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DOE Pulse
  • Number 300  |
  • November 23, 2009

'Positive' contribution to JT60U

Positive ions of hydrogen isotopes are commonly used to produce the neutral beams that are injected into plasma fuel to heat it to the temperatures required for the production of fusion energy. Future fusion devices such as ITER, the large international fusion experiment under construction in France, will require higher-velocity neutral beams to penetrate the core of their larger, denser plasmas.

Japanese officials recently cited scientist Larry Grisham of DOE's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory for his contributions to successful achievement of a half-megavolt negative-ion beam on the Japanese fusion experiment, JT60U.

The achievement of the stable operation of a half-megavolt negative ion beam validates the neutral-beam concept to be used for ITER.  Each ITER beam will inject 16.5 megawatts of power, roughly what would be required from each beam in a fusion power plant.

[Anthony DeMeo, 609.243.2755,
ademeo@pppl.gov]