Experimental progress in magnetic-mirror fusion research

This paper discusses experimental progress in the control, confinement, and understanding of magnetic-mirror confined plasmas. We summarize the data base established in previous experiments on which magnetic-mirror principles are based. It includes a detailed description of present tandem and field-reversed mirror experimental results. In addition, we discuss the concepts and parameters of experiments now under construction and how these experiments can both test new thermal-barrier concepts and bridge the gap between existing facilities and eventual power producers. We describe small-scale physics-oriented experiments, aimed at testing new ideas and refining our knowledge of mirror confinement. The paper concludes with an extensive bibliography of reports from the field of magnetic-mirror fusion.