List of fusion experiments

File:Shiva laser target chamber.jpg

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

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 10³ 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

Device name	Status	Construction	Operation	Location	Organisation	Major/minor radius	B-field	Plasma current	Purpose	Image
T-1 (Tokamak-1)	Shut down	1957	1958–1959	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/			First tokamak	T-1
T-2 (Tokamak-2)	Template:CRecurring →FT-1	1959	1960–1970	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/
T-3 (Tokamak-3)	Shut down	1960	1962–?	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/			Overcame Bohm diffusion by a factor of 10, temperature , confinement time
T-5 (Tokamak-5)	Shut down	?	1962–1970	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/			Investigation of plasma equilibrium in vertical and horizontal direction
TM-1	Shut down	?	?	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute
TM-2	Shut down	?	1965	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute
TM-3	Shut down	?	1970	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute
FT-1	Template:CRecurring →CASTOR	T-2	1972–2002	Template:Flagicon Saint Petersburg	Ioffe Institute	/
ST (Symmetric Tokamak)	Shut down	Model C	1970–1974	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/			First American tokamak, converted from Model C stellarator
T-6 (Tokamak-6)	Shut down	?	1970–1974	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/
TUMAN-2, 2A	Shut down	?	1971–1985	Template:Flagicon Saint Petersburg	Ioffe Institute	/
ORMAK (Oak Ridge tokaMAK)	Shut down		1971–1976	Template:Flagicon Oak Ridge	Oak Ridge National Laboratory	/			First to achieve plasma temperature	ORMAK plasma vessel
Doublet II	Shut down		1972–1974	Template:Flagicon San Diego	General Atomics	/
ATC (Adiabatic Toroidal Compressor)	Shut down	1971–1972	1972–1976	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/			Demonstrate compressional plasma heating	Schematic of ATC
T-9 (Tokamak-9)	Shut down	?	1972–1977	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/
TO-1	Shut down	?	1972–1978	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/
Alcator A (Alto Campo Toro)	Shut down	?	1972–1978	Template:Flagicon Cambridge	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	/
JFT-2 (JAERI Fusion Torus 2)	Shut down	?	1972–1982	Template:Flagicon Naka	Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute	/
Turbulent Tokamak Frascati (TTF, torello)	Shut down		1973	Template:Flagicon Frascati	ENEA	/			Study of turbulent plasma heating
Pulsator	Shut down	1970–1973	1973–1979	Template:Flagicon Garching	Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics	/			Discovery of high-density operation with tokamaks
TFR (Tokamak de Fontenay-aux-Roses)	Shut down		1973–1984	Template:Flagicon Fontenay-aux-Roses	CEA	/
T-4 (Tokamak-4)	Shut down	?	1974–1978	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/			Observed fast thermal quench before major plasma disruptions
Doublet IIA	Shut down		1974–1979	Template:Flagicon San Diego	General Atomics	/
Petula-B	Shut down	?	1974–1986	Template:Flagicon Grenoble	CEA	/
T-10 (Tokamak-10)	Operational		1975–	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/			Largest tokamak of its time	Model of the T-10
T-11 (Tokamak-11)	Shut down	?	1975–1984	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/
PLT (Princeton Large Torus)	Shut down	1972–1975	1975–1986	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/			First to achieve plasma current	Construction of the Princeton Large Torus
Divertor Injection Tokamak Experiment (DITE)	Shut down		1975–1989	Template:Flagicon Culham	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority	/
JIPP T-II	Shut down	?	1976	Template:Flagicon Nagoya	Nagoya University	/
TNT-A	Shut down	?	1976	Template:Flagicon Tokyo	Tokyo University	/
T-8 (Tokamak-8)	Shut down	?	1976–?	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/			First D-shaped tokamak
