Magnetic confinement

Also written MCF

Holding a hot plasma away from material walls using magnetic fields, sustained for seconds to steady-state rather than the nanosecond pulses of inertial confinement. The open problem shared by every configuration below is exhausting the plasma's heat and helium ash without eroding the wall that must survive it for years, not seconds.

In the record: 26 companies, 9 laboratories and programmes, 127 devices and 0 reactor designs. These counts include Tokamak, Stellarator, Magnetic mirror, Field-reversed configuration, Levitated dipole and Reversed-field pinch.

Not yet in the record for this approach: reactor designs.

Related approaches

Broader: Fusion

Narrower:

Tokamak Doughnut-shaped magnetic confinement using a strong toroidal field plus a current driven through the plasma itself. The most-studied configuration, and the one ITER uses. Its main open problem is heat exhaust at the divertor, where the plasma edge concentrates power onto a small area, together with the risk of disruptions: sudden, uncontrolled losses of the plasma current.
Stellarator Confinement produced by external coils twisted into complex three-dimensional shapes, so no net current has to be driven through the plasma. That removes the disruptions a tokamak's plasma current can cause and allows continuous operation, at the price of coils that are far harder to design and build.
Magnetic mirror Plasma trapped between two regions of strong magnetic field that reflect particles back. Simple and linear, but historically leaky at the ends.
Field-reversed configuration A self-organised plasma ring that generates its own confining field, with no central coil. Compact and high-beta, but stability over long timescales is the open question.
Levitated dipole Confinement around a single magnetically levitated superconducting ring, modelled on how planetary magnetospheres hold plasma. No levitated-dipole device has run at reactor-relevant scale; the main open problem is engineering a superconducting ring that can be levitated, cooled and shielded from neutrons without any physical support.
Reversed-field pinch A toroidal configuration where the field reverses direction at the plasma edge, allowing confinement at much lower external field than a tokamak. That has come at the cost of confinement quality: RFPs have not matched tokamak performance, and closing that gap without the stronger field is the configuration's main open problem.

Companies 26

Includes companies recorded under a narrower approach, named beside each.

Commonwealth Fusion Systems · Tokamak
Energy Matter Conversion Corporation
Energy Singularity · Tokamak
ENN Science and Technology Development · Spherical tokamak
Firefly Fusion · Tokamak
Gauss Fusion · Stellarator
General Atomics · Tokamak
Helical Fusion · Stellarator
Helion Energy · Field-reversed configuration
HHMAX-Energy · Field-reversed configuration
LINEA Innovations · Field-reversed configuration, Magnetic mirror
Maritime Fusion · Tokamak
Novatron Fusion Group · Magnetic mirror
NT-Tao
OpenStar Technologies · Levitated dipole
Pranos Fusion · Tokamak
Proxima Fusion · Stellarator
Realta Fusion · Magnetic mirror
Renaissance Fusion · Stellarator
Startorus Fusion · Spherical tokamak
Stellarex Energy · Stellarator
TAE Technologies · Field-reversed configuration
Terra Fusion · Magnetic mirror
Thea Energy · Stellarator
Tokamak Energy · Spherical tokamak
Type One Energy · Stellarator

Laboratories and programmes 9

Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences · Tokamak
ITER Organization · Tokamak
Korea Institute of Fusion Energy · Tokamak
Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics · Stellarator, Tokamak
MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center · Tokamak
National Institute for Fusion Science · Stellarator
National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan · Tokamak
STEP · Spherical tokamak
UK Atomic Energy Authority · Spherical tokamak, Tokamak

Devices 127

Operating devices first, then those being built or planned, then those shut down, suspended or cancelled.

