Compact Radiative Divertor Experiments at ASDEX Upgrade and Their Consequences for a Reactor

We present a novel concept to tackle the power exhaust challenge of a magnetically confined fusion plasma. It relies on the prior establishment of an X-point radiator that dissipates a large fraction of the exhaust power before it reaches the divertor targets. Despite the spatial proximity of the magnetic X point to the confinement region, this singularity is far away from the hot fusion plasma in magnetic coordinates and therefore allows the coexistence of a cold and dense plasma with a high potential to radiate. In the compact radiative divertor (CRD) the target plates are placed close to this magnetic X point. We here report on high performance experiments in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak that indicate the feasibility of this concept. Despite the shallow (projected) field line incidence angles of the order of θ =0.2°, no hot spots were observed on the target surface monitored by an IR camera, even at a maximum heating power of Pheat=15 MW. And even with the X point located exactly on the target surface and without density or impurity feedback control, the discharge remains stable, the confinement good (H98,y2=1), hot spots absent, and the divertor in a detached state. In addition to its technical simplicity, the CRD scales beneficially to reactor-scale plasmas that would benefit from an increased volume of the confined plasma, more space for breeding blankets, smaller poloidal field coil currents, and - potentially - an increased vertical stability.