Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics Plasma Theory and Computation
Plasma Theory and Computation
The complex behavior of high-temperature plasmas combined with the large number of parameters that can be adjusted to design a fusion facility can pose challenges in interpreting individual fusion-relevant experiments, or predict the performance of future experiments. Our robust theory and computation team derives new mathematical models to describe plasma behavior and develops computational tools to allow those models to be used over a variety of scenarios and configurations.
Faculty
Centers, consortia and institutes
Plasma theory and computation
The Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics has a robust theory and computation effort spearheaded by Professors Hegna and Sovinec, who use analytic and computational techniques to study the dynamics of high-temperature plasma.
Prof. Hegna is the director of the Center for Plasma Theory and Computation (CPTC), which fosters collaboration among campus plasma theory efforts. His current research interests include the macrostability of tokamak and stellarator plasmas, optimization of stellarator confinement, turbulent transport and pedestal stability in three-dimensional configurations, plasma edge and divertor modeling physics. Professor Sovinec applies nonlinear numerical computation to problems of macroscopic stability and magnetic relaxation in tokamaks and other configurations. He is a major contributor to the international NIMROD code collaboration team and led the effort for many years. His current research interests include numerical methods for extended MHD modeling, the macrostability of tokamaks and stellarators, and tokamak disruption dynamics.
Professor Wright uses large-scale numerical computation to investigate macroscale stability and transport in optimized stellarators. She leads efforts to apply and develop the stellarator version of the M3D-C1 code. She aims to develop integrated, comprehensive modeling capability that can be used to predict performance for different stellarator configurations, thereby reducing the time and costs for developing a viable stellarator fusion reactor.
Plasma-material interaction in fusion experiments is a non-linear, multi-scale, multi-state and multi-species plasma physics and atomistic challenge. Professor Schmitz’s group addresses these challenges by applying large computationally parallel codes for plasma edge physics (EMC3-EIRENE) and the plasma material interaction (ERO2)