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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.
L. Zang, T. Mizuuchi, N. Nishino, S. Ohshima, S. Yamamoto, Y. C. Sun, K. Kasajima, M. Takeuchi, K. Mukai, H. Y. Lee, N. Kenmochi, Y. Ohtani, K. Nagasaki, S. Kado, H. Okada, T. Minami, S. Kobayashi, N. Shi, S. Konoshima, Y. Nakamura, F. Sano
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 68 | Number 4 | November 2015 | Pages 758-765
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST14-862
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In the medium-sized heliotron device Heliotron J, edge density fluctuation has been measured simultaneously with a high-speed video camera and a Langmuir probe. Poloidally propagating, parallel elongating filamentary structures with 20- to 30-kHz frequency and ~14-cm poloidal wavelength were observed by a camera. However, the radial position of this density mode is not well known with only camera data because the camera lens axis is perpendicular to the torus plane. To identify the span of this density mode, plasma-surface interaction (PSI) between the probe and the plasma has been analyzed. As the probe scanned into the plasma, enhanced brightness due to PSI was clearly observed in camera images. By comparing this enhanced brightness among different probe positions, the outmost margin of the 20- to 30-kHz mode observed by the camera has been identified to be within 10 mm outside from the last closed flux surface. This conclusion is supported by the spectrum of the probe data.