Back to the Figure-8 Stellarator
G. G. Plunk, M. Drevlak, E. Rodriguez, R. Babin, A. Goodman, F., Hindenlang

TL;DR
This paper revisits the historic figure-8 stellarator design, proposing a modern, optimized version that offers high stability, simple construction, and planar coils, enabled by recent theoretical and numerical advances in stellarator physics.
Contribution
It introduces a novel, optimized figure-8 stellarator design with planar coils, leveraging recent theoretical and numerical progress in quasi-isodynamic stellarator research.
Findings
Potential for high plasma stability.
Design admits planar coils, simplifying construction.
First quasi-isodynamic stellarator with planar coil capability.
Abstract
The first stellarator design was a simple tube of plasma twisted and closed on itself in the form of a figure-8. The line of such devices, however, was quickly ended over concerns related to plasma stability. We revisit the figure-8 concept, re-imagined as a modern optimized stellarator, and find the potential for a high degree of stability, as well as exceptionally simple construction. In particular, the design that we find admits planar coils, and is the first quasi-isodynamic stellarator design to have this property. Our work is made possible by recent theoretical progress in the near-axis theory of quasi-isodynamic stellarators, combined with fundamental progress in the numerical solution of three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic equilibria that cannot be well represented using traditional cylindrical coordinates.
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Taxonomy
TopicsHistory and Developments in Astronomy
