Non-Thermal Fusion Processes and Innovations Considered for the Ignitor Program*

The Ignitor Program [1] has produced the first complete design of a machine capable of approaching ignition regimes based on normally known conditions and adopting well tested structural and current conducting materials. The design, referred to as Ignitor EVO, is being updated consistently in order to take the results of new and significant experiments into account and to benefit from developments of technology and materials science that become known. Given the proven ability of high field compact machines to produce well confined plasmas with a wide range of collisionalities, Non-thermal (“Cool”) Fusion processes can be fruitfully investigated with them. Another important possibility is that of inducing high currents in low and high density plasmas in order to adopt the most appropriate current drive procedures and means. Given the pressing need to investigate meaningful burning plasmas, Ignitor has pioneered the development of large MgB2 superconducting magnets of the kind adopted for the largest poloidal field coils. Collaborations on near term high field superconducting magnets will be maintained with U.S. and European research and industrial institutions in order to identify the most suitable materials for the innermost machine magnets. *Sponsored in part by C.N.R. of Italy.

[1] B. Coppi et al., Nucl. Fusion 55, 053011 (2015).