the tube appears predominantly over a local region, the virtual gap. The effective gain of the accelerator can be made very large by making tube length large compared to the virtual gap length.
Laser Fusion Neutron Source Employing Compression with Short Pulse Lasers
Joseph A. Sefcik, Scott C. Wilks
U.S. Patent 8,576,971 B2
November 5, 2013
This method for achieving fusion includes a laser source that generates a laser beam and a capsule filled with deuterium–tritium (DT) gas embedded in a target. When the laser beam is directed at the target, it helps create an electron beam within the target. The electron beam heats the capsule, the DT gas, and the area surrounding the capsule. At a certain point, equilibrium is reached, and the capsule implodes, generating enough pressure to ignite the DT gas and fuse the gas nuclei.