Assessment of burning-plasma phenomena in a compact ignition tokamak

The DOE Magnetic Fusion Advisory Committee was charged with examining the extent to which compact tokamak ignition experiments can resolve the technical issues of understanding the properties of burning plasmas under various conditions. The group found that the compact ignition tokamak is a cost-effective approach to the rapid attainment of an ignited plasma with reactor-relevant parameters. The approach will address most of the critical tokamak issues associated with the confinement of the fusion energy released in the form of energetic alpha particles. Plasma behavior under ignited conditions represents a new frontier of physics that must be explored as part of an assessment of magnetic fusion.