This paper reviews current progress in the development of fusion power from the engineering point of view and highlights the most outstanding technical issues which must be resolved. (MOW)

A fast-neutron pinhole camera with high detection efficiency and nanosecond time-resolution has been developed and applied to the investigation of the spatial and temporal distributions of DD- and DT-neutrons produced by thermonuclear plasmas. The pinhole consists of a specially designed 1.15 m long copper collimator with an effective aperture of 1 mm diameter. Several different types of spatial resolution detectors have been used at the image plane: (1) a multi-element, scintillation-photomultiplier system used for time-resolved measurements consisting of sixty-one individual detectors, (2) a scintillation-fiber-chamber coupled to a gated image-intensifier tube used for direct photographing of the neutron image, and (3) a propane bubble chamber used for time-integrated recording with a capability to distinguish DD- from DT-neutrons. Pulsed neutron sources with typical dimensions of 1 cm emitting of the order of 10/sup 12/ neutrons over a time period of 10-100 nsec have been investigated. A spatial resolution of 1 mm and a time resolution of approximately 10 nsec was achieved in the investigations of dense plasma compression phenomena.

The design of business data processing applications utilizing minicomputers requires special considerations throughout the development of the systems project. Minicomputer features, capabilities, and limitations must be closely examined prior to the implementation of the design phase. The design requirements of an inventory control minicomputer system currently being installed by the Data Processing Services Department of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory are presented.

The laser fusion effectiveness of various active and passive pulse-stacking schemes is investigated. Factors considered include efficiency, achievable rise-times, variety in output pulse shapes, simplicity of construction and operation, and compatibility with existing and proposed fusion laser systems. During the research phase of laser-fusion development a particular class of active pulse-stackers should be superior, although a passive system, such as the KMSF pulse-stacker, should be superior for use in a fusion reactor system.