Amongst the various problems still to be solved before being able to use fusion reaction as a reliable energy source, the plasma-wall interactions and their consequences for the lifetime of the plasma facing components is of highest importance. One of these plasma facing components is the reactor wall itself which is foreseen to be in tungsten for the next fusion device. We are proposing to study tungsten coating for this purpose and investigate the properties of the film in term of adhesion, chemical activity and thermal conductivity.

The majority of optical diagnostics presently foreseen for ITER will implement in-vessel metallic mirrors as plasma viewing components, the plasma-wall interactions and their consequences for the lifetime of the mirrors is of highest importance. In the hostile ITER environment, mirrors are subject to erosion, deposition, particle implantation and other adverse effects which will change their optical properties, affecting the entire performance of the respective diagnostic systems. It is the aim of the present project to solve various problems related to the use of metallic mirrors in ITER through extensive collaborations with groups from different Tokamaks. Special interest will be drawn to study the feasibility of in-situ cleaning techniques for mirrors at the Department of Physics in Basel.