Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion

The team of the researchers from the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (#IPPLM) has carried out a significant modernization of the PHA (pulse-height analyser) diagnostics, which is currently actively used on the Wendelstein 7-X #stellarator as part of the OP.2.2 campaign, launched on 10 September 2024. The PHA system, designed, manufactured and programmed by the researchers from the IPPLM, enables the analysis of the spectra of X-ray radiation emitted from the plasma, which allows determining the ionic composition of the plasma, the average effective charge of the plasma, etc. During the modernization, the old detectors were replaced with new ones with better characteristics, which significantly improved the quality of measurements. The faulty filter change system was also dismantled and replaced with permanent filters, and the software and operating parameters of the entire system were optimized and adapted to the new conditions. 🟢 The modernization works were carried out by: Marta Gruca, Jacek Kaczmarczyk, Leszek Ryć, Maciej Szymański, Adam Arkuszewski and Sławomir Jabłoński, head of the Stellarator Plasma Research Laboratory. 🔵 Diagnostics operators delegated from the IPPLM are Tomasz Fornal and Łukasz Syrocki. The Wendelstein 7-X facility, located at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Greifswald, Germany, is the world's largest experimental stellarator fusion reactor. The purpose of the research system launched in 2015 is to analyse an alternative concept of magnetic confinement of plasma to the tokamak. Research on the device is carried out by an international team of researchers from many institutes around the world, including the IPPLM. #fusionenergy #plasmaphysic #PHAdiagnostics

📢 Zapraszamy na kolejny wykład z cyklu ➡️ Spotkania z historią techniki. Dr Agnieszka Zaraś-Szydłowska z Zakładu Fizyki i Zastosowań Plazmy Laserowej #IFPiLM wygłosi wykład pt. „Od powstania lasera do fuzji jądrowej: technologia, zastosowania i najnowsze osiągnięcia w świecie laserów”. 🗓️ 24 października 2024 r., godz. 18.00 📌 Narodowe Muzeum Techniki w Warszawie, Pałac Kultury i Nauki, Plac Defilad 1 Wstęp wolny.

Registrations are open for the FuseNet Student Event 2024!   The FuseNet Student Event 2024 will take place on 21 November. This event, formerly known as the FuseNet Master Event, is intended for all Bachelor's and Master’s students interested in fusion. The event will consist of interesting talks about fusion, and there will be plenty of opportunities to meet your fellow fusion-inspired students! You do not have to worry about travel since the event will be fully online.   More information on the programme and registration can be found at https://lnkd.in/eJG4CKSq.   #nuclearfusion #fusenet #ITER #masterstudent #masterevent #tokamak #stellerator #fusionscience #fusionenergy #eurofusion

📢 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫! We are excited to invite you to attend an online webinar on "Upgrade of the Pulse Height Analysis diagnostics at W7-X" presented by Dr. Marta Gruca, from the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (#IPPLM). 🔎 𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: The Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator is designed to demonstrate steady-state plasma operation under fusion-relevant conditions, aiming to prove the viability of the stellarator as a fusion power plant concept. Since the first plasma in December 2015, the Pulse Height Analysis (PHA) diagnostics initiated by IPPLM has been operational. However, after nearly a decade of use, the system is undergoing modernization to improve measurement capabilities, including the installation of advanced silicon drift detectors (SDD) with low-noise CUBE preamplifiers. These upgrades will allow for higher counting rates and better statistical accuracy. Calibration measurements are currently being conducted to optimize performance, and future improvements involve a new digital signal processor to enhance data processing. The presentation will cover recent results and ongoing upgrades. The work is carried out as part of collaboration between IPP and IPP Greifswald in terms of #EUROfusion project. 🗓️ 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: Thursday, 17 October 2024 🕐 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (CET) 🔗 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬: https://tiny.pl/7rh-3zyz 🌟 Join us to learn more about the exciting advancements in diagnostics at W7-X and their role in stellarator research! #FusionEnergy #Stellarator #PlasmaPhysics #W7X #PHAUpgrade #Webinar #IFPILM

BREAKING NEWS The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2024 #NobelPrize in Physics to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.” This year’s two Nobel Prize laureates in physics have used tools from physics to develop methods that are the foundation of today’s powerful machine learning. John Hopfield created an associative memory that can store and reconstruct images and other types of patterns in data. Geoffrey Hinton invented a method that can autonomously find properties in data, and so perform tasks such as identifying specific elements in pictures. When we talk about artificial intelligence, we often mean machine learning using artificial neural networks. This technology was originally inspired by the structure of the brain. In an artificial neural network, the brain’s neurons are represented by nodes that have different values. These nodes influence each other through connections that can be likened to synapses and which can be made stronger or weaker. The network is trained, for example by developing stronger connections between nodes with simultaneously high values. This year’s laureates have conducted important work with artificial neural networks from the 1980s onward. John Hopfield invented a network that uses a method for saving and recreating patterns. We can imagine the nodes as pixels. The Hopfield network utilises physics that describes a material’s characteristics due to its atomic spin – a property that makes each atom a tiny magnet. The network as a whole is described in a manner equivalent to the energy in the spin system found in physics, and is trained by finding values for the connections between the nodes so that the saved images have low energy. When the Hopfield network is fed a distorted or incomplete image, it methodically works through the nodes and updates their values so the network’s energy falls. The network thus works stepwise to find the saved image that is most like the imperfect one it was fed with. Geoffrey Hinton used the Hopfield network as the foundation for a new network that uses a different method: the Boltzmann machine. This can learn to recognise characteristic elements in a given type of data. Hinton used tools from statistical physics, the science of systems built from many similar components. The machine is trained by feeding it examples that are very likely to arise when the machine is run. The Boltzmann machine can be used to classify images or create new examples of the type of pattern on which it was trained. Hinton has built upon this work, helping initiate the current explosive development of machine learning. Learn more Press release: https://bit.ly/4gCTwm9 Popular information: https://bit.ly/3Bnhr9d Advanced information: https://bit.ly/3TKk1MM

