Magnetic fusion energy
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Magnetic Fusion Energy (MFE) is a sustained nuclear fusion reaction in a plasma that is contained by magnetic fields.
Progress in the past decade has been remarkable – both in the significant progress toward a "burning" plasma and in the advance of scientific understanding. Scientists have produced 16 megawatts of fusion power in the laboratory and have studied the behavior of fusion products (alpha particles) in weakly burning plasmas. Underlying this progress are strides in fundamental understanding, which have led to the ability to control aspects of plasma behavior. For example, scientists can now exercise a measure of control over plasma turbulence and resultant energy leakage, long considered an unavoidable and intractable feature of plasmas; the plasma pressure above which the plasma disassembles can now be made large enough to sustain a fusion reaction rate acceptable for a power plant. Electromagnetic waves can be injected and steered to manipulate the paths of plasma particles and then to produce the large electrical currents necessary to produce the magnetic fields to confine the plasma. These and other control capabilities have flowed from advances in basic understanding of plasma science in such areas as plasma turbulence, plasma macroscopic stability, and plasma wave propagation. Much of this progress has been achieved with a particular emphasis on tokamaks.
See also
- Stellarator
- Spheromak
- Plasma physics
- Magnetic mirror
- Inertial fusion energy
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
- for specific experiments
External links
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