Speaker: Dr. Florian Laggner, North Carolina State University
Title: The Edge Plasma Challenge: Advancing Fusion Technologies for Plasma-Wall Integration
Abstract: An overview of the current research activities of the Fusion Plasma Auxiliaries Characterization Laboratory (FPAC LAB) at NC State’s Department of Nuclear Engineering will be provided. Our mission is to create innovative engineering solutions to sustain, study and optimize fusion plasmas.
The core-edge integration challenge targets the combination of a high-performance fusion core with a dissipative boundary plasma to protect the first wall. A promising avenue is the injection of solid low-Z impurity powders like boron and boron-nitride. These injections increase radiative cooling and reduce impurity influx from the first wall. We develop control schemes that optimize injected impurities to protect the plasma facing components while sustaining high plasma performance.
To create and control a burning plasma, magnetic confinement fusion concepts rely on highly efficient heating systems. Neutral beam injectors are versatile and widely used but crucially rely on high power ion sources. Radiofrequency inductively coupled plasma sources create positive ion current densities on the order 1.5 kA/m2. We work on the optimization of inductively coupled ion sources towards higher efficiency and operational reliability, leveraging recent advances in solid state radio-frequency generator technology. We are developing and optimizing a prototype ion source for the neutral beam injectors at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility.
Bio: Dr. Florian M. Laggner is an expert on magnetically confined fusion plasmas with interest in the plasma boundary layer of tokamaks. He leads the FPAC LAB at NC State University, which develops and characterizes technological solutions for auxiliary systems, plasma diagnostics and heating systems that face the harsh environment of a fusion reactor.
Florian Laggner received his PhD degree from TU Wien with research secondment to the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. He held researcher positions at Princeton University and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory before joining NC State University.
Event details: In-person seminars are only available to CU ID holders. At this time, Non-Columbia affiliates and the general public are only invited to participate remotely. Contact [email protected] if you would like the Zoom link for this seminar.