Regime-Scaling Experiments
Experiments that walk the plug operating point outward, step by step, to reduce the 166-to-830x extrapolation to a validated range.
Why stepwise
A single leap to the Aegis point would produce data no code predicted, teaching little about why. Stepwise campaigns instead advance the operating point in controlled increments, re-validating models at each step so the final extrapolation is short and understood.
What each step measures
- Transport and confinement scaling with plug parameters
- Onset of any micro-instabilities not seen at lower parameters
- Discrepancies between code prediction and measurement, with bounds
- Whether direct energy conversion efficiency holds as the regime shifts
End state
The gate is not closed by reaching the design point in one experiment; it is closed by a chain of steps that leave a short, validated extrapolation. The test burner around 2032 is the last and largest step before commercial confidence.
The end state these experiments aim for is a validated band, not a single hero shot at the design point. A chain of steps, each re-validating the codes, leaves a short and defensible extrapolation; a single leap leaves an unexplained result. The test burner is the last and largest step in that chain, and it is where the remaining distance is meant to be small.