T-3 tokamak

T-3
	"To Moscow": British scientists verify T-3's record-breaking claims, by Boris Kadomtsev.
Device type	Tokamak
Location	Moscow, Soviet Union
Affiliation	Kurchatov Institute, Soviet Academy of Sciences
Technical specifications
Major radius	1.0 m (3 ft 3 in)
Minor radius	0.15 m (5.9 in)
Magnetic field	3.4 T (34,000 G)
Plasma current	0.08 MA
Plasma temperature	1 keV (12 MK)
Plasma density	< 5×1019 m−3
History
Year(s) of operation	1960–1970s?
Succeeded by	T-4 tokamak

The T-3 tokamak was a tokamak fusion experiment built in the 1960s at the Kurchatov Institute in the Soviet Union. In 1968, it reported world record results for the temperature and density of its plasma at the 3rd IAEA international fusion energy conference.^[6]^[7]

As these were key quantities in achieving net power gain from fusion, it caused disbelief followed by excitement worldwide. At first, a British team from the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy was dispatched to Moscow to verify the results, which they concluded were accurate.^[3]^[5]^[8] This led to accelerated investment in tokamaks worldwide, including a complete pivot by the US from stellarator to tokamak.

In 1968, the tokamak was unique to the USSR. Most other countries focused on the Z-pinch and stellarator, particularly the UK and US respectively. After 1968, T-3 was followed in the US by the conversion of the Princeton Model C stellarator to the Symmetrical Tokamak in 1970. Both T-3 and the Symmetrical Tokamak confirmed that tokamaks could overcome Bohm diffusion by a large factor.^[9]

Building of the new PLT tokamak started in 1972. The PLT's own large successor was funded in 1975, TFTR. In Western Europe, design on the Euratom large tokamak JET began in the early 1970s, and it was funded in 1978. By 1980, the focus of attention and resources in fusion energy research worldwide was firmly on the tokamak.^[10]

References

1 2 Gorbunov, E.P.; Mirnov, S.V.; Strelkov, V.S. (1970). "Energy Confinement Time of a Plasma as a Function of the Discharge Paramaters in Tokamak-3". Nuclear Fusion. 10: 45. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
↑ Mirnov, S.V.; Semenov, I.B. (February 1970). "Measurement of Ion Temperature in the "Tokamak T-3" Facility from Doppler Broadening of Spectral Lines of Neutral Hydrogen and Deuterium". Soviet Atomic Energy. 28 (160–162). Retrieved 17 September 2026.
1 2 Peacock, N.J.; Robinson, D.C.; Forrest, M.J.; Wilcock, P.D.; Sannikov, V.V. (1 November 1969). "Measurement of the Electron Temperature by Thomson Scattering in Tokamak T3". Nature. 224 (488–490). Retrieved 17 September 2026.
↑ Wesson, J. (1987). Tokamaks. Clarendon Press. p. 268. ISBN 0198563280.
1 2 Arnoux, Robert (2009-10-09). "Off to Russia with a thermometer". ITER Organization. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
↑ Arnoux, Robert (2008-08-04). "August 1968: A revolution in fusion". ITER Organization. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
↑ Artsimovich, L.A.; Bobrovskij, G.L.; Goburov, E.P.; Ivanov, D.P.; Kirillov, V.D.; Kuznetsov, J.I.; Mirnov, S.V.; Petrov, M.P.; Razumova, K.A.; Strelkov, V.S.; Tcheglov, D.A. (January 1969). "Experiments in Tokamak Devices". Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, Novosibirsk, USSR (Russian Federation), 1-7 Aug 1968 (in Russian) (p. 157-171). Retrieved 17 September 2026.
↑ Anashin, A.M.; Gorbunov, E.P.; Ivanov, D.P.; Lysenko, S.E.; Peacock, N.J.; Robinson, D.C.; Sannikov, V.V.; Strelkov, V.S. (December 23, 1970). "Experiments on Laser and Microwave Probing of Plasma, and Measurements of the Diamagnetic Effect on the Tokamak T-3a Installation" (PDF). Soviet Physics JETP. 60 (2092–2104). Retrieved 17 September 2026.
↑ Post, R.F. (1971). "Fusion Power: The Uncertain Certainty". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 8 (42–48). doi:10.1080/00963402.1971.11455401.
↑ Jameson, Valerie; Highfield, Roger; Calder, Neil; Arnoux, Robert (9 October 2009). "ITER: A brief history of fusion". New Scientist. Retrieved 17 September 2026.

[t3-70-1] 1 2 Gorbunov, E.P.; Mirnov, S.V.; Strelkov, V.S. (1970). "Energy Confinement Time of a Plasma as a Function of the Discharge Paramaters in Tokamak-3". Nuclear Fusion. 10: 45. Retrieved 17 September 2026.

[t3-72-2] Mirnov, S.V.; Semenov, I.B. (February 1970). "Measurement of Ion Temperature in the "Tokamak T-3" Facility from Doppler Broadening of Spectral Lines of Neutral Hydrogen and Deuterium". Soviet Atomic Energy. 28 (160–162). Retrieved 17 September 2026.

[natu-cul5-3] 1 2 Peacock, N.J.; Robinson, D.C.; Forrest, M.J.; Wilcock, P.D.; Sannikov, V.V. (1 November 1969). "Measurement of the Electron Temperature by Thomson Scattering in Tokamak T3". Nature. 224 (488–490). Retrieved 17 September 2026.

[4] Wesson, J. (1987). Tokamaks. Clarendon Press. p. 268. ISBN 0198563280.

[iter-cul5-5] 1 2 Arnoux, Robert (2009-10-09). "Off to Russia with a thermometer". ITER Organization. Retrieved 17 September 2026.

[iter-iaea68-6] Arnoux, Robert (2008-08-04). "August 1968: A revolution in fusion". ITER Organization. Retrieved 17 September 2026.

[iaea-iaea68-7] Artsimovich, L.A.; Bobrovskij, G.L.; Goburov, E.P.; Ivanov, D.P.; Kirillov, V.D.; Kuznetsov, J.I.; Mirnov, S.V.; Petrov, M.P.; Razumova, K.A.; Strelkov, V.S.; Tcheglov, D.A. (January 1969). "Experiments in Tokamak Devices". Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, Novosibirsk, USSR (Russian Federation), 1-7 Aug 1968 (in Russian) (p. 157-171). Retrieved 17 September 2026.

[8] Anashin, A.M.; Gorbunov, E.P.; Ivanov, D.P.; Lysenko, S.E.; Peacock, N.J.; Robinson, D.C.; Sannikov, V.V.; Strelkov, V.S. (December 23, 1970). "Experiments on Laser and Microwave Probing of Plasma, and Measurements of the Diamagnetic Effect on the Tokamak T-3a Installation" (PDF). Soviet Physics JETP. 60 (2092–2104). Retrieved 17 September 2026.

[9] Post, R.F. (1971). "Fusion Power: The Uncertain Certainty". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 8 (42–48). doi:10.1080/00963402.1971.11455401.

[tok-newsci-10] Jameson, Valerie; Highfield, Roger; Calder, Neil; Arnoux, Robert (9 October 2009). "ITER: A brief history of fusion". New Scientist. Retrieved 17 September 2026.

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