A team of researchers used computer code M3D-C1 to model different valve configurations and found that six gas valves provide optimal protection for rapidly dispersing cooling gas. The study's findings will help bring fusion power closer to reality by advancing disruption mitigation strategies.
Three PPPL researchers, Frances Kraus, Jason Parisi, and Willca Villafana, are recognized for their innovative contributions to plasma physics. Their work covers various areas, including high-temperature fusion plasmas and low-temperature plasma simulations.
Physicists have created a new code, QUADCOIL, to design stellarators, which could lead to simpler and more affordable fusion facilities. The code helps balance physics and engineering by quickly ruling out unstable plasma shapes and predicting magnet complexities.
New research exposes samples to superheated plasma, revealing that carbon is the main cause of trapped fuel. The study aims to improve materials for future fusion power plants like ITER by minimizing carbon content.
Researchers have developed a new recipe for making flash memory that uses hydrogen fluoride plasma to create narrow, deep holes twice as fast. This breakthrough aims to address the growing demand for denser data storage in electronic devices.
Elena Belova, a theoretical physicist, developed complex simulations of plasmas in fusion experiments. Yevgeny Raitses, an experimental researcher, contributed to low-temperature plasma and diagnostics research. Both were honored as Distinguished Research Fellows at PPPL.
Researchers Choongseok Chang, Seung-Hoe Ku, and Robert Hager developed simulations that closely matched experiments in the DIII-D device, revealing that turbulence doubles the exhaust layer width. This discovery supports predictions that ITER could have a broader exhaust footprint than previously thought.
PPPL researchers will lead two collaborative projects involving national labs, academic, and industry partners to advance microelectronics and sensors. The projects aim to create a science-based plasma-processing toolbox for next-generation semiconductor device manufacturing processes.
Researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have developed a technique to prevent unwanted waves that siphon off needed energy, increasing the efficiency of fusion reactions. Positioning a metal grate at a slight angle enhances heat put into the plasma and reduces slow modes, leading to more powerful and efficient fusion heating.
A new approach could overcome major barriers to practical fusion energy production by adjusting fuel properties using spin polarization. This method could increase tritium burn efficiency, reducing the amount needed and lowering operating costs.
Scientists at DOE's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory perfect processes for growing diamond at lower temperatures without sacrificing quality. The breakthrough could enable the implementation of diamond in silicon-based manufacturing, opening a door for advanced electronics and sensors.
A team led by Sayak Bose has made significant progress in understanding the underlying heating mechanism of coronal holes. They found that reflected plasma waves can cause turbulence and heat coronal holes, providing the first experimental verification of Alfvén wave reflection.
Researchers have developed new AI models for plasma heating that can predict plasma behavior more accurately than existing numerical codes. The models use machine learning to analyze data generated by a computer code, enabling faster simulations without compromising accuracy.
Researchers at PPPL have found that adding boron powder to a tokamak's plasma can shield the wall from tungsten atoms, preventing cooling and sustaining fusion reactions. Computer modeling suggests the powder may only need to be sprinkled from one location for effective distribution.
The SMall Aspect Ratio Tokamak (SMART) is a compact spherical tokamak that benefits from PPPL computer codes and expertise in magnetics and sensor systems. Negative triangularity is expected to offer enhanced performance by suppressing instabilities and preventing damage to the tokamak wall.
A systematic review by PPPL researchers found that most journal articles on machine learning for solving fluid-related PDEs are biased towards machine learning, with negative results underreported. The authors propose rules to make fair comparisons and argue that cultural changes are needed to address systemic problems.
Scientists at the DOE's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have directly observed magneto-Rayleigh Taylor instabilities in plasma, which could aid in understanding how black holes produce vast intergalactic jets. The observation confirms that magnetic fields play a crucial role in forming these jets.
Scientists at PPPL envision a hot region with flowing liquid metal that protects the inside of the tokamak from intense heat. The new simulations reflect additional information, including collisions between neutral particles, and determine the best location for the lithium vapor cave is near the bottom of the tokamak by the center stack.
Scientists at DOE's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Kyushu University in Japan have proposed a design for a compact, spherical fusion pilot plant that heats plasma using only microwaves. The new approach eliminates ohmic heating, freeing up space and potentially making the vessel cheaper to build.
Researchers investigate defects in 2D materials, finding that some can improve electrical conductivity and shedding light on a common defect related to missing chalcogen atoms. Understanding these defects is crucial for refining processes needed to create precise TMD-based semiconductors.
Scientists have developed a machine learning program that can identify blobs of plasma in outer space known as plasmoids. The program will analyze data from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission to better understand magnetic reconnection and its effects on the electrical grid.
Researchers at PPPL have found a new mechanism that reduces the risk of damage to tokamak vessels by spreading exhaust heat across a larger area. The discovery challenges previous assumptions about plasma turbulence and its impact on the vessel's performance.
A new model refines understanding of plasma edge stability, impacting commercial fusion power. The 'apple' shape tokamaks show greater stability than traditional donut-shaped ones.
Researchers found that a photon's polarization is topological, meaning it doesn't change as it moves through materials and environments. This property can help design better light beams for heating and measuring plasma, which could increase fusion efficiency.
PPPL researchers utilize machine learning to perfect plasma vessel design, optimize heating methods, and maintain stable control of fusion reactions. The team achieves significant results by predicting disruptions and adjusting settings before instabilities occur, enabling high-confinement modes in tokamaks.
