Shedding new light on the quest for fusion energy
Posted on 30 November 2009
Fusion, the process which powers the sun, could be a major source of electricity in the future.
A £2 million upgrade to the MAST fusion energy experiment at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy has equipped it with the world’s most advanced system for recording the temperature and density of the hot ionised gas, or plasma, inside the machine.
The upgrade to this “Thomson Scattering” system was part-funded by the University of York and the Northern Way collaboration of Regional Development Agencies.
Already this world-leading Thomson Scattering system is revealing tantalising glimpses of plasma physics phenomena in unprecedented detail
Professor Howard Wilson
Led by Dr Kieran Gibson, researchers from the University’s Plasma Physics and Fusion Group will use the upgraded system to confirm theoretical principles of plasma behaviour.
Both academics and students will also be able to run experiments on MAST direct from York using a new remote control room, the only facility of its kind in a UK university.
Professor Howard Wilson, from the Department of Physics, said: “This investment underlines the University of York’s expertise in the development of this technology and its leading role in training the next generation of fusion energy scientists.
“It is early days, and there is still work to be done to interpret the first data, but already this world-leading Thomson Scattering system is revealing tantalising glimpses of plasma physics phenomena in unprecedented detail.”
Thomson scattering involves observing tiny amounts of light scattered from high power laser beams that are fired into the fusion plasma, which can be as hot as the centre of the Sun. This system reveals fine details of the plasma density and temperature, shedding new light on the physics of fusion plasmas.
These scientific advances will help to further improve the performance of future fusion energy devices such as ITER, the international industrial-scale tokamak reactor being built at Cadarache, France.
CCFE project leader Dr Mike Walsh said: “We expect the system to throw up new physics and allow us to observe effects we have never been able to see in plasmas before.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- The University of York recently became the first in the country to offer a Fusion Energy Masters degree. It also leads the Doctoral Training Network in Fusion Energy, part-funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, which sees students from Universities across the North of England spend time at York.
- Further information about the Department of Physics is available at www.york.ac.uk/physics
- More about the work of the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy can be found at www.ccfe.ac.uk.
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