Research report 2020 - Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (Garching)

Virtual experiments on edge instabilities in fusion plasmas

Authors
Cathey, Andres; Hölzl, Matthias; Günter, Sibylle
Departments
Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Garching, MHD-Gruppe
Summary
The aim of fusion research is to use fusion of light atomic nuclei to generate energy in a power plant. A number of problems remain to be solved on this way, including understanding or control of large-scale plasma instabilities. These include Edge-Localized Modes, periodic instabilities at the plasma edge that can eject ten percent of the plasma energy in less than a millisecond. In numerical simulations, it has now been possible for the first time to calculate their full non-linear dynamics over several cycles, thereby reproducing most experimental observations.

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