Stellarator

A stellarator is a magnetic confinement device. The rotational transform is predominantly generated by external coils - as opposed to a tokamak, in which the poloidal field is generated by plasma currents. Hybrid concepts employ both external coils and self-generated (bootstrap) currents (e.g. NCSX).

NCSX plasma vessel.

Defunct stellarators

• ATF (USA)
• CHS (Japan)
• NCSX (USA, cancelled before construction was completed)
• W7-AS (Germany, 1988-2002)

Operational stellarators

• CAT/CTH (Auburn, USA)
• H-1NF (Australia)
• Heliotron-J (Kyoto, Japan)
• HSX (USA)
• LHD (Japan)
• TJ-II (Spain)
• TJ-K (Germany) - formerly TJ-IU
• UST-1 (Spain, tabletop)
• WEGA (Germany)

Future stellarators

• W7-X (under construction, Germany)
• QPS (in design phase, USA)

See also

• Stellarator reactor
• International Stellarator and Heliotron Workshop