How is plasma confinement achieved?

In the laboratory, researchers use strong magnetic fields to confine plasma. This magnetic confinement strategy may allow them to confine fusion grade plasmas over the long term. Laboratories use high power lasers or electrical discharges, to compress hydrogen fuel to very high densities for billionths of a second.

How does a magnetic confinement device work?

Magnetic confinement fusion is an approach to generate thermonuclear fusion power that uses magnetic fields to confine fusion fuel in the form of a plasma. Fusion reactions combine light atomic nuclei such as hydrogen to form heavier ones such as helium, producing energy.

How does the tokamak work?

A tokamak is a machine that confines a plasma using magnetic fields in a donut shape that scientists call a torus. In a tokamak, magnetic field coils confine plasma particles to allow the plasma to achieve the conditions necessary for fusion.

How does a stellarator work?

A stellarator is a machine that uses magnetic fields to confine plasma in the shape of a donut, called a torus. These magnetic fields allow scientists to control the plasma particles and create the right conditions for fusion reactions.

How does inertial confinement work?

Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a fusion energy research program that initiates nuclear fusion reactions by compressing and heating targets filled with thermonuclear fuel. Sufficiently powerful shock waves can compress and heat the fuel at the center such that fusion occurs.

How does tokamak create plasma?

The heart of a tokamak is its doughnut-shaped vacuum chamber. Inside, under the influence of extreme heat and pressure, gaseous hydrogen fuel becomes a plasma—a hot, electrically charged gas. Auxiliary heating methods help to bring the plasma to fusion temperatures (between 150 and 300 million °C).

How does inertial confinement fusion work?

What is inertial confinement of plasma?

In the 1970s, scientists began experimenting with powerful laser beams to compress and heat the hydrogen isotopes to the point of fusion, a technique called inertial confinement fusion, or ICF. Instead of magnetic fields, the plasma is confined by the inertia of its own mass—hence the term inertial confinement fusion.