Progress in the CULART experiment

Progress in the medium-size-device (~1m) CULART (Compact device with Ultra-Low Aspect-Ratio Tokamak plasmas) [1] experiment is presented aiming for seed-funding. CULART aims to explore very high beta limits under a relatively low to medium toroidal field (TF) and serve as a proof-of-concept for using these high beta plasmas as a target for applying a fast magnetic (adiabatic-like) compression (AC) technique [2], thereby raising temperature and density to achieve high neutron yields. CULART aims to leverage current technology, the performance of the tokamak, and the benefits of using AC as the sole external heating scheme. The use of the AC technique in CULART sets a pathway to a high-efficiency, ultra-compact, repetitive-pulsed neutron source based on the spherical tokamak (ST) concept and serves as a benchmark for appropriate scaling towards a fusion reactor and related material studies. It can also be used for more immediate applications in broad areas of physical science beyond fusion energy, such as nuclear waste treatment and tests of mercury to gold transmutation [3]. Simulations of AC up to 10 MW in D-T fuel plasmas, including MHD equilibrium and stability analysis, will be presented. Preliminary transport analysis using the TRANSP code is also planned.

[1] C. Ribeiro, Proc. 28th Symposium of Fusion Engineering (SOFE), Jacksonville, FL, US, June 2-6 (2019).

[2] H. P. Furth and S. Yoshikawa, Phys. of Fluids, 13, 2593 (1970).

[3] Adam Rutkowski et al, arXiv:2507.13461v2, July (2025).