Abstract
The International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) has developed a comprehensive overview of the results of its coordinated R&D activities in fusion physics and diagnostics implemented during the past two decades with the aim of developing an improved physics basis for the operation of tokamak burning plasma experiments. Here, an introduction is presented to key concepts in the physics of burning plasmas in tokamaks, together with an overview of the scope of the principal areas of physics R&D pursued by the ITPA Topical Physics Groups in which the critical issues, major areas of progress and most significant recent results are highlighted. This paper introduces the following collection of articles, which encompass detailed presentations of the progress achieved by the Topical Groups in preparing the physics basis for the operation of tokamak burning plasma experiments expected to come into operation in the 2030s.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 093002 |
| Journal | Nuclear Fusion |
| Volume | 65 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2025 |
Funding
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences under Contract Numbers DE-AC52-07NA27344 (MEF), DE-AC05-000R22725 (CMG, DAS), DE-SC0014264-MFE (AEH) and DE-SC0010661, DE-SC0010537, DE-SC0021385 (ES). The work of the co-authors from the USA was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. The work of the scientists of EU institutes has partially been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium, funded by the European Union via the Euratom Research and Training Programme (Grant Agreement No 101052200—EUROfusion). The Swiss contribution to this work has been funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them. ITPA physics R&D activities over the past ∼20 years have directly involved an extensive group of scientists and engineers drawn from across the international fusion community. The wide-ranging international collaborations undertaken within the ITPA framework have been coordinated by Topical Group and Working Group Leaders and Coordinating Committee Chairs who have contributed significant time and effort to ensuring the successful execution of the ITPA R&D program. These research activities have, in addition, been supported by a much larger group of scientists, engineers and technical staff responsible for the implementation of wide-ranging studies making use of major tokamak facilities, as well as contributing through developments in fusion plasma theory and simulation. Support from the scientific leaders and managers of national fusion research organizations and academic institutions across the international fusion community has also been essential to the success of the ITPA collaborative research activities. We would like to express our gratitude to all of those who have contributed in these various ways to the research results reviewed in this special issue.
Keywords
- ITPA
- burning plasma
- fusion energy
- magnetic confinement
- tokamak