1. Fusion Research Infrastructure
Iran's fusion research infrastructure is surprisingly extensive for a sanctioned nation, encompassing five operational tokamaks across multiple institutions, an ICF research program with laser and IECF capabilities, and a dedicated plasma physics research school under AEOI. This chapter examines the tokamak program, the ICF research, and the university-based plasma physics infrastructure.
1.1 AEOI and the Plasma and Fusion Research School
AEOI (est. 1974), the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, operates Iran's central plasma physics and fusion research program through the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI). AEOI's fusion program includes tokamaks, plasma focus devices, IECF, and laser fusion projects. With 17 documented connections, AEOI is the most connected entity in Iran's plasma physics ecosystem.
NSTRI (est. 1974), the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, is part of AEOI and hosts the Plasma and Fusion Research School. NSTRI has a documented cooperation program with the Russian Kurchatov Institute.
Plasma and Fusion Research School (est. 1974) is AEOI's dedicated plasma physics institution with four research groups: Nuclear Fusion, Plasma Technology, Diagnostic Methods, and Laser-Plasma Interaction. The school has been the hub of Iran's fusion research since 1975 and operates multiple tokamaks and plasma devices. With 11 documented connections, it is the third most connected entity in the network.
1.2 Tokamak Program
Iran operates five tokamaks across three institutions, making it one of the more prolific tokamak operators in the developing world:
Damavand Tokamak (est. 2008) is an AEOI tokamak with a highly elongated plasma cross-section and poloidal divertor, designed to study ITER-relevant physics including disruptions, equilibrium, stability, and control.
Alvand Tokamak (est. 2008) is a small AEOI tokamak with circular cross-section, minor radius 12.6 cm, major radius 45.5 cm, toroidal field up to 0.9 T, and plasma current 15-35 kA.
IR-T1 Tokamak (est. 2008) is a research tokamak at Islamic Azad University, led by Mahmood Ghoranneviss, used for MHD instability studies and electrode biasing experiments.
Taban Tokamak (est. 2012) is a small tokamak at Amirkabir University with circular cross-section, major radius 0.45 m, minor radius 0.15 m, and toroidal field up to 0.7-0.8 T.
Alborz Tokamak (est. 2018) is an educational tokamak at Amirkabir University for studying plasma phenomena, featuring hot filament and reverse discharge loop pre-ionization.
1.3 ICF and Laser Fusion Research
100-joule laser system (est. 2010) is a laser system developed by AEOI for inertial confinement fusion research, part of the laser fusion project with micro-balloon target fabrication capability.
IR-IECF (est. 2010) is the Iranian Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion device at AEOI, a compact tabletop neutron source achieving 1.46 × 10^7 n/s at -82 kV and 48 mA.
Laser fusion project (est. 2010) is an AEOI project for inertial confinement fusion using high-energy laser and particle beams, including the 100-joule laser system and micro-balloon target fabrication.
1.4 University Plasma Physics Programs
Amirkabir University (est. 1958), Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, hosts the Alborz and Taban tokamaks, a Nuclear Fusion Laboratory, a Helicon Plasma Laboratory, and an Accelerator and Applications Laboratory. Amirkabir has documented cooperation with SPND.
Islamic Azad University (est. 1982) hosts a Plasma Physics Research Center and the IR-T1 Tokamak, led by Mahmood Ghoranneviss.
Sharif University (est. 1966) and Imam Khomeini University (est. 1980) have researchers who have openly reported electromagnetic interference testing and HEMP simulation research, with documented cooperation with SPND.