Divertor

In magnetic confinement fusion, a divertor or diverted configuration is a magnetic field configuration of a tokamak or a stellarator which separates the confined plasma from the material surface of the device. The plasma particles which diffuse across the boundary of the confined region are diverted by the open, wall-intersecting magnetic field lines to wall structures which are called the divertor targets, usually remote from the confined plasma. The magnetic divertor extracts heat and ash produced by the fusion reaction, minimizes plasma contamination, and protects the surrounding walls from thermal and neutronic loads.

The term divertor usually describes the magnetic configuration itself or the region between the confined plasma and the target. Sometimes divertor target and divertor are used interchangeably. For example, the ITER divertor refers to the heavily engineered plasma-facing components designed to handle the intense plasma-wall interactions foreseen.