Meeting of the Four Societies FUSION ENERGY Matthew Hole, Australian National University 6 pm Wednesday 18 February 2026 [Organizing societies: Royal Society of New South Wales, Engineers Australia, Australian Institute of Energy, Australian Nuclear Association] Fusion Energy: billions in private cash is flooding into fusion. Will it pay off? Professor Matthew Hole1* [email protected] https://maths.anu.edu.au/ptm [1] Mathematical Sciences Institute, Australian National University, ACT 0200, Australia [2] School of Computing, Australian National University, ACT 0200, Australia [*] ITER Science Fellow, International Fusion Research Council, IAEA; Chair, Australian ITER Forum 18 February 2026 Fusion: the process that powers the Sun, the stars, and nearly all life. 99.97% of the natural (biological and physical) processes on Earth are driven by the Sun. The Sun is 4.6 billion years old, and will burn for another 5 billion years. 4p → 4He2+ + 2 e+ + 2 νe + 26.2 MeV Fusion also formed most of the elements: - H, He formed in big-bang fusion of quark-gluon plasma - Li, Be, B formed by cosmic ray spallation - Li < Z < Fe formed by stellar processes - Z > Fe generated mainly by supernovae + merging stars → The natural world is sustainable and solar-fusion powered… Fossil Fuels: the culprit for CO2 emissions & global warming Global primary energy consumption by source: - 83.1% from fossil + biofuels - 13.2% from renewable - 3.7% nuclear Why should Australia care? • We are the world’s largest (by export value) coal exporter, • We are the world’s 3rd largest fossil fuel exporter • Our domestic emissions are the highest (per capita) in the OECD • Our exported + domestic fossil fuels emissions are around 4.5% of global emissions, 80% of which is overseas → Greenhouse emissions don’t respect national borders. The problem is global. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/global-energy-substitution What is the role of Nuclear? (Fission or Fusion) • Solar power could supply all of Earth’s needs if storage and transmission are solved. (e.g. A 600kmx600km solar PV grid in Alice Springs sunshine could meet global power consumption of 20TW continuous power). • However even if solved, energy-security a significant geopolitical driver. • Pplant ~ 1-2GW electric, area = 5-10 km². • Nuclear is the most land-efficient large-scale energy source available. • That’s why: ➢ France, Japan, and South Korea fit huge energy output into small countries ➢ Nuclear pairs extremely well with renewables if land, materials, or transmission are constrained. • Global nuclear capacity on track to double by 2050. → While Australia is blessed with renewables, civilisation needs nuclear. The sector will only grow. Fusion, Fission, and Combustion Controlled fusion: Deuterium, Tritium are hydrogen isotopes. Energy gain: 450:1 co-discovered by Australian Sir Marc Oliphant 1932 1eV = 1.6 x 10^-19 J Reactions Comparison Table: - Reaction: D + T → 4He (3.5MeV) + n (14.1MeV) | Energy: 17,600,000eV | Energy/mass: 3.5MeV/amu - Reaction: D + D → 3He (0.82) + n (2.45MeV) | Energy: 3,270,000eV | Energy/mass: 0.8MeV/amu - Reaction: D + D → T (1.01MeV) + H (3.03MeV) | Energy: 4,030,000eV | Energy/mass: 1.0MeV/amu - Reaction: D + 3He → 4He (3.6MeV) + H (14.7MeV) | Energy: 18,300,000eV | Energy/mass: 3.7MeV/amu - Reaction: p + 11B → 3 4He (2.9MeV) | Energy: 8,700,000 eV | Energy/mass: 0.7MeV/amu - Reaction: U235 + n → Xe134 + Sr100 + n | Energy: 200,000,000eV | Energy/mass: 0.9MeV/amu - Reaction: C6H2 + 6.5 O2 → 6 CO2 + H2O | Energy: 30eV | Energy/mass: 0.01eV/amu BIG Idea: Fusion (and nuclear) uses small amounts of resource for big energy production [Image: bath of water + laptop battery = Energy] On Earth, fusion could provide: • Large-scale energy production • Deuterium is an essentially limitless fuel, available all over the world • No greenhouse gases • Intrinsic safety • No long-lived radioactive waste (if aneutronic fusion p-11B – virtually none) Fusion Fuels (H, D, B) very abundant NB: 99.9885% of all visible matter is Hydrogen Fuel Comparison Table: - Deuterium: • Relative Abundance: 1D : 6000H • Exhaustion lifetime at 20TW continuous power (D-D reaction): 50 billion years (10 x age of Universe) - Tritium: • Relative Abundance: 1T : 10^17 H. Manufactured: 6Li+n → 4He + T; 7Li+n → 4He + T + n • Exhaustion lifetime at 20TW continuous power (D-T reaction): 10^4 years (Earth), 10^20 years (solar system) - Helium 3: • Relative Abundance: 1:10^12 H (Earth), 1:10^4 H (moon) • Exhaustion lifetime (D-3He): ~ weeks (Earth only), ~1000 yrs (Moon Mining) - Lithium 6: • Relative