Information
QPS - an Experiment to Explore the Quasi-Poloidal Approach to Compact Stellarators
A promising approach to improving
transport in stellarators relies on quasi-poloidal symmetry
in which there is only a small B x Grad B radial drift out
of a flux surface. It has been found that such
configurations can have good neoclassical confinement, high
ballooning and kink stability beta limits, and good
energetic orbit confinement, and this can be done at the low
aspect ratio appropriate for compact stellarator reactors.
The device parameters for a proposed QPS experiment are: R =
0.9 m, <a> = 0.33 m, P(ECH) = 1 MW, P(ICRF) = 2 MW,
and t(pulse) = 1.0 s at B = 1 T. QPS would broaden our
understanding of toroidal magnetic configurations --
quasi-poloidal symmetry, explore very low aspect ratio
(~2.7), contribute to understanding of physics issues
pertinent to a low-R/a quasi-poloidal high-beta compact
stellarator concept, and complement NCSX in completing the
knowledge base needed for advancing the development of the
compact stellarator concept to the next stage.
