Design, construction and the first plasma experiments in the Large Helical Device

The Large Helical Device (LHD) is a heliotron-type helical system, intended for steady-state plasma confinement experiments with a superconducting coil system. Two superconducting helical coils and six poloidal coils are employed. After challenging technology R&D over the period of 8 years, the construction of LHD has recently been completed. The first plasma confinement experiment was successfully conducted on March 31, the end of the Japanese fiscal year 1997.