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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Fusion Science and Technology
August 2025
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IAEA program uses radioisotopes to protect rhinos
After two years of testing, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, have begun officially implementing the Rhisotope Project, an innovative effort to combat rhino poaching and trafficking by leveraging nuclear technology.
S. L. Rao, Anjali Sharma, Mahesh Kushwah, Parth Kalaria, Tarun Kumar Sharma, Vipal Rathod, Ronak Shah, Deepak Mandge, and Gaurav Joshi
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 65 | Number 1 | January 2014 | Pages 129-144
Lecture | doi.org/10.13182/FST13-642
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Electron cyclotron (EC) heating and current drive is a well-established auxiliary heating mechanism for tokamak plasmas, which is also effective in assisting plasma breakdown and controlling disruptive plasma instabilities. ITER requires 20 MW of power at 170-GHz frequency to be coupled into the plasma for EC radio-frequency (rf) applications. Gyrotrons are rf/microwave oscillators capable of delivering high continuous-wave power in the microwave and millimeter-wave frequency range (a few to hundreds of gigahertz). An EC system with 26 gyrotron sources at 170 GHz, with a typical unit power of 1 MW each, and a total installed power capacity of 24 MW is planned for ITER. As a part of the in-kind contributions, the Indian domestic agency is responsible for two sets of EC sources that provide 2 MW (∼8%) of the EC power at 170-GHz frequency. Here, we provide an overview of the gyrotron source system, its basic concepts and main features, design aspects, auxiliary requirements, performance issues, and future research and development goals.