Fusion technology development. Annual report to the US Department of Energy, October 1, 1996--September 30, 1997

In FY97, the General Atomics (GA) Fusion Group made significant contributions to the technology needs of the magnetic fusion program. The work was supported by the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, International and Technology Division, of the US Department of Energy. The work is reported in the following sections on Fusion Power Plant Studies (Section 2), Plasma Interactive Materials (Section 3), Magnetic Diagnostic Probes (Section 4) and RF Technology (Section 5). Meetings attended and publications are listed in their respective sections. The overall objective of GA`s fusion technology research is to develop the technologies necessary for fusion to move successfully from present-day physics experiments to ITER and other next-generation fusion experiments, and ultimately to fusion power plants. To achieve this overall objective, we carry out fusion systems design studies to evaluate the technologies needed for next-step experiments and power plants, and we conduct research to develop basic knowledge about these technologies, including plasma technologies, fusion nuclear technologies, and fusion materials. We continue to be committed to the development of fusion power and its commercialization by US industry