Glossary – Definitions
Thermonuclear Fusion : Basic Principles, Achievements and Prospects

Plasma; plasma

A material medium whose volumetric density of free charges induces singular electromagnetic behaviors in its dynamics and radiation. The three states of matter on earth - solid, liquid and gas - can, under conditions of temperature and density rarely reached on earth but common in the universe, give rise to a plasma by ionization.

Fusion par confinement magnétique (FCM); Magnetic confinement fusion (MCF)

Research program aimed at producing energy by thermonuclear fusion reactions of a mixture of light atomic elements raised to 10 ⁷ kelvins and with a density of a few hundred-thousandths of the standard atmospheric density. Through confinement by magnetic fields of a few teslas, the plasma continuously delivers neutron power usable for a power-generating...