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Tokamak magnetic confinement
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tokamak

physics
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History

tokamak, device used in nuclear-fusion research for magnetic confinement of plasma. It consists of a complex system of magnetic fields that confine the plasma of reactive charged particles in a hollow, doughnut-shaped container. The tokamak (an acronym from the Russian words for toroidal magnetic confinement) was developed in the mid-1960s by Soviet plasma physicists. It produces the highest plasma temperatures, densities, and confinement durations of any confinement device.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by William L. Hosch.