A new report sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recommends increasing investment in U.S. fusion diagnostic capabilities to accelerate the delivery of commercial fusion power plants.
As part of DOE’s Fundamental Research Needs Workshop on Measurement Innovation, experts from academia, private industry, and national laboratories such as PPPL identified critical diagnostic and measurement technologies needed to advance U.S. leadership in fusion energy and plasma technology.
This workshop supported the goals outlined in DOE’s Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap. The roadmap “targets actions and milestones by the mid-2030s and provides the scientific and technological foundation to support a competitive U.S. fusion energy industry.”
Luis Delgado Aparicio, Head of Advanced Projects at PPPL, who chaired the workshop, explained: “Measurement innovations have led to and will continue to lead to scientific and engineering breakthroughs in DOE’s Fusion Energy Science Program, particularly in the plasma science and technology activities supported by Fusion Energy Science.”
“This new report provides substantial findings across seven key areas of fusion and plasma technology.”
Strengthening U.S. leadership in fusion and plasma technology
“We’re thrilled to be working with the University of Rochester,” said Sean Regan, a renowned scientist, director of experimentation at the Laser Energy Institute at the University of Rochester, and co-chair of the workshop. “The findings in this report demonstrate the critical role of diagnostics in advancing fusion energy science.
“By investing in innovative measurement technologies, we can accelerate progress toward commercial fusion energy and strengthen America’s leadership in plasma science.”
This report summarizes findings from 70 researchers who analyzed seven plasma physics topics funded by DOE’s FES program:
Low-temperature plasma High-energy density plasma Plasma-matter interaction Combustion plasma due to magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) Combustion plasma due to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) Fusion pilot power plant based on MCF Fusion power plant based on ICF
Plasma scientists need support from government
Researchers have identified ways the federal government could strengthen the ability of U.S. scientists to measure plasma using diagnostics.
Priority research opportunities include creating diagnostics that can withstand radiation levels expected in future fusion power plants, inventing new measurement techniques that can measure the ultrafast processes involved in ICFs, using artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the design process for these innovations, and supporting robust pathways for scientists to enter diagnostic research.
These same capabilities support the broader plasma technology ecosystem that is essential to America’s economic leadership.
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