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- Newsgroups: sci.physics.fusion,sci.answers,news.answers
- Subject: Conventional Fusion FAQ Glossary Part 0/26 (intro)
- From: Robert F. Heeter <heeter1@llnl.gov>
- Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU
- Followup-To: sci.physics.fusion
- Reply-To: heeter1@llnl.gov
- Summary: Fusion energy represents a promising alternative to
- fossil fuels and nuclear fission for world energy
- production. This Glossary is a compendium of Frequently Used
- Terms in Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy Research. Refer
- to the FAQ on Conventional Fusion for more detailed info
- about topics in fusion research. This Glossary does NOT
- discuss unconventional forms of fusion (like Cold Fusion).
- Distribution: world
- Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Originator: faqserv@penguin-lust.MIT.EDU
- Date: 17 Apr 2004 11:26:24 GMT
- Lines: 181
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-
- Archive-name: fusion-faq/glossary/intro
- Last-modified: 2000/06/26
- Posting-frequency: More-or-less-monthly
- Disclaimer: While this section is still evolving, it should
- be useful to many people, and I encourage you to distribute
- it to anyone who might be interested (and willing to help!!!).
-
- *****************************************************************
- Glossary of Frequently Used Terms in
- Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy Research
-
- http://FusEdWeb.pppl.gov/Glossary/glossary.html
-
- Edited by Robert F. Heeter, heeter1@llnl.gov
- *****************************************************************
-
- ### Contents:
- * What is the Glossary, and where can I find it?
- * What is included in the Glossary?
- * What sources were used in compiling the Glossary?
-
- ### What is the Glossary, and where can I find it?
-
- Plasma physics and fusion energy researchers have evolved
- a colorful and extensive vocabulary. Although these specialized
- terms greatly facilitate discussion among those who
- understand the language, they can impede discussions
- between experts and nonexperts, and even between experts in
- different subfields. Several efforts have been made
- over the years to break down these communication barriers
- by providing clear and succinct definitions of key terms.
- The Glossary of Frequently Used Terms in Plasma Physics
- and Fusion Energy Research takes the next step and
- uses modern information technology to provide the most extensive
- *compilation* of plasma terminology from all available sources.
-
- The full Glossary comprises several thousand terms, of which
- over 1000 are fully defined and nearly all the others at least
- direct the reader to reference texts. The full Glossary was
- posted as ASCII text in 26 parts to the Newsgroups from 1994-1999.
- After a 3-year hiatus from 1996-1999, the Glossary is now being
- actively updated again. Since the Glossary is now being maintained
- in database format and is fully available on the World Wide Web,
- it no longer needs to be posted to the Newsgroups in its entirety.
-
- However, in order to ensure that those interested in learning
- about fusion energy and plasma physics have easy access to
- the Glossary, this introduction now serves as a monthly pointer
- to the full Glossary web site. The full Glossary may be found at
-
- http://FusEdWeb.pppl.gov/Glossary/glossary.html
-
- More information about the Glossary is given below.
-
-
- ### What is included in the Glossary?
-
- The terms listed in the full Glossary include the scientific
- vocabulary of the disciplines associated with plasma physics
- and fusion energy research, the names of various research
- facilities, experimental machines and devices used, the names
- of prominent researchers in the field, the various funding
- authorities active in the field, several key mathematical
- symbols in common use, and the acronyms frequently used as
- shorthand for some of the above.
-
- This Glossary now covers all areas of plasma physics and
- "conventional" fusion research, including magnetic confinement,
- inertial confinement, thermonuclear, muon-catalyzed, and other
- types of fusion, but not "Cold Fusion".
-
- The Glossary began in 1994 with an initial list of terms
- supplied by Jim Day. To this were added some comments
- from various responses to the first draft posted to the newsgroup.
- The Editor then incorporated terms from various published
- glossaries from PPPL and the U.S. Department of Energy.
- Acronyms, machine names, and names of important scientists
- were added as they came up. Categories were added for research
- and funding/political agencies, a broader base of basic science
- terms was built up, and additional plasma terms were included.
- In the summer of 1995 the Glossary benefitted from work done by
- Joshua Jones and John Wright to expand the terminology lists by
- merging in terms from the indexes of major plasma reference texts,
- and to evolve a useful Web version with browse and search
- capabilities.
-
-
- ### What Sources were used in compiling the Glossary?
