The main research facility in the DIFFER PSI-Lab is Magnum-PSI, a linear plasma generator that allows us to study plasma-wall interactions in a fusion reactor. A cascaded arc plasma source produces a hot, dense plasma which is guided to the target by a superconducting magnet. A multitude of diagnostics is employed to analyse the plasma and the wall material during and after exposure.

The above picture shows the Magnum-PSI set-up in a 3-dimensional view. In the middle part of the drawing, the superconducting magnet can be seen surrounding most part of the vacuum vessel. The magnet system and the modular vacuum vessel are placed on separate rail systems. The three pump sets and their tubing are visible in the top left. In the top right, the tube of the movable plasma source is visible. In the bottom left, the target can be retracted under vacuum into the Target Exchange and Analysis Chamber (TEAC) by a long bellow system. After exposure and retraction, targets can be analyzed in the TEAC with surface analysis equipment, for example with our ion beam facility.

The most important design parameters in terms of performance can be summarized as:

Plasma parameters relevant to high performance detached divertor operation in ITER: electron density n e ~ 10 19 – 10 21 m -3 electron temperature T e ~ 0.1 – 10 eV

Particle flux ~ 10 23 - 10 25 m -2 s -1

- 10 m s Heat fluxes > 10 MW m -2

Low neutral background density < 1 Pa

Strong magnetic field up to 2.5 T

Inclined (± 90° with respect to the plasma beam) water cooled targets

High fluence/long timescale due to steady state capability

Transient plasma loading capability up to 2 GW m-2 with a variable repetition rate up to 70 Hz.

Interested in performing research on Magnum-PSI?

Magnum-PSI is a large facility that is open for external users in collaboration with our in-house research groups. If you are interested in participating in experiments at Magnum-PSI, check out the application procedure.