thumb|upright=1.4|Target chamber of the [[Shiva laser, used for inertial confinement fusion experiments from 1978 until decommissioned in 1981]]

[[File:U.S. Department of Energy - Science - 114 035 002 (14281232230).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Plasma chamber of

TFTR, used for magnetic confinement fusion experiments, which produced of fusion power in 1994]]

Experiments directed toward developing fusion power are invariably done with dedicated machines which can be classified according to the principles they use to confine the plasma fuel and keep it hot.

The major division is between magnetic confinement and inertial confinement. In magnetic confinement, the tendency of the hot plasma to expand is counteracted by the Lorentz force between currents in the plasma and magnetic fields produced by external coils. The particle densities tend to be in the range of to and the linear dimensions in the range of . The particle and energy confinement times may range from under a millisecond to over a second, but the configuration itself is often maintained through input of particles, energy, and current for times that are hundreds or thousands of times longer. Some concepts are capable of maintaining a plasma indefinitely.

In contrast, with inertial confinement, there is nothing to counteract the expansion of the plasma. The confinement time is simply the time it takes the plasma pressure to overcome the inertia of the particles, hence the name. The densities tend to be in the range of to and the plasma radius in the range of 1 to 100 micrometers. These conditions are obtained by irradiating a millimeter-sized solid pellet with a nanosecond laser or ion pulse. The outer layer of the pellet is ablated, providing a reaction force that compresses the central 10% of the fuel by a factor of 10 or 20 to 10<sup>3</sup> or times solid density. These microplasmas disperse in a time measured in nanoseconds. For a fusion power reactor, a repetition rate of several per second will be needed.

Magnetic confinement

Within the field of magnetic confinement experiments, there is a basic division between toroidal and open magnetic field topologies. Generally speaking, it is easier to contain a plasma in the direction perpendicular to the field than parallel to it. Parallel confinement can be solved either by bending the field lines back on themselves into circles or, more commonly, toroidal surfaces, or by constricting the bundle of field lines at both ends, which causes some of the particles to be reflected by the mirror effect. The toroidal geometries can be further subdivided according to whether the machine itself has a toroidal geometry, i.e., a solid core through the center of the plasma. The alternative is to dispense with a solid core and rely on currents in the plasma to produce the toroidal field.

Mirror machines have advantages in a simpler geometry and a better potential for direct conversion of particle energy to electricity. They generally require higher magnetic fields than toroidal machines, but the biggest problem has turned out to be confinement. For good confinement there must be more particles moving perpendicular to the field than there are moving parallel to the field. Such a non-Maxwellian velocity distribution is, however, very difficult to maintain and energetically costly.

The mirrors' advantage of simple machine geometry is maintained in machines which produce compact toroids, but there are potential disadvantages for stability in not having a central conductor and there is generally less possibility to control (and thereby optimize) the magnetic geometry. Compact toroid concepts are generally less well developed than those of toroidal machines. While this does not necessarily mean that they cannot work better than mainstream concepts, the uncertainty involved is much greater.

Somewhat in a class by itself is the Z-pinch, which has circular field lines. This was one of the first concepts tried, but it did not prove very successful. Furthermore, there was never a convincing concept for turning the pulsed machine requiring electrodes into a practical reactor.

The dense plasma focus is a controversial and "non-mainstream" device that relies on currents in the plasma to produce a toroid. It is a pulsed device that depends on a plasma that is not in equilibrium and has the potential for direct conversion of particle energy to electricity. Experiments are ongoing to test relatively new theories to determine if the device has a future.

Toroidal machine

Toroidal machines can be axially symmetric, like the tokamak and the reversed field pinch (RFP), or asymmetric, like the stellarator. The additional degree of freedom gained by giving up toroidal symmetry might ultimately be usable to produce better confinement, but the cost is complexity in the engineering, the theory, and the experimental diagnostics. Stellarators typically have a periodicity, e.g. a fivefold rotational symmetry. The RFP, despite some theoretical advantages such as a low magnetic field at the coils, has not proven very successful.

