stellarator

[ stel-uh-rey-ter ]

noun

, Physics.

1. an experimental plasma-physics device in which magnetic fields confine the plasma within a tube shaped like a figure eight.

stellarator

/ ˈstɛləˌreɪtə /

noun

1. physics an apparatus used in research into thermonuclear reactions, consisting of a toroidal vessel designed so that a plasma may be contained within it by a helical magnetic field. The magnetic field is produced by current-carrying coils

Word History and Origins

Origin of stellarator¹

1951; stellar + (gener)ator, so named because the reactions produced resemble those in stars

Word History and Origins

Origin of stellarator¹

C20: from stellar + ( gener ) ator