Research stay with modelling and fusion experiments at ASDEX Upgrade

ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. Source: IPP.

This week our group leader Mervi Mantsinen has worked at the Max-Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) at Garching, Germany where she has participated in the experimental campaign on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak as part of the 2017 EUROfusion Medium Size Tokamak (MST1) campaigns.

The MST1 Task Force coordinates European joint experiments of the medium sized tokamaks, i.e. ASDEX Upgrade at IPP, Garching, Germany; MAST Upgrade at CCFE, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, United Kingdom; and TCV at CRPP, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Before her visit to IPP, Mervi predicted by numerical computer simulations how to accelerate ions with externally applies waves to high energies for AUG experiments conducted within MST1 High Level Topic 14. This Topic studies the effect of fast-ion driven instabilities and turbulence on current drive and fast ion transport. The interplay of fast ions with instabilities and turbulence is a key issue for ITER due to the presence of fusion-born high-energy alpha particles. Topic 14 was allocated 6 discharges on AUG this week.

During her stay at IPP, Mervi also organized and chaired a MST1 fast ion modelling coordination task meeting. This task, which Mervi coordinates for the forth consecutive year, aims at advancing the modelling of fast ions within MST1 in close contact with the experiments.

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