On the road to ITER NBIs: SPIDER improvement after first operation and MITICA construction progress

Neutral-beam injection

Neutral-beam injection (NBI) is one method used to heat plasma inside a fusion device consisting in a beam of high-energy neutral particles that can enter the magnetic confinement field. When these neutral particles are ionized by collision with the plasma particles, they are kept in the plasma by the confining magnetic field and can transfer most of their energy by further collisions with the plasma. By tangential injection in the torus, neutral beams also provide momentum to the plasma and current drive, one essential feature for long pulses of burning plasmas.

ITER

ITER (initially the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, iter meaning "the way" or "the path" in Latin) is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject aimed at creating energy through a fusion process similar to that of the Sun. Upon completion of construction of the main reactor and first plasma, planned for late 2025, it will be the world's largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment and the largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor.

Fusion power

Fusion power is a proposed form of power generation that would generate electricity by using heat from nuclear fusion reactions. In a fusion process, two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, while releasing energy. Devices designed to harness this energy are known as fusion reactors. Research into fusion reactors began in the 1940s, but as of 2023, no device has reached net power. Fusion processes require fuel and a confined environment with sufficient temperature, pressure, and confinement time to create a plasma in which fusion can occur.

On the road to ITER NBIs: SPIDER improvement after first operation and MITICA construction progress

An experimental and computational study of tokamak plasma turbulence

Full-discharge simulation and optimization with the RAPTOR code, from present tokamaks to ITER and DEMO

Design and Development of a Diagnostic System for a Non-Intercepting Direct Measure of the SPIDER Ion Source Beamlet Current

An experimental and computational study of tokamak plasma turbulence

Full-discharge simulation and optimization with the RAPTOR code, from present tokamaks to ITER and DEMO

Design and Development of a Diagnostic System for a Non-Intercepting Direct Measure of the SPIDER Ion Source Beamlet Current