Real-Time Equilibrium Reconstruction in a Tokamak

This paper deals with the numerical reconstruction of the plasma current density in a Tokamak and of its equilibrium. The problem consists in the identification of a non-linear source in the 2D Grad-Shafranov equation, which governs the axisymmetric equilibrium of a plasma in a Tokamak. The experimental measurements that enable this identification are the magnetics on the vacuum vessel, but also polarimetric and interferometric measures on several chords, as well as motional Stark effect or pressure measurements. The reconstruction can be obtained in real-time using a finite element method, a non-linear fixed-point algorithm and a least-square optimization procedure

Il fuoco della fusione termonucleare controllata

Per realizzare la fusione termonucleare controllata, cioè catturare e dominare il fuoco che accende gli astri, e ottenere così una nuova fonte di energia praticamente illimitata e a basso costo, si richiede uno sforzo collettivo e unitario globale: non esiste infatti nazione al mondo che sia in grado, singolarmente presa, di affrontare il problema, sia per le risorse finanziarie necessarie all'impresa sia per il numero dei ricercatori che dovranno dedicarvisi

International Workshop on Diagnostics for ITER

This book of proceedings collects the papers presented at the Workshop on Diagnostics for ITER, held at Villa Monastero, Varenna (Italy), from August 28 to September 1, 1995. The Workshop was organised by the International School of Plasma Physics "Piero Caldirola. " Established in 1971, the ISPP has organised over fifty advanced courses and workshops on topics mainly related to plasma physics. In particular, courses and workshops on plasma diagnostics (previously held in 1975, 1978, 1982, 1986, and 1991) can be considered milestones in the history of this institution. Looking back at the proceedings of the previous meetings in Varenna, one can appreciate the rapid progress in the field of plasma diagnostics over the past 20 years. The 1995 workshop was co-organised by the Istituto di Fisica del Plasma of the National Research Council (CNR). In contrast to previous Varenna meetings on diagnostics, which have covered diagnostics in present-day tokamaks and which have had a substantial tutorial component, the 1995 workshop concentrated specifically on the problems and challenges of ITER diagnostics. ITER (the International Thennonuclear Experimental Reactor, a joint venture of Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States, presently under design) will need to measure a wide range of plasma parameters in order to reach and sustain high levels of fusion power. A list of the measurement requirements together with the parameter ranges, target measurement resolutions, and accuracies provides the starting point for selecting a list of candidate diagnostic systems