Abstract
Alcator C-Mod is the third in a series of high-field, compact tokamak fusion experiments built on the MIT campus. Its unique design and operating parameters have produced a wealth of new information since it began operation in 1993, contributing data that has supported ITER design decisions and operational planning. The C-Mod design and physics regimes also presented a set of reactor-relevant technical challenges that has driven its research agenda. These included plasma startup and control with a thick conducting vacuum vessel and magnet support structure; power handling at reactor levels (q‖∼1GW/m2); operation with high-Z metal walls; RF launchers capable of very high input power density and attainment of high plasma performance with metal walls; no external torque or core particle sources; and strong electron heating with equilibrated electrons and ions. Looking beyond ITER, C-Mod provides the technical underpinnings for a high-field approach to fusion energy—which offers the promise of a faster and cheaper development path.
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