Fusion energy emerges as a promising, sustainable, and nearly limitless energy source.
Despite remarkable progress has been made in recent years leading to JET’s record-breaking energy output, achieving a self-sustaining burning plasma capable of generating substantial net energy remains still a future milestone.
One critical yet largely unexplored aspect of fusion research is related to the impact of fusion-born alpha particles on plasma confinement – a pivotal concern given their role as primary heating mechanism in fusion reactors.
The challenges stem from the intricate interplay of multiple spatial and temporal scales inherent in plasma turbulence, meso-scale zonal structures and macroscopic MHD instabilities possibly driven by alpha particles.
Understanding this intricate interplay demands advanced numerical simulations leveraging cutting-edge HPC systems. We propose to address this key open question using the global gyrokinetic code GENE coupled to the transport solver Tango, enabling turbulence simulations evolving plasma pressure and physical sources.
By using GENE-Tango, we aim to simulate the ITER fusion reactor with and without alpha particles and asses – for the first time – their role on the overall plasma confinement. This is essential to avoid potential confinement degradation that could compromise reactor performance and enhance overall energy output.
Alessandro Di Siena, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics - Germany