Scylla I, Theta-Pinch Machine, 1958
In 1958, the worlds' first controlled thermonuclear fusion experiment was accomplished using a theta-pinch machine named Scylla I at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. A cylinder full of deuterium was converted into a plasma and compressed to 15 million degrees Celsius under a theta-pinch effect. A pinch is the compression of an electrically conducting filament by magnetic forces. The conductor is usually a plasma, but could also be a solid or liquid metal. Pinches were the first device used by humankind for controlled nuclear fusion. Pinches exist in laboratories and in nature. Pinches differ in their geometry and operating forces. In a theta-pinch machine the magnetic field runs down the axis of the cylinder, while the electric field is in the azimuthal direction (also called a thetatron). NOTE: the man is not identified.
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Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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