TCM/RUSFD - Tehnial Committee Meeting on Researh
Using Small Fusion Devies
FOREWORD
Small fusion devies are still signiantly ontributing towards the worldwide eort to attain the ontrolled
thermonulearfusion. Themainadvantagesofusingthesemahinesforinvestigatingmagnetionnedplasmasare:
relativelowost;exibilityfortestinginnovativeoneptsandnewregimesofoperation;elastiityforinvestigating
basiphysis,proesses,andtheories;and apabilityofhelping theimprovementand developmentofnewplasma
diagnosti systems. Due to these overall qualiations, many small fusion devies are still in operation, bothin
developinganddevelopedountries,presentingrihopportunities forinternationalollaboration.
The series of Tehnial Committee Meetings on Researh Using Small Fusion Devies TCM/RUSFD, under
the main sponsorshipof IAEA {International Atomi Energy Ageny, has started with the 1 st
meeting held in
Budapest,in1985, withthenameof TCMon Researh Using SmallTokamaks,and ontinueduntil the14 th
one,
whihwasheld in theCampusoftheUniversityof S~aoPaulo,S~aoPaulo-Brazil,fromJune 25toJune27, 2001.
The loal organizing institution was theLaboratorio de Fsia de Plasmas, Instituto de Fsia - Universidade de
S~aoPaulo (LFP-IFUSP).
Themajor objetivesof the RUSFD meetings,sine thebeginning, were to providea forumfor disussion of
researh performed using small and medium sale fusion devies, theoretial developments, plasma appliations
and,also,tostimulateinternationalollaborations. Althoughthemeetingshavefousedmainlyonresultsobtained
with small and middle-size devies, in manyopportunities researhersfrom largerlaboratorieshaveattended the
meetingstoinformtheplasmaommunityaboutreentprogressesahievedonlarge-saleexperiments,andalsoto
exhangesientiexperienesin dierentlaboratoriesandindierentountries.
Thesientiprogramof the 14 th
TCM/RUSFD,held in S~aoPaulo,wasveryextensive andinluded Invited
Talks, Oral Presentations and Poster Presentations, given by plasma sientists from 12 dierent ountries. The
topis that were disussed inluded: Toroidal Magneti Systems; Non-Toroidal Systems; Plasma Fous; Inertial
Connement;InnovativeConepts;TheoryandSimulations;DiagnostisandDataAquisitionSystems;andPlasma
Appliations. Theleveloftheontributionswasquitehigh andtheeventwas asuess.
TheGuestEditorsofthisBJP SpeialIssuewishtotakethisopportunitytothankallthe14THTCM-RUSFD
partiipantsand, in speial, express theiraknowledgmentto Prof. Silvio Salinas,Editorof theBrazilian Journal
of Physis,forhisvaluablehelpandformakingthispubliationpossible,andalsotoallthefundingageniesthat
ontributedforthe realizationofthe meeting: IAEA{International Atomi Energy Ageny, USP- University of
S~ao Paulo, FAPESP { Funda~ao de Amparo aPesquisa do Estado de S~ao Paulo, CNPq{ Conselho Naional de
Pesquisas, and IFUSP-Physis Institute ofthe University of S~ao Paulo. FinallywethankMs. NeusaMartin for
hereÆientandhardworkinompiling allthepapersforthepresentBJPedition.
S~aoPaulo,Marh2002
Guest Editors:
Prof. AlvaroVannui(SientiSeretary)
Prof. IvanC.Nasimento(Chairman)
Prof. RiardoM.O.Galv~ao
