A Review of Experimental Progress in the MAGO/MTF Thermonuclear Program

Magnitnoe Obzhatie (MAGO)/magnetized target fusion (MTF) thermonuclear experiments executed with a goal of producing the target plasma heated up to temperatures of hundreds of electronvolts, intended for subsequent compression by an imploding liner accelerated by explosion products, are reviewed. In MAGO/MTF experiments, plasma chambers were used consisting of two or three compartments connected by narrow nozzles: acceleration cylinder compartment and deceleration/fusion compartments (cylindrical or hemispherical). A technology of plasma chamber laboratory conditioning is described. Neutron and soft X-ray pulses are presented and obtained in experiments with chambers powered by an explosive magnetic generator. Irrespective of the chamber geometry and number of compartments, the X-ray pulse consists of a highly intensive peak with a duration of 1μs and more than a 10-μs-long low-intensity tail. The neutron pulse is time coincident with the X-ray peak. Yields up to 1013neutrons were detected in experiments with two-compartment chambers. Three-compartment chambers with an intermediate compartment are believed to be more promising for the compression. The results are described of the latter MAGO-IX experiment, the only successful experiment with the three-compartment chamber, in which the yield of 2 × 1012neutrons was detected in the third compartment and the yield in the middle compartment was many times lower.