Tokamak

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Device name !! Status !! Construction !! Operation !! Location !! Organisation !!data-sort-type=number| Major/minor radius !!data-sort-type=number| B-field !!data-sort-type=number| Plasma current !! Purpose !! Image

|-

| T-1 (Tokamak-1) || || 1957 || 1958–1959 || Moscow || Kurchatov Institute || / || || || First tokamak || frameless|154x154px|T-1

|-

| T-2 (Tokamak-2) || || 1970–1973 || 1973–1979 || Garching || Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics || / || || || Discovery of high-density operation with tokamaks ||

|-

| TFR (Tokamak de Fontenay-aux-Roses) || || || 1973–1984 || Fontenay-aux-Roses || CEA || / || || || ||

|-

| T-4 (Tokamak-4) || || ? || 1976–1983? || Los Angeles || UCLA || / || || || Plasma impurity control and diagnostic development ||

|-

| Macrotor || || || ? || Milano || University of Milano || / || || || ||

|-

| FT (Frascati Tokamak) || || || 1978 || Frascati || ENEA || / || || || ||

|-

| PDX (Poloidal Divertor Experiment) || || ? || 1978–1983 || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || / || || || ||

|-

| ISX-B || || ? || 1978–1984 || Oak Ridge || Oak Ridge National Laboratory || / || || || Attempt high-beta operation ||

|-

| Doublet III || || || 1978–1985 || San Diego || General Atomics || / || || || ||

|-

| T-12 (Tokamak-12) || || ? || 1978–1985 || Moscow || Kurchatov Institute || / || || || ||

|-

| Alcator C (Alto Campo Toro) || || ? || 1978–1986 || Cambridge || Massachusetts Institute of Technology || / || || || ||

|-

| T-7 (Tokamak-7) || ? || 1979–1985 || Moscow || Kurchatov Institute || / || || || First tokamak with superconducting toroidal field coils ||

|-

| ASDEX (Axially Symmetric Divertor Experiment) || →HL-2A || 1973–1980 || 1980–1990 || Garching || Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik || / || || || Discovery of the H-mode in 1982 ||

|-

| FT-2 || || 1976–1980 || 1981–2013 || Jülich || Forschungszentrum Jülich || / || || || Study plasma-wall interactions ||

|-

| TFTR (Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor) || || 1980–1982 || 1982–1997 || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || / || || || Attempted scientific break-even, reached record fusion power of and temperature of || frameless|154x154px|TFTR plasma vessel

|-

| Tokamak de Varennes (TdeV) || || ? || 1983–1997 || Montreal || National Research Council Canada || / || || || ||

|-

| JFT-2M (JAERI Fusion Torus 2M) || || ? || 1983–2004 || Naka || Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute || / || || || ||

|-

| JET (Joint European Torus) || || 1978–1983 || 1983–2023 || Culham || United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority|| / || || || Records for fusion output power (1997), fusion energy (2023) || frameless|154x154px|JET in 1991

|-

| Novillo || || NOVA-II || 1983–2004 || Mexico City || Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares || / || || || Study plasma-wall interactions ||

|-

| JT-60 (Japan Torus-60) || →JT-60U || || 1985–1989 || Naka || Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute || / || || || High-beta steady-state operation, highest fusion triple product || frameless|154x154px|JT-60 vacuum vessel

|-

| CCT (Continuous Current Tokamak) || || ? || 1986–199? || Los Angeles || UCLA || / || || || H-mode studies ||

|-

| DIII-D || || 1986 || 1986– || San Diego || General Atomics || / || || || Tokamak Optimization || frameless|154x154px|DIII-D vacuum vessel

|-

| STOR-M (Saskatchewan Torus-Modified) || || || 1987– || Saskatoon || Plasma Physics Laboratory (Saskatchewan) || / || || || Study plasma heating and anomalous transport ||

|-

| T-15 || →WEST || || 1988–2011 || Cadarache || Département de Recherches sur la Fusion Contrôlée || / || || || Large superconducting tokamak with active cooling ||

|-

| ADITYA (tokamak) || || || 1989– || Gandhinagar || Institute for Plasma Research || / || || || ||

|-

| COMPASS (COMPact ASSembly) || || 1980– || 1989– || Prague || Institute of Plasma Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences || / || || || Plasma physics studies for ITER || frameless|154x154px|COMPASS plasma chamber

|-

| FTU (Frascati Tokamak Upgrade) || || || 1990– || Frascati || ENEA || / || || || ||

|-

| START (Small Tight Aspect Ratio Tokamak) || →Proto-Sphera || || 1990–1998 || Culham || United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority|| /? || || || First full-sized Spherical Tokamak ||

|-

| JT-60U (Japan Torus-60 Upgrade) || || 1989–1991 || 1991–2008 || Naka || Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute || / || || || investigate energy confinement near the breakeven condition ||

|-

| ASDEX Upgrade (Axially Symmetric Divertor Experiment) || || || 1991– || Garching || Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik || / || || || || frameless|154x154px|ASDEX Upgrade plasma vessel segment

|-

| Alcator C-Mod (Alto Campo Toro) || || 1986– || 1991–2016 || Cambridge || Massachusetts Institute of Technology || / || || || Record plasma pressure || frameless|154x154px|Alcator C-Mod plasma vessel

