ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Mar 2026
Jan 2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
April 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Going Nuclear: Notes from the officially unofficial book tour
I work in the analytical labs at one of Europe’s oldest and largest nuclear sites: Sellafield, in northwestern England. I spend my days at the fume hood front, pipette in one hand and radiation probe in the other (and dosimeter pinned to my chest, of course). Outside the lab, I have a second job: I moonlight as a writer and public speaker. My new popular science book—Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World—came out last summer, and it feels like my life has been running at full power ever since.
J. A. Hoekzema
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 45 | Number 2 | March 2004 | Pages 211-216
Technical Paper | Plasma and Fusion Energy Physics - Plasma Heating and Current Drive | doi.org/10.13182/FST04-A485
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An introduction is given to plasma heating and current drive with electromagnetic waves in the electron cyclotron range of frequencies, with emphasis on application in tokamak plasmas. Propagation and absorption of these waves is generally well described by linear theory, a short overview of which is given. Electron cyclotron absorption is limited to regions of the plasma where the gyromotion of electrons is in resonance with the wave frequency and can be well localised, even in smaller experiments. Apart from being able to provide global heating and non-inductive current drive, ECRH and ECCD are therefore important tools to study and manipulate locally instabilities in the plasma which are electron temperature gradient or current driven. Important potential control applications in a reactor grade plasma include mode stabilisation to prevent disruptions, transport manipulation (e.g. to maintain burn) and correction of the bootstrap current profile. The use of EC waves in major tokamak experiments has in the past been restricted due to the lack of suitable sources. These sources are, however, now rapidly becoming available.