Category: News

Borrowing inspiration from the movie Terminator 2, Yufan Xu, an associate research physicist specializing in liquid metals in the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory’s Tokamak Experimental Science Department, argues that liquid metal can be an ideal material to protect the interior walls of doughnut-shaped fusion devices known as tokamaks. Much like the T-1000’s ability to change…

By Allison Gasparini. Link to original article. As a part of a broad set of investments around artificial intelligence, Princeton University has launched AI for Accelerating Invention, an initiative to achieve faster breakthroughs across engineering disciplines, including biomedicine, robotics and nuclear fusion. “What we have the opportunity to do here is to transform engineering by taking…

Fusion reactors need to heat plasmas to temperatures as hot as the sun — over 100 million degrees Celsius. Components that directly face the plasma, such as the inner wall of a doughnut-shaped tokamak reactor, can suffer from erosion and melting. Francisco Saenz, a graduate student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at…

Link to article. Tristan Weisenbach Aug. 14, 2024 Egemen Kolemen, a staff research physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University, was awarded the American Nuclear Society’s. (ANS) 2024 Technical Accomplishment Award for his research on using machine learning for controlling fusion reactors. This award, announced…

Cutting-Edge Fusion Research by Princeton’s Plasma Control Group Read about our research, led by Egemen Kolemen and conducted by researchers including Jaemin Seo, SangKyeun Kim, and Azarakhsh Jalalvand, affiliated with Princeton University and Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (PPPL). Publication on NatureAvoiding fusion plasma tearing instability with deep reinforcement learning Researchers Involved: Jaemin Seo, SangKyeun Kim, Azarakhsh Jalalvand, Rory…

Led by Sangkyeun Kim, we achieved the highest fusion performance without harmful edge energy bursts in two separate tokamaks, KSTAR and DIII-D. This work combined physics and AI to control the fusion plasma. Article from Nature Communicationshttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48415-w Article from the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment https://acee.princeton.edu/acee-news/ai-approach-elevates-plasma-performance-and-stability-across-fusion-devices/

Link to Slides

Egemen presented our stellarator work overview at Fusion HPS Workshop. Segment begins at 4:09:39.

Our work with them was highlighted in the NVIDIA GTC right before Jensen Huang’s talk. Our section starts at 1:30 minutes.

Watch PCG Research Scientist Aza Jalalvand talk about machine learning and fusion on the TWIML podcast

Dr. Daniel Dudt has successfully defended his thesis on “stellarator optimization” this 2024, marking a significant milestone in his academic journey. His rigorous research and innovative approach have culminated in his next role as a Senior Scientist at Thea Energy. Best wishes on your exciting journey ahead!

Dr. Rory Conlin defended his thesis on “Stellarator optimization” in 2024, demonstrating outstanding proficiency and dedication. His work, which has been a cornerstone of recent lab discussions, will continue as he transitions to a postdoctoral role at the University of Maryland. Your future in the field looks bright, and we look forward to seeing where…

Dr. Susan Redmond showcased her scholarly excellence in 2023 with her defense of “CORRECTION OF QUASI-STATIC WAVEFRONT ERROR DRIFTS IN WIDE-FIELD AND HIGH-CONTRAST IMAGING TELESCOPES”. Your next adventure as a Postdoc at Caltech promises to be just as groundbreaking. We’re all cheering for your continued success and discoveries!

Link to original post. A recent article in Wired by Gregory Barber discusses the opportunities and challenges with turning fusion energy into power we can use.  As the physics progresses, some are now beginning to explore the likely practical and economic limits on fusion. The early conclusion is that fusion energy ain’t going to be cheap—certainly not the cheapest…

By Samuel Garfinkle. Link to original article from the Princetonian. Though we may never see fusion in a device small enough to power a car, we are closer than ever to sustainable fusion power due to innovative design. The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory kicked off its 33rd annual public lecture series at 9:30 a.m. on…

By Ruth Stevens. Link to original article. Princeton University recognized the winners of the highest honors it awards to students at Alumni Day ceremonies Saturday, Feb. 24. Seniors Alisha Holland and Lester Mackey shared the University’s Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize, and graduate students Carmen Drahl, Egemen Kolemen, Sarah Pourciau and William Slauter were presented…