Abstract Plasma control is a comprehensive physical and technological problem that is critical for tokamak operation. This article presents the initial advancements related to plasma magnetic control for the SUNIST-2 spherical tokamak. The fundamental architecture for control and operation is introduced, focusing on diagnostics, power supplies, real-time server/network and integrated code toolbox. The feedforward equilibrium design and feedback controller design workflows are also introduced. A variety of configurations were tested in the finished experiments on the SUNIST-2. For example, Negative Triangularity (NT) plasma has been achieved using the designed feedforward coil current waveforms. Preliminary tests of plasma position and plasma current feedback controllers were also successful. These results verified the reliability of the infrastructure and operational workflow. Future plans for improving the SUNIST-2 plasma control ability are also briefly discussed.
Song et al. (2025) studied this question.