Reference Devices
The Gas-Dynamic Trap
A mirror experiment demonstrating stable, high-beta open-ended confinement.
- Type
- Magnetic mirror
- Relevance
- Burner heritage
The Gas-Dynamic Trap is a leading magnetic-mirror experiment that has demonstrated stable, high-beta operation and advanced sloshing-ion and plug physics — the modern basis for taking mirrors seriously again.
It is direct heritage for the Kronos burner, whose plug-density requirement (n_p/n_c ≈ 16) builds on this line of work.
Common questions
What is the Gas-Dynamic Trap?
The GDT is a modern mirror experiment that has achieved high beta and hot ions in an open, linear configuration — recent evidence that mirror confinement can reach reactor-relevant parameters.
Why is it important to the burner's case?
Because it provides contemporary experimental support for the linear-mirror approach the burner uses, beyond the historical tandem-mirror record.