Contributions of the US stellarator program towards a fusion pilot plant

The US stellarator program is focused on developing the scientific and technical basis for a stellarator fusion reactor while also exploring fundamental questions in plasma physics and magnetically confined plasmas. The research program is broad, covering many aspects of stellarators, and includes scientists from universities, national laboratories, and private companies. It is comprised of domestic (US based) experiments, international collaborations, theoretical and computational efforts; these activities are coordinated and all contribute to the overall strategic plan for a stellarator Fusion Pilot Plant (FPP). Recent progress, and the program’s long-range success, are due to the program’s strength and diversity including: close collaboration between experiment and theory; varied domestic stellarator magnetic configurations; international partnerships with large stellarator facilities; development of comprehensive optimization and design tools that will improve future stellarator reactor designs; and emerging public & private partnerships. Advances arising from this comprehensive and integrated program are, collectively, making stellarators an ever more attractive option for a commercial fusion reactor.