Scientists at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory successfully simulate a novel combination method for managing fusion plasma. By combining electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) and resonant magnetic perturbations (RMP), researchers can create a more stable plasma edge, reducing the amount of current required to generate RMPs.
The team determined the maximum density of neutral particles beyond the edge of a plasma that still allows for a flat-edge temperature profile, enabling stable fusion. They found that going beyond this threshold can lead to instabilities and a peaked temperature profile.
Four PPPL researchers, Villafana, Israeli, Majeski, and Ochs, featured in the Physics of Plasmas Early Career Collection, highlighting their notable contributions to the field. The collection aims to promote younger scientists' work, balance their smaller networks, and help build momentum for research.
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory has opened a new Quantum Diamond Lab to study plasma processes for creating diamond material with unique properties. Scientists aim to harness this material for quantum computing, secure communication, and precise measurements, enabling breakthroughs in fields like medicine and energy.
The INFUSE workshop brought together over 120 people from private and public sectors to discuss fusion energy partnerships. The event focused on networking opportunities, with technical sessions kept minimal to prioritize collaboration, and featured presentations about successful INFUSE projects.
Researchers successfully enhanced plasma stability in a fusion reaction by utilizing weaknesses in magnetic fields to confine the reaction. This approach, validated through experiments at KSTAR tokamak, improves simultaneous control of instabilities in the core and edge of the plasma.
Researchers at PPPL create simulation codes that can accurately predict plasma behavior, reducing the manufacturing and design cycle of silicon chips. This innovation could help the US regain a leadership role in chip industry production.
Researchers at PPPL developed a new theoretical model explaining the process of making black silicon using fluorine gas. The model precisely explains how fluorine breaks certain bonds in silicon, resulting in a rough surface that traps more light, ideal for solar cells.
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory has been awarded $5 million to lead an Energy Earthshot Research Center focused on producing clean hydrogen. The center aims to reduce the cost of hydrogen by 80% and could lead to a paradigm shift in clean hydrogen production.
A two-day workshop hosted by PPPL discussed the risks and benefits of fusion energy, including concerns about nuclear proliferation and energy justice. Experts emphasized the need for open discussion and regulation to ensure safe and equitable deployment of fusion power.
A team of researchers has made a groundbreaking discovery that helps explain how the solar corona can be vastly hotter than its surface. The breakthrough involves magnetic reconnection, which separates and reconnects magnetic fields in plasma, converting turbulent energy into thermal energy at small scales.
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has received over $12 million in funding from the US Department of Energy to speed up the development of a pilot plant powered by fusion energy. This initiative aims to accelerate the production of clean and abundant electricity, a crucial step towards mitigating climate change.
Researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have successfully applied boron powder to tungsten components in tokamaks, improving plasma confinement and reducing the risk of edge-localized modes. The innovative approach uses a PPPL-developed powder dropper to deposit boron coatings while minimizing disruptions to the magnetic field.
Researchers at PPPL developed smaller, stronger high-temperature superconducting magnets for spherical tokamaks, enabling more efficient fusion power plants. The new magnets reduce construction costs and increase performance by shrinking the size of tokamaks.
Researchers have discovered that resistivity can cause instabilities in plasma edge, making it more stable when included in models. The study aims to design systems for future fusion facilities with improved plasma stability.
Researchers at PPPL have discovered a mechanism that causes the temperature to flatten or even decrease in the center of the plasma, despite increased heating power. This finding addresses a long-standing mystery and has significant implications for fusion research and development.
Researchers at PPPL discovered that certain conditions can lead to the rapid loss of confinement of high-energy plasma particles in stellarators. This finding highlights the importance of considering particle orbits and resonances when designing optimal stellarator magnet field shapes.
Scientists have refined the use of magnetic fields to improve tokamak performance by suppressing instabilities called ELMs. The new technique allows plasma to operate in H-mode for longer periods, increasing efficiency and reducing the risk of damage to internal parts.
Researchers at PPPL have discovered that adding tungsten to plasma fuel pellets improves the compression of fuel, increasing fusion yield. The study uses krypton gas to measure X-rays emitted by the pellets, providing new insights into the fusion process.
Scientists have simulated a way to create and observe the early stages of fast radio bursts, a mysterious phenomenon that releases enormous energy in space. The proposed experiment uses a strong laser to produce pair plasma, which is then shifted to a higher frequency, demonstrating the prospects for laboratory production and observation.
Researchers have designed simpler magnets for twisty stellarator facilities, which could aid the development of a stellarator power plant. The new magnets have straighter sections than before while preserving their strength and accuracy.
Researchers propose multiple plasmoids could bridge the vast range of scales in magnetic reconnection, enabling more credible simulations and high-fidelity experiments. The coming experiments will use exascale supercomputers and multiscale laboratory facilities to study reconnection in nature more faithfully.
Recent simulations and analysis suggest that the PPPL flagship, NSTX-U, can serve as a model for an economically attractive next-generation fusion pilot plant. The facility's unique capabilities make it a candidate for generating clean and safe power for electricity production by the 2040s.
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory has developed a new understanding of atomic layer etching, a critical step in fabricating atomic-scale transistors. The findings could lead to improved efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and capabilities for future microchips and supercomputers.
The US fusion community calls for a cost-effective pilot plant to generate electricity by 2040s. PPPL's study defines performance requirements and proposes a research facility to address key challenges, including heat delivery and plasma current integration.