FES provides safe and modern experimental facilities to produce and study laboratory plasmas and their interaction with surrounding materials and structures, including plasmas at the very high temperatures and densities necessary to build the scientific foundation needed to develop a fusion energy source.

The field of plasma physics involves studying processes taking place over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales, as well as a broad range of material and plasma properties. Fusion facilities are designed to both produce and maintain the required plasma conditions and provide advanced measurement capabilities to enable validation of theoretical models and simulation codes, leading to the development of predictive understanding.

The FES major facilities use strong magnetic fields and auxiliary power systems to confine and heat the plasma to the high temperatures and conditions relevant to the study of fusion energy science. Other facilities explore a broader range of conditions to develop the fundamental understanding underpinning the entire plasma science frontier. On the whole, these facilities provide the tools required by scientists to expand our fundamental understanding of plasma science, and design and predict the performance of proposed fusion energy sources.

Last modified: 3/31/2015 1:15:35 AM