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University of Wisconsin Physics Department College of Letters and Science
IEA/RFP Workshop 2011

Research funding includes support from:


Department of Energy
National Science Foundation

History of UW Madison Plasma Physics

 

Nuclear History:
  • 1942 First fission reactor (Dec)
  • 1942 - 1945 Manhattan Project
  • 1945 First fission bomb (Jul)
  • 1952 First fusion bomb (Oct)
  • 1952 - 1958 Project Sherwood
  • 1958 Controlled fusion declassified
  • 1960 First fission power plant
  • 1963 Plasma physics begins at UW
US Fusion Program in 1960:
  • Princeton Plasma Physics Lab - Stellarators
  • Oak Ridge National Lab - ECRH Mirror Devices
  • Lawrence Livermore National Lab - Gun-Injected Mirror Devices
  • Los Alamos Scientific Lab - Toroidal Pinches
  • General Dynamics - Toroidal Pinches
Donald W. Kerst: 1911 - 1993

kerst

Don Kerst with University of Illinois 300 MeV Betatron (400 tons) - ~1950

kerst with betatron

Toroidal Octupole: Bob Dory(?) and Don Kerst - 1964

kerst dory octupole

Toroidal Octupole: 1964 - 1978

octupole diagram

Plasma gun on test stand in basement of Sterling Hall: Don Kerst - ~1966

plasma gun

Toroidal Octupole: Don Kerst - 1967

kerst octupole

Toroidal Octupole - 1967

shmidt octupole

John Schmidt, Clint Sprott, and Don Lencioni

Early Ph.D. Graduates:
  • Dale Meade (Kerst 65) - PPPL
  • Jim Paukey (Symon 66) - Sandia
  • Gerry Barney (Kerst 67) - Rockfeller
  • Cliff Erickson (Kerst 67) - Honeywell
  • Jim Howard (Symon 69) - U. Colorado
  • John Schmidt (Mills 69) - PPPL
  • Clint Sprott (Kerst 69) - U. Wisconsin
  • Don Lencioni (Kerst 69) - MIT Lincoln Lab
  • Glenn Kuswa (Kerst 70) - Sandia
  • Charles Stallings (Kerst 70) - Physics Int.
Plasma Physics Faculty:
  • Don Kerst
  • Keith Symon
  • Fred Mills
  • Dale Meade
  • Clint Sprott
  • Stewart Prager
  • Dick Dexter
  • Paul Terry
  • Sam Hokin
  • Cary Forest
DC Machine - Dave Grubb: 1970 - 1983

DC Machine

Ohmic toroidal quadrupole: 1973 - 1976

Ohmic Quadrupole

Linear Machine - ~1975

Linear Machine

Tokapole II vacuum vessel delivery - March 22, 1978

Tokapole II delivery

Bruce Lipschultz, Paul Luxem, and Rich Groebner

Time lapse of the Tokapole II Installation
Tokapole II vacuum vessel installation - March 22, 1978

Tokapole II install

Linwood Thomas, Paul Luxem, Tom Lovell, and Doug Witherspoon

Tokapole II exterior - 1978

Tokapole II exterior

Tokapole II - 1978

Tokapole II

Dick Dexter, Stewart Prager, Clint Sprott

Tokapole II - ~1980

Tokapole II

Clint Sprott, Stewart Prager, and Doug Witherspoon

Tokapole II - ~1980

Tokapole II

Alan Biddle, Don Holly, and Kevin Miller

 

Levitated Octupole:

Levitated Octupole at PSL - 1971

levitated Octupole

Wisconsin Levitated Octupole: 1970 - 1985

wisc levitated octupole

Levitated Octupole delivery to Chamberlin Hall - 1974

octupole delivery

Levitated Octupole in Chamberlin Hall - 1975

Octupole in Chamberlain

Levitated Octupole: John Laufenberg - ~1978

octupole

MST:

MST Vacuum Vessel: Depretto - Italy - 1987

mst vessel

MST during assembly in high bay of Chamberlin Hall - 1988

mst assembly