FUSION PAR CONFINEMENT MAGNÉTIQUE DANS UNE STRUCTURE A MIROIRS

Recent progress in magnetic mirror confinement research are reported. Experimental results with the 2XIIB mirror machine at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (USA) have demon- strated stable confinement of plasmas. By using a plasma-stream stabilization on a multimegawatt neutral beam sustained plasma, the following parameters are attained : with betas up to 0.7. Quantitative agreement between a quasilinear theory of turbulence and expen- mental results is obtained over a broad range of parameters. Consequently a vigorous magnetic mirror program is started in the US with the goal of producing a practical pure fusion power reactor. A large mirror physics experiment that will both signilicantly extend mirror parameters and also serve as a prototype of the first experimental mirror reactor is designed. Meanwhile, experiments with the aim of improving reactor efficiency are in preparation.