Welcome to the Levitated Dipole eXperiment (LDX) web site. LDX is a novel experimental device designed to explore the physics of plasma confinement in a magnetic dipole field. What makes it unique? Besides levitating a 1/2 ton superconducting ring, we will conduct the first experimental test on the theory of plasma confinement by adiabatic compressibility. If this concept turns out to be correct, levitated dipoles may one day make an attractive magnetically confined fusion energy source. LDX is a collaboration between Columbia University's Dept. of Applied Physics and the MIT Plasma Science & Fusion Center and is funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Fusion Energy.

Fusion research has focused on the goal of a fusion power source that utilizes deuterium and tritium (D-T) because the reaction rate is relatively large compared with the rate for D-D or D-He3. Furthermore, the D-D cycle is difficult in a traditional fusion confinement device such as a tokamak because good energy confinement is accompanied by good particle confinement which leads to a build up of ash in the discharge.

Previous studies [1-4] indicate that a levitated dipole would be favorable for a D-He3 fuel cycle based power source. The D-D cycle is the most promising because of the availability of deuterium. Recently we have considered utilizing a levitated dipole for the D-D cycle based power source. Fusion reactors based on the deuterium-deuterium (D-D) reaction would be superior to D-T based reactors in so far as they can greatly reduce the power produced in neutrons and do not requires the breeding of tritium. In a recent article titled "Helium Catalyzed D-D Fusion in a Levitated Dipole" we have proposed a fusion power source, based on an alternative fuel cycle which we call ``helium catalyzed D-D". We have explored the application of a levitated dipole as a D-D power source and found that a dipole may have the unique capability of producing excellent energy confinement accompanied by low particle confinement. Additionally a levitated dipole device would be intrinsically steady state and extract power as surface heating, permitting a thin walled vacuum vessel and eliminating the need for a massive neutron shield. We find that a dipole based D-D power source can potentially provide a substantially better utilization of magnetic field energy with a comparable mass power density as compared to a D-T based tokamak power source.

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
Regarding the second link....Droscher and Heim. I am going to have to look deeper into that. It seems to me that things that make a big splash and are then discredited immediately might be something that has been relegated to DARPA (such as Ning Li). Do you know of anyone that has worked through the theory and can explain it?