Plasma-Materials Interactions (PMI) and High-Heat-Flux (HHF) component research and development in the US Fusion Program

Plasma particle and high heat fluxes to in-vessel components such as divertors, limiters, RF launchers, halo plasma scrapers, direct converters, and wall armor, and to the vacuum chamber itself, represent central technical issues for fusion experiments and reactors. This is well recognized and accepted. It is also well recognized that the conditions at the plasma boundary can directly influence core plasma confinement. This has been seen most dramatically, on the positive side, in the discovery of the H-mode using divertors in tokamaks. It is also reflected in the attention devoted worldwide to the problems of impurity control. Nowadays, impurities are controlled by wall conditioning, special discharge cleaning techniques, special coatings such as carbonization, the use of low-Z materials for limiters and armor, a careful tailoring of heat loads, and in some machines, through the use of divertors. All programs, all experiments, and all designers are now keenly aware that PMI and HHF issues are key to the successful performance of their machines. In this brief report we present general issues in Section 2, critical issues in Section 3, existing US PMI/HHF experiments and facilities in Section 4, US International Cooperative PMI/HHF activities in Section 5, and conclude with a discussionmore » on major tasks in PMI/HHF in Section 6.« less