The rotating magnetic field technique of driving current and its application in the Rotamak

Two topics are discussed in this paper: the rotating magnetic field method of driving plasma current and its application in the generation of a compact torus configuration known as the Rotamak. In the discussion of the rotating magnetic field technique, the conditions necessary for the achievement of current drive are listed and a description is given of the basic physical mechanism underlying the method. A general description of a typical Rotamak device is provided together with results obtained in a high power (12 MW), short duration (approximately 80 μsec) experiment and a new, moderately high power (180 kW), long duration (40 msec) experiment. In both experiments, stable compact torus equilibria are produced in a straightforward manner