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 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
Knoxville’s nuclear workshop opens with a full house and a long to-do list
The East Tennessee Economic Council’s Nuclear Opportunities Workshop opened yesterday morning at the Knoxville Convention Center, drawing registrants from around the country, and will close later today following a packed lineup of policy and industry leaders.
D. Wojtowicz, T. Kammash
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 8 | Number 1 | July 1985 | Pages 637-640
Plasma Engineering | Proceedings of the Sixth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (San Francisco, California, March 3-7, 1985) | doi.org/10.13182/FST85-A40111
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The potential of the EBT plasma confinement device as a fusion reactor depends critically on its ability to support a sufficiently large power density which in turn means a large enough beta defined as the ratio of the plasma pressure to magnetic field pressure. The maximum allowable beta is generally dictated by the stability of the system to hydromagnetic (MHD) modes. In this paper we examine the stability of such modes for a D-T plasma and assess the effect of the alpha particles on these instabilities. We find that the alphas have the most destabilizing effect, as reflected in the drop of the ion beta, at the instant of birth and that recovery of stability is achieved as the alphas approach equilibration with the ions of the plasma. In short, there appears to be no serious adverse effects on the reactor beta resulting from alpha-induced instabilities.