Desktop computers operating into a CAMAC-based interface are used to control and monitor the operation of the various subsystems on the Tandem Mirror Experiment-Upgrade (TMX-U) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). These systems include: shot sequencer/master timing, neutral beam control (four consoles), magnet power system control, ion-cyclotron resonant heating (ICRH) control, thermocouple monitoring, getter system control, gas fueling system control, and electron-cyclotron resonant heating (ECRH) monitoring. Two additional computers are used to control the TMX-U neutral beam test stand and provide computer-aided repair/test and development of CAMAC modules. These machines are usually programmed in BASIC, but some codes have been interpreted into assembly language to increase speed. Details of the computer interfaces and system complexity are described as well as the evolution of the systems to their present states.

The formalism describing ion-cyclotron modes in mirror traps will be developed. Emphasis will be placed on the effects of finite axial boundaries on the normal modes of the system. Wave properties are a composite picture of: positive energy waves (plasma oscillation, shear Alfven and drift waves), negative energy waves (ion Bernstein waves in a loss-cone media), positive dissipation (electron Landau damping, outgoing waves), and negative dissipation (ion cyclotron damping in a loss-cone and anisotropic temperature medium). Stability boundaries in this bounded media is affected by scale lengths along the magnetic field; first, because they determine the widths of the resonances, and second, because they restrict the parallel structure of the modes.

The tandem mirror program has evolved considerably in the last decade. Of significance is the viable reactor concept embodied in the MARS design. An aggressive experimental program culminating in the operation of MFTF-B in late 1986, will provide a firm basis for refining the MARS design as necessary for constructing a reactor prototype in the 1990s.

This review covers the following topics: (1) thermal barrier formation, (2) ion pumping, (3) high-field throttle coil, and (4) microstability. (MOW)

Equilibrium in quadrupole symmetric mirrors is fully three dimensional; however, because axial scale lengths are long compared with radial scale lengths (equivalently weak curvature) it is possible to reduce the complexity of the equations by expanding in the appropriate smallness parameter. Such a procedure leads to set of reduced MHD equations. The general theory will be presented, numerical results discussed, modifications due to finite Larmor radius will be added, and an analytic solution for sharp boundary pressure models will be developed.

Applying programmable controllers in critical applications such as personnel safety and interlocks systems requires special considerations in the design of both hardware and software. All modern programmable controller systems feature extensive internal diagnostic capabilities to protect against problems such as program memory errors; however most, if not all present designs lack an intrinsic capability for detecting and countering failures on the field-side of their I/O modules. Many of the most common styles of I/O modules can also introduce potentially dangerous sneak circuits, even without component failure. This paper presents the most significant lessons learned to date in the design of the MFTF-B Personnel Safety and Interlocks System, which utilizes two non-redundant programmable controllers with over 800 I/O points each. Specific problems recognized during the design process as well as those discovered during initial testing and operation are discussed along with their specific solutions in hardware and software.

Interesting modelling of intense electron flow has been done with implicit particle-in-cell simulation codes. In this report, the direct implicit PIC simulation approach is applied to simulations that include full electromagnetic fields. The resulting algorithm offers advantages relative to moment implicit electromagnetic algorithms and may help in our quest for robust and simpler implicit codes.

As a satellite to the MARS (Mirror Advanced Reactor Study) a smaller, near-term device has been scoped, called the FPD (Fusion Power Demonstration). Envisioned as the next logical step toward a power reactor, it would advance the mirror fusion program beyond MFTF-B and provide an intermediate step toward commercial fusion power. Breakeven net electric power capability would be the goal such that no net utility power would be required to sustain the operation. A phased implementation is envisioned, with a deuterium checkout first to verify the plasma systems before significant neutron activation has occurred. Major tritium-related facilities would be installed with the second phase to produce sufficient fusion power to supply the recirculating power to maintain the neutral beams, ECRH, magnets and other auxiliary equipment.

The Mirror Fusion Test Facility (MFTF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is faced with the problem of controlling a multitude of plasma diagnostics instruments from a central, multiprocessor computer facility. A 16-bit microprocessor-based workstation allows each physicist entree into the central multiprocessor, which consists of nine Perkin-Elmer 32-bit minicomputers. The workstation provides the user interface to the larger system, with display graphics, windowing, and a physics notebook. Controlling a diagnostic is now equivalent to making entries into a traditional physics notebook.