Author: Christophe Rossel

The EPS Technology and Innovation Group (TIG) organized a visit to ITER on the 23 November 2021. Eighteen physicists registered for the visit in Saint Paul-lez-Durance, a location close to Cadarache in southern France, with a large representation of the Swiss Physical Society (SPS). The visitors were welcomed by Alain Bécoulet, Head of Engineering Domain, replacing in the last-minute Bernard Bigot, the Director General of ITER. With a comprehensive presentation of this most ambitious energy project, the present construction status of the world’s largest tokamak was explained to the audience. ITER is an international collaboration of 35 countries and designed to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion at a large scale, with a reactor device, whose plasma is capable of producing a positive net energy for longer periods of time. The main challenges with regards to the physical process, the material science and the integrated technologies are enormous and require an impressive logistic for the construction of the buildings, the infrastructure, and the experimental device itself. After the outstanding presentation and an active QA discussion, the participants were invited to tour the whole worksite, visiting the Poloidal Magnetic Field Coils facility, the Assembly Hall, and the Tokamak itself. Useless to say that the construction site and the large scale of the components of the tokamak highly impressed the visitors, who could ask all their questions to a very competent guiding team.

At the end of the visit the participants were driven back by bus to Aix-en-Provence, where most of them spent the night before.

If you are interested in more information on ITER, please visit the website https://www.iter.org/.
An excellent focus issue on nuclear energy generation, including the ITER fusion project, is also available in English on the website of the SPS: https://www.sps.ch/en/artikel/sps-focus/sps-focus-1

Official welcome at the main building by Mr. Alain Bécoulet (4th from left, picture ITER)

The whole visiting group in the Assembly Hall. In the back one of the 18 superconducting toroidal field coils under construction,
17 m high, 360 tons each  (picture ITER)

ITER Platform drone..jpg: general view of the construction site (picture ITER)

Arrival in front of the ITER headquarters building (picture Antoine Pochelon)

Manufacturing Hall for the superconducting poloidal field coils (picture Antoine Pochelon)

The Tokamak under construction (picture Antoine Pochelon)

Author: Anita Pokorska

The team of researchers from the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion in Warsaw has performed systematic numerical (particle-in-cell) studies of the properties of laser-driven carbon ion beams produced under conditions relevant for ion fast ignition (IFI) of DT fuel, and the feasibility of achieving beam parameters required for IFI were discussed. The ignition of nuclear fuel initiated by an intense laser-driven ion beam is a promising option of Inertial Confinement fusion (ICF) which is currently one of the two main paths towards an energy source based on thermonuclear fusion. 

It was found that a 1 ps 200 kJ infrared laser driver is capable of producing ion beams with parameters required for IFI, even with a simple non-optimised target, but only at small distances (<0.1 mm) from the target. At such distances, the beam intensity and fluence exceeds 5 × 10²¹ W cm⁻² and 2 GJ cm⁻², respectively, while the beam energy approaches 30 kJ. The ion beam parameters can be significantly improved by carefully selecting the target thickness and shape. However, even with an optimised target, achieving the beam parameters required for IFI is possible only at distances from the target below 0.5 mm.  

It was shown for the first time that laser-accelerated heavy ion beams produced under conditions relevant for IFI achieve higher parameters determining fuel ignition than light ion or proton beams and, therefore, may be more useful for IFI than previously thought. 

The ion acceleration is accompanied by the emission of powerful (>50 PW) pulses of short-wavelength synchrotron radiation which are the source of significant ion energy losses and may pose a threat to the fusion infrastructure.  

In addition to ICF, the extremely intense ion beams can be a unique research tool for research in nuclear physics, high energy-density physics or materials science.

The intensity and the temporal shape of the ion pulse are two of the most important characteristics of the ion beam that determine the fuel ignition. These characteristics recorded at a distance x equal to 100 µm, 200 µm and 500 µm from the front of the target and averaged over the area of aperture d_ap = 50 µm (the “useful part of the beam”) for Li, C, Al, Ti and Cu ions are presented in figure. The highest peak intensity and the shortest duration are achieved by the Cu ion pulse, both in the near-expansion and far-expansion zone.

The second course of the Joint EPS-SIF International School on Energy will take place in Varenna (lake Como, Italy) from 16 to 23 July 2014.

The primary goal of the School will be to present all physics fields with relevance for the technologies of energy production, conversion, transmission and savings. Their potential will be presented but also the need for more research and development to fully unfold it will be indicated. For this purpose, basic lectures and topical seminars will be presented by specialists in their field.

The School will cover major fields in detailed lectures but it will also serve as a forum of discussions. It brings together scientists working in various energy related areas.
The following fields will be covered by lectures or seminars: solar photovoltaic and photothermal sources, hydro, wind, biomass, fossils, fission, fusion, energy saving technology, climate issues along with other topics where physics plays a role.

The lectures will also identify cases where more research is necessary. In order to ensure a lively and up-to-date School, there will be plenary sessions going over several days and topical seminars. In case your are interested in energy technology or even working in this field, we would encourage you to sign up.

The deadline for application is set to 30 April 2014.