|-

| ISTTOK (Instituto Superior Técnico TOKamak) || || || 1992– || Lisbon || Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear || / || || || ||

|-

| TCV (Tokamak à Configuration Variable) || || || 1992– || Lausanne || École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne || / || || || Confinement studies || frameless|154x154px|TCV plasma vessel

|-

| MEDUSA (Madison EDUcational Small–Aspect–ratio) || → MEDUSA–CR || 1992–1994 || 1994–1999 || Madison || University of Wisconsin–Madison || -/<br />- || <br />( max) || <br />( max)|| Test-bed for and lead-in to the Pegasus ultra-low-aspect-ratio toroidal experiment ||

|-

| HBT-EP (High Beta Tokamak-Extended Pulse) || || || 1993– || New York City || Columbia University Plasma Physics Laboratory || / || || || High-Beta tokamak || frameless|154x154px|HBT-EP sketch

|-

| HT-7 (Hefei Tokamak-7) || || 1991–1994 (T-7) || 1995–2013 || Hefei || Hefei Institutes of Physical Science || / || || || China's first superconducting tokamak ||

|-

| Pegasus Toroidal Experiment || || ? || 1996– || Madison || University of Wisconsin–Madison || / || || || Extremely low aspect ratio || frameless|154x154px|Pegasus Toroidal Experiment

|-

| NSTX (National Spherical Torus Experiment) || || || 1999– || Plainsboro Township || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || / || || || Study the spherical tokamak concept || frameless|154x154px|National Spherical Torus Experiment

|-

| Globus-M (UNU Globus-M) || || || 1999– || Saint Petersburg || Ioffe Institute || / || || || Study the spherical tokamak concept ||

|-

| ET (Electric Tokamak) || →ETPD || 1998 || 1999–2006 || Los Angeles || UCLA || / || || || Largest tokamak of its time || frameless|154x154px|The Electric Tokamak.jpg

|-

|TCABR (Tokamak Chauffage Alfvén Brésilien)||

|1980–1999

|1999–

| Lausanne,<br/> Sao Paulo

|University of Sao Paulo

| /

|

|

|Most important tokamak in the southern hemisphere

|frameless|153x153px

|-

| CDX-U (Current Drive Experiment-Upgrade) || →LTX || || 2000–2005 || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || /? || || || Study Lithium in plasma walls || frameless|154x154px|CDX-U setup

|-

| MAST (Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak) || →MAST-Upgrade || 1997–1999 || 2000–2013 || Culham || United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority|| / || || || Investigate spherical tokamak for fusion || frameless|154x154px|Plasma in MAST

|-

| HL-2A (Huan-Liuqi-2A) || || 2000–2002 || 2002–2018 || Chengdu || Southwestern Institute of Physics || / || || || H-mode physics, ELM mitigation ||

|-

| SST-1 (Steady State Superconducting Tokamak) || || 2001– || 2005– || Gandhinagar || Institute for Plasma Research || / || || || Produce a elongated double null divertor plasma ||

|-

| EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) || || 2000–2005 || 2006– || Hefei || Hefei Institutes of Physical Science || / || || || Superheated plasma for over and at || frameless|154x154px|Drawing of EAST

|-

| J-TEXT (Joint TEXT) || || TEXT (Texas EXperimental Tokamak) || 2007– || Wuhan || Huazhong University of Science and Technology || / || || || Develop plasma control ||

|-

| KSTAR (Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) || || 1998–2007 || 2008– || Daejeon || National Fusion Research Institute || / || || || Tokamak with fully superconducting magnets, -long operation at || frameless|154x154px|KSTAR

|-

| LTX (Lithium Tokamak Experiment) || || 2005–2008 || 2008– || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || /? || || || Study Lithium in plasma walls || frameless|154x154px|Lithium Tokamak Experiment plasma vessel

|-

| QUEST (Q-shu University Experiment with Steady-State Spherical Tokamak) || || || 2008– || Kasuga || Kyushu University || / || || || Study steady state operation of a Spherical Tokamak || frameless|154x154px|QUEST

|-

| Kazakhstan Tokamak for Material testing (KTM) || || 2000–2010 || 2010– || Kurchatov || National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan || / || || || Testing of wall and divertor ||

|-

| ST25-HTS || || 2012–2015 || 2015– || Culham || Tokamak Energy Ltd || / || || || Steady state plasma || frameless|154x154px|ST25-HTS with plasma

