Recent advances in FRC physics

Field-reversed configurations (FRC) are plasma confinement systems with no toroidal magnets and little toroidal field. The typical plasma shape is sausage-like. FRCs have natural attributes that render them ideal for magnetic fusion: geometric simplicity (singly-connected plasma); magnetic simplicity (high-/spl beta/, poloidal field only); simple heat exhaust handling (natural divertor); and advanced fusion fuels potential (low synchrotron loss). This paper reviews progress in FRC research since about 1988. These recent results have been favorable, raising hopes for the ultimate development of the FRC into a practical fusion system. Notable recent advances include: the operation of the largest FRC facility ever built, forming stable, long-lived plasmas with confinement times approaching a millisecond; the development of a theory that quantitatively explains the global stability of experiments to date; and the demonstration of the true thermal isolation of FRCs from cold wall surfaces. Important current frontiers are the possibility that the FRC may have a robust minimum energy state, and the application of rotating magnetic fields for current drive.