锂是为智能手机提供动力并有助于治疗躁郁症的银色金属，在全球范围内也可以发挥重要作用，以在地球上收获地球上的安全，干净，几乎无限的融合能（链接是外部），从而为太阳和恒星提供动力。
First results of the extensively upgraded Lithium Tokamak Experiment-Beta (LTX-β) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), demonstrate that the major enhancements operate as designed and improve the performance of the hot, charged plasma that will fuel future fusion reactors.
More fusion-relevant
这项为期三年的升级将现在的LTX-β变成了一个更热，更密集，更融合的设备，该设备将测试所有用液体锂涂层的涂层如何涂覆所有面向等离子体的壁，可以改善限制并升高血浆的温度。
“We achieved many of our initial engineering goals,"said physicist Drew Elliott of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a major collaborator of the LTX-β. Elliott, on long-term assignment to PPPL, served as lead author of the first results (link is external) paper reported in IEEE Transactions in Plasma Science.
Fusion reactions combine light elements in the form of plasma -- the state of matter composed of free electrons and atomic nuclei that makes up 99% of the visible universe -- to release enormous amounts of energy. Physicists around the world are seeking to duplicate and control fusion reactions to create boundless safe, carbon-free power to generate electricity.
LTX-β的关键特征是广泛使用的面团磁性tokamak的较小版本（链接是外部的）设施，包括这些因素：一种强大的中性束注射器，用于加热和燃料等离子体；与先前的设备相比，磁场几乎翻了一番。以及一个双蒸发系统，可在所有面向等离子体的表面上完全覆盖液体锂。
匹配的预测
光束的操作与将其沉积到等离子体的功率比例的预测良好，而不是简单地透过它。
“We're looking to increase the power deposition toward 100% so that all the power we inject goes into the plasma,"埃利奥特（Elliott）说，埃利奥特（Elliott）领导了中性光束的优化，该光束是基于1970年代在ORNL开创的技术。“在未来的运动中，这将是一个很大的科学推动。”
The substantial enhancements aim to test whether the LTX-β can improve plasma performance beyond the notable achievements of its predecessor. These include the demonstration of temperatures that remain constant, or flat, all the way from the hot core of the plasma to the normally cool outer edge.
这种无梯度的温度曲线，是先前设备中磁融合设施中首次出现的，源于锂在等离子体核心泄漏的流浪颗粒上的能力，并防止它们回收回去并冷却边缘欧洲杯猜球平台和等离子体的核心。
Sustainment of the hot edge expands the volume of plasma available for fusion and the production of flat temperature prevents instabilities that reduce plasma confinement from developing.
升级目标
“The goals of the upgrade are to determine whether very low recycling lithium walls can improve plasma confinement in a tokamak with neutral beam heating,"LTX-β的首席研究员Dick Majeski说。“如果LTX-β成功，我们可以继续进行国家球形圆环实验升级[NSTX-U]的液体锂的实验，” PPPL的旗舰融合实验。
LTX-β的初始运行显示了包括以下内容的改进：
- 血浆的加油和密度增加，中性束注射器的主要目标；
- 在超过90％的LTX-β内壁上增加了液锂的沉积；
- Longer plasma discharges, or pulses, enabled by the strengthened magnetic field; and
- 较高的血浆电流 - 导致磁场螺旋的关键元件，这是局限血浆所必需的。
升级中还安装了新的等离子体诊断，这些等离子体诊断将进一步描述该设施扩展的操作制度。并且仍有委托的是高级诊断，这些诊断将衡量几个等离子体参数的精确概况。
“中性束的添加使等离子体的输入功率增加了一个数量级，并且有可能创建具有增强性能的相关等离子状态，”包括LTX-β在内的PPPL等离子科学技术系负责人Phil Efthimion说。欧洲杯线上买球“Dick Majeski and the entire LTX-β team should be commended for completing this aggressive upgrade on budget and schedule.
美国各地的专家
升级从美国各地的专家中提取，包括来自PPPL，ORNL，普林斯顿大学，加利福尼亚大学，洛杉矶分校（UCLA）和田纳西大学诺克斯维尔大学的合作，并为融合研究提供了重要的工具。
“ ORNL和PPPL多年来一直是融合科学技术的合作伙伴，这继续了强大的联盟，”欧洲杯线上买球ORNL Fusion Energy Division总监Mickey Wade说。“LTX-β will allow the fusion community to dig deeper into the promise of lithium and what it could unlock in enabling practical fusion energy."
Majeski has big plans ahead.“In the future, we'd like to increase the pulse length of the neutral beam to provide a longer period of heating and fueling for the plasma,"他说。“The beam adds a lot of flexibility to the experiment, and we want to take advantage of the new capabilities."
Support for this work comes from the DOE Office of Science.
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