Physics basis for a tokamak fusion power plant

The five ARIES designs, which correspond to five different tokamak operating modes, are reviewed and compared. Physics figures of merit are introduced that quantify the major parameters of a tokamak design in a physics operating space. The five operating modes are compared to one another and to the existing tokamak data base in terms of these physics parameters. While the steady-state first stability design [ARIES-I] and the pulsed first stability design [PULSAR] are closest, no design has yet been completely prototyped in existing tokamaks.