|-

| WEST (Tungsten Environment in Steady-state Tokamak) || || 2013–2016 || 2016– || Cadarache || Département de Recherches sur la Fusion Contrôlée || / || || || Superconducting tokamak with active cooling || frameless|154x154px|WEST chamber

|-

| ST40 || || 2017–2018 || 2018– || Didcot ||Tokamak Energy Ltd || / || || || First high field spherical tokamak, reached plasma || frameless|154x154px|ST40 engineering drawing

|-

| MAST-U (Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak Upgrade) || || 2013–2019 || 2020– || Culham || United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority|| / || || || Test new exhaust concepts for a spherical tokamak ||

|-

| HL-3 / HL-2M (Huan-Liuqi-2M) || || 2018–2019 || 2020– || Leshan || Southwestern Institute of Physics || / || || || Elongated plasma with || frameless|154x154px|HL-2M

|-

| JT-60SA (Japan Torus-60 super, advanced) || || 2013–2020 || 2021– || Naka || Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute || / || || || Optimise plasma configurations for ITER and DEMO with full non-inductive steady-state operation || frameless|154x154px|JT-60SA

|-

| T-15MD || || 2010–2020 || 2021– || Moscow || Kurchatov Institute || / || || || Hybrid fusion/fission reactor || frameless|154x154px|T-15MD coil system

|-

| IGNITOR || 2022 ||data-sort-value="2022"| - ||data-sort-value="2022"| - || Troitzk || ENEA || / || || || Compact fusion reactor with self-sustained plasma and of planned fusion power ||

|-

|HH70 (HongHuang 70)

| ||2022–2024 ||2024– ||Shanghai ||Energy Singularity || / || || || REBCO High-temperature superconducting coils ||

|-

| SPARC|| || 2021– || 2026? || Devens, MA || Commonwealth Fusion Systems and MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center|| / || || || Compact, high-field tokamak with ReBCO coils and planned fusion power || frameless|154x154px|Artist's impression of SPARC

|-

| ITER || || 2013–2034? || 2034? || Cadarache || ITER Council || / || || ? || Demonstrate feasibility of fusion on a power-plant scale with fusion power || frameless|154x154px|Small-scale model of ITER

|-

| Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) || || 2023–2027? || 2027? || Hefei || Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center || / || ? || ? ||Intermediate step between EAST and CFETR || [http://www.xdgro.com/storage/uploads/pictures/071xKEtOWJrYhWzlQhCX3gUwgkOefNdlyhaXMabV.png]

|-

| DTT (Divertor Tokamak Test facility) || || 2022–2029? || 2029? || Frascati || ENEA || / || ? || ? || Superconducting tokamak to study power exhaust ||

|-

| SST-2 (Steady State Tokamak-2) || || || 2027? || Gujarat || Institute for Plasma Research || / || || || Full-fledged fusion reactor with tritium breeding and up to 500 MW output ||

|-

| CFETR (China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor) || || data-sort-value="2024"| ≥2024 || 2030? || || Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences || / ? || ? || ? || Bridge gaps between ITER and DEMO, planned fusion power ||

|-

| ST-F1 (Spherical Tokamak - Fusion 1) || || 2027? || || Didcot ||Tokamak Energy Ltd || / ? || || || Spherical tokamak with Q=3 and hundreds of MW planned electrical output (no longer mentioned by company as of 2024) ||

|-

| STX (ST80-HTS) || || 2026? || 2030? || Culham ||Tokamak Energy Ltd || || || || Spherical tokamak capable of 15min-pulsed operation ||

|-

| ST-E1 || || 2030s? || || Culham ||Tokamak Energy Ltd || || || || Spherical tokamak with planned net electric output ||

|-

| STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) || || 2032-2040 || 2040 D-D<br/>Mid 2040s DT Campaign || West Burton, Nottinghamshire || United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority|| / ? || ? || ? || Spherical tokamak with planned electrical output ||

|-

|JA-DEMO

|

|2030?

|2050?

|

|?

|/

|

|

|Prototype for development of Commercial Fusion Reactors Fusion output.

