Tomography of Alpha Particles in Fusion Plasma (TAPP)

Tomography of Alpha Particles in Fusion Plasma (TAPP).

This project relates to plasma physics on nuclear fusion reactors. Recent experiments show new, unexplained instabilities of energetic alpha particles (EAPs), which can degrade the plasma performance and cause major safety issues. Developing new methods for their diagnostic is required. A crucial indicator for these instabilities is the EAP distribution function, which cannot be measured directly: it is a new inverse problem that requires the combination of physics knowledge and data driven models. Due to limited amount of data and a large number of unknowns, we must: 1) combine data- and knowledge-driven models for the problem; 2) exploit information on the solution from previously ignored data; 3) make use of computer-simulated data; and 4) establish strong relations with leading researchers and co-author high profiled articles.