Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy Book

Preface     xiii
Acknowledgements     xv
Units     xvii
Fusion power     1
Fusion and world energy     3
Introduction     3
The existing energy options     4
The role of fusion energy     16
Overall summary and conclusions     19
Bibliography     20
The fusion reaction     21
Introduction     21
Nuclear vs. chemical reactions     21
Nuclear energy by fission     23
Nuclear energy by fusion     24
The binding energy curve and why it has the shape it does     29
Summary     35
Bibliography     35
Problems     36
Fusion power generation     37
Introduction     37
The concepts of cross section, mean free path, and collision frequency     38
The reaction rate     42
The distribution functions, the fusion cross sections, and the fusion power density     46
Radiation losses     51
Summary     56
Bibliography     57
Problems     58
Power balance in a fusion reactor     60
Introduction     60
The 0-D conservation of energy relation     60
General power balance in magnetic fusion     62
Steady stale 0-D power balance     62
Power balance in the plasma     65
Power balance in a reactor     69
Time dependent power balance in a fusion reactor     74
Summary of magnetic fusion power balance     82
Bibliography     82
Problems     83
Design of a simple magnetic fusion reactor     85
Introduction     85
A generic magnetic fusion reactor     85
The critical reactor design parameters to be calculated     86
Design goals, and basic engineering and nuclear physics constraints     88
Design of the reactor     91
Summary     105
Bibliography     106
Problems     106
The plasma physics of fusion energy     109
Overview of magnetic fusion     111
Introduction     111
Basic description of a plasma     113
Single-particle behavior     113
Self-consistent models     114
MHD equilibrium and stability     115
Magnetic fusion concepts     116
Transport      117
Heating and current drive     118
The future of fusion research     120
Bibliography     120
Definition of a fusion plasma     121
Introduction     121
Shielding DC electric fields in a plasma - the Debye length     122
Shielding AC electric fields in a plasma - the plasma frequency     126
Low collisionality and collective effects     130
Additional constraints for a magnetic fusion plasma     133
Macroscopic behavior vs. collisions     135
Summary     135
Bibliography     136
Problems     137
Single-particle motion in a plasma - guiding center theory     139
Introduction     139
General properties of single-particle motion     141
Motion in a constant B field     143
Motion in constant B and E fields: the E x B drift     148
Motion in fields with perpendicular gradients: the [Characters not reproducible] B drift     151
Motion in a curved magnetic field: the curvature drift     156
Combined V[subscript Characters not reproducible B] and V[subscript k] drifts in a vacuum magnetic field     159
Motion in time varying E and B fields: the polarization drift     160
Motion in fields with parallel gradients: the magnetic moment and mirroring     167
Summary - putting all the pieces together     177
Bibliography     179
Problems     179
Single-particle motion - Coulomb collisions     183
Introduction     183
Coulomb collisions - mathematical derivation     185
The test particle collision frequencies     191
The mirror machine revisited     198
The slowing down of high-energy ions     201
Runaway electrons     207
Net exchange collisions     212
Summary     219
Bibliography     220
Problems     221
A self-consistent two-fluid model     223
Introduction     223
Properties of a fluid model     224
Conservation of mass     227
Conservation of momentum     229
Conservation of energy     234
Summary of the two-fluid model     241
Bibliography     242
Problems     243
MHD - macroscopic equilibrium     245
The basic issues of macroscopic equilibrium and stability     245
Derivation of MHD from the two-fluid model     246
Derivation of MHD from guiding center theory     252
MHD equilibrium - a qualitative description     258
Basic properties of the MHD equilibrium model     261
Radial pressure balance     264
Toroidal force balance     271
Summary of MHD equilibrium     292
Bibliography     293
Problems     293
MHD - macroscopic stability     296
Introduction     296
General concepts of stability     297
A physical picture of MHD instabilities     302
The general formulation of the ideal MHD stability problem     307
The infinite homogeneous plasma - MHD waves     313
The linear [Theta]-pinch     317
The m = 0 mode in a linear Z-pinch     320
The m = 1 mode in a linear Z-pinch     324
Summary of stability     329
Bibliography     329
Problems     330
Magnetic fusion concepts     333
Introduction     333
The levitated dipole (LDX)     335
The field reversed configuration (FRC)     344
The surface current model     350
The reversed field pinch (RFP)     358
The spheromak     373
The tokamak     380
The stellarator     423
Revisiting the simple fusion reactor     437
Overall summary     441
Bibliography     443
Problems     445
Transport     449
Introduction     449
Transport in a 1-D cylindrical plasma     451
Solving the transport equations     465
Neoclassical transport     478
Empirical scaling relations     497
Applications of transport theory to a fusion ignition experiment     513
Overall summary     529
Bibliography     529
Problems     531
Heating and current drive     534
Introduction     534
Ohmic heating     537
Neutral beam heating     540
Basic principles of RF heating and current drive     551
The cold plasma dispersion relation     569
Collisionless damping     571
Electron cyclotron heating (ECH)     586
Ion cyclotron heating (ICH)     597
Lower hybrid current drive (LHCD)     609
Overall summary     624
Bibliography     625
Problems     627
The future of fusion research     633
Introduction     633
Current status of plasma physics research     633
ITER     637
A Demonstration Power Plant (DEMO)     642
Bibliography     644
Analytical derivation of ([sigma] v)     645
Radiation from an accelerating charge     650
Derivation of Boozer coordinates     656
Poynting's theorem     664
Index     666