|

|-

| K-DEMO (Korean fusion demonstration tokamak reactor) || || 2037? || || || National Fusion Research Institute || / || || ? || Prototype for the development of commercial fusion reactors with around of fusion power || frameless|154x154px|Engineering drawing of planned KDEMO

|-

| DEMO (DEMOnstration Power Station) || || 2040? || 2050? || ? || || / ? || ? || ? || Prototype for a commercial fusion reactor || frameless|154x154px|Artist's conception of DEMO

|}

Stellarator

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Device name !! Status !! Construction !! Operation !! Type !! Location !! Organisation !! Major/minor radius !! B-field !! Purpose !! Image

|-

| Model A || || 1952–1953 || 1953–? || Figure-8 || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || / || || First stellarator, table-top device ||

|-

| Model B || || 1953–1954 || 1954–1959 || Figure-8 || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || / || || Development of plasma diagnostics ||

|-

| Model B-1 || || || ?–1959 || Figure-8 || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || / || || Yielded plasma temperatures, showed cooling by X-ray radiation from impurities ||

|-

| Model B-2 || || || 1957 || Figure-8 || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || / || || Electron temperatures up to ||

|-

| Model B-3 || || 1957 || 1958– || Figure-8 || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || / || || Last figure-8 device, confinement studies of ohmically heated plasma ||

|-

| Model B-64 || || 1955 || 1955 || Square || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || 0.5 m/ || || ||

|-

| Model B-65 || || 1957 || 1957–1960 || Racetrack || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || /|| || First use of toroidal-field divertor; demonstrated RF heating||

|-

| Model B-66 || || 1958 || 1958–1961 || Racetrack || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || /|| || Showed large pump-out losses||

|-

| Wendelstein 1-A || || || 1960 || Racetrack || Garching || Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik || / || || ℓ=3 showed that stellarators can overcome Bohm diffusion, "Munich mystery" ||

|-

| Wendelstein 1-B || || || 1960 || Racetrack || Garching || Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik || / || || ℓ=2 ||

|-

| Model C || →ST || 1957–1961 || 1961–1969 || Racetrack || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || / || || Suffered from large plasma losses by Bohm diffusion through "pump-out" ||

|-

| L-1 || || 1963 || 1963–1971 || round || Moscow || Lebedev Physical Institute || / || || First Soviet stellarator, overcame Bohm diffusion ||

|-

| SIRIUS || || 1955–1959|| 1964–1975? || Racetrack || Kharkiv || Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT) || /|| || Investigate plasma confinement with helical coil geometry||

|-

| TOR-1 || || 1967 || 1967–1973 || || Moscow || Lebedev Physical Institute || / || || ||

|-

| TOR-2 || || ? || 1967–1973 || || Moscow || Lebedev Physical Institute || / || || ||

|-

| Uragan-1 || || 1960–1967 || 1967–? || Racetrack || Kharkiv || National Science Center, Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (NSC KIPT) || / || || Overcame Bohm-diffusion by a factor of 30 ||

|-

| CLASP (Closed Line And Single Particle) || || ? || 1967–? || || Culham || United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority|| / || || Study confinement of electrons in a high-shear stellarator ||

|-

| TWIST || || 1970 || 1970–? || Torsatron || Kharkiv || Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology || / || || first Torsatron, ℓ=3, m=8 field periods, base for several torsatrons at KIPT ||

|-

| Wendelstein 2-B || || ?–1970 || 1971–? || Heliotron || Garching || Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik || / || || Demonstrated similar performance as tokamaks || frameless|154x154px|Wendelstein 2-B

|-

| Vint-20 || || 1972 || 1973–? || Torsatron || Kharkiv || Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology || / || || single-pole ℓ=1, m=13 field periods ||

|-

| L-2 || || ? || 1975–? || || Moscow || Lebedev Physical Institute || / || || ||

|-

| WEGA (Wendelstein Experiment in Greifswald für die Ausbildung) || →HIDRA || 1972–1975 || 1975–2013 || Classical stellarator || Greifswald || Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik || / || || Test lower hybrid heating || frameless|154x154px|WEGA

|-

| Wendelstein 7-A || || ? || 1975–1985 || Classical stellarator || Garching || Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik || / || || First "pure" stellarator without plasma current, solved stellarator heating problem ||

|-

| Heliotron-E || || ? || 1980–? || Heliotron || || || / || || ||

|-

| Heliotron-DR || || ? || 1981–? || Heliotron || || || / || || ||

|-

| Uragan-3 () || || ? || 1982–?<br/>M: 1990– || Torsatron || Kharkiv || National Science Center, Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (NSC KIPT) || / || || ? ||

|-

| Auburn Torsatron (AT) || || ? || 1984–1990 || Torsatron || Auburn || Auburn University || / || || || frameless|154x154px|Auburn Torsatron

|-

| Wendelstein 7-AS || || 1982–1988 || 1988–2002 || Modular, advanced stellarator || Garching || Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik || / || || First computer-optimized stellarator, first H-mode in a stellarator in 1992 || frameless|154x154px|Wendelstein 7-AS

|-

| Advanced Toroidal Facility (ATF) || || 1984–1988 || 1988–1994 || Torsatron || Oak Ridge || Oak Ridge National Laboratory || / || || First large American stellarator after Tokamak stampede, high-beta operation, >1h plasma operation || frameless|154x154px|Advanced Toroidal Facility

