Magnetic fusion energy researchers must find the best shape for the hot reacting plasma and the magnetic fields that hold it in place. Dramatic advances in magnetic confinement physics and computation capabilities have yielded a promising new configuration — the compact stellarator. A new experimental facility, the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX), is planned as the centerpiece of the U.S. effort to develop the physics and to determine the attractiveness of the compact stellarator as the basis for a fusion power reactor. NCSX is under construction at PPPL in partnership with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Fabrication of components has begun. The machine is located at C-Site in the area that previously housed the Model-C Stellarator in the 1960's and Princeton's first tokamaks during the 1970's and 80's. First plasma is scheduled for 2009. |
