Status of the Argonne National Laboratory heavy ion fusion program

We have recently been successful with accelerating 50 mA of Xe⁺¹ to 1.1 MeV in our modified Dynamitron in a pulse 100 µsec long. We anticipate conditioning the column to 1.5 MeV and bunching and accelerating the beam to 2 MeV in the first stages of the low velocity linac within the next few months. On the basis of the recommendations by a national committee (Foster II) reviewing inertial confinement fusion drivers, support for the heavy ion fusion program will be significantly increased in the next fiscal year with a view toward a choice between the two competing systems, rf linac with accumulator rings and induction linacs, in 1982 or 1983. Argonne has proposed a development program which will demonstrate by this time (at a relatively low current level) all the accelerator technology involved in the ignition source for a fusion power plant. The plan includes an interesting new concept of telescoping beams of different charge states with the same magnetic rigidity into the same beam line to reduce the number of beam lines otherwise required. The status and plans of the Argonne program will be reported.