Feature Channels: Fusion

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Can plasma be sufficiently heated inside a tokamak using only microwaves? New research suggests it can! Eliminating the central ohmic heating coil normally used in tokamaks will free up much-needed space for a more compact, efficient spherical tokamak.

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A team of fusion researchers led by engineers at Princeton University and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have successfully deployed machine learning methods to suppress harmful edge instabilities — without sacrificing plasma performance. The research team demonstrated the highest fusion performance without the presence of edge bursts at two different fusion facilities — each with its own set of operating parameters.

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Researchers at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are using artificial intelligence to perfect the design of the vessels surrounding the super-hot plasma, optimize heating methods and maintain stable control of the reaction for increasingly long periods.

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Scientists are using the imperfections in magnetic fields that confine a fusion reaction to improve and enhance the plasma in an approach outlined in a new paper in the journal Nature Communications. PPPL Physicist Seong-Moo Yang led the research team, which spans various institutions in the U.S. and South Korea. Yang says this is the first time any research team has validated a systematic approach to tailoring magnetic field imperfections to make the plasma suitable for use as a power source. These magnetic field imperfections are known as error fields.

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A Princeton-led team composed of engineers, physicists, and data scientists from the University and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to predict — and then avoid — the formation of a specific plasma problem in real time.

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Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy images often suffer from noise and artifacts, which are difficult to estimate accurately and finely.

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Under the direction of principal engineer Yuhu Zhai, PPPL is building its new High-Field Magnet Test Facility, which will provide powerful magnets for scientific experiments to researchers at both PPPL and Princeton University, as well as private companies along the mid-Atlantic coast.

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Magnetic plasma confinement in tokamaks is subject to effects from instabilities in the hot plasma.

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Emerging research from the Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) suggests it may be easier to use fusion as a power source if liquid lithium is applied to the internal walls of the device housing the plasma.

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Burning fusion plasmas host a wide array of electromagnetic waves that can push energetic ions out of the plasma.

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With the rise in machine learning applications and artificial intelligence, it's no wonder that more and more scientists and researchers are turning to supercomputers. Supercomputers are commonly used for making predictions with advanced modeling and simulations. This can be applied to climate research, weather forecasting, genomic sequencing, space exploration, aviation engineering and more.

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Argonne National Laboratory’s Theta supercomputer will be retired at the end of 2023, ending a productive run of enabling scientific breakthroughs in areas ranging from materials discovery to supernova simulations.

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University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers have used a spray coating technology to produce a new workhorse material that can withstand the harsh conditions inside a fusion reactor.

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The lab will partner in two collaborations – one led by Colorado State University and the other by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory – as part of a DOE-funded effort to speed up progress in fusion energy science and technology.

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A company founded by a University of Bristol academic is pioneering a new technology that has the potential to revolutionise cancer diagnosis and treatment.