Microtor	Shut down	?	1976–1983?	Template:Flagicon Los Angeles	UCLA	/			Plasma impurity control and diagnostic development
Macrotor	Shut down	?	1970s–80s	Template:Flagicon Los Angeles	UCLA	/			Understanding plasma rotation driven by radial current
TUMAN-3	Operational	?	1977– (1990–, 3M)	Template:Flagicon Saint Petersburg	Ioffe Institute	/			Study adiabatic compression, RF and NB heating, H-mode and parametric instability
Thor	Shut down		?	Template:Flagicon Milano	University of Milano	/
FT (Frascati Tokamak)	Shut down		1978	Template:Flagicon Frascati	ENEA	/
PDX (Poloidal Divertor Experiment)	Shut down	?	1978–1983	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/
ISX-B	Shut down	?	1978–1984	Template:Flagicon Oak Ridge	Oak Ridge National Laboratory	/			Attempt high-beta operation
Doublet III	Shut down		1978–1985	Template:Flagicon San Diego	General Atomics	/
T-12 (Tokamak-12)	Shut down	?	1978–1985	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/
Alcator C (Alto Campo Toro)	Shut down	?	1978–1986	Template:Flagicon Cambridge	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	/
T-7 (Tokamak-7)	Template:CRecurring →HT-7	?	1979–1985	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/			First tokamak with superconducting toroidal field coils
ASDEX (Axially Symmetric Divertor Experiment)	Template:CRecurring →HL-2A	1973–1980	1980–1990	Template:Flagicon Garching	Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik	/			Discovery of the H-mode in 1982
FT-2	Operational	?	1980–	Template:Flagicon Saint Petersburg	Ioffe Institute	/			H-mode physics, LH heating
TEXTOR (Tokamak Experiment for Technology Oriented Research)	Shut down	1976–1980	1981–2013	Template:Flagicon Jülich	Forschungszentrum Jülich	/			Study plasma-wall interactions
TFTR (Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor)	Shut down	1980–1982	1982–1997	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/			Attempted scientific break-even, reached record fusion power of and temperature of	TFTR plasma vessel
Tokamak de Varennes (TdeV)	Shut down	?	1983–1997	Template:Flagicon Montreal	National Research Council Canada	/
JFT-2M (JAERI Fusion Torus 2M)	Shut down	?	1983–2004	Template:Flagicon Naka	Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute	/
JET (Joint European Torus)	Shut down	1978–1983	1983–2023	Template:Flagicon Culham	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority	/			Records for fusion output power (1997), fusion energy (2023)	JET in 1991
Novillo	Shut down	NOVA-II	1983–2004	Template:Flagicon Mexico City	Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares	/			Study plasma-wall interactions
JT-60 (Japan Torus-60)	Template:CRecurring →JT-60U		1985–1989	Template:Flagicon Naka	Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute	/			High-beta steady-state operation, highest fusion triple product	JT-60 vacuum vessel
CCT (Continuous Current Tokamak)	Shut down	?	1986–199?	Template:Flagicon Los Angeles	UCLA	/			H-mode studies
DIII-D	Operational	1986	1986–	Template:Flagicon San Diego	General Atomics	/			Tokamak Optimization	DIII-D vacuum vessel
STOR-M (Saskatchewan Torus-Modified)	Operational		1987–	Template:Flagicon Saskatoon	Plasma Physics Laboratory (Saskatchewan)	/			Study plasma heating and anomalous transport
T-15	Template:CRecurring →T-15MD	1983–1988	1988–1995	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/			First superconducting tokamak, pulse duration	T-15 on a stamp
Tore Supra	Template:CRecurring →WEST		1988–2011	Template:Flagicon Cadarache	Département de Recherches sur la Fusion Contrôlée	/			Large superconducting tokamak with active cooling
ADITYA (tokamak)	Operational		1989–	Template:Flagicon Gandhinagar	Institute for Plasma Research	/
COMPASS (COMPact ASSembly)	Operational	1980–	1989–	Template:Flagicon Prague	Institute of Plasma Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences	/			Plasma physics studies for ITER	COMPASS plasma chamber
