Description
LM26 is a large-scale magnetized target fusion (MTF) experiment built to demonstrate that compressional heating of a spherical tokamak plasma can achieve fusion conditions. A coaxial helicity injector forms a magnetized plasma in a 7 cm thick cylindrical lithium liner inside a composite chamber. A surrounding 36-turn theta-pinch coil generates a strong magnetic field to symmetrically compress the liner and the deuterium plasma it contains in less than 4 milliseconds. This is done without damaging any major vessel structures, allowing the device to be rapidly restored for service.
The next milestone of the LM26 project is to achieve 1 keV in plasma temperature and increase the plasma density by an order of magnitude through compressional heating. To assess plasma properties and the evolution of compression dynamics, a comprehensive suite of diagnostics is employed. These include AXUV electron temperature diagnostics, a dual-color interferometer system, visible and UV ion Doppler spectrometers, AXUV bolometers, neutron scintillators, high-speed imaging, liner motion diagnostics , and magnetic sensors. This poster provides an overview of the LM26 machine, with a special focus on the composite vacuum vessel, trajectory of the solid lithium liner, and diagnostic coverage.