To operate fusion systems safely and reliably, scientists need to monitor plasma fuel conditions and measure properties like temperature and density that can affect fusion reactions. Making these measurements requires specialized sensors known as diagnostics.
A new report sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recommends increased investment in America’s fusion diagnostic capabilities, a critical new technology that could provide DOE and Congress with information to speed up the delivery of commercial fusion power plants.
The report was produced as part of the DOE’s 2024 Basic Research Needs Workshop on Measurement Innovation, sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Science’s Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program. It was chaired by Luis Delgado-Aparicio, head of advanced projects at the DOE’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), and co-chaired by Sean Regan, a distinguished scientist and the director of the Experimental Division at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics.
The workshop gathered experts from academia, private industry and national laboratories like PPPL to identify the critical diagnostics and measurement technologies needed to advance U.S. leadership in fusion energy and plasma technologies. This workshop supported the goals outlined in the DOE’s Fusion Science & Technology Roadmap, which “targets actions and milestones out to the mid-2030s, providing the scientific and technological foundation to support a competitive U.S. fusion energy industry.”
“Measurement innovations have led and will continue to lead to scientific and engineering breakthroughs in plasma science and technology activities supported by the DOE’s FES, especially fusion energy sciences,” said Delgado-Aparicio. “This new report provides substantive findings across seven key areas of plasma and fusion science and technology. We believe it will impact both the public and private fusion communities in a meaningful way.”
“The findings in this report are a testament to the critical role of diagnostics in driving fusion energy science forward,” said Regan. “By investing in innovative measurement technologies, we can accelerate progress toward commercial fusion energy and strengthen America’s leadership in plasma science.”
The report summarizes findings from 70 researchers who analyzed seven plasma physics topics funded by the DOE’s FES program. These include:
- Low-temperature plasma.
- High-energy-density plasma.
- Plasma-material interaction.
- Burning plasma created through magnetic-confinement fusion (MCF).
- Burning plasma created through inertial-confinement fusion (ICF).
- Fusion pilot power plants based on MCF.
- Fusion power plants based on ICF.
The researchers identified ways in which the federal government could boost the capability of U.S. scientists to use diagnostics to measure plasma. Those priority research opportunities include creating diagnostics that can withstand the levels of radiation expected in future fusion power plants, inventing new measurement techniques that can measure the ultra-quick processes involved in ICF, using artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the design processes for these innovations and supporting a robust pathway for scientists to enter into diagnostics research. These same capabilities underpin a broader plasma-technology ecosystem critical to U.S. economic leadership.
“Both Luis and I thank the members of the working groups and the broader community for their dedication and hard work in putting this report together,” Regan said. “Their expertise and collaboration have been instrumental in identifying the critical innovations needed to advance diagnostic technologies.”
Below is the list of major findings outlined in the report:
- Accelerate Innovation: The pace of progress for measurement innovations for the FES community, especially for realizing nuclear fusion energy, could be accelerated by validating and verifying design modeling codes, AI and machine learning, and the use of digital twins.
- Establish a National Network: Measurement innovation offers a critical cross-cutting thread within the FES community and could be better supported by a program modeled after LaserNetUS. Such a community could be called CalibrationNetUS.
- Form National Teams: National teams should be formed to transform ideas for measurement innovations into working diagnostics in an efficient and economical way.
- Standardize Calibrations: A more systematic approach to diagnostic calibrations would significantly benefit measurement innovations.
- Transfer Knowledge to the Private Sector: Transferring diagnostics and operational expertise from the public sector to private facilities offers synergistic benefits to the fusion energy science community.
- Invest in a Workforce Pipeline: The measurement innovations needed for fusion pilot plants require a momentous workforce development effort.
- Plan Now for Remote Operations: Measurement innovations needed for remote operation and maintenance of fusion pilot plants should be the topic of future workshops.
The full report is available online, along with an executive summary.
