From: Secret Squirrel <nobody@secret.squirrel.owl.de>
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 18:12:09 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: NSA leak (fwd)
Message-ID: <19970729065101.25863.qmail@squirrel.owl.de>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Subject: Re: NSA leak (fwd)

From: h_tuttle@rigel.cyberpass.net

> Terawatts for a few microseconds is fairly standard technology, I 
> believe.  Femtosecond laser pulses driven by *very* large capacitor 
> banks... 

I'm talking continuous generation - sustained for half an hour...
 
> > Terrestrial fusion is not a serious contender yet, and I doubt
> > it will be for a long time.
> 
> It's easy to generate lots of power through fusion.  The problem is 
> confinement. 

I'm still talking continuous generation - we'll leave out the H-bombs.
And of course I agree confinement is a major problem.

Last I heard from the cutting edge (early '90s) you could get
2MW out of a fusion reactor, but that was less than you put in
to start it up.  That was using Deuterium, being gentle in order
to preserve the reactor.  Predictions were that using D-T would
break even.  Even that isn't anywhere near a commercial scale
generator.

You know of better results ?    There certainly are a number
of approaches, but I think I'd know if commercial fusion reactors
were working.

Are you ready to take this off-list ?