Research on controlled thermonuclear reactions at the atomic energy institute of the ussr academy of sciences

The principle of the so-called adiabatic trap, wherein a plasma may be contained by the action of magnetic ‘stoppers’, is explained, and the possibility of maintaining a thermonuclear reaction in such a trap is examined. The required plasma temperature for a D-T reaction is ≈100 keV, and for a D-D reaction is ∼1 MeV. A description is given of Ogra, the largest Soviet machine constructed to study these predictions. Obstacles still to be surmounted include various forms of plasma instability and difficulties in realising the adiabatic condition.