- By:
- Rapp, Juergen ; Lumsdaine, Arnold ; Aaron, Adam M; Biewer, Theodore M; Bigelow, Timothy S; Boyd, Gordon T; Caughman, John B; Curry, Douglas E; Duckworth, Robert C; Goulding, Richard H; Hussain, Muhammad A; Kaufman, Michael C; Lau, Cornwall H
- Journal Name:
- Fusion Science and Technology
- Page Number:
- 1113-1123
- Volume:
- 79
- Issue Number:
- 8
- Publication Date:
- February 19, 2026
- View DOI Listing:
- https://doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2168443
Abstract
The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) has completed its design phase. MPEX will be a unique facility to investigate plasma material interactions (PMIs) under fusion prototypic divertor conditions in steady state. This includes plasma exposure conditions expected in a fusion reactor divertor. Materials to be investigated will include solids, liquids, and neutron pre-irradiated materials. Electron and ion heating will allow for a large operational domain ranging from erosion-dominated PMI conditions to deposition-dominated PMI conditions. An overview of the final design for all MPEX systems is given. In particular, it is shown how mission-driven project requirements have led to detailed design choices with innovative solutions. Examples are the water-cooled helicon window, the electron cyclotron heating launcher, the target holder and manipulator, and the autonomous decouplers.