FTU (Frascati Tokamak Upgrade)	Operational		1990–	Template:Flagicon Frascati	ENEA	/
START (Small Tight Aspect Ratio Tokamak)	Template:CRecurring →Proto-Sphera		1990–1998	Template:Flagicon Culham	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority	/?			First full-sized Spherical Tokamak
JT-60U (Japan Torus-60 Upgrade)	Shut down	1989–1991	1991–2008	Template:Flagicon Naka	Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute	/			investigate energy confinement near the breakeven condition
ASDEX Upgrade (Axially Symmetric Divertor Experiment)	Operational		1991–	Template:Flagicon Garching	Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik	/				ASDEX Upgrade plasma vessel segment
Alcator C-Mod (Alto Campo Toro)	Shut down	1986–	1991–2016	Template:Flagicon Cambridge	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	/			Record plasma pressure	Alcator C-Mod plasma vessel
ISTTOK (Instituto Superior Técnico TOKamak)	Operational		1992–	Template:Flagicon Lisbon	Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear	/
TCV (Tokamak à Configuration Variable)	Operational		1992–	Template:Flagicon Lausanne	École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne	/			Confinement studies	TCV plasma vessel
HBT-EP (High Beta Tokamak-Extended Pulse)	Operational		1993–	Template:Flagicon New York City	Columbia University Plasma Physics Laboratory	/			High-Beta tokamak	HBT-EP sketch
HT-7 (Hefei Tokamak-7)	Shut down	1991–1994 (T-7)	1995–2013	Template:Flagicon Hefei	Hefei Institutes of Physical Science	/			China's first superconducting tokamak
Pegasus Toroidal Experiment	Operational	?	1996–	Template:Flagicon Madison	University of Wisconsin–Madison	/			Extremely low aspect ratio	Pegasus Toroidal Experiment
NSTX (National Spherical Torus Experiment)	Operational		1999–	Template:Flagicon Plainsboro Township	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/			Study the spherical tokamak concept	National Spherical Torus Experiment
Globus-M (UNU Globus-M)	Operational		1999–	Template:Flagicon Saint Petersburg	Ioffe Institute	/			Study the spherical tokamak concept
ET (Electric Tokamak)	Template:CRecurring →ETPD	1998	1999–2006	Template:Flagicon Los Angeles	UCLA	/			Largest tokamak of its time	The Electric Tokamak.jpg
TCABR (Tokamak Chauffage Alfvén Brésilien)	Operational	1980–1999	1999–	Template:Flagicon Lausanne, Template:Flagicon Sao Paulo	University of Sao Paulo	/			Most important tokamak in the southern hemisphere	File:TCABR lab.jpg
CDX-U (Current Drive Experiment-Upgrade)	Template:CRecurring →LTX		2000–2005	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/?			Study Lithium in plasma walls	CDX-U setup
MAST (Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak)	Template:CRecurring →MAST-Upgrade	1997–1999	2000–2013	Template:Flagicon Culham	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority	/			Investigate spherical tokamak for fusion	Plasma in MAST
HL-2A (Huan-Liuqi-2A)	Operational	2000–2002	2002–2018	Template:Flagicon Chengdu	Southwestern Institute of Physics	/			H-mode physics, ELM mitigation
SST-1 (Steady State Superconducting Tokamak)	Operational	2001–	2005–	Template:Flagicon Gandhinagar	Institute for Plasma Research	/			Produce a elongated double null divertor plasma
EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak)	Operational	2000–2005	2006–	Template:Flagicon Hefei	Hefei Institutes of Physical Science	/			Superheated plasma for over and at	Drawing of EAST
J-TEXT (Joint TEXT)	Operational	TEXT (Texas EXperimental Tokamak)	2007–	Template:Flagicon Wuhan	Huazhong University of Science and Technology	/			Develop plasma control
KSTAR (Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research)	Operational	1998–2007	2008–	Template:Flagicon Daejeon	National Fusion Research Institute	/			Tokamak with fully superconducting magnets, -long operation at	KSTAR
