Lassoed Lightning: Capturing the Focus Fusion-1 plasma on camera

Can you lasso a star from the sky? Such is science, that we are compelled to try. Images over the past two months from the Focus Fusion-1 dense plasma focus are combined here to show the general process of pinch and plasmoid formation under the current intermediate operating conditions. Does the resulting sequence show promise for unlimited clean energy? Stay tuned! FYI, there is a camera that would take a similar movie by capturing 12 frames from a single shot, rather than single frames from several shots as seen here. That camera costs $500,000......

• Category

  Science & Technology

[brantc]

Timing the camera so that you can take a series of shot is a pain.

[FocusFusionSociety]

If they had the budget for it, there exists an ICCD camera which takes 12 frames in series. Sort of like the "bullet time" camera.

[Thomas Byrnes]

Images of a brighter future. I can't wait. Keep up the fantastic work!

[Dave Smith]

Groundbreaking work from the FFS/LPP as expected! Sooner or later, the naysayers will be forced to listen and consider your work seriously.  Well done.

[Derek Shannon]

yes. maintenance intervals for high voltage pulsed power operation will need to be addressed to ensure low-cost operation. Right now, the team is using deuterium gas, but hopes to transition to boron this Winter as results and resources allow.

[Derek Shannon]

'Life in a Box' - Fadortel

nice, huh? makes me think of 3-2-1 contact meets Timbaland ;-D

[Olle Welin]

Great work. Keep go on.

[CognitiveNetwork]

What is the name of the music?

[mortimer zilch]

does the machine suffer much damage from this use? what plasma is this...is this the boron gas? or are neutrons being released?

[Steve Kingsley]

You've made plasma fusion science look easy and fun! If this doesn't sell it nothing will... Ben Franklin was a fantastic salesman too!

[Derek Shannon]

Also, the goal is generally to always image the plasmoid, but there is enough variation in the timing that we end up seeing plenty of what happens before and after. So this is a good re-purposing of all the times we missed the plasmoid!