US fusion research optimizes stellarator performance to improve plasma confinement
To avoid the immense computational challenge of tracking every particle’s movement, the researchers developed a simplified function that accurately predicts the rate of particle loss from the magnetic field.
Researchers at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have made a breakthrough in enhancing the performance of stellarators, a type of fusion device.
Fusion, the process that powers the sun, involves the heating of light atomic nuclei, such as hydrogen isotopes, to form a plasma, an extremely hot and charged gas.
To achieve this on Earth, scientists are exploring various approaches, with stellarators and tokamaks being the leading contenders.
Stellarators, one type of fusion device, have emerged as a promising alternative to traditional tokamaks. Both devices utilize powerful magnetic fields to confine plasma, a hot, charged gas, in a donut shape, facilitating the fusion reaction.
However, they differ in the way these magnetic fields are generated.
Significance of stellarator research
“Tokamaks have three large sets of magnetic field coils. One of them produces an electric current that runs through the center of the plasma. That electric current produces a magnetic field that boosts how well the plasma is confined,” explained the researchers in a press release.
“In contrast, stellarators have many magnet coils that loop around the outside of the plasma. They form twisting magnetic fields that wrap around the donut, without the need for a central current.”
This fundamental difference gives stellarators certain advantages, including inherent steady-state operation and reduced susceptibility to disruptions that can terminate the plasma confinement.