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<aside> 💡 Interested in a project or joining our team? Send us an email!

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The overarching motivation of our research is to develop predictive understanding of complex, nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) phenomena and apply these insights to develop reduced physics models, inform design criteria and enable the deployment of fusion as an energy technology.

We are leaders in the development and application of high-fidelity numerical simulations of fusion plasmas to validate design, explain experimental observations and pursue discovery-driven science.

We use these insights to inform the development of design criteria for next-generation devices and develop efficient reduced physics models for fusion plasma optimisation.

We develop fundamental plasma physics theory using multi-scale methods and dynamical systems theory to unravel the complexity of macroscopic plasma physics in the strongly nonlinear regime.

We also work with a cross-institutional team of collaborators to develop and maintain a Julia ecosystem of scalable, high-performance numerical tools for solving a variety of problems in fusion-relevant settings. Check out our Gitlab repo for more.

<aside> <img src="/icons/cursor-click_gray.svg" alt="/icons/cursor-click_gray.svg" width="40px" /> We are a diverse and interdisciplinary research group with 6 key research themes:

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We are always busy and keen to try new ideas! Here are some projects that we’re excited about right now.

<aside> 🐝 For a complete list of our research outputs, check out our publications and software.

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High-fidelity modelling for next-generation fusion reactors Our group is spearheading the development of new high-fidelity, whole-of-device simulation capabilities for next-generation, advanced stellarator concepts. We are leading efforts to expand functionality of the M3D-C1 extended-MHD code in strongly-shaped, non-axisymmetric geometries.

M3D-C1 is a leading extended-MHD, developed primarily at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, that runs on leadership class computing facilities. It uses a split-implicit time-stepping algorithm with C1-continuous finite elements to solve an extremely ill-conditioned system of partial differential equations, that models the macroscopic behaviour of fusion plasmas in toroidal geometry. For more about the M3D-C1 code, take a look at this paper.

<aside> 💡 To learn more about this work, look out for a preprint coming soon.

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Figure: The pressure profiles (ϕ*=*90°) at the initial (left) and final (right) times from an M3D-C1 simulation of an optimised quasi-axisymmetric stellarator equilibrium.

Figure: Working with co-authors (L.M. Imbert-Gerard and E. Paul) at the University of Arizona in July 2023.

Introductory textbook on stellarator optimisation and design Adelle is currently co-authoring an interdisciplinary book that will provide the first modern introduction to stellarator theory. The text covers modelling of magnetic fields, symmetries and optimisation for fusion device design, aiming to provide an accessible introduction to the critical open questions in stellarator physics and serves as a rich source of domain applications particularly for mathematicians and computer scientists. Certainly the first such book, we anticipate that it may be the first multi-author publication in fusion/plasma physics with all women authors.

<aside> 💡 The book is expected to be available in late-2024. In the meantime, check out an early version on arXiv!

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© A. M. Wright (2023)