A review of supersonic molecular beam injection for plasma fueling and physical studies in magnetic fusion devices

In magnetic confinement fusion devices, supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI) is commonly used as a fueling method, which has also performed well in physical studies since it was first proposed on the HL-1 tokamak by Southwestern Institute of Physics. This study presents the development of the SMBI technique since its first use in fusion experimental devices and reviews the progress on the investigation of plasma physics using the SMBI. In addition, this study further discusses the potential applications of the SMBI technique on future fusion devices.