I'm excited to share our recent research on managing the heat load in fusion reactors, specifically in the DTT tokamak. In our study, we explored how adding neon and argon impurities to the plasma can enhance radiation and reduce the heat impacting the divertor plates, the parts of the reactor most exposed to high temperatures. Using the TECXY code, which simulates plasma behavior, we found that argon could achieve significant energy reduction at lower concentrations compared to neon. Our results showed a decrease in temperature on the divertor plates and a substantial reduction in power load, bringing us closer to resolving one of the key challenges in fusion energy. A special thank you to my colleagues at Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion for their support in this work! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/duCyJ4Jz

📢 Zapraszamy na wykład mgr. inż. Macieja Jakubczaka z Laboratorium Plazmowych Napędów Satelitarnych #IFPiLM! 🚀 Temat: „Nadniebny rejs - historia i przyszłość plazmowych napędów kosmicznych”. 🗓️ 3 października 2024 r., godz. 18.00   📌 Narodowe Muzeum Techniki w Warszawie, Pałac Kultury i Nauki, Plac Defilad 1   Spotkanie jest częścią cyklu ➡️ Spotkania z historią techniki.   Wstęp wolny.

🌟 Inspiring the next generation of scientists! 🌟 Today, as part of the Warsaw Science Festival, our employees conducted a lesson for secondary school entitled Nuclear fusion, or how to bring the Sun to Earth. Dr. Pawel Gasior and Michał Jagielski from the Department of Thermonuclear Plasma Research #IPPLM introduced students to the exciting world of plasma science. Through hands-on demonstrations with a FUSOR plasma device and glow discharge experiments, young minds were sparked with curiosity and the wonders of fusion energy. ✅ FUSOR Plasma Device: The FUSOR is a fascinating device that uses electric fields to heat and contain plasma, the fourth state of matter, to achieve nuclear fusion. It works by creating a high-energy environment where tiny atoms can collide and potentially fuse together, releasing energy. While it’s often used for educational purposes, the FUSOR shows students how scientists are exploring the future of clean, limitless energy from fusion—like what powers the Sun! ✅ Glow Discharge Plasma Set-Up: Glow discharge is a type of plasma that forms when an electrical current passes through a low-pressure gas, causing it to glow! This setup demonstrates how plasma, a state where gas particles are ionized (or charged), can light up and conduct electricity. It’s a perfect example of how everyday processes, like lighting neon signs, involve plasma—and shows just how cool science can be!” #PlasmaPhysics #FusionEnergy Radhika Mishra

Future fusion power plants may experience fewer energy losses in their burning plasma than previously anticipated. ❇ The authors of the study - researchers from the EUROfusion consortium, including Dr. Michał Poradziński from the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (#IPPLM) - published this surprising result in the prestigious journal Nature Communications. ❇ Their findings, based on experiments conducted in 2021 in the Joint European Torus machine (JET), reveal that a fuel mix containing tritium stabilizes the plasma, significantly enhancing reactor performance. This stabilization reduces turbulence and energy losses, paving the way for smaller, more efficient fusion power plants. Link to the article 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dCi66ZDE ***************** Przyszłe elektrownie termojądrowe mogą doświadczać mniejszych strat energii w spalanej plazmie niż dotychczas przewidywano. ❇ Autorzy badania - naukowcy z konsorcjum EUROfusion, w tym dr Michał Poradziński z Instytutu Fizyki Plazmy i Laserowej Mikrosyntezy - opublikowali ten zaskakujący wynik w prestiżowym czasopiśmie Nature Communications. ❇ Odkrycie to, oparte na eksperymentach przeprowadzonych w 2021 roku w tokamaku JET (Joint European Torus), pokazuje, że mieszanka paliwa zawierająca tryt stabilizuje plazmę, co może znacząco poprawić wydajność przyszłych reaktorów. Ta stabilizacja zmniejsza turbulencje i straty energii, torując drogę do budowy mniejszych, bardziej efektywnych elektrowni termojądrowych. Link do artykułu 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dCi66ZDE #FusionEnergy #FusionInEurope

Since 2014, the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion has been participating in the IFMIF-DONES EUROfusion project. Our neutronic experts have been involved in the calculations in the framework of Work Package Early Neutron Source. ✴ The Institute participated in the DONES Preparatory Phase between 2019 and 2021, and now we are building the DONES Users Community during the Consolidation Phase. ✴ The #IPPLM is working on both fusion and non-fusion experimental programs, focusing on the industrial applications of the unique IFMIF-DONES facility. 🎥 We invite you to watch the video where we talk about the Institute and our involvement in the IFMIF-DONES project. ************************* Instytut Fizyki Plazmy i Laserowej Mikrosyntezy od 2014 roku uczestniczy w projekcie IFMIF-DONES EUROfusion. Nasi eksperci biorą udział w obliczeniach w ramach pakietu roboczego Early Neutron Source. ✳ Instytut był również zaangażowany w fazę przygotowawczą DONES w latach 2019-2021, a obecnie prowadzone prace obejmują udział w fazie konsolidacyjnej projektu. ✳ #IFPiLM realizuje programy badawcze z zakresu syntezy jądrowej, a także poza nią, skupiając się na przemysłowych zastosowaniach unikalnej infrastruktury IFMIF-DONES. 🎥 Zachęcamy do obejrzenia wideo, w którym opowiadamy o Instytucie i naszym zaangażowaniu w projekt IFMIF-DONES. #FusionEnergy