It is operated by the National Institute for Fusion Science, and is the world's second-largest superconducting stellarator, after Wendelstein 7-X.

The LHD employs a heliotron magnetic field originally developed in Japan.

The LHD uses neutral beam injection, ion cyclotron radio frequency (ICRF), and electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) to heat the plasma, much like conventional tokamaks.

This configuration allows for the modification of the stochastic layer size, which is positioned between the confined plasma volume and the field lines that terminate on the divertor plate.

Boundary plasma research at LHD focuses on the capability of the helical divertor as an exhaust system for heliotrons and stellarators.