Patent Number: H00002682
Section: claims

1. A closed magnetic field line plasma confinement device, comprising: a plurality of linear magnetic plasma confinement sections each comprising an identical plurality of axisymmetric assemblies of plasma confinement mirror segments connected in series to generate magnetic fields having continuous magnetic field lines extending through said confinement sections for confining a plasma, a each of said segments including an annular mirror field plasma confinement means of the bumpy type including an microwave cavity formed by an enlarged diameter portion of a vacuum containment vessel confining tne plasma along said confinement section wherein a hot electron ring is formed about an enlarged diameter portion of the magnetic field lines of each mirror field segment to provide magnetohydrodynamic stability of a confined plasma;  a plurality of curved sections formed of curved generally cylindrical sections linking said plurality of linear confinement sections into a generally polygonal magnetic plasma containment vessel; and  solenoid coil means disposed about each of said plurality of curved sections for generating a solenoidal magnetic field extending through each of said curved sections, said solenoidal magnetic fields being sufficiently stronger than the average magnetic fields generated in said plurality of linear confinement sections to generate compressed, continuous field lines within a smaller confinement diameter than that of said linear confinement sections and aligned to form continuous magnetic field lines with those of said linear sections so that the radial drift of confined plasma particles passing through said curved sections is minimized, thereby providing stability of the confined plasma. 2. The plasma confinement device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plurality of linear plasma confinement sections and said plurality of curved sections is four thereby forming a generally square plasma confinement device. 3. The plasma confinement device as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said curved sections has a length substantially shorter than the length of said linear sections. 4. The plasma confinement device as set forth in claim 3 wherein each of said curved sections are 90.degree. sections having a common radius over the length thereof and displaced radially outward with respect to the axis of adjacent linear sections so that the contours of constant magnetic fields in the midplane of the end segments of adjacent linear sections are aligned on the same set of field lines on which they are formed in the linear sections. 5. The plasma confinement device as set forth in claim 4 wherein said solenoid coil means includes a plurality of circularly shaped, planar coils uniformally diposed about said corner sections.