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Glossary of Fusion & Plasma Terms
The Beta Limit
The maximum plasma pressure a magnetic configuration can stably hold.
- Breeder beta-N
- 1.532
Beta limits cap how much plasma pressure a given field can confine before instabilities grow. Operating below them bounds the achievable power density. HYPERION runs at βN = 1.532, within the no-wall limits observed on spherical tokamaks.
Its low aspect ratio is what lets it hold high beta while staying within these limits.