The DITE tokamak experiment

Abstract

The expectation of power from fusion reactions currently involves magnetic containment of hot plasma in the tokamak toroidal configuration, and plasma heating by injection of energetic neutral atoms. Isolation of the plasma from the walls, to maintain the required purity, and exhaust of the spent fuel both involve the use of a divertor. This removes plasma from the boundary layer into a separate chamber. We report tests of these concepts in the Divertor Injection Tokamak Experiment (DITE) at Culham Laboratory. We also present the first measurements in a tokamak of the neutral-beam driven current. This demonstrates the principle of a continuously operating tokamak, with possible advantages for a reactor.