The mission of the TCV tokamak (Tokamak à Configuration Variable) is to apply its highly specialized plasma shaping and heaiting capabilities to the exploration of the physics of magnetically confined plasmas, partly in direct support of the ITER project , but also charting in parallel some of the alternative paths that may be required beyond ITER on the way to a prototype fusion reactor.
Strongly electron-heated plasmas with highly variable shapes have been the primary focus of research on TCV, bringing to bear its unique tools, namely a 4.5MW Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating, ECRH, system distributed over two frequencies (second and third harmonic, X-mode) and seven real-time-controllable launchers, as well as a set of 16 independently driven shaping coils and two internal coils for fast vertical control.
The research mission of TCV is also sustained by a continuous development and modernization of its measurement systems (diagnostics) complement as well as of its control hardware.
Since TCV is characterized by its high plasma shaping capability, its versatile ECH system. and its large variety of diagnostics, this part of the web site is divided into 3 technical sections:
All scientific results are presented in the following section:
Common information
TCV Plasma Shapes
Here is a series of plasma shapes obtained in TCV and ordered in a ‘smooth’ way
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