Particle Turbulence Simulations for Sustainable Fusion Reactions in ITER

• Code: GTC
• Science Domain: Plasma Physics
• PI: Zhihong Lin, University of California–Irvine

Description

In an effort to create a sustainable fusion reaction at the ITER experimental fusion reactor in France, a team led by Zhihong Lin is using the extremely scalable GTC code to simulate billions of plasma particles inside the reactor. The team’s simulations are capable of using the full computational capabilities of current generation-supercomputers. Lin’s team should be able to gain more insight on particles’ behaviors during a fusion reaction by further developing the code’s ability to more accurately plot the microscopic detail of particle motion while also simulating whole-reactor conditions and the associated particle interactions at longer time scales. These simulations will give greater insight—such as further understanding plasma confinement properties and how plasma turbulence affects a fusion reaction—into the conditions for a sustainable fusion reaction.