Plasma Physics
Optimizing iPIC3D, an implicit Particle-in-Cell (PIC) code, for large-scale 3D plasma simulations is crucial for space and astrophysical applications. This work focuses on characterizing iPIC3D's communication efficiency through strategic…
A recent neutron analysis of experiments conducted at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) has revealed deviations from the Maxwellian distributions in the ion relative kinetic energy of burning plasmas, with the surprising emergence of…
The theory of gauge transformations in linearized gravitation is investigated. After a brief discussion of the fundamentals of the kinetic theory in curved spacetime, the Einstein-Vlasov-Maxwell system of equations in terms of gauge…
This work introduces ChemPlasKin, a freely accessible solver optimized for zero-dimensional (0D) simulations of chemical kinetics of neutral gas in non-equilibrium plasma environments. By integrating the electron Boltzmann equation solver,…
Multi-machine empirical scaling predicts an extremely narrow heat exhaust layer in future high magnetic field tokamaks, producing high power densities that require mitigation. In the experiments presented, the width of this exhaust layer is…
We construct a $d$-dimensional Eddy Damped Quasi-Normal Markovian (EDQNM) Closure Model to study dynamo action in arbitrary dimensions. In particular, we find lower $d_L$ and upper $d_U$ critical dimensions for sustained dynamo action in…
In the initial stages of ITER operation, ELM mitigation systems need to be commissioned. This requires controlled flat-top operation in type-I ELMy H-mode regimes. Hydrogen or helium plasma discharges are used exclusively in these stages to…
We perform 3D3V hybrid-Vlasov simulations of turbulence with quasi-isotropic, compressible injection near ion scales to mimic the Earth's magnetosheath plasma, and investigate the novel electron-only reconnection, recently observed by the…
Studies on finite-size plasma have attracted a lot of attention lately. They can form by ionizing liquid droplets by lasers. The dynamical behavior of such plasma droplets is, therefore, a topic of significant interest. In particular,…
An analytical solution of the selfconsistent Vlasov equation is presented. The time evolution is entirely determined by the initial distribution function. The largest Lyapunov exponent is calculated analytically. For special parameters of…
We measure the high intensity laser propagation throughout meter-scale, channel-guided LPAs by adjusting the length of the plasma channel on a shot-by-shot basis, showing high quality guiding of 500 TW laser pulses over 30 cm in a hydrogen…
Laser-plasma accelerators represent a promising technology for future compact accelerating systems, enabling the acceleration of tens of pC to above $1\,$GeV over just a few centimeters. Nonetheless, these devices currently lack the…
Effects of plasma nonuniformity on zero frequency zonal structure (ZFZS) excitation by drift Alfven wave (DAW) instabilities in toroidal plasmas are investigated using nonlinear gyrokinetic theory. The governing equations describing…
A plasma scenario with negative triangularity (NT) shaping is achieved on MAST-U for the first time. While edge localized modes (ELMs) are eventually suppressed as the triangularity is decreased below $\delta$ < -0.06, an extended period of…
The background magnetic geometry at the edge of a tokamak plasma has to be designed in order to mitigate the particle and energy looses essentially due to turbulent transport. The Divertor-Tokamak-Test (DTT) facility under construction at…
This research work is part of a PhD project aiming to design a new helicon plasma thruster for cargo space missions, within a collaboration between the School of Aerospace Engineering of La Sapienza University and the ENEA Frascati research…
We investigate the competition of magnetic reconnections in self-generated and external magnetic fields in laser-produced plasmas. The temporal evolution of plasma structures measured with self-emission imaging shows the vertical expansions…
Understanding plasma instabilities is essential for achieving sustainable fusion energy, with large-scale plasma simulations playing a crucial role in both the design and development of next-generation fusion energy devices and the…
JOREK is an advanced non-linear simulation code for studying MHD instabilities in magnetically confined fusion plasmas and their control and/or mitigation. A free-boundary and resistive wall extension was introduced via coupling to the…
Numerous applications in the extreme field science are possible with circularly polarized high peak power ultrashort pulses. Commonly used quarter wave plates are not applicable here, while multi-mirror schemes are very complicated. We…