Multi-Scale Numerical Modelling of Magnetised Plasma Turbulence

The majority of the visible matter in our universe is plasma. Since plasma contains free electric charges (ions and electrons), it is sensitive to electromagnetic fields and waves, and electric currents can flow in the plasma. Laboratory plasmas are being increasingly exploited in contemporary high-value, high-technology industries. Plasma in the sun, magnetosphere and ionosphere have impacts on many human activities, from space weather to GPS satellite and landbased communications. For the longer term future the harnessing of fusion energy to provide the world's energy needs in an environmentally safe, carbon-free way may be based on magnetically or inertially confined plasmas. Electromagnetic waves are used to heat plasma in fusion reactors, but they are also used for basic plasma experiments in the laboratory and in the Earth's ionosphere, and for satellite communication and GPS.

This project aims to build a comprehensive multi-dimensional, full-scale numerical model to study the propagation and the complicated interactions between high-frequency electromagnetic waves and magnetised plasmas on different length- and timescales. The results of the project will develop our understanding of the complex interactions between electromagnetic waves, such as microwaves, and plasmas, and how electromagnetic waves can be used to inject energy into the plasma. The project is timely in view of the ongoing construction of the fusion test reactor ITER in Southern France, and the results will also provide a pre-study for planned laboratory plasma experiments at the University of Strathclyde. The project also has relevance to active experiments using the Earth's ionosphere as a natural plasma laboratory, and to satellite communication where the effects of the ionospheric plasma layer need to be compensated for.

The impact of plasma physics is large and growing. The majority of the visible matter in our universe is plasma. Laboratory plasmas are being increasingly exploited in contemporary high-value, high-technology industries. Plasma in the sun, magnetosphere and ionosphere have impacts on many human activities, from space weather to GPS satellite and land-based communications. The development of fusion energy is based on two plasma approaches, (1) magnetically confined plasmas and (2) inertially confined plasmas. In 1997 the JET plasma facility successfully produced fusion power using method (1) at 16MW for about one second and now the much larger ITER (10 billion Euro) facility is being built in southern France. ITER is designed to produce fusion power by magnetic plasma confinement at up to 0.5GW power levels for periods of 10 minutes. Demonstrating a practical GW level fusion power station will be the aim of the follow-on DEMO facility. Such demonstrations of energy production by fusion would have enormous impact on energy policy.

Our objectives will complement the UK's world leading activity in fusion and industrial processing plasmas, through the numerical investigation of the interactions between large amplitude electromagnetic waves and magnetised plasmas. Electromagnetic waves will be one of the main sources of heating the plasma in ITER and will be investigated for current drive in stage 2 of the MAST-Upgrade. The understanding of the propagation of EM waves in magnetised plasmas is also needed for satellite communication, where interference from the sometimes turbulent ionospheric plasma needs to be compensated for. To achieve this we anticipate maintaining close contact with colleagues working in different areas of plasma physics, ensuring that the work we undertake is as relevant as possible to the problems they face.

This project has the potential to impact on principal approaches to magnetic confinement fusion science, on academic basic research of turbulence in magnetised plasmas, on EM wave propagation with relevance to remote sensing and satellite communication, and industrial applications to materials processing. The project will develop key skills in theoretical and numerical modelling of electromagnetic waves interacting with magnetised plasmas. The applicants have strong collaborative links to key labs and industrial partners (e.g. e2v and TMD technologies) providing the route to realise the impact to the benefit of society and the economy.