Fusion reactor designs with 'long legs' show promise
Thursday, October 27, 2016 - 14:31
in Physics & Chemistry
Magnetic fusion is all about managing the interface between hot plasma and ordinary materials. The strong magnetic field in a tokamak—the vessel used in this fusion approach—is a very effective insulator; it is able to reduce the plasma temperature by a factor of 100, from over 100 million degrees Celsius at the center to "only" 1 million degrees at the edge. However, this is not low enough. Therefore, it's the job of the boundary plasma to reduce the temperature by another factor of 100 before it contacts the wall.