Progress in magnetic fusion energy research

The remarkable scientific progress that has been made in the Magnetic Fusion Energy Program since its inception 40 years ago is reviewed. This formalized international collaborative effort of design and development for a 1000-MW experimental reactor (ITER) has been entered into by the United States, Russia, Japan, and the European Community. In the United States, a national project to build a superconducting steady-state advanced tokamak (SSAT) to improve the reactor prospects of fusion is underway. Beginning with a quick summary of fundamentals, progress in research is traced through major steps in the program. This study concludes with a view of the future and of the problems remaining to be overcome before a demonstration (demo) power plant can be built by the 2025 date given in the US National Energy Strategy