[lepton]

Stronger electromagnets = good. Do they require less power?

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Both less power, and denser fields, with superconductivity the heat output is tremendously reduced. With high temperature superconductors, the total power put through them can be higher, which can make them much smaller - an efficiency which feeds back on itself making the whole operation smaller and use less power.

The relationship isn’t linear, it is roughly x^3.

Here’s a cute video on magnetic fields and desktop plasma which might be interesting. Most of it is probably old hat to you, but there are some more recent things included.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2QaTyDJDEI

[pepsi_junkie]

Thanks. I am certainly not a physicist, just an electrical engineer but in addition to all the electromagnetic field/wave stuff I did take two courses as an undergrad that inform my knowledge of nuke fusion: Modern Physics and a course on Electric Ceramics (superconductors, piezos, stuff like that). So I am probably just one step above a regular reader of Discover magazine when it comes to being able to design a fusion reactor.

But it’s interesting to me. Very frustrating that 35 years after taking those courses, which made it seem so, so close, we have never got fusion to actually be practical. Always hopeful we’ll get there before I age off of this world. It sure would turn the world upside down if we did.