Plasma–Material Interactions in Magnetic Fusion Devices

Diverse plasma interactions with the materials of the plasma facing components (PFCs) are very important in magnetic fusion devices. They determine the PFC erosion and, therefore, the PFC’s lifetime, plasma contamination with unwanted impurities, retention of radioactive tritium, and often result in a strong degradation of the material properties. Unfortunately, this area of research is still underdeveloped and our understanding of complex processes involving plasma-material interactions is still far from completeness. Here the current status of our knowledge of plasma interactions with the PFC materials is presented.