|-

| Compact Helical System (CHS) || || ? || 1989–? || Heliotron || Toki || National Institute for Fusion Science || / || || ||

|-

| Compact Auburn Torsatron (CAT) || || ?–1990 || 1990–2000 || Torsatron || Auburn || Auburn University || / || || Study magnetic flux surfaces || frameless|154x154px|Compact Auburn Torsatron

|-

| H-1 (Heliac-1) || || || 1992– || Heliac || Canberra,<br/> || Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Australian National University || / || || shipped to China in 2017 || frameless|154x154px|H-1NF plasma vessel

|-

| TJ-K (Tokamak de la Junta Kiel) || || TJ-IU (1999) || 1994– || Torsatron || Kiel, Stuttgart || University of Stuttgart || / || || One helical and two vertical coil sets; Teaching; moved from Kiel to Stuttgart in 2005 ||

|-

| TJ-II (Tokamak de la Junta II) || || 1991–1996 || 1997– || flexible Heliac || Madrid || National Fusion Laboratory, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas || / || || Study plasma in flexible configuration || frameless|154x154px|CAD drawing of TJ-II

|-

| LHD (Large Helical Device) || || 1990–1998 || 1998– || Heliotron || Toki || National Institute for Fusion Science || / || || Demonstrated long-term operation of large superconducting coils || frameless|154x154px|LHD cross section

|-

| HSX (Helically Symmetric Experiment) || || || 1999– || Modular, quasi-helically symmetric || Madison || University of Wisconsin–Madison || / || || Investigate plasma transport in quasi-helically-symmetric field, similar to tokamaks || frameless|154x154px|HSX with clearly visible non-planar coils

|-

| Heliotron J || || || 2000– || Heliotron || Kyoto || Institute of Advanced Energy || / || || Study helical-axis heliotron configuration ||

|-

| Columbia Non-neutral Torus (CNT) || || ? || 2004– || Circular interlocked coils || New York City || Columbia University || / || || Study of non-neutral (mostly electron) plasmas ||

|-

| Uragan-2(M) || Heliotron, Torsatron || Kharkiv || National Science Center, Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (NSC KIPT) || / || || ℓ=2 Torsatron ||

|-

| Quasi-poloidal stellarator (QPS) || || 2001–2007 || – || Modular || Oak Ridge || Oak Ridge National Laboratory || / || || Stellarator research || frameless|154x154px|Engineering drawing of the QPS

|-

| NCSX (National Compact Stellarator Experiment) || || 2004–2008 || – || Helias || Princeton || Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory || / || || High-β stability || frameless|154x154px|CAD drawing of NCSX

|-

| Compact Toroidal Hybrid (CTH) || || ? || 2007?– || Torsatron || Auburn || Auburn University || / || || Hybrid stellarator/tokamak || frameless|154x154px|CTH

|-

| HIDRA (Hybrid Illinois Device for Research and Applications) || || 2013–2014 (WEGA) || 2014– || ? || Urbana, IL || University of Illinois || / || || Stellarator and tokamak in one device, capable of long pulse steady-state operation; study plasma-wall interactions || frameless|154x154px|HIDRA after its reassembly in Illinois

|-

| UST_2 || || 2013 || 2014– || modular three period quasi-isodynamic || Madrid || Charles III University of Madrid || / || || 3D-printed stellarator || frameless|154x154px|UST_2 design concept

|-

| Wendelstein 7-X || || 1996–2022 || 2015– || Helias || Greifswald || Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik || / || || Steady-state plasma in large fully optimized stellarator || frameless|154x154px|Schematic diagram of Wendelstein 7-X

|-

| SCR-1 (Stellarator of Costa Rica) || || 2011–2015 || 2016– || Modular || Cartago || Costa Rica Institute of Technology || / || || || frameless|154x154px|SCR-1 vacuum vessel drawing

|-

|MUSE

|

|2022–2023

|2023–

|Quasiaxi-symmetrical

| Princeton

|Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

|/

|

|First stellarator with permanent magnets

|frameless|154x154px|MUSE

|-

|CFQS (Chinese First Quasi-Axisymmetric Stellarator)

|

|2017–2024

|2024–

|Helias

| Chengdu

|Southwest Jiaotong University, National Institute for Fusion Science in Japan

|/

|

|m=2 quasi-axisymmetric stellarator, modular

| frameless|154x154px|CFQS coils and field

|-

|Alpha

|

|2027 ?

|2031 ?

|Quasi-isodynamic

|Garching

|Proxima Fusion

|

|5– ?

