Spitzer proposes the stellarator; Project Matterhorn begins at Princeton
Lyman Spitzer Jr. proposed confining a fusion plasma in a figure-eight magnetic configuration produced entirely by external coils, in a paper titled 'A Proposed Stellarator'. Magnetic fusion research at Princeton began the same year under the code name Project Matterhorn, which became the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in 1961. This is the starting point from which the 'thirty years away' clock is usually implicitly run.
Historical — it happened, and the record is settled.
Subjects
- Lyman Spitzer Jr. · person · not located
- Stellarator · confinement concept · not located
Evidence
Partly verified — Core facts are sourced; some optional detail is deliberately absent.
A Proposed Stellarator / Early Stellarators and Project Matterhorn (1951–1961)
The stellarator concept and the beginning of organised US magnetic fusion research are both dated to 1951 at Princeton
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (US Department of Energy) · 1951 · Partly verified
L. Spitzer Jr., 'A Proposed Stellarator', Project Matterhorn report, Princeton University, 1951; institutional history at pppl.gov/about/history and pppl.gov 'Early Stellarators & Project Matterhorn (1951-1961)'
Recorded on Lyman Spitzer Jr.
- Spitzer proposes the stellarator; Project Matterhorn begins at Princeton
- Wendelstein 7-X sets a triple product record for long-duration plasmas
Related
Related because they share a subject in the Atlas — never because the text looks similar.