The H-1 National Plasma Fusion Research Facility, and the Prospects for Stellarators in the Quest for Fusion Power

Australia has contributed to plasma fusion research from the beginning, when Sir Mark Oliphant and Lord Rutherford discovered the fusion reaction and the heavy hydrogen isotope tritium. Australia can claim the first tokamak in the western world, the Liley Torus. The 'Rotamak', a spherical device, was invented by Professor I. Jones of Flinders University, and later at ANSTO, produced the world's first demonstration of a spherical torus configuration. Recently the focus of Australian toroidal plasma confinement research has been the H-1 National Plasma Fusion Research Facility, based on the Heliac (helical axis) plasma configuration, a toroidal plasma of the stellarator type. H-1NF allows basic research into advanced plasma shapes and provides a test-bed for the development of advanced plasma measurement systems. At a time when Australians are discussing possible participation in the international plasma fusion experiment ITER, it is appropriate to review past Australian contributions to fusion research, present research, and future opportunities. Finally, the prospects for exploiting the advantages of the stellarator configuration for the demonstration reactor that will be the successor to ITER are discussed.