Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2007 APS April Meeting
Volume 52, Number 3
Saturday–Tuesday, April 14–17, 2007; Jacksonville, Florida
Session R8: Fusion Plasmas |
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Sponsoring Units: DPP Chair: Ian Hutchinson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Room: Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront City Terrace 4 |
Monday, April 16, 2007 10:45AM - 11:21AM |
R8.00001: Progress in 5-Dimensional Plasma Turbulence Simulations of Fusion Energy Devices Invited Speaker: There has been interesting progress recently in the development of 5-dimensional gyrokinetic codes for simulating turbulent transport in magnetic fusion [1-3]. The mechanisms driving this turbulence will be illustrated with intuitive physical pictures and visualizations from the simulations. This will also give insight into methods to reduce this turbulence that are being studied in experiments. 5-dimensional plasma turbulence is a very challenging problem, but these codes have been made feasible by the exponential growth in computing power, and, equally importantly, by advanced algorithms. These algorithms include the gyrokinetic equations themselves (a rigorous expansion of the full equations that average over high-frequency gyromotion while retaining nonlinearities), along with computational techniques such as spectral methods, higher-order algorithms, efficient field-aligned coordinates, and implicit techniques. The most comprehensive of these codes now include all of the effects thought important for realistic calculations of the drift-wave turbulence that occurs in the core region of tokamaks: fully gyrokinetic ions and electrons, magnetic and electric fluctuations, etc., and they are being heavily used to study turbulent transport in fusion devices. This talk will conclude with a description of remaining challenges, including multiscale couplings and the complexity of turbulence in the edge region of fusion devices. \\ {\footnotesize 1. W.\ Dorland, F.\ Jenko, M.\ Kotschenreuther, B.N. Rogers, Phys.\ Rev.\ Lett.\ 85, (2000) \\ 2. J. Candy and R.E. Waltz, Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 45001 (2003) \\ 3. Y. Chen, S.E. Parker, B.I. Cohen, A.M. Dimits et al., Nucl. Fus. 43, 1121 (2003)} [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, April 16, 2007 11:21AM - 11:57AM |
R8.00002: Noninductive Current Drive Invited Speaker: |
Monday, April 16, 2007 11:57AM - 12:33PM |
R8.00003: Advances in Control and Understanding of Fusion Plasmas in DIII-D Invited Speaker: The mission of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility is to develop the physics basis for the optimization of the tokamak approach to fusion energy production. This optimization seeks to develop integrated physics solutions that simultaneously allow operation at high plasma energy content through avoidance of pressure-limiting instabilities, reduced thermal losses by minimizing turbulence-driven transport, and shielding of the chamber walls from plasma heat exhaust through innovative methods for heat dispersal. Recent DIII-D enhancements have led to advances in the ability to control and diagnose important features of the magnetically confined fusion plasma. Examples of these advances will be presented in this talk with particular emphasis given to recent breakthroughs in plasma control and basic plasma understanding. In plasma control, the most detrimental of large-scale instabilities have been suppressed through use of non-axisymmetric magnetic fields and localized current drive, allowing operation at the theoretically predicted pressure limits. In addition, methods for controlling key plasma profiles have been demonstrated and are regularly utilized for physics studies. Diagnostic instruments, capable of measuring small-scale ($\sim $2 mm) turbulent structures, have enabled researchers a first glimpse into turbulence generation and its self-regulation through zonal flows. Separate measurements have revealed the complex structure of Alfv\'{e}n instabilities caused by high-energy ions used for heating the plasma to high temperatures. These advances in the understanding and control of fusion plasmas are providing the basis for the successful demonstration of sustained fusion energy production in ITER --- an international collaborative experiment aimed at sustaining 500 MW of fusion power for 400 s. [Preview Abstract] |
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