Experimental progress in magnetic-mirror fusion research

This paper discusses experimental progress in the control, confinement, and understanding of magnetic-mirror confined plasmas. A summary is given of the data base established in previous experiments on which magnetic-mirror principles are based. It includes a detailed description of present tandem and field-reversed mirror experimental results. The discussion also includes the concepts and parameters of experiments now under construction; it is shown how these experiments can both test new thermal-barrier concepts and bridge the gap between existing facilities and eventual power producers. Consideration is given to small-scale physics-oriented experiments, aimed at testing new ideas and refining the knowledge of mirror confinement. The paper concludes with an extensive bibliography of reports from the field of magnetic-mirror fusion.