ADITYA-U Operating Institute for Plasma Research · IN · Tokamak · 5 measurements
ALVAND Operating Atomic Energy Organization of Iran · IR · Tokamak · 5 measurements
ASDEX UPGRADE Operating Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics · DE · Tokamak · 9 measurements
CTH Operating Auburn University · US · Stellarator · 4 measurements
DAMAVAND Operating Atomic Energy Organization of Iran · IR · Tokamak · 5 measurements
DIII-D Operating General Atomics · US · Tokamak · 9 measurements
EGYPTOR Operating Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority · EG · Tokamak · 5 measurements
ETE Operating National Institute for Space Research · BR · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
EXL-50U Operating ENN Science and Technology Development · CN · Spherical tokamak
Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak Operating Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences · CN · Tokamak · 11 measurements
EXTRAP T2R Operating KTH Royal Institute of Technology · SE · Reversed-field pinch
FAT-CM Operating Nihon University · JP · Field-reversed configuration
FT-2 Operating Ioffe Institute · RU · Tokamak · 4 measurements
GAMMA 10/PDX Operating University of Tsukuba · JP · Magnetic mirror
GDT Operating Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics · RU · Magnetic mirror
GLAST-III Operating Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission · PK · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
GLOBUS-M2 Operating Ioffe Institute · RU · Spherical tokamak · 7 measurements
GOL-NB Operating Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics · RU · Magnetic mirror
GOLEM Operating Czech Technical University · CZ · Tokamak · 5 measurements
GUTTA Operating Saint Petersburg State University · RU · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
HBT-EP Operating Columbia University · US · Tokamak · 4 measurements
HELIOTRON J Operating Kyoto University · JP · Stellarator · 3 measurements
HH70 Operating Energy Singularity · CN · Tokamak
HIDRA Operating University of Illinois · US · Stellarator · 3 measurements
HIST Operating University of Hyogo · JP · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
HL-2A Operating Southwestern Institute of Physics · CN · Tokamak · 5 measurements
HL-2M Operating Southwestern Institute of Physics · CN · Tokamak · 5 measurements
HSX Operating University of Wisconsin-Madison · US · Stellarator · 3 measurements
HYBTOK-II Operating Nagoya University · JP · Tokamak · 5 measurements
IR-T1 Operating Islamic Azad University · IR · Tokamak · 5 measurements
ISTTOK Operating Instituto Superior Técnico · PT · Tokamak · 4 measurements
J-TEXT Operating Huazhong University of Science and Technology · CN · Tokamak · 5 measurements
KSTAR Operating Korea Institute of Fusion Energy · KR · Tokamak · 11 measurements
KTM Operating Institute of Atomic Energy of National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan · KZ · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
KTX Operating University of Science and Technology of China · CN · Reversed-field pinch · 3 measurements
LATE Operating Kyoto University · JP · Spherical tokamak
LIBTOR Operating Tajoura Nuclear Research Centre · LY · Tokamak · 4 measurements
LTX-β Operating Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory · US · Tokamak
MAST-U Operating UK Atomic Energy Authority · GB · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
MEDUSA-CR Operating Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica · CR · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
MST Operating University of Wisconsin-Madison · US · Reversed-field pinch
MT-1 Operating Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission · PK · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
Norm Operating TAE Technologies · US · Field-reversed configuration
NORMAN Operating TAE Technologies · US · Field-reversed configuration
NORTH Operating Technical University of Denmark · DK · Spherical tokamak · 2 measurements
NOVA-FURG Operating Federal University of Espírito Santo · BR · Tokamak · 5 measurements
PEGASUS-III Operating University of Wisconsin-Madison · US · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
PHIX Operating Institute of Science Tokyo · JP · Tokamak · 5 measurements
POLARIS Operating Helion Energy · US · Field-reversed configuration
QUEST Operating Kyushu University · JP · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
RELAX Operating Kyoto Institute of Technology · JP · Reversed-field pinch · 2 measurements
RT-1 Operating The University of Tokyo · JP · Levitated dipole
SCR-1 Operating Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica · CR · Stellarator · 4 measurements
SMART Operating University of Seville · ES · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
SMOLA Operating Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics · RU · Magnetic mirror
SST-1 Operating Institute for Plasma Research · IN · Tokamak · 5 measurements
ST40 Operating Tokamak Energy · GB · Spherical tokamak · 13 measurements
STOR-M Operating University of Saskatchewan · CA · Tokamak · 5 measurements
SUNIST-1 Operating Tsinghua University · CN · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
T-11M Operating Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research · RU · Tokamak · 5 measurements
T-15MD Operating National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute · RU · Tokamak · 5 measurements
TCABR Operating University of São Paulo · BR · Tokamak · 5 measurements
TCV Operating Swiss Plasma Center · CH · Tokamak · 4 measurements
TJ-II Operating CIEMAT · ES · Stellarator · 3 measurements
TJ-K Operating University of Stuttgart · DE · Stellarator · 3 measurements
TOKASTAR-2 Operating Nagoya University · JP · Tokamak · 4 measurements
TORIX Operating École Polytechnique · FR · 3 measurements
