Plasma boundary considerations for the national compact stellarator experiment

The national compact stellarator experiment (NCSX) [EPS 2001, Madeira, Portugal, 18-22 June 2001] is a new fusion project located at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ. Plasma boundary control in stellarators has been shown to be very effective in improving plasma performance [EPS 2001, Madeira, Portugal, 18-22 June 2001] and, accordingly, will be an important element from the very beginning of the NCSX design. Plasma-facing components will be developed systematically according to our understanding of the NCSX boundary, with the eventual goal to develop a divertor with all the benefits for impurity and neutrals control. Neutrals calculations have been started to investigate the effect of neutrals penetration at various cross-sections. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.