For 4 months Henrik has been working with the support from an EUROfusion Researcher Grant. He explores how Artificial Intelligence might help tame the energetic particle distribution. This is important to keep the plasma stable during the operation of a fusion device.
“Could you briefly introduce yourself and what you are working on?”
“Hi! My name is Henrik Järlebad and I am a postdoc in plasma physics and fusion energy at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). My expertise is mainly in energetic particle physics, specifically in the area of modelling fast-ion diagnostics.”
“How long have you been into your project?”
“I started my ERG project in mid-May 2025, so at the time of writing I have been working on the project for about four months.”
“Can you tell us about your topic as a EUROfusion Researcher Grantee and why is it important for advancing fusion research?”
“In future fusion power plants, the tools used to reconstruct the energetic particle distribution need to be faster and smarter compared to the state-of-the-art today because it will help make fusion experiments more efficient (see info box below).
My project explores if artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning can be used to build more efficient tools. The problem of reconstructing the distribution of energetic particles, given noisy diagnostic measurements, involves solving an ill-posed inverse problem. In addition, current methods are very slow compared to the time scales of many fusion plasma phenomena.”
The shape of the energetic-particle distribution (how many particles you have at each energy and direction) controls where energy goes in the plasma, how well the plasma stays confined, how efficiently fusion reactions happen, and whether dangerous collective instabilities are driven. Small changes in that distribution can make the difference between stable heating and losing the fast particles (and their energy) to the wall of the fusion experiment.
“How has this grant helped you collaborate with others in the EUROfusion community, and what was the best takeaway from these collaborations?”
“It allows me to strengthen my collaborations with the various experts in energetic-particle diagnostics. For my research group at DTU, these collaborations are key to understanding how to combine measurements from several different types of diagnostics. This work is crucial, since different energetic-particle diagnostics have different strengths and weaknesses when measuring quantities originating from interactions with energetic particles. So, the energetic particle distribution can be reconstructed with the highest possible accuracy.”
“Looking ahead, what are you most excited about in fusion research or engineering, and how do you see your role in it?”
„So far, I have worked most of my professional career in energetic particle physics. When I started my work, research was mostly focused on how to mitigate the negative effects of energetic particles. Therefore, the recent research on positive effects in addition to bulk plasma heating (the relationship between energetic particles and internal transport barriers) is very exciting. I hope to contribute to the development of useful tools designed to monitor energetic particle distribution in future fusion power plants.”
“Finally, any advice for future applicants to the EEG/ERG grants?”
“Focus on presenting your personal research or engineering achievements! The EEG/ERG Grant will help grow young researchers and engineers from junior to senior roles. The interview committee will not be impressed only by the achievements of your research or engineering group. They would like to know how you personally have contributed to the field, and what work you will build upon in the future.”