Fusion Science
The Fusion Science programme
JET Exploitation
Research on JET is carried out under the following themes: JET Experimental Campaigns, Investigation of Plasma-Facing Components for ITER, Technological Exploitation of Deuterium-Tritium Operation for the ITER preparation, and JET Enhancements.
Medium-Size Tokamak Campaigns
Experiments on medium-size tokamaks, namely ASDEX Upgrade, TCV and MAST Upgrade, complement the work at JET. They have unique experimental capabilities and flexibility and provide what is known as a step-ladder approach for extrapolations to ITER and DEMO.
Divertor Test Tokamak
Plasma-Facing Components
EUROfusion’s work on plasma-facing components focusses on the development of neutron-resistant materials. The linear devices Magnum-PSI and JULE-PSI and the WEST tokamak are used for these experiments.
Stellarator Research
The stellarator is a possible long-term alternative to a tokamak fusion power plant. EUROfusion researchers explore Wendelstein 7-X to assess if the concept can reach the maturity required to be a possible design for a future fusion power plant.
JT-60SA Exploitation
JT-60SA, a super advanced tokamak currently being built by Europe and Japan, has started operation in 2019. JT-60SA aims to qualify steady state plasma regimes of operation for ITER. For more information go to the JT-60SA website.
Theory & Advanced Simulation
The vision for the EUROfusion Theory and Advanced Simulation Coordination (E-TASC) is to integrate the world-class fusion science and engineering with emerging advanced computing capability. To this end, the Fusion Science group will work on developing a coherent programme of theory, simulation, verification, and validation – covering plasma physics, materials science, and innovative approaches to engineering design. A key goal in this context will be to produce a high-quality suite of “EUROfusion-standard” software to interpret data from ITER and associated facilities, and reliably extrapolate to inform DEMO design.