Sirius Mini: A Prototype Disruptive Accelerator Architecture for Next-Generation Inertial Confinement Fusion Systems

Project Overview

We have designed, assembled, and tested a prototype coaxial impedance-matched Marx generator (IMG). An IMG is a pulsed-power device that achieves electromagnetic-power amplification by triggered emission of radiation. Hence an IMG is a pulsed-power analog of a laser, with an energy efficiency of 90%. We have demonstrated that the prototype performs as predicted theoretically, thereby proving the IMG concept.

Mission Impact

We propose that a system of IMGs drive a next-generation pulsed-power accelerator that delivers 90 MA to a physics load. Such a machine would attain thermonuclear-fusion yields as high as 1 - 10 GJ, and revolutionize high-energy-density-physics experiments in support of the national-security mission.