Abundance: 1Li:10^6 H (Earth), 1Li:1000H (solar system) - Boron 11: • Relative Abundance: 1B : 1400 H (Earth) • Exhaustion lifetime (p-11B): 10^8 years How to achieve fusion reactions ? Aim : Overcome electrostatic repulsion between like charges • Particle acceleration (e.g. Linear accelerator, pyroelectric crystal, beam-target [laser-block], beam-beam ) [Nature 434 1115, 2005] • Catalytic process (e.g. Muon catalysis) • Inertial compression (confinement) (e.g. laser target fusion, National Ignition Facility, USA) • Confinement (plasma near thermal equilibrium) (gravitational, electric, magnetic) How to achieve fusion power ? Aim : Overcome electrostatic repulsion between like charges + confinement + power gain • Achieve sufficiently high: - ion temperature Ti ⟹ exceed Coulomb barrier - density nD ∝ energy yield - energy confinement time τE (τE = insulation parameter: e.g. time taken for a jug of hot water to lose energy to the surroundings) • “Lawson” ignition criteria : Fusion power > heat loss • Fusion triple product ⟶ nD τE Ti > 3 × 10^21 m^-3 keV s • Turns out nD τE has a minimum at Ti = 14 keV ≈ 150 million °C (p-11B peak around ≈ 600 million °C) Plasma: the 4’th state of matter • plasma is an ionized gas • 99.9% of the visible universe is in a plasma state • Inner region of the M100 Galaxy in the Virgo Cluster, imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope Planetary Camera at full resolution. • On Earth usually seen as either the Sun, Aurora or Lightning (Tromso, January 2026) Toroidal Magnetic Confinement • Magnetic fields cause charged particles to spiral around field lines. Plasma particles are lost to the vessel walls only by relatively slow diffusion across the field lines • Only charged particles (D+, T+, He+…) are confined. Neutrons escape and release energy by collision with walls. • Toroidal (ring shaped) device: a closed system to avoid end losses • Highest performance been demonstrated in a tokamak (strong field, large current) Components of a Tokamak [Diagram showing central solenoid, toroidal field coils, poloidal field coils, and plasma ring inside vacuum chamber] In a tokamak fields lie in flux surfaces • If magnetic field sufficiently strong ions and electrons bound to field lines • In a “perfect” tokamak field lines lie in flux surfaces • Different flux surfaces are ~ thermally insulated • Flux surfaces support pressure gradient • Tokamaks maximise core pressure, needed to initiate fusion How to obtain extreme temperatures? • OHMIC HEATING (Plasma current) • HEATING BY ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES (Generator, Transmission line, Wave guide, Antenna) • HEATING BY INJECTION OF NEUTRAL PARTICLE BEAMS (Ion source, Accelerator, Neutraliser, Deflection of non-neutralised ions, Highly energetic atoms) - Positive ion beams: E ~ 100keV - Negative ion beams: E ~ 1MeV Energy confinement : big is better • τE empirical scaling: τE = f(HH, Ip, BT, n, PH, Rm, κ, M, a/R) ∝ Ip^0.15 BT^2 Rm^2 PH^-2/3 • “Breakeven” regime : Q = Pout / Pheat = 1 (Eg. JET: Q=0.7, 16.1MW fusion) • “Burning” regime : ITER (D2 + T3 → He4 (3.5 MeV) + n1 (14.1 MeV); Q > 5 ⟹ ITER Pout ≥ Pheat) • “Ignition” regime, Q → ∞ [Source: Wurzel and Hu Physics of Plasmas 29, 062103 (2022)] What’s new in confinement? NEWS | 09 February 2022 | Nature | Elizabeth Gibney "Nuclear-fusion reactor smashes energy record: The experimental Joint European Torus has doubled the record for the amount of energy made from fusing atoms – the process that powers the Sun." - High fusion power produced and sustained for 5 seconds (DTE2 59 MJ) - First-ever high confinement plasmas using D-T with beryllium / tungsten wall - Confirming predictions of plasma behaviour advances development of ITER high performance scenarios “We have ignition” New Scientist, 11 August 2022 (By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan): "Ignition confirmed in a nuclear fusion experiment for the first time" "On 8 August, 2021, 192 laser beams pumped vastly more power than the entire US electric grid into a small gold capsule and ignited, for a fraction of a second, the same thermonuclear fire that powers the Sun." What is the next step along the tokamak path? ITER – ‘the path’, formerly known as International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor 1) Achieve a deuterium-tritium plasma in which the fusion conditions are sustained mostly by internal fusion heating. Achieve a burning plasma. 2) Generate 500 MW of fusion power for long pulses (long pulse or continuous is critical to fusion energy) 3) Contribute to the demonstration