Jacobo Varela Rodriguez
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid - Research Group : Física de Plasmas
Abstract : Nuclear fusion reveals as one of the most promising solutions in
the current international situation of energetic crisis. In this
context, the ITER project aims at proving the feasibility of nuclear
fusion to produce energy. For this purpose, the fuel
(called plasma) must be heated up to hundred million degrees. Such
extreme conditions are required for the nuclear fusion reactions to take
place. These reactions produce neutrons and alpha particles. The
neutrons will leave the reactor and will be used to
generate electricity as in present nuclear power plants. However, alpha
particles (also called energetic particles, because they are born with
energies of 3.5 MeV) must remain sufficiently well confined in the
reactor in order to transfer their energy to the
thermal particles and self-sustain this way the nuclear fusion
reactions. Unfortunately, alpha particles have the capability to trigger
Alfvén-like instabilities in the plasma, which can de-confine the
particles and hence reduce the performance of fusion reactors.
Other types of energetic particles can exist in a fusion reactor,
coming from external heating (radio-frequency, energetic beams...).
