Magnetic Fusion Science and ITER Robert J. Goldston, Experimental plasma physics, plasma heating, transport. PPPL Director, Princeton University

The last decade has seen dramatic advances in the scientific understanding of magnetically-confined high-temperature plasmas for fusion energy, due to advances in plasma measurement techniques and parallel computing. Global stability to ideal and resistive modes is now quantitatively predictable, and a "standard model" of ion turbulence has emerged. The world is on the verge of construction of ITER, a device capable of producing hundreds of megawatts of fusion power, at high gain, for hundreds of seconds. With parallel research on materials and technology, and optimization of the plasma configuration, the next major step after ITER could be a demonstration power plant.