TORPEX Operating Swiss Plasma Center · CH · 3 measurements
TST-2 Operating The University of Tokyo · JP · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
TT-1 Operating Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology · TH · Tokamak · 4 measurements
TUMAN-3M Operating Ioffe Institute · RU · Tokamak · 5 measurements
UH-CTI Operating Kyushu University · JP
UH-MCPG1 Operating University of Hyogo · JP
URAGAN-2M Operating Institute of Plasma Physics National Science Center · UA · Stellarator · 3 measurements
URAGAN-3M Operating Institute of Plasma Physics National Science Center · UA · Stellarator · 3 measurements
UTST Operating The University of Tokyo · JP · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
VEST Operating Seoul National University · KR · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
Wendelstein 7-X Operating Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics · DE · Stellarator · 9 measurements
WEST Operating CEA · FR · Tokamak · 6 measurements
JT-60SA Commissioning National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology · JP · Tokamak · 5 measurements
BEST Under construction Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences · CN · Tokamak
CAT Under construction Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics · RU · Magnetic mirror
CFQS Under construction Southwest Jiaotong University · CN · Stellarator · 3 measurements
COMPASS-U Under construction Institute of Plasma Physics · CZ · Tokamak · 5 measurements
DTT Under construction ENEA · IT · Tokamak · 5 measurements
ITER Under construction ITER Organization · FR · Tokamak · 10 measurements
MT-2 Under construction Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission · PK · Spherical tokamak
NSTX-U Under construction Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory · US · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
PILOT GAMMA PDX-SC Under construction University of Tsukuba · JP · Magnetic mirror
RFX Under construction Consorzio RFX · IT · Reversed-field pinch · 3 measurements
SPARC Under construction Commonwealth Fusion Systems · US · Tokamak · 9 measurements
SSST Under construction Institute for Plasma Research · IN · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
Alpha (Proxima Fusion) Planned Proxima Fusion · DE · Stellarator
ARC Planned Commonwealth Fusion Systems · US · Tokamak · 1 measurement
CFETR Planned CN · Tokamak
Da Vinci Planned TAE Technologies · Field-reversed configuration
EU-DEMO Planned Tokamak · 1 measurement
GDMT Planned Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics · RU · Magnetic mirror
GDMT CORE Planned Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics · RU · Magnetic mirror
Infinity One Planned Type One Energy · US · Stellarator
Infinity Two Planned Type One Energy · US · Stellarator · 2 measurements
PFRC Planned Princeton Fusion Systems · US · Field-reversed configuration
PLATO Planned Kyushu University · JP · Tokamak · 5 measurements
PST Planned Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission · PK · Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
Stellaris Planned Proxima Fusion · DE · Stellarator
STEP Planned STEP · GB · Spherical tokamak
Alcator A Shut down MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center · Tokamak · 4 measurements
Alcator C Shut down MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center · Tokamak · 4 measurements
ASDEX Shut down Tokamak · 3 measurements
C-Mod Shut down Tokamak · 4 measurements
CFR Shut down Lockheed Martin · US · Magnetic mirror
EXL-50 Shut down ENN Science and Technology Development · CN · Spherical tokamak · 5 measurements
FTU Shut down ENEA · IT · Tokamak · 5 measurements
IDCD Shut down CTFusion · US
JT-60U Shut down JAEA · JP · Tokamak · 11 measurements
Large Helical Device Shut down National Institute for Fusion Science · JP · Stellarator · 3 measurements
MAST Shut down Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
NSTX Shut down Spherical tokamak · 4 measurements
PLT Shut down Tokamak · 4 measurements
ST Shut down Tokamak · 4 measurements
START Shut down Spherical tokamak · 3 measurements
T-3 Shut down Tokamak · 4 measurements
TFR Shut down Tokamak · 4 measurements
Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor Shut down Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory · US · Tokamak · 6 measurements
TRENTA Shut down Helion Energy · US · Field-reversed configuration · 1 measurement
Joint European Torus Decommissioned UK Atomic Energy Authority · GB · Tokamak · 14 measurements
COPERNICUS Cancelled TAE Technologies · US · Field-reversed configuration

Measurements

94 devices using this approach carry 454 measurements: 385 claimed, 56 planned, 6 achieved, 4 disputed, 3 superseded. The values, each with its status and source, are on the benchmark and on each device's page. Most measured: Joint European Torus (14), ST40 (13), Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (11), KSTAR (11), JT-60U (11).

Guides

Includes guides about the narrower approaches.

Find companies by reactor type How to list the companies working on one kind of fusion machine or fission reactor, using the companies directory, the technology pages and the device table.
Fusion approaches compared Every family of fusion machine, how each holds its fuel, the best result this dataset holds for it, its main unsolved problem and the organisations pursuing it.
Compare approaches and devices How to use the comparison pages to set two approaches side by side, and the device table and leaderboards to compare individual machines.
Commercial timeline of fusion power Six fusion power plants are on record, all still planned. The only dated electricity purchase is Helion's May 2023 deal to supply Microsoft from 2028.

Magnetic confinement in the glossary · Fusion overview · All approaches