|m=4 symmetry, HTS magnets, designed to be the first stellarator with Q>1 gain

|

|-

|EFPP (European Fusion Power Plant)

|

|2030 ?

|2045 ?

|Helias

|

|Gauss Fusion

|

|7– ?

|Fusion power plant with 2– output

|

|-

|Stellaris

|

|2033 ?

|2039 ?

|Quasi-isodynamic

|Gundremmingen

|Proxima Fusion

|/

| ?

|first commercial power plant, ~1GW net output

|

|}

Magnetic mirror

  • Tabletop/Toytop, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA.
  • DCX/DCX-2, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • OGRA (Odin GRAm neitronov v sutki, one gram of neutrons per day), Akademgorodok, Russia. A 20-meter-long pipe
  • Baseball I/Baseball II Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA.
  • 2X/2XIII/2XIII-B, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA.
  • TMX, TMX-U Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA.
  • MFTF Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA.
  • Gas Dynamic Trap at Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Akademgorodok, Russia.

Toroidal Z-pinch

  • Perhapsatron (1953, USA)
  • ZETA (Zero Energy Thermonuclear Assembly) (1957, United Kingdom)

Reversed field pinch (RFP)

  • ETA-BETA II in Padua, Italy (1979–1989)
  • RFX (Reversed-Field eXperiment), Consorzio RFX, Padova, Italy
  • MST (Madison Symmetric Torus), University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States
  • T2R, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
  • TPE-RX, AIST, Tsukuba, Japan
  • KTX (Keda Torus eXperiment) in China (since 2015)

Spheromak

  • Sustained Spheromak Physics Experiment

Field-reversed configuration (FRC)

  • C-2 Tri Alpha Energy
  • C-2U Tri Alpha Energy
  • C-2W TAE Technologies
  • LSX University of Washington
  • IPA University of Washington
  • HF University of Washington
  • IPA- HF University of Washington

Other toroidal machines

  • TMP (Tor s Magnitnym Polem, torus with magnetic field): A porcelain torus with major radius , minor radius , toroidal field of and plasma current , predecessor to the first tokamak (1955, USSR)

Open field lines

Plasma pinch

  • Trisops – 2 facing theta-pinch guns
  • FF-2B, Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, United States

Levitated dipole

  • Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX), MIT/Columbia University, United States

Inertial confinement

Laser-driven

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Device name !! Status !!width=55| Construction !!width=55| Operation !! Description !! Peak laser power !! Pulse energy !! Fusion yield !! width=110| Location !! Organisation !! Image

|-

| 4 pi laser || || 196? || || Semiconductor laser || || || || Livermore || LLNL ||

|-

| Long path laser || || 1972 || 1972 || First ICF laser with neodymium doped glass (Nd:glass) as lasing medium || || || || Livermore || LLNL ||

|-

| Single Beam System (SBS) "67" || || 1971-1973 || 1973 || Single-beam CO<sub>2</sub> laser || || || || Los Alamos || LANL ||

|-

| Double Bounce Illumination System (DBIS) || || 1972-1974 || 1974-1990 || First private laser fusion effort, YAG laser, neutron yield to neutrons || || || data-sort-value=""| ≈ || Ann Arbor, Michigan || KMS Fusion || frameless|154x154px

|-

| MERLIN (Medium Energy Rod Laser Incorporating Neodymium), N78 laser || || 1972-1975 || 1975-? || Nd:glass laser || || || || RAF Aldermaston || AWE || frameless|154x154px

|-

| Cyclops laser || || 1975 || 1975 || Single-beam Nd:glass laser, prototype for Shiva || || || || Livermore || LLNL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| Janus laser || || 1974-1975 || 1975 || Two-beam Nd:glass laser demonstrated laser compression and thermonuclear burn of deuterium–tritium || || || || Livermore || LLNL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| Gemini laser, Dual-Beam Module (DBM) || || ≤ 1975 || 1976 || Two-beam CO<sub>2</sub> laser, tests for Helios || || || || Los Alamos || LANL ||

