ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
January 2026
Latest News
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.
Ezio Bittoni, Marcel Haegi
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 22 | Number 4 | December 1992 | Pages 461-469
Alpha-Particle Special | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A30081
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The diffusion coefficient for the fast alpha particles produced in a thermonuclear plasma is derived numerically for the case of a magnetic field perturbed by ripple and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) helical modes. It is found that this diffusion coefficient varies monotonously with the amplitude of the magnetic perturbations and that the transition from the classic to the stochastic regime occurs smoothly. The ripple perturbations as well as the MHD perturbations essentially affect the trapped-particle orbits. It is shown that above an MHD perturbation amplitude of some 10−3 of the total magnetic field, severe fast alpha-particle losses must be expected. Parametric studies have shown the dependence of the MHD helical diffusion coefficient on the amplitude of the perturbation, the helical mode number, and the energy of the alpha particles. An analytic expression for the MHD diffusion coefficient, based on these scalings, is proposed.