JAPAN - TBUP

UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA

Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305

Plasma Research Centre

Telephone: +81 298 53 7468, 53 6230
Telefax: +81 298 53 6202
E-mail: yatsu@prc.tsukuba.ac.jp
URL:   http://www.prc.tsukuba.ac.jp

Yatsu, Kiyoshi (Director)
Cho, Teruji
Higaki, Hiroyuki
Hojo, Hitoshi
Ichimura, Makoto

Ishii, Kameo
Itakura, Akiyosi
Katanuma, Isao
Kohagura, Junko
Kondo, Mafumi

Nakashima, Yousuke
Saito, Teruo
Tatematsu, Yoshinori
Yoshikawa, Masayuki

Institute of Physics
Group for Fusion Reactor
Telephone: +81 298 53 4324
Telefax: +81 298 53 4324
E-mail: kawabe@sakura.cc.tsukuba.ac.jp
URL:   http://www.plasma.first.tsukuba.ac.jp

Kawabe, Takaya (Leader)

Institute of Materials Science
Group for Fusion Reactor
Telephone: +81 298 53 5063
Telefax: +81 298 55 7440
E-mail: mizuh@mat.ims.tsukuba.ac.jp


Mizubayashi,Hiroshi (Leader)
Tanimoto, Hisanori

Institute of Engineering Mechanics, Group for Tandem Mirror Reactor

Telephone: +81 298 53 5256
Telefax: +81 298 53 5207

Nariai, Hideki (Leader)
Murakami, Masahide

Saito, Masakatsu

Teramoto, Tokuo

Research activities:
The main activity of the plasma research center is the GAMMA10 project. GAMMA10 is the world's largest operating tandem mirror, using a plasma potential to reduce end losses. The total length of the device is 27m and the plasma diameter is 0.36m. The magnetic inductions in the central cell and in the mirror throat are 0.5T and 3T respectively. The maximum ion and electron temperatures achieved are 10keV and 300eV. The highest density obtained is 1.1 10¹⁹m^-3. Plug and thermal barrier potentials of 2kV and 1.4kV are created. The estimated axial confinement time is 0.6s.
Recent major activities are (i) investigation of potential confinement on hot ion modes with an ion temperature of 5keV, (ii) suppression of radial loss by asymmetrization of ECRH, (iii) measurements of magnetic fluctuations by a microwave reflectometer.
The near term plans are basic research for steady operation including (i) increase in plasma density, (ii) improvement of electron temperature and energy confinement, (iii) studies of mechanism and efficiency of potential formation and sustainment.