FPN01-84

FESAC Endorses Burning Plasma Emphasis

December 12, 2001

The USDOE's Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) has transmitted the report of its Burning Plasma Physics panel to Acting Director of the DOE Office of Science, James Decker, saying "FESAC fully endorses the recommendations of the Burning Plasma Panel. In particular, we agree with the Panel recommendation that a burning plasma experiment would bring enormous scientific and technical rewards. We also agree that present scientific understanding and technical expertise allow confidence that such an experiment, however challenging, would succeed." Prof. Richard D. Hazeltine (University of Texas at Austin) chairs the FESAC. The Burning Plasma Panel was chaired by Prof. Jeffrey P. Freidberg (MIT).

The Panel found that "a burning plasma experiment is the crucial next step in establishing the credibility of magnetic fusion as a source of commercial electricity," and that "the next frontier in the quest for magnetic fusion energy is the development of a basic understanding of plasma behaviour in the regime of strong self-heating, the burning plasma regime." The Panel claimed that "a burning plasma experiment in a tokamak configuration is relevant to other toroidal magnetic configurations," and that "much of the scientific understanding gained will be transferable."

The Panel stated that "a burning plasma experiment, either international or solely within the U.S., will require substantial funding -- likely more than $100 million per year," and recommended that these funds "should arise as an addition to the base Fusion Energy Sciences budget." The Panel recommended that the U.S. "should establish a proactive U.S. plan on burning plasma experiments and should not assume a default position of waiting to see what the international community may or may not do regarding construction of a burning plasma experiment."

Although the Panel stated that "sufficient scientific information is now in hand to determine the most suitable burning plasma experiment for the U.S. program," and that "NOW is the time for the U.S. Fusion Energy Sciences Program to take the steps leading to the expeditious construction of a burning plasma experiment," the Panel recommended that the U.S fusion community hold a "Snowmass" workshop in the summer of 2002, "for critical scientific and technological examination of proposed burning plasma experimental designs," followed by a FESAC review and recommendation on the "selected option" by January 2003, followed by a National Research Council panel review to be compleated by Fall 2003, followed by a DOE recommendation to Congress in July 2004.

Officials of the fusion programs in Europe and Japan expressed surprise and dismay at the slow U.S. decision-making schedule proposed. Europe, Japan and Russia are proposing to proceed with an international burning plasma experiment by the end of 2002 and have been pressing U.S. officials to rejoin the international effort. Recently (FPN01-82) the chair and ranking minority member of the House of Representatives Committee on Science urged the Energy Secretary to start sending U.S. representatives to the international meetings planning that experiment.

The complete FESAC report and accompanying documents have been posted at http://fire.pppl.gov