Plasma Science and Fusion Center IAP Series
Jeffrey Freidberg, Peter Catto, Paul Rivenberg
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
This series introduces plasma physics research and areas of related interest at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. See URL below.
Web: http://www.psfc.mit.edu/
Contact: Paul Rivenberg, NW16-284, x3-8101, rivenberg@psfc.mit.edu
Sponsor: Plasma Science and Fusion Center
The Lawson Criterion for Thermonuclear Ignition
Riccardo Betti U. of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics
In inertial confinement fusion (ICF), a shell of cryogenic deuterium and tritium ice is imploded at high velocities and low entropy to achieve high central temperatures and high areal densities. This talk will address how to indirectly measure the Lawson criterion in ICF implosions and assess
their performance with respect to the ignition conditions.
Wed Jan 20, 10-11:00am, NW17-218Topic
Dancing with the Stars: Quest for Fusion Energy
Abhay Ram
How do our earthly efforts to generate fusion energy compare with nature's working fusion reactors? This highly illustrative talk will compare and contrast the approach to fusion from a laboratory perspective with that taken by nature in forming and operating the Sun. The progress towards energy's holy grail will be part of the presentation.
Wed Jan 20, 11:15am-12:30pm, NW17-218
Tour of Alcator C-Mod
Tour guide TBD
The Alcator C-Mod tokamak is a well tested approach to fusion research that has produced decades of progress towards achieving fusion energy.
Wed Jan 20, 01-02:00pm, NW17-218
Fusion Energy and ITER: Physics and Technology Challenges
Jean Jacquinot CEA Gif-sur-Yvette, France
The scientific advisor to the French High Commissioner for Atomic Energy will summarize the state of fusion research and of ITER, the next-step international fusion effort, to be built in Cadarache, France. The presentation will focus on the exciting physics and technology challenges ahead.
Thu Jan 21, 10:30-11:30am, NW17-218
Designing a 24/7 Fusion Device Towards Solving Plasma-Materials Issues
Dennis Whyte
In future advanced fusion devices, magnetic fusion researchers will face the challenges of continuous plasma operation and enormous energy and particle throughput in plasma-facing materials. Prof. Whyte will discuss the science and engineering design of a small-scale plasma research device designed to operate 24/7 to address these challenges.
Thu Jan 21, 02-03:00pm, NW17-218
Closing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: The Case for Fusion-Fission Hybrid Reactors
Weston Stacey Georgia Tech
The Fusion-Fission Hybrid (FFH) concept seeks to extend the accessible operating regimes of critical nuclear reactors to achieve sustainable closed nuclear cycles. This talk will describe the the Sub-critical Advanced Burner Reactor (SABR) FFH, which is based on combining the leading tokamak fusion physics technology with sodium-cooled fast burner reactor and associated technologies under development.
Fri Jan 22, 10-11:00am, NW17-218, Cosponsored by CANES
Not Every Hybrid Turns into a Prius: The Case Against the Fusion-Fission Hybrid Concept
Don Steiner Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Fission is a viable and widely implemented energy technology. Fusion offers promise as an energy technology, but is yet to be demonstrated and must be viewed as a long-term option. This talk will present arguments as to why it is both premature and unnecessary to consider seriously the merger of these two energy technologies at this point in time.
Fri Jan 22, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218, Cosponsored by CANES
Tour of LDX
Jay Kesner
A joint project by MIT and Columbia University and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) consists of a superconducting magnet about the size and shape of a large truck tire. This half-ton magnet is levitated inside a huge vacuum chamber, using another powerful magnet above a large vacuum chamber. A talk about the project precedes the tour.
Mon Jan 25, 11-11:45am, NW17-218
First Results and Next Steps in the Path to Fusion Ignition at NIF
John Edwards Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
In the process of moving towards ignition experiments, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) recently completed its first implosion campaign. This talk will describe some of those results and the subsequent campaigns as NIF moves towards the start of ignition implosion experiments.
Tue Jan 26, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218
Latest update: 14-Jan-2010
|
|