LTX (Lithium Tokamak Experiment)	Operational	2005–2008	2008–	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/?			Study Lithium in plasma walls	Lithium Tokamak Experiment plasma vessel
QUEST (Q-shu University Experiment with Steady-State Spherical Tokamak)	Operational		2008–	Template:Flagicon Kasuga	Kyushu University	/			Study steady state operation of a Spherical Tokamak	QUEST
Kazakhstan Tokamak for Material testing (KTM)	Operational	2000–2010	2010–	Template:Flagicon Kurchatov	National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan	/			Testing of wall and divertor
ST25-HTS	Operational	2012–2015	2015–	Template:Flagicon Culham	Tokamak Energy Ltd	/			Steady state plasma	ST25-HTS with plasma
WEST (Tungsten Environment in Steady-state Tokamak)	Operational	2013–2016	2016–	Template:Flagicon Cadarache	Département de Recherches sur la Fusion Contrôlée	/			Superconducting tokamak with active cooling	WEST chamber
ST40	Operational	2017–2018	2018–	Template:Flagicon Didcot	Tokamak Energy Ltd	/			First high field spherical tokamak, reached plasma	ST40 engineering drawing
MAST-U (Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak Upgrade)	Operational	2013–2019	2020–	Template:Flagicon Culham	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority	/			Test new exhaust concepts for a spherical tokamak
HL-3 / HL-2M (Huan-Liuqi-2M)	Operational	2018–2019	2020–	Template:Flagicon Leshan	Southwestern Institute of Physics	/			Elongated plasma with	HL-2M
JT-60SA (Japan Torus-60 super, advanced)	Operational	2013–2020	2021–	Template:Flagicon Naka	Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute	/			Optimise plasma configurations for ITER and DEMO with full non-inductive steady-state operation	JT-60SA
T-15MD	Operational	2010–2020	2021–	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Kurchatov Institute	/			Hybrid fusion/fission reactor	T-15MD coil system
IGNITOR	Cancelled 2022	-	-	Template:Flagicon Troitzk	ENEA	/			Compact fusion reactor with self-sustained plasma and of planned fusion power
HH70 (HongHuang 70)	Operational	2022–2024	2024–	Template:FlagiconShanghai	Energy Singularity	/			REBCO High-temperature superconducting coils
SPARC	Under construction	2021–	2026?	Template:Flagicon Devens, MA	Commonwealth Fusion Systems and MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center	/			Compact, high-field tokamak with ReBCO coils and planned fusion power	Artist's impression of SPARC
ITER	Under construction	2013–2034?	2034?	Template:Flagicon Cadarache	ITER Council	/		?	Demonstrate feasibility of fusion on a power-plant scale with fusion power	Small-scale model of ITER
DTT (Divertor Tokamak Test facility)	Template:Planned	2022–2029?	2029?	Template:Flagicon Frascati	ENEA	/	?	?	Superconducting tokamak to study power exhaust
SST-2 (Steady State Tokamak-2)	Template:Planned		2027?	Template:Flagicon Gujarat	Institute for Plasma Research	/			Full-fledged fusion reactor with tritium breeding and up to 500 MW output
CFETR (China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor)	Template:Planned	≥2024	2030?	Template:Flagicon	Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences	/ ?	?	?	Bridge gaps between ITER and DEMO, planned fusion power
ST-F1 (Spherical Tokamak - Fusion 1)	Template:Planned	2027?		Template:Flagicon 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)	Template:Planned	2026?	2030?	Template:Flagicon Culham	Tokamak Energy Ltd				Spherical tokamak capable of 15min-pulsed operation
ST-E1	Template:Planned	2030s?		Template:Flagicon Culham	Tokamak Energy Ltd				Spherical tokamak with planned net electric output
STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production)	Template:Planned	2032-2040	2040 D-D Mid 2040s DT Campaign	Template:Flagicon West Burton, Nottinghamshire	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority	/ ?	?	?	Spherical tokamak with planned electrical output
JA-DEMO	Template:Planned	2030?	2050?	Template:Flagicon	?	/			Prototype for development of Commercial Fusion Reactors Fusion output.
