Reactor Prospects and Present Status of Field-Reversed Configurations

Field-Reversed Configurations (FRC) have an ideal geometry for a reactor, combining high beta toroidal confinement, with a linear external geometry. Present small diameter FRCs are thought to be stabilized by kinetic effects, but recent experiments in the Large s Experiment (LSX) have demonstrated stability well into the MHD regime. Present empirical transport coefficients are already sufficient for a small pulsed reactor, but small steady state reactors will require about an order of magnitude reduction in plasma diffusivity.