The Diagnostic Complex and Experiment Control System at the GDT Facility

The Gas Dynamic Trap (GDT) facility is an open magnetic trap for plasma confinement. It is a variation of the Budker–Post mirror machine (probkotron), with the distance between the mirrors exceeding the characteristic path length of ions before scattering into the loss cone, and with a high mirror ratio. Under these conditions, the plasma particle confinement mechanism is similar to that of a collisionless gas in a vessel with a small opening, and the plasma confinement time depends linearly on its length and mirror ratio. These systems have potential for several applications in controlled nuclear fusion, the most immediate of which is the D–T neutron fusion source, capable of producing a neutron flux with a power density of several megawatts per square meter. This is required for the materials science research necessary for the design of the first wall of future fusion reactors. The experimental program of the GDT facility includes the study of kinetic and magnetohydrodynamic plasma instabilities, investigation of the behavior of sloshing ions, additional methods for heating and maintaining the material balance in the trap, and the study of the energy balance of the plasma. The paper describes in detail the GDT facility, its Diagnostic Complex, and control system, which is relevant today.