K-DEMO (Korean fusion demonstration tokamak reactor)	Template:Planned	2037?		Template:Flagicon	National Fusion Research Institute	/		?	Prototype for the development of commercial fusion reactors with around of fusion power	Engineering drawing of planned KDEMO
DEMO (DEMOnstration Power Station)	Template:Planned	2040?	2050?	?		/ ?	?	?	Prototype for a commercial fusion reactor	Artist's conception of DEMO

Stellarator

Device name	Status	Construction	Operation	Type	Location	Organisation	Major/minor radius	B-field	Purpose	Image
Model A	Shut down	1952–1953	1953–?	Figure-8	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/		First stellarator, table-top device
Model B	Shut down	1953–1954	1954–1959	Figure-8	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/		Development of plasma diagnostics
Model B-1	Shut down		?–1959	Figure-8	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/		Yielded plasma temperatures, showed cooling by X-ray radiation from impurities
Model B-2	Shut down		1957	Figure-8	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/		Electron temperatures up to
Model B-3	Shut down	1957	1958–	Figure-8	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/		Last figure-8 device, confinement studies of ohmically heated plasma
Model B-64	Shut down	1955	1955	Square	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	? m/
Model B-65	Shut down	1957	1957	Racetrack	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Model B-66	Shut down	1958	1958–?	Racetrack	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Wendelstein 1-A	Shut down		1960	Racetrack	Template:Flagicon Garching	Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik	/		ℓ=3 showed that stellarators can overcome Bohm diffusion, "Munich mystery"
Wendelstein 1-B	Shut down		1960	Racetrack	Template:Flagicon Garching	Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik	/		ℓ=2
Model C	Template:CRecurring →ST	1957–1961	1961–1969	Racetrack	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/		Suffered from large plasma losses by Bohm diffusion through "pump-out"
L-1	Shut down	1963	1963–1971	round	Template:Flagicon Moscow	Lebedev Physical Institute	/		First Soviet stellarator, overcame Bohm diffusion
SIRIUS	Shut down		1964–?	Racetrack	Template:Flagicon Kharkiv	Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT)
TOR-1	Shut down	1967	1967–1973		Template:Flagicon Moscow	Lebedev Physical Institute	/
TOR-2	Shut down	?	1967–1973		Template:Flagicon Moscow	Lebedev Physical Institute	/
Uragan-1	Shut down	1960–1967	1967–?	Racetrack	Template:Flagicon 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)	Shut down	?	1967–?		Template:Flagicon Culham	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority	/		Study confinement of electrons in a high-shear stellarator
TWIST	Shut down	?	1967–?		Template:Flagicon Culham	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority	/		Study turbulent heating
Proto-CLEO	Shut down	?	1968–?	single-turn helical winding inside toroidal field conductors	Template:Flagicon Culham, Template:Flagicon Madison	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority	/		confirmed plasma confinement times of neoclassical theory
TORSO	Shut down	?	1972–?	Ultimate torsatron	Template:Flagicon Culham	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority	/
CLEO	Shut down	?	1974–?		Template:Flagicon Culham	United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority	/		Study of particle transport and beta limits, reached similar performance as tokamaks
Wendelstein 2-A	Shut down	1965–1968	1968–1974	Heliotron	Template:Flagicon Garching	Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik	/		Good plasma confinement	Wendelstein 2-A
Saturn	Shut down	1970	1970–?	Torsatron	Template:Flagicon Kharkiv	Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology	/		first Torsatron, ℓ=3, m=8 field periods, base for several torsatrons at KIPT
Wendelstein 2-B	Shut down	?–1970	1971–?	Heliotron	Template:Flagicon Garching	Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik	/		Demonstrated similar performance as tokamaks	Wendelstein 2-B
Vint-20	Shut down	1972	1973–?	Torsatron	Template:Flagicon Kharkiv	Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology	/		single-pole ℓ=1, m=13 field periods
L-2	Shut down	?	1975–?		Template:Flagicon Moscow	Lebedev Physical Institute	/
WEGA (Wendelstein Experiment in Greifswald für die Ausbildung)	Template:CRecurring →HIDRA	1972–1975	1975–2013	Classical stellarator	Template:Flagicon Greifswald	Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik	/		Test lower hybrid heating	WEGA
Wendelstein 7-A	Shut down	?	1975–1985	Classical stellarator	Template:Flagicon Garching	Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik	/		First "pure" stellarator without plasma current, solved stellarator heating problem
Heliotron-E	Shut down	?	1980–?	Heliotron	Template:Flagicon		/
Heliotron-DR	Shut down	?	1981–?	Heliotron	Template:Flagicon		/
Uragan-3 (Template:Interlanguage link multi)	Operational	?	1982–? M: 1990–	Torsatron	Template:Flagicon Kharkiv	National Science Center, Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (NSC KIPT)	/		?
