Research Needs for Magnetic Fusion Energy Sciences - US Burning ...

and new devices could be designed with more confidence. improved, thoroughly validated models
might allow more rapid development toward practical fusion energy, enabling larger, bolder steps.
The need for improved predictive capability, to reduce the need to simultaneously achieve all reactor-like
conditions, is particularly notable in Thrust 8.
The methods for coordination and management for the activities covered by this Thrust will need
to be defined. envisioned is a program where the interactions among theory, modeling and experimental
efforts are stronger, more systematic and more immediate. it would probably be best
accomplished through a combination of “pull,” that is, a modification of the systems of rewards
— funding criteria, reviews, publications and so forth — and “push,” some level of centralized
management and coordination. analysts, who are crucial to this enterprise, must be trained, and
stably and sufficiently supported within our existing institutional frameworks, perhaps by tying
them more closely to the experimental groups. For all elements, theory, computation, diagnostics,
experiments and analysis, the interdependence must be reinforced by consistent management decisions
that allow for sustained progress.
Relation to Other Thrusts and Other Scientific benefits
validated predictive models would be essential for most or all of the other thrusts described in
this Report (see table 1). many of these thrusts have a primary or secondary goal of improving
modeling within their own domain, which could be met by a sufficiently broad definition of
this predictive modeling effort. Understanding developed in these more focused efforts — notably
Thrust 9 — will be integrated into more comprehensive models. The thrusts associated with
iteR, and those focused on integration and control, will depend heavily on development of reliable
models as will the plasma-materials interaction thrust and all of the alternate concepts
thrusts. many of the thrusts propose experimental platforms — test stands, small experiments
or large devices — which would be valuable for validation of conceptual and computational models.
new or upgraded facilities should be provided with sufficient diagnostics for these purposes.
Progress would be of great importance and interest outside the fusion program as well. The problems
we address, like turbulence and other nonlinear interactions, remain grand challenges for
physics with wide reaching implications and importance. historically, the fusion program has
been a leader in the use of high-performance computers and its researchers are already among the
most successful (efficient) users of advanced computer architectures. much of the basic plasma
physics that we study has analogues in space or astrophysical plasmas or in earthbound plasmas
used for industrial processes. already, codes developed by the fusion community are in use for astrophysical
problems and these kinds of interactions can only grow if we increase the scope and
fidelity of our models.
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