Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion

This new edition presents the essential theoretical and analytical methods needed to understand the recent fusion research of tokamak and alternate approaches. The author describes magnetohydrodynamic and kinetic theories of cold and hot plasmas in detail. The book covers new important topics for fusion studies such as plasma transport by drift turbulence, which depend on the magnetic configuration and zonal flows. These are universal phenomena of microturbulence. They can modify the onset criterion for turbulent transport, instabilities driven by energetic particles as well as alpha particle generation and typical plasma models for computer simulation. The fusion research of tokamaks with various new versions of H modes are explained. The design concept of ITER, the international tokamak experimental reactor, is described for inductively driven operations as well as steady-state operations using non-inductive drives. Alternative approaches of reversed-field pinch and its relaxation process, stellator including quasi-symmetric system, open-end system of tandem mirror and inertial confinement are also explained. Newly added and updated topics in this second edition include zonal flows, various versions of H modes, and steady-state operations of tokamak, the design concept of ITER, the relaxation process of RFP, quasi-symmetric stellator, and tandem mirror. The book addresses graduate students and researchers in the field of controlled fusion.

Dr. Kenro Miyamoto is Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo. He received his diploma in physics (1955) from University of Tokyo and his PhD in 1961 from University of Rochester. He engaged the constructions and experiments of stellarator and tokomak in the Institute of Plasma Physics, Nagoya University during 1964-1979. His main interest was confinement physics of stellarator and tokamak. He moved to Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo in 1979. He started reversed field pinch (RFP) experiment and studied the relaxation and reconnection phenomena of RFP plasma (1979-1992). He was a member of working group Phase 2A (1981-1983) of INTOR (International Tokamak Reactor) and a member of Tokamak Physics Expert Group of ITER (International Tokamak Experimental Reactor) during 1999-2002.