Bogdan Maglich
Encyclopedia
Bogdan Castle Maglich (born August 5, 1928 in Sombor
, Yugoslavia) is a nuclear physicist and the leading advocate of a purported non-radioactive aneutronic fusion
energy source. Maglich's Migma
fusion would use colliding ion beams. He is the son of a lawyer and elected member of the Yugoslav Royal Parliament. At the age of 12, he and his mother were imprisoned in a Croatian Nazi concentration camp for Serbs, but they subsequently escaped.
in 1951, his Master of Science degree from the University of Liverpool
in 1955, and his Ph.D. in high-energy physics and nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1959. Upon receiving his Ph.D., Maglich joined Dr. Louis Alvarez's research group at Lawrence Berkely Lab. During this time, he participated in the discovery of the omega meson and invented the "sonic spark chamber".
Between 1963 and 1967, he worked at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN
) in Geneva, Switzerland. While conducting research at CERN, he invented the "missing mass spectrometer".
In 1967, Maglich joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania
, as well as being visiting faculty at Princeton University
. In 1969, he became Professor and Principal Investigator for High Energy Physics at Rutgers University
. In 1974, he left academia to pursue his research in the private sector.
's Lawrence Radiation Laboratory analyzing liquid hydrogen bubble chamber
data from Berkeley's bevatron
accelerator. The team, which also included Luis W. Alvarez, Dr. Arthur H Rosenfeld
, and M.L. Stevenson, discovered the first solid experimental evidence for the existence of the ω meson
resonance. (In 1968, Luis Alvarez was awarded a Nobel Price for this and related work.) Maglich's contribution to this discovery led to him receiving the White House Citation from President John F. Kennedy
and being named an honorary citizen in Switzerland by the President of the Swiss Confederation.
Toward the end of the 1960s, Maglich developed the precetron, a self-colliding particle beam accelerator for studying pion-pion collisions. Shortly thereafter, in the early 1970s, the precetron design formed the basis for Maglich's "migmatron" concept of a self-colliding ion beam fusion reactor.
In 1995, Maglich founded HiEnergy Microdevices, which later became HiEnergy Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of neutron-based bomb detection equipment. He continued to occupy various positions with that company until being terminated for cause. HiEnergy Technologies declared bankruptcy in 2007. After leaving HiEnergy Technologies, Maglich became president of Centurion Enterprises Corporation.
Sombor
Sombor is a city and municipality located in northwest part of Serbian autonomous province of Vojvodina. The city has a total population of 48,749 , while the Sombor municipality has 87,815 inhabitants...
, Yugoslavia) is a nuclear physicist and the leading advocate of a purported non-radioactive aneutronic fusion
Aneutronic fusion
Aneutronic fusion is any form of fusion power where neutrons carry no more than 1% of the total released energy. The most-studied fusion reactions release up to 80% of their energy in neutrons...
energy source. Maglich's Migma
Migma
Migma was a proposed inertial electrostatic confinement fusion reactor designed by Bogdan Maglich in the early 1970s. Migma uses self-intersecting beams of ions from small particle accelerators to force the ions to fuse. It was an area of some research in the 1970s and early 1980s, but lack of...
fusion would use colliding ion beams. He is the son of a lawyer and elected member of the Yugoslav Royal Parliament. At the age of 12, he and his mother were imprisoned in a Croatian Nazi concentration camp for Serbs, but they subsequently escaped.
Education and academic work
Maglich received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of BelgradeUniversity of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
in 1951, his Master of Science degree from the University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
in 1955, and his Ph.D. in high-energy physics and nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 1959. Upon receiving his Ph.D., Maglich joined Dr. Louis Alvarez's research group at Lawrence Berkely Lab. During this time, he participated in the discovery of the omega meson and invented the "sonic spark chamber".
Between 1963 and 1967, he worked at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
) in Geneva, Switzerland. While conducting research at CERN, he invented the "missing mass spectrometer".
