News Feature Channel: Fusion

Some Fuel Lodges in the Inner Walls of Fusion Vessels. Researchers Now Have a Better Idea of How Much

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 08:30:34 EST

New research offers insights that could help reduce the amount of radioactive tritium embedded in the walls of fusion vessels to a minimum.

SLAC to Develop Fusion Energy Target Technology as Part of DOE Fusion Innovation Research Engine Collaboratives

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:10:32 EST

Researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory will contribute to the DOE's newly established Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives. These collaborative teams were created to bridge basic science research programs with the needs of the growing fusion industry. In total, the DOE announced $107 million in funding for six projects under this initiative.

U.S. Department of Energy Announces Early Career Research Program for FY 2025

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:30:24 EST

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it is accepting applications for the 2025 DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program to support the research of outstanding scientists early in their careers. The program will support over 80 early career researchers for five years at U.S. academic institutions, DOE national laboratories, and Office of Science user facilities.

"Louvers" on the SPARC Fusion Device Should Exhaust Gases as Hot as a Star

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 18:50:15 EST

New studies have found that using louvers at the bottom of a fusion device creates local conditions that can reduce the temperature of the edge plasma, ensuring the plasma is not hot enough to damage the device. Specifically, the louvers allow the hot plasma to "detach" from the walls of the device, spreading out the heat. The work, on the SPARC machine, aids in progress toward fusion energy production.

Elena Belova and Yevgeny Raitses Recognized for Groundbreaking Plasma Physics Research

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 07:30:51 EST

Yevgeny Raitses and Elena Belova were named PPPL's 2024 Distinguished Research Fellows for their exceptional contributions to plasma physics. Their pioneering work in low-temperature plasma and fusion simulations highlights PPPL's leadership in advancing plasma research and fusion energy.

Enabling Breakthroughs and Building Foundations: The Office of Science's 2024 Year-in-Review

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 14:40:09 EST

At the Department of Energy's Office of Science, 2024 brought big accomplishments enabled by decades of work as well as advances that are establishing the foundations for future research. From Nobel Prizes to a new exascale computer, the DOE's Office of Science is leading the way.

Spinning Fusion Fuel for Efficiency

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 08:30:38 EST

A new method to increase fusion-fuel efficiency would involve aligning the quantum spin of deuterium and tritium and changing the mix of the two fuels. The approach could boost tritium-burn efficiency by up to 10 times, reducing tritium needs and lowering fusion system costs. The technique could lead to safer, more compact fusion systems, making fusion energy more practical and affordable.

Scientists Accelerate Uranium Beam with Record Power

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 14:05:26 EST

Researchers at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams reached a new milestone in isotope studies, accelerating a high-power beam of uranium ions to a record 10.4 kilowatts of continuous beam power to a target. The beam enabled scientists to produce and identify three new isotopes, gallium-88, arsenic-93, and selenium-96.

Stopping Off-the-Wall Behavior in Fusion Reactors

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 08:30:42 EST

New experimental results suggest that sprinkling boron into a tokamak could shield the wall of the fusion vessel and prevent atoms from the wall from getting into the plasma. A new computer modeling framework shows the boron powder may only need to be sprinkled from one location. The experimental results and computer modeling framework will be presented this week at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics in Atlanta.

Department of Energy Announces $4.6 Million to Fund Public-Private Partnerships for Fusion Research

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 11:05:15 EST

In a continuing effort to forge and fund public-private partnerships to accelerate fusion research, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today awarded $4.6 million in 17 awards to U.S. businesses via the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program.

Heating for fusion: Why toast plasma when you can microwave it!

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 08:30:43 EST

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.

AI approach elevates plasma performance and stability across fusion devices

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 16:00:28 EST

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.

Using artificial intelligence to speed up and improve the most computationally-intensive aspects of plasma physics in fusion

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Tue, 14 May 2024 08:00:50 EST

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.

Fusion record set for tungsten tokamak WEST

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Mon, 06 May 2024 08:00:00 EST

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory researchers measured a new record for a fusion device internally clad in tungsten. The device sustained a fusion reaction for a record six minutes and four seconds with 1.15 gigajoules of power injected, 15% more energy and twice the density than before.

One way to improve a fusion reaction: Use weaknesses as strengths

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 08:00:39 EST

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.

Engineers use AI to wrangle fusion power for the grid

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 11:00:04 EST

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.

Mapping local quality at super-resolution scale

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 09:00:32 EST

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

New space for building ultra-powerful magnets launches at national laboratory

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 14:05:40 EST

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.

Islands That Move Together, Disrupt Together

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 16:05:09 EST

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

Liquid lithium on the walls of a fusion device helps the plasma within maintain a hot edge

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:05:13 EST

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.