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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.
Franco Alladio, Paola Batistoni, Alessandro Mancuso
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 22 | Number 4 | December 1992 | Pages 474-481
Alpha-Particle Special | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A30083
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The properties of alpha-particle confinement of l = 2 stellarat ors have been studied as a function of the aspect ratio (3 < R/a < 12). A collisionless orbit calculation has been performed numerically for stellarator configurations obtained by winding the helical currents on circular-cross-section tori with a constant pitch in toroidal coordinates. All the configurations studied exibit pronounced separatrixlike features that also rotate with constant pitch in toroidal coordinates. The fraction of alpha particles contained within the last closed magnetic surface rapidly increases with the aspect ratio and is >80% for R/a > 4. The escaping alpha particles cross the separatrix within narrow helical strips around the X-point path when it is between the inboard and the top of the torus. The particle motion is also followed outside the last closed magnetic surface. When the boundary (i.e., the surface where the helical currents flow) is sufficiently far from the plasma, the escaping alpha particles are found to remain trapped in the X-point region.