Shaping the magnetic configuration in the power exhaust region brings major advantages to addressing the challenge of controlling the power exhaust in nuclear fusion. Power exhaust control in these alternative configurations is now demonstrated in the MAST-U nuclear fusion experiment, offering an increased ability to passively absorb disturbances.
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References
Harrison, J. R. et al. Overview of physics results from MAST upgrade towards core-pedestal-exhaust integration. Nucl. Fusion 64, 112017 (2024). This work presents an overview of the MAST-U fusion experiment.
Verhaegh, K. et al. Divertor shaping with neutral baffling as a solution to the tokamak power exhaust challenge. Commun. Phys. 8, 215 (2025). This paper presents the underlying physics of alternative divertor configurations.
Perek, A. et al. MANTIS: A real-time quantitative multispectral imaging system for fusion plasmas. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 90, 123514 (2019). This work introduces the spectral imaging technique used in our work.
Henderson, S. S. et al. An overview of the STEP divertor design and the simple models driving the plasma exhaust scenario. Nucl. Fusion 65, 016033 (2025). This paper presents the STEP divertor design, which is currently being developed.
Ravensbergen, T. et al. Real-time feedback control of the impurity emission front in tokamak divertor plasmas. Nat. Commun. 12, 1105 (2021). This paper reports exhaust control in a conventional divertor in the TCV tokamak.
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This is a summary of: Kool, B. et al. Demonstration of Super-X divertor exhaust control for transient heat load management in compact fusion reactors. Nat. Energy https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01824-7 (2025).
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Alternative divertor configurations improve fusion power exhaust control. Nat Energy 10, 1062–1063 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01825-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01825-6