Auburn Torsatron (AT)	Shut down	?	1984–1990	Torsatron	Template:Flagicon Auburn	Auburn University	/			Auburn Torsatron
Wendelstein 7-AS	Shut down	1982–1988	1988–2002	Modular, advanced stellarator	Template:Flagicon Garching	Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik	/		First computer-optimized stellarator, first H-mode in a stellarator in 1992	Wendelstein 7-AS
Advanced Toroidal Facility (ATF)	Shut down	1984–1988	1988–1994	Torsatron	Template:Flagicon Oak Ridge	Oak Ridge National Laboratory	/		First large American stellarator after Tokamak stampede, high-beta operation, >1h plasma operation	Advanced Toroidal Facility
Compact Helical System (CHS)	Shut down	?	1989–?	Heliotron	Template:Flagicon Toki	National Institute for Fusion Science	/
Compact Auburn Torsatron (CAT)	Shut down	?–1990	1990–2000	Torsatron	Template:Flagicon Auburn	Auburn University	/		Study magnetic flux surfaces	Compact Auburn Torsatron
H-1 (Heliac-1)	Operational		1992–	Heliac	Template:Flagicon Canberra, Template:Flagicon	Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Australian National University	/		shipped to China in 2017	H-1NF plasma vessel
TJ-K (Tokamak de la Junta Kiel)	Operational	TJ-IU (1999)	1994–	Torsatron	Template:Flagicon 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)	Operational	1991–1996	1997–	flexible Heliac	Template:Flagicon Madrid	National Fusion Laboratory, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas	/		Study plasma in flexible configuration	CAD drawing of TJ-II
LHD (Large Helical Device)	Operational	1990–1998	1998–	Heliotron	Template:Flagicon Toki	National Institute for Fusion Science	/		Demonstrated long-term operation of large superconducting coils	LHD cross section
HSX (Helically Symmetric Experiment)	Operational		1999–	Modular, quasi-helically symmetric	Template:Flagicon Madison	University of Wisconsin–Madison	/		Investigate plasma transport in quasi-helically-symmetric field, similar to tokamaks	HSX with clearly visible non-planar coils
Heliotron J	Operational		2000–	Heliotron	Template:Flagicon Kyoto	Institute of Advanced Energy	/		Study helical-axis heliotron configuration
Columbia Non-neutral Torus (CNT)	Operational	?	2004–	Circular interlocked coils	Template:Flagicon New York City	Columbia University	/		Study of non-neutral (mostly electron) plasmas
Uragan-2(M)	Operational	1988–2006	2006–	Heliotron, Torsatron	Template:Flagicon Kharkiv	National Science Center, Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (NSC KIPT)	/		ℓ=2 Torsatron
Quasi-poloidal stellarator (QPS)	Cancelled	2001–2007	–	Modular	Template:Flagicon Oak Ridge	Oak Ridge National Laboratory	/		Stellarator research	Engineering drawing of the QPS
NCSX (National Compact Stellarator Experiment)	Cancelled	2004–2008	–	Helias	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/		High-β stability	CAD drawing of NCSX
Compact Toroidal Hybrid (CTH)	Operational	?	2007?–	Torsatron	Template:Flagicon Auburn	Auburn University	/		Hybrid stellarator/tokamak	CTH
HIDRA (Hybrid Illinois Device for Research and Applications)	Operational	2013–2014 (WEGA)	2014–	?	Template:Flagicon Urbana, IL	University of Illinois	/		Stellarator and tokamak in one device, capable of long pulse steady-state operation; study plasma-wall interactions	HIDRA after its reassembly in Illinois
UST_2	Operational	2013	2014–	modular three period quasi-isodynamic	Template:Flagicon Madrid	Charles III University of Madrid	/		3D-printed stellarator	UST_2 design concept
Wendelstein 7-X	Operational	1996–2022	2015–	Helias	Template:Flagicon Greifswald	Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik	/		Steady-state plasma in large fully optimized stellarator	Schematic diagram of Wendelstein 7-X
