Nuclear Fusion Plasmas

Nuclear fusion reactions typically use isotopes of hydrogen, such as deuterium and tritium, as fuel.

Achieving nuclear fusion requires overcoming several challenges, including reaching extremely high temperatures, creating and maintaining high pressure, and controlling the plasma using magnetic fields.

Tokamaks are the most common type of device used for nuclear fusion research, employing a toroidal magnetic field to confine the plasma.

The divertor in a tokamak is designed to remove impurities and heat from the plasma, preventing them from accumulating and interfering with the fusion reactions.

Diffusion is the process by which plasma particles gradually escape from a magnetic confinement device due to collisions and interactions with other particles.

The Lawson criterion states that the product of plasma density (n) and confinement time (T) must exceed a certain threshold ($10^{20} m^{-3} s$) for a fusion reactor to be self-sustaining.

Kink mode is a type of magnetohydrodynamic instability that can lead to a sudden loss of plasma confinement in a tokamak, potentially causing a disruption.

The limiter in a tokamak is a physical structure designed to protect the divertor from high heat flux and prevent damage to the divertor components.

Interferometry is a diagnostic technique that uses the interference of electromagnetic waves to measure the plasma density in a tokamak.

Neutral beam injection is a method of heating plasma particles in a tokamak by injecting a beam of high-energy neutral atoms into the plasma.

A disruption is a sudden and uncontrolled termination of the plasma discharge in a tokamak, typically caused by an instability or a loss of plasma confinement.

Thomson scattering is a diagnostic technique that uses the scattering of laser light by plasma particles to measure the plasma temperature.

Magnetic confinement is the process by which plasma particles are confined in a tokamak using a strong magnetic field.

A Rogowski coil is a diagnostic device used to measure the plasma current in a tokamak by measuring the magnetic field produced by the plasma current.

Recombination is the process by which plasma particles lose energy and recombine with other particles, leading to their loss from the plasma.