Spherical tokamaks today

The research activities in the field of the smali aspect ratio or spherical tokamaks are reviewed. Stability and eauilibrium issues of the spherical tokamak plasma are discussed and comparison to the conventional tokamak approximation is made. Uniaue features of eauilibrium and enhanced stability of the spherical tokamak plasmas are reviewed. Some principal experimental and theoretical results of the spherical tokamak plasma investigation during the last decade are discussed. Emphasis is made on the description of new possibilities for the basie (fundamental) physics research due to unusual combination of properties appropriate to the spherical tokamak plasmas. Research programs and experimental possibilities of new generation of the spherical tokamaks are discussed.