Fusion Skunkworks
The Fusion Skunkworks will take place as part of the Innovative Confinement Concepts Workshop, to be held February 13-16, 2006 at the University of Texas, Austin, Texas. We are looking for folks who like to invent fusion schemes - from the seasoned diehard to the novice. Fusion has so many possibilities that some new idea or a radical twist on an old idea could still prove to be the key.
Titles and a brief one-paragraph abstract for potential talks should be submitted NO LATER THAN Wednesday, January 3, 2006 to Simon Woodruff (woodruff@aa.washington.edu) and John Perkins (perkins3@llnl.gov).
Ground rules:
- The subject is novel ideas for fusion reactors--physics and/or technology--and not reporting on existing alternate concept research.
- Novel ideas include significant new twists on old ideas, combinations of ideas that together offer a qualitative advantage, or completely new concepts and new opportunities created by technology advances, e.g. fast ignition in ICF.
- Expectations: Proponents should spend at least one week fleshing out their concept. Ideas hopefully also pass the physics, technology and economic plausibility tests, e.g., should not depend on 1000-fold spherical convergence, 1000T steady-state field coils, etc. The zeroth order economics test is to estimate the weight of the high-tech portion of your concept and multiply by $80/kG. If the answer is > 1B$, then the idea loses to standard concepts.
- Some suggested constraints on skunkworks: (a) conservation of energy and momentum (b) second law of thermodynamics (c) no low temperature fusion unless you can demonstrate either unambiguous results or plausible barrier penetration schemes!
The skunkworks will consist of a "breakout" session within the ICC 2006 Workshop for oral presentations and discussions, along with one or more poster session. Titles and a brief one-paragraph abstract for potential talks should be submitted no later than Wednesday, January 3 to Simon Woodruff (woodruff@aa.washington.edu) and John Perkins (perkins3@llnl.gov). A program committee will set the agenda for oral presentations. All papers are welcome at the poster session. At least 50% of the time will be scheduled for brainstorming.
Skunkworks
A skunkworks is a group of people whom, in order to achieve unusual results, work on a project in a way that is outside the usual rules. Skunkworks is often a small team that assumes or is given responsibility for developing something in a short time with minimal management constraints. Typically, a skunkworks has a small number of members in order to reduce communications overhead. A skunkworks is sometimes used to spearhead a product design that thereafter will be developed according to the usual process. A skunkworks project may be secret.
The name originated in the Lil'Abner cartoon strip; the "Skonckworks" was the place where Kikapoo Joy Juice was clandestinely brewed. The word, modified to "Skunkworks", became the nickname for Lockheed's Advanced Project Division in Los Angeles just after WWII where many innovative (and then secret) airframe designs were born, e.g., the U2 and the SR-71 Blackbird. We like what Harry Newton says in Newton's Telecom Dictionary: "Term for usually-secret high-pressure/high-tech research group in a company or government, often populated by people who don't see much sunlight or soap. Hence the name, skunkworks."
