Advances in Magnetic Fusion Science and the ITER Project

Summary form only given. The last decade has seen dramatic advances in the scientific understanding of magnetically-confined high-temperature plasmas for fusion energy, due to advances in plasma measurement techniques and parallel computing. The understanding of the global stability of plasmas has advanced to the point where detailed measurements of pressure and current allow accurate prediction of stability against rapidly growing ideal modes; understanding and control of slower dissipative global phenomena is advancing rapidly. A standard model of ion turbulence has been tested successfully in many experiments, although the mechanism of the turbulent transport of electron heat remains controversial. Nonetheless overall heat losses are predictable. Based on the state of fusion science, the world is on the verge of construction of ITER, a device capable of producing hundreds of megawatts of fusion power, at high gain, for hundreds of seconds. While ITER itself is not a prototype of a fusion power plant, with parallel research on materials and technology, and optimization of the plasma configuration, the next major step after ITER could be a demonstration power plant.