JAPAN - AIST

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1-1-1, Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568

Telephone: +81 298 61 5280
Telefax: +81 298 61 5149
E-mail: ee_hq@m.aist.go.jp
URL:   http://www.aist.go.jp

President:	Yoshikawa, Hiroyuki
Vice-President:	Hiraishi, Jiro

Energy Electronics Institute

Director:	Owadano, Yoshiro
Deputy Director:	Kosaka, Shin
Deputy Director:	Yokokawa, Harumi

Fusion Plasma Group

Yagi, Yasuyuki (Leader)
Ashida, Hisao
Hayase, Kiyoshi
Hirano, Yoichi

Kiyama, Satoru
Koguchi, Haruhisa
Sakakita, Hajime
Sato, Yasuhiro

Sekine, Shigeyuki
Shimada, Toshio
Sugimoto, Hisaya

Power Laser Group

Owadano, Yoshiro (Leader)
Kato, Susumu
Koyama, Kazuyoshi
Matsumoto, Yuji

Matsushima, Isao
Miura, Eisuke
Okuda, Isao
Saito, Naoaki

Tanimoto, Mitsumori
Takahashi, Eiichi

Superconductivity Applications Group

Fuchino, Shuichiro (Leader)
Agastuma, Koh
Arai, Kazuaki
Furuse, Mitsuho

Higuchi, Noboru
Kaiho, Katsuyuki
Kondoh, Junji
Nomura, Haruhiko

Okano, Makoto
Umeda, Masaichi

Research activities:
On April 1, 2001, Electrotechnical Laboratory (ETL) was reorganized into the new AIST, which is Japan's largest research institute. The research activities on nuclear fusion at ETL have been succeeded to the new research organizations in the new AIST.

1. Fusion Plasma Group: Reversed field pinch (RFP) is being developed as an attractive alternative approach to fusion reactors. We aim understanding and improvement of RFP plasmas as well as development of advanced concept with a MA-class RFP machine TPE-RX (R/r = 1.72m/0.45m, I_p = 1 MA) as a central machine, and with a smaller machine TPE-2M (R/r = 0.75m/0.25m, I_p = 0.1 MA) to test some advanced concepts. Theoretical and computational studies of RFP are also conducted.
2. Power Laser Group: Krypton-fluoride (KrF) laser is a promising efficient energy driver for IFE. A high repetition-rate e-beam pumped KrF laser (20J/pulse, 1Hz) is being developed as a prototype of future IFE driver. Also, interaction of short, intense laser pulse (> 10¹⁸ W/cm²) and long scale length preformed plasma is being investigated by using the Super-ASHURA KrF laser (3kJ, 12 beams) to examine the validity of fast ignition by UV laser.
3. Superconductivity Application Group: Fabrication of Fiber-reinforced superconductor for a high field magnet is being developed. Nb₃Sn conductor reinforced by a tantalum core showed the maximum tolerable stress of more than 1 GPa is under development.