Workshop on the Theory of Magnetic Confinement for Fusion

in commemoration of Les Woods

22 September 2008 at Balliol College, Oxford

Abstracts of Invited Speakers (back to main page)

ITER: The Challenges of Modelling the Dynamics of Non-linear, Predominantly Self-Driven Plasmas

ITER plasmas will expand the range of spatial and temporal scales relative to those in present experiments, and they will be largely self-driven from the heating by energetic fusion-produced alpha particles. A significant challenge will be to understand the non-linear dynamics introduced by a strong energetic particle population and identify effective means of control that lead to attractive quasi-steady state conditions.

The anomalous loss of heat and particles from fusion plasmas has been the major impediment to fusion power. The turbulent mechanisms of anomalous loss and the agreement between experimental data and theory will be discussed.

There is a wealth of open mathematical problems, some of them long-standing, in the theory of three-dimensional plasma configurations. Many of these are of a fundamental nature, yet are very important from a practical point of view. This talk will review such questions, including the problem of calculating the magnetic field and constructing configurations with good transport properties.

Bruno Coppi
MIT Plasma Science & Fusion Center

To be announced.