SCR-1 (Stellarator of Costa Rica)	Operational	2011–2015	2016–	Modular	Template:Flagicon Cartago	Costa Rica Institute of Technology	/			SCR-1 vacuum vessel drawing
MUSE	Operational	2022–2023	2023–	Quasiaxi-symmetrical	Template:Flagicon Princeton	Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory	/		First stellarator with permanent magnets	MUSE
CFQS (Chinese First Quasi-Axisymmetric Stellarator)	Under construction	2017–		Helias	Template:Flagicon Chengdu	Southwest Jiaotong University, National Institute for Fusion Science in Japan	/		m=2 quasi-axisymmetric stellarator, modular	CFQS coils and field
EFPP (European Fusion Power Plant)	Template:Planned	2030 ?	2045 ?	Helias	Template:Flagicon	Gauss Fusion		7– ?	Fusion power plant with 2– 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

Device name	Status	Construction	Operation	Description	Peak laser power	Pulse energy	Fusion yield	Location	Organisation	Image
4 pi laser	Shut down	196?		Semiconductor laser				Template:Flagicon Livermore	LLNL
Long path laser	Shut down	1972	1972	First ICF laser with neodymium doped glass (Nd:glass) as lasing medium				Template:Flagicon Livermore	LLNL
Single Beam System (SBS) "67"	Shut down	1971-1973	1973	Single-beam CO2 laser				Template:Flagicon Los Alamos	LANL
Double Bounce Illumination System (DBIS)	Shut down	1972-1974	1974-1990	First private laser fusion effort, YAG laser, neutron yield to neutrons			≈	Template:Flagicon Ann Arbor, Michigan	KMS Fusion	File:Double Bounce System KMS Fusion 1974.png
MERLIN (Medium Energy Rod Laser Incorporating Neodymium), N78 laser	Shut down	1972-1975	1975-?	Nd:glass laser				Template:Flagicon RAF Aldermaston	AWE	File:MERLIN target chamber.jpg
Cyclops laser	Shut down	1975	1975	Single-beam Nd:glass laser, prototype for Shiva				Template:Flagicon Livermore	LLNL	File:Cyclops laser 1975.jpg
Janus laser	Shut down	1974-1975	1975	Two-beam Nd:glass laser demonstrated laser compression and thermonuclear burn of deuterium–tritium				Template:Flagicon Livermore	LLNL	File:Janus laser 1975.jpg
Gemini laser, Dual-Beam Module (DBM)	Shut down	≤ 1975	1976	Two-beam CO2 laser, tests for Helios				Template:Flagicon Los Alamos	LANL
Argus laser	Shut down	1976	1976-1981	Two-beam Nd:glass laser, advanced the study of laser-target interaction and paved the way for Shiva			≈	Template:Flagicon Livermore	LLNL	File:Argus laser 1976.jpg
Vulcan laser (Versicolor Ultima Lux Coherens pro Academica Nostra)	Operational	1976-1977	1977-	8-beam Nd:glass laser, highest-intensity focussed laser in the world in 2005				Template:Flagicon Didcot	RAL	File:Green Lase.JPG
Shiva laser	Shut down	1977	1977-1981	20-beam Nd:glass laser; proof-of-concept for Nova; fusion yield of 1011 neutrons; found that its infrared wavelength of 1062 nm was too long to achieve ignition			≈	Template:Flagicon Livermore	LLNL	File:Shiva laser target chamber.jpg
Helios laser, Eight-Beam System (EBS)	Shut down	1975-1978	1978	8-beam CO2 laser; Media at Wikimedia Commons				Template:Flagicon Los Alamos	LANL	File:U.S. Department of Energy - Science - 282 005 003 (16388751641).jpg
HELEN (High Energy Laser Embodying Neodymium)	Shut down	1976-1979	1979-2009	Two-beam Nd:glass laser				Template:Flagicon Didcot	RAL	File:HELEN laser.jpg
ISKRA-4	Operational	-1979	1979-	8-beam iodine gas laser, prototype for ISKRA-5				Template:Flagicon Sarov	RFNC-VNIIEF
Sprite laser	Shut down	1981-1983	1983-1995	First high-power Krypton fluoride laser used for target irradiation, λ=				Template:Flagicon Didcot	RAL	File:Sprite e-beam pumped amplifier cell 1982.jpg
