Need help understanding how plasma in a Tokamak loses energy.

joker_900

Mainly I don't get how plasma loses energy by conduction, which is what I have read. Is it just from the collisions between plasma particles and the wall?

Thanks!

Astronuc

Plasma interaction with the wall is just one way to loose energy, and that could be a quick way if the plasma quenches. In addition, plasma interaction with the wall would cause first wall atoms (e.g., carbon, vanadium, iron, . . . .) to enter the plasma where they would significantly increase brehmsstrahlung and other radiation losses.

Neutral atoms also conduct heat out of the plasma. They have kinetic energy and simply pass through the magnetic field.

But most energy losses are through radiation.