Update on Mago Progress

The research area known as MAGO (Russian abbreviation for magnetic implosion) in Russia and as MTF (Magnetized Target Fusion) in the United States is an alternative to the main CTF approaches (magnetic confinement systems and inertial confinement fusion). The MAGO/MTF approach consists of two phases: 1. First magnetized hot plasma is produced suitable for further compression (with magnetic field ~0.1 MGs having a closed field line configuration; the plasma is of density ~10 18 cm -3 , temperature ~300 eV, and small impurity content, as impurities can contribute to the losses caused by radiation). 2. Then the plasma is compressed in the quasi-adiabatic manner by liners (at velocities on the order of 1 cm/?s) using powerful drivers (e. g., explosive magnetic generators, EMG) and its parameters are brought to the ones meeting the Lawson criterion. Here it is necessary to provide the plasma lifetime of ~10 -5 s . To implement this approach, it is necessary to combine two essential elements: hot magnetized plasma generation system and highly energetic compression system. In the MAGO chambers, DT plasma of the following parameters has been produced in a cylindrical bulk with 5-8 cm height, 6-10 cm outer radius, and 0.9-1.2 cm inner radius: average density 8.10 17 cm -3 , average temperature 200-250 eV, characteristic azimuthal magnetic field in the plasma ~0.15MG . In the joint VNIIEF/LANL experiment HEL-1 a liner with the parameters (~25 MJ energy, ~0.8 cm/?s velocity) necessary to reach ignition at compression stage was obtained.