Gekko XII	Operational		1983-	12-beam, Nd:glass laser				Template:Flagicon Osaka	Institute for Laser Engineering
Novette laser	Shut down	1981-1983	1983-1984	Nd:glass laser to validate the Nova design, first X-ray laser				Template:FlagiconLivermore	LLNL	File:U.S. Department of Energy - Science - 281 004 001 (16315143010).jpg
Antares laser, High Energy Gas Laser Facility (HEGLF)	Shut down		1983	24-beam largest CO2 laser ever built. Missed goal of scientific fusion breakeven, because production of hot electrons in target plasma due to long 10.6 μm wavelength of laser resulted in poor laser/plasma energy coupling				Template:Flagicon Los Alamos	LANL
PHAROS laser	Operational	198?		Two-beam Nd:glass laser				Template:Flagicon Washington D.C.	NRL
Nova laser	Shut down		1984-1999	10-beam NIR and frequency-tripled 351 nm UV laser; fusion yield of 1013 neutrons; attempted ignition, but failed due to fluid instability of targets; led to construction of NIF				Template:FlagiconLivermore	LLNL
ISKRA-5	Operational	-1989		12-beam iodine gas laser, fusion yield 1010 to 1011 neutrons				Template:Flagicon Sarov	RFNC-VNIIEF
Aurora laser	Shut down	≤ 1988-1989	1990	96-beam Krypton fluoride laser	≈			Template:Flagicon Los Alamos	LANL
Shenguang-I	Shut down		1990	2-beam Nd:glass laser, λ=				China	Joint Laboratory of High Power Laser and Physics
PALS, formerly "Asterix IV"	Operational	-1991	1991-	Iodine gas laser, λ=				Template:Flagicon Garching, Template:Flagicon Prague	MPQ, CAS	File:Prague asterix laser system.jpeg
Trident laser	Operational	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				Template:Flagicon Los Alamos	LANL	File:Alfoil.jpg
Nike laser	Operational	≤ 1991-1994	1994-	56-beam, most-capable Krypton fluoride laser for laser target interactions				Template:Flagicon Washington, D.C.	NRL	File:Nike laser amplifier.jpg
OMEGA laser	Operational	?-1995	1995-	60-beam UV frequency-tripled Nd:glass laser, fusion yield 1014 neutrons				Template:Flagicon Rochester	LLE
Electra	Operational			Krypton fluoride laser, 5 Hz operation with 90,000+ shots continuous				Template:Flagicon Washington D.C.	NRL	File:Electra Laser System NRL 2013.png
LULI2000	Operational	?	2003-	6-beam Nd:glass laser, λ=, λ=, λ=				Template:Flagicon Palaiseau	École polytechnique
OMEGA EP	Operational		2008-	60-beam UV				Template:Flagicon Rochester	LLE
National Ignition Facility (NIF)	Operational	1997-2009	2010-	192-beam Nd:glass laser, achieved scientific breakeven with fusion gain of 1.5 and neutrons				Template:Flagicon Livermore	LLNL	File:NIF target chamber construction.jpg
Orion	Operational	2006-2010	2010-	10-beams, λ=				Template:Flagicon RAF Aldermaston	AWE	File:Orion target chamber.jpg
Laser Mégajoule (LMJ)	Operational	1999-2014	2014-	Second-largest laser fusion facility, 10 out of 22 beam lines operational in 2022				Template:Flagicon Bordeaux	CEA	[1]
Laser for Fast Ignition Experiments (LFEX)	Operational	2003-2015	2015-	High-contrast heating laser for FIREX, λ=				Template:Flagicon Osaka	Institute for Laser Engineering
HiPER (High Power Laser Energy Research Facility)	Cancelled	2007-2015	-	Pan-European project to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of laser fusion for the production of energy	()	()	()	Template:Flagicon		File:High Power Laser Energy Research Facility drawing.jpg
Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE)	Cancelled	2008-2013	-	Effort to develop a fusion power plant succeeding NIF		()	()	Template:Flagicon Livermore	LLNL	File:LIFE fusion chamber.jpg
ISKRA-6	Template:Planned	?	?	128 beam Nd:glass laser	?	?		Template:Flagicon 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