tokamak

American  

[toh-kuh-mak, tok-uh-] / ˈtoʊ kəˌmæk, ˈtɒk ə- /

noun

Physics.

1. a type of experimental nuclear fusion reactor in which a plasma of atoms circulates in a toroidal tube and is confined to a narrow beam by an electromagnetic field.

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tokamak British  

/ ˈtɒkəˌmæk /

noun

1. physics a toroidal reactor used in thermonuclear experiments, in which a strong helical magnetic field keeps the plasma from contacting the external walls. The magnetic field is produced partly by current-carrying coils and partly by a large inductively driven current through the plasma

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Etymology

Origin of tokamak

1960–65; < Russian tokamák, acronym from toroidálʾnaya kámera s aksiálʾnym magnítnym pólem toroidal chamber with an axial magnetic field

Example Sentences

This finding challenges decades of assumptions about how tokamak plasmas behave at high density.

From Science Daily

Magnetic confinement devices—whether the doughnut-shaped tokamaks used in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project or the linear configuration pursued by TAE—rely on intricate magnetic fields to hold the plasma together.

From The Wall Street Journal

Previously, researchers led by Kolemen successfully deployed a separate AI controller to predict and avoid another type of plasma instability in real time at the DIII-D tokamak.

From Science Daily

"The model refines the thinking on stabilizing the edge of the plasma for different tokamak shapes," said Jason Parisi, a staff research physicist at PPPL.

From Science Daily

Light can also help heat the plasma within ring-shaped devices known as tokamaks as scientists worldwide strive to harness the fusion process to generate green electricity.

From Science Daily