-
- The terms and definitions in the Glossary represent a collection
- of contributions from numerous sources. The new Glossary database
- includes the ability to have acknowledgements for each individual
- definition, but for existing terms we must rely upon the blanket
- acknowledgements given below. In cases where only a single textual
- source was used a citation is generally given along with the entry.
- A bibliography of source texts can be found at the Glossary Web Site,
- http://FusEdWeb.pppl.gov/Glossary/glossary.html
-
-
- # Acknowledgements for the Glossary:
- ! = someone I believe is a scientist
- * = organizations or people who are not believed to be scientists.
-
- ! Jake Blanchard, blanchard@engr.wisc.edu - suggested we have a
- list of acronyms too.
- ! Arthur Carlson, awc@ipp-garching.mpg.de - supplied additional
- definitions, made corrections / amplifications / revisions to
- earlier definitions.
- ! Edward Chao, ehchao@theory.pppl.gov - info on LANL fusion research,
- additions and corrections to various definitions.
- ! Albert Chou, albert@seas.ucla.edu - supplied additional
- definitions, made corrections / amplifications / revisions to
- earlier definitions.
- ! John Cobb, johncobb@uts.cc.utexas.edu - lots o' definitions.
- ! James Crotinger, jac@gandalf.llnl.gov - additional definitions,
- quality control, and comments on the usefulness of the FUT.
- * Jim Day, jim.day@support.com - initial list of terms, additional
- definitions, modifications to earlier definitions.
- ! Steve Fairfax, Fairfax@cmod.pfc.mit.edu - additional definitions
- from the Alcator weekly reports.
- * Robin Herman, _Fusion: Search for Endless Energy_; I borrowed a
- few terms from her glossary. Cited as (from Herman). (Many
- of these terms derived from the PPPL glossary I also used.)
- ! Paul M. Koloc, pmk@prometheus.UUCP - quality control, some entries
- ! Emilio Martines, martines@pdigi3.igi.pd.cnr.it - quality control,
- reversed-field entries & information.
- ! Robert Nachtrieb, nachtrieb@pfc.mit.edu - numerous acronyms
- * Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, Glossary of Fusion Terms - list of
- terms prepared by PPPL staff at some point. Consulted in many
- cases, blatantly paraphrased in some, quoted and cited in
- others.
- * Vicki Rosenzweig, vr%acmcr.uucp@murphy.com - Proofreading entries
- * Mike Ross, mikeross@almaden.ibm.com - additional Livermore info
- and corrections to some entries.
- * Richard Schroeppel, rcs@cs.arizona.edu - suggestions/corrections to
- many definitions.
- ! Philip Snyder, pbsnyder@theory.pppl.gov - corrections to
- definitions.
- ! Paul Stek, Stek@cmod.pfc.mit.edu - additional definitions
- !? Mitchell Swarz, mica@world.std.com - supplied additional
- definitions / corrections and revisions to existing definitions.
-
-
- ### Status and Disclaimers:
-
- Like fusion research itself, the Glossary is evolving,
- and is not a completed work. Depending on how much effort is
- being expended to maintain it at any given time, it may not be
- correct or up-to-date in all respects. The editor disclaims
- everything and assumes no liability for any consequences arising
- from the distribution of this Glossary. The information included
- in the Glossary reflects the perspective of the editor and
- contributors, and not their employers or anyone else.
- Finally, the Glossary is copyrighted and should not be distributed
- for profit without permission.
-
-
- ### Technicalities:
-
- # This is a Copyrighted FAQ. I only grant permission for this file
- to be freely distributed and cited provided the revision date is
- retained and I am cited as the editor. #
-
- # Any and all errors are solely my responsibility. #
-
- # This posting is tagged as UCRL-MI-139257 by LLNL.
- "This work was performed under the auspices of the
- U.S. Department of Energy by University of California Lawrence
- Livermore National Laboratory under contract No. W-7405-Eng-48."
-
- #######################
- Robert F. Heeter, Ph.D.
- heeter1@llnl.gov
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Robert F. Heeter (Bob)
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Building 121, Room 1109
- Phone: 925-423-3761
- Fax: 925-423-5998
- US Mail: P.O. Box 808, L-043; Livermore, CA 94550
- Shipping: 7000 East Ave.; Livermore, CA 94550-9234
-