Nuclear fusion energy is an ideal energy source, which is clean, has unlimited resources, and can supply electricity steadily independent of external conditions.
Considering the construction of the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) and investments from governments and companies around the world, fusion energy is expected to be commercialized in the near future. Nuclear fusion reaction requires high energy (10-20keV) since two nuclei should overcome the electrostatic repulsive force to be close enough for fusing by nuclear force. The atom with this high energy will be ionized, then they will be in the plasma state, so fusion occurs in the plasma state. In order to have a sufficient number of fusion reactions for energy production, although its reaction probability (cross section) is orders of magnitude smaller than electrostatic scattering, we should confine a plasma with high density and temperature for a sufficiently long time. Fusion plasma research is to find a way to generate, sustain steadily, and confine sufficiently long time plasmas so that this plasma can reach the self-sustained state by fusion energy. Our department has studied broad fusion research topics, such as plasma equilibrium and stability, plasma transport, plasma wall interaction, etc.