Graduate-level text examines the essential physics underlying international research in magnetic confinement fusion with accounts of fundamental concepts behind methods of confining plasma at or near thermonuclear conditions. 1992 edition.

The International Conference on Open Plasma Confinement Systems for Fusion is dedicated to the memory of Gersh I Budker, in commemoration of his 75th birthday and held under the auspices of the Scientific Council on 'Plasma Physics' Complex Problem of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The main objectives of the Conference and its published Proceedings are to serve as a review of the progress made in open plasma confinement systems' development, in understanding the fundamental processes and the main problems of these systems, as well as to review the mirror reactor prospects.Among the authors of these papers are Profs. H Berk, B Chirikov, G Dimov, I Golovin, M Inutake, R Itatani, T Kawabe, E Kruglyakov, V Pastukhov, D Ryutov & T Tamano.