Plasma–surface interaction in ITER

The decreasing availability of energy and the concern about climate change necessitate the development of novel sustainable energy sources. Fusion energy is such a source. The ultimate potential of fusion energy is very high and badly needed. A major step forward in the development of fusion energy is the decision to construct the experimental test reactor ITER. ITER will stimulate research in many areas of science. This article discusses research opportunities in the context of plasma–surface interaction. The fusion plasma with a typical temperature of 10 keV has to be brought into contact with a physical wall in order to remove the helium produced and drain the excess energy in the fusion plasma. The fusion plasma is far too hot to be brought into direct contact with a physical wall. It would degrade the wall and the debris from the wall would extinguish the plasma. Therefore, schemes are developed to cool down the plasma. The resulting plasma–surface interaction concerned in ITER is facing several challenges including surface erosion, material redeposition and tritium retention. In this article we introduce how plasma–surface interaction relevant for ITER can be studied in a smaller scale experiment: Magnum-PSI.