JT-60SA selects 23 experiments for OP2, including high-power NBI and tungsten studies

Japan and Europe have settled the scientific agenda for the next campaign at JT-60SA, the large superconducting tokamak they operate jointly. In its November 11 announcement, EUROfusion said 23 main experiments had been selected for OP2, scheduled to start in March 2027. The plan will, for the first time at JT-60SA, use high-power neutral beam injection (NBI) to heat the plasma and investigate conditions relevant to ITER.

The hydrogen-plasma phase includes negative-ion-based NBI with energies up to 500 keV and studies of error fields. The programme then moves to deuterium plasmas to validate neutron measurements and examine isotope effects on transport and confinement. Further topics include H-mode plasmas, heat-flux control, fast-ion behaviour and disruptions, including tests of control systems.

Researchers also plan to inject tungsten impurities using TESPEL to study how tungsten moves through the plasma ahead of a future all-tungsten plasma-facing configuration. Injecting tungsten does not mean that the machine's walls have already been replaced with tungsten.

The time requested for proposed experiments was approximately six times the available campaign time, requiring the leaders to select 23 priorities. The selection took place during September and October; the public announcement came on November 11. The JT-60SA project has invited eligible team members to participate, with a December 29 deadline.

None of these OP2 results has yet been demonstrated, and JT-60SA is not a commercial power plant. Next come joint European–Japanese experiment teams and preparations for the campaign. For further context, see FI's JT-60SA machine explainer and its article on communications and control.