|-

| Argus laser || || 1976 || 1976-1981 || Two-beam Nd:glass laser, advanced the study of laser-target interaction and paved the way for Shiva || || || data-sort-value=""| ≈ || Livermore || LLNL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| Vulcan laser (Versicolor Ultima Lux Coherens pro Academica Nostra) || || 1976-1977 || 1977- || 8-beam Nd:glass laser, highest-intensity focussed laser in the world in 2005 || || || || Didcot || RAL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| Shiva laser || || 1977 || 1977-1981 || 20-beam Nd:glass laser; proof-of-concept for Nova; fusion yield of 10<sup>11</sup> neutrons; found that its infrared wavelength of 1062&nbsp;nm was too long to achieve ignition || || || data-sort-value=""| ≈ || Livermore || LLNL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| Helios laser, Eight-Beam System (EBS) || || 1975-1978 || 1978 || 8-beam CO<sub>2</sub> laser; Media at Wikimedia Commons || || || || Los Alamos || LANL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| HELEN (High Energy Laser Embodying Neodymium) || || 1976-1979 || 1979-2009 || Two-beam Nd:glass laser || || || || Didcot || RAL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| ISKRA-4 || || -1979 || 1979- || 8-beam iodine gas laser, prototype for ISKRA-5 || || || || Sarov || RFNC-VNIIEF ||

|-

| Sprite laser || || || || Livermore || LLNL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| Antares laser, High Energy Gas Laser Facility (HEGLF) || || || 1983 || 24-beam largest CO<sub>2</sub> laser ever built. Missed goal of scientific fusion breakeven, because production of hot electrons in target plasma due to long 10.6&nbsp;μm wavelength of laser resulted in poor laser/plasma energy coupling

|

|

|

|

|Joint Laboratory of High Power Laser and Physics

|

|-

| PALS, formerly "Asterix IV" || || -1991 || 1991- || Iodine gas laser, λ= || || || || Garching,<br/> Prague || MPQ, CAS || frameless|154x154px

|-

| Trident laser || || 198?-1992 || 1992-2017 || 3-beam Nd:glass laser; 2 x 400 J beams, 100 ps – 1 us; 1 beam ~100 J, 600 fs – 2 ns || || || || Los Alamos || LANL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| Nike laser || || ≤ 1991-1994 || 1994- || 56-beam, most-capable Krypton fluoride laser for laser target interactions || || || || Washington, D.C. || NRL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| OMEGA laser || || ?-1995 || 1995- || 60-beam UV frequency-tripled Nd:glass laser, fusion yield 10<sup>14</sup> neutrons || || || || Rochester || LLE ||

|-

| Electra || || || || Krypton fluoride laser, 5&nbsp;Hz operation with 90,000+ shots continuous || || || || Washington D.C. || NRL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| LULI2000 || || ? || 2003- || 6-beam Nd:glass laser, λ=, λ=, λ= || || || || Palaiseau || École polytechnique ||

|-

| OMEGA EP || || || 2008- || 60-beam UV || || || || Rochester || LLE ||

|-

| National Ignition Facility (NIF) || || 1997-2009 || 2010- || 192-beam Nd:glass laser, achieved scientific breakeven with fusion gain of 1.5 and neutrons || || || || Livermore || LLNL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| Orion || || 2006-2010 || 2010- || 10-beams, λ= || || || || RAF Aldermaston || AWE || frameless|154x154px

|-

| Laser Mégajoule (LMJ) || || 1999-2014 || 2014- || Second-largest laser fusion facility, 10 out of 22 beam lines operational in 2022 || || || || Bordeaux || CEA || [https://www.asso-alp.fr/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/LMJ_3.jpg]

|-

| Laser for Fast Ignition Experiments (LFEX) || || 2003-2015 || 2015- || High-contrast heating laser for FIREX, λ= || || || || Osaka || Institute for Laser Engineering ||

|-

| HiPER (High Power Laser Energy Research Facility) || || 2007-2015 || - || Pan-European project to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of laser fusion for the production of energy || data-sort-value=""| () || data-sort-value=""|() || data-sort-value=""|() || || || frameless|154x154px

|-

| Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) || || 2008-2013 || - || Effort to develop a fusion power plant succeeding NIF || || data-sort-value=""| () || data-sort-value=""| () || Livermore || LLNL || frameless|154x154px

|-

| ISKRA-6 || || ? || ? || 128 beam Nd:glass laser || ? || ? || || Sarov || RFNC-VNIIEF ||

|}

Z-pinch

  • Z Pulsed Power Facility
  • ZEBRA device at the University of Nevada's Nevada Terawatt Facility
  • Saturn accelerator at Sandia National Laboratory
  • MAGPIE at Imperial College London
  • COBRA at Cornell University
  • PULSOTRON
  • Z-FFR (Z(-pinch)-Fission-Fusion Reactor), a nuclear fusion–fission hybrid machine to be built in Chengdu, China by 2025 and generate power as early as 2028

Inertial electrostatic confinement

  • Fusor
  • List of fusor examples
  • Polywell

Magnetized target fusion

  • FRX-L
  • FRCHX
  • General Fusion – under development
  • LINUS project

See also

  • List of nuclear reactors
  • List of plasma physics software

References