In 1967, Maglich joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, as well as being visiting faculty at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. In 1969, he became Professor and Principal Investigator for High Energy Physics at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
. In 1974, he left academia to pursue his research in the private sector.
Early work
Maglich first rose to prominence in his field working on a team at the University of CaliforniaUniversity of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
's Lawrence Radiation Laboratory analyzing liquid hydrogen bubble chamber
Bubble chamber
A bubble chamber is a vessel filled with a superheated transparent liquid used to detect electrically charged particles moving through it. It was invented in 1952 by Donald A. Glaser, for which he was awarded the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physics...
data from Berkeley's bevatron
Bevatron
The Bevatron was a historic particle accelerator — specifically, a weak-focusing proton synchrotron — at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, U.S.A., which began operating in 1954. The antiproton was discovered there in 1955, resulting in the 1959 Nobel Prize in physics for Emilio...
accelerator. The team, which also included Luis W. Alvarez, Dr. Arthur H Rosenfeld
Arthur H Rosenfeld
Dr. Arthur H Rosenfeld is a former Commissioner of the California Energy Commission, serving from 2000 until his retirement in 2010....
, and M.L. Stevenson, discovered the first solid experimental evidence for the existence of the ω meson
Meson
In particle physics, mesons are subatomic particles composed of one quark and one antiquark, bound together by the strong interaction. Because mesons are composed of sub-particles, they have a physical size, with a radius roughly one femtometer: 10−15 m, which is about the size of a proton...
resonance. (In 1968, Luis Alvarez was awarded a Nobel Price for this and related work.) Maglich's contribution to this discovery led to him receiving the White House Citation from President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and being named an honorary citizen in Switzerland by the President of the Swiss Confederation.
Toward the end of the 1960s, Maglich developed the precetron, a self-colliding particle beam accelerator for studying pion-pion collisions. Shortly thereafter, in the early 1970s, the precetron design formed the basis for Maglich's "migmatron" concept of a self-colliding ion beam fusion reactor.
Business ventures
In his attempts to raise funding for his migma research, Maglich has been associated with a string of business ventures. In 1974, he formed Funsion Energy Corp. From 1985 to 1987, he was CEO and Principal Investigator of Aneutronic Energy Labs of United Sciences, Inc. at Princeton, a research firm also known as "AELabs." It was during this time that Maglich worked under a research grant from the United States Air Force to attempt to develop his migmatron concept into a compact power source for spacecraft. From 1988 until 1993, he was CEO of Advanced Physics Corporation.In 1995, Maglich founded HiEnergy Microdevices, which later became HiEnergy Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of neutron-based bomb detection equipment. He continued to occupy various positions with that company until being terminated for cause. HiEnergy Technologies declared bankruptcy in 2007. After leaving HiEnergy Technologies, Maglich became president of Centurion Enterprises Corporation.
Personal life
Maglich has four children: Angelica (born 1989) and Aleksandra Maglich (born 1991), from a prior marriage to UCLA media artist Victoria Vesna; also Marko (born 1960), Ivanka (born 1961).External links
- "Nature's Onion", TIME, Sep. 15, 1961
- "Wall Street Transcript" interview with Bogdan Maglich
- Article: Visionary Physicist's Crusade Serves As Lesson In Futility in The ScientistThe ScientistThe Scientist: Magazine of Life Sciences is a professional magazine intended for life scientists. Coverage includes reviews of widely noticed research papers, informing its audience of current research, updates to technology, updates to career information, profiles of scientists achieving...
- Letter: Migma Omissions By Bogdan Maglich cache of letter to The ScientistThe ScientistThe Scientist: Magazine of Life Sciences is a professional magazine intended for life scientists. Coverage includes reviews of widely noticed research papers, informing its audience of current research, updates to technology, updates to career information, profiles of scientists achieving...
- "Bogdan Maglich - 50 Years with Nuclear Fission" Creative Commons video on using EXYDER to breed U-233