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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
Guido Van Oost, Roger Jaspers
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 61 | Number 2 | February 2012 | Pages 17-26
Introduction | Proceedings of the Tenth Carolus Magnus Summer School on Plasma and Fusion Energy Physics | doi.org/10.13182/FST12-A13489
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
After more than 50 years of fusion research the time has arrived when fusion processes in experimental plasmas are increasingly getting important. In JET the genuine fuel (deuterium-tritium) of a fusion reactor was used for the first time in late 1991, in TFTR the same happened in 1993, and in JET an extended period of experiments of this kind was performed in 1997. Therefore, it is getting more and more rewarding to deal with the problems related to the ignition and burning of plasmas.