PhD position - Impact of turbulent transport on W accumulation and fusion performance in the central part of ITER plasmas

OPPORTUNITY DETAILS

Total reward

0 $

State University

Aix-Marseille Université

Area

Western Europe

Host Country

France

Deadline

30 Jun 2022

Study level

Doctoral Degree

Opportunity type

PhD

Specialities

Physics

Opportunity funding

Not funding

Eligible Countries

This opportunity is destined for all countries

Eligible Region

All Regions

JOB PROFILE/TYPE : PhD Candidate

RESEARCH FIELD(S) : magnetic fusion, plasma physics, turbulence

JOB LOCATION: AMU-PIIM (60%), CEA-IRFM (20%), ITER-IO (20%)

JOB DESCRIPTION : Aix-Marseille University, 3 years PhD contract

Impact of turbulent transport on W accumulation and fusion performance in the central part of ITER plasmas

Fusion energy promises high-energy-density baseload electricity and heat production with essentially limitless fuel reserves, inherent nuclear safety, and negligible impact on the environment. With the construction of ITER, we are entering a new phase where fusion experiments aim for net power gain. This challenging goal requires to avoid excessive radiative losses associated with high Z impurity accumulation in the confined plasma and to maximize the density and temperature of the main ions for increased fusion performance. A very recent numerical study revealed that pressure-driven instabilities known as Kinetic Ballooning Modes (KBM) are destabilized in the central region of high-performance JET plasmas and drive a subsequent level of heat and particle transport [N. Kumar et al., Nucl. Fusion 61, 036005 (2021)]. Preliminary gyrokinetic stability calculations indicate that the central part of ITER conventional H-mode scenarios is also prone to KBM destabilization. The goal of this PhD is to study the implications of core turbulent transport, including transport driven by KBM turbulence, on core W accumulation in ITER, and mechanisms for its control. The problem will be addressed with state-of-the-art non-linear gyrokinetic simulations complemented with tokamak simulations relying on reduced transport models. The thesis will be jointly supervised by A. Loarte from ITER Organisation, C. Bourdelle from CEA Cadarache and Y. Camenen from Aix-Marseille University.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS/EDUCATION & RESERACH REQUIREMENTS/DUTIES

APPLICATION DEADLINE : 30^th June 2022

REQUESTED DOCUMENTS OF APPLICATION

CONTACT TO APPLY (EMAIL OR WEBSITE) : isfin-direction@univ-amu.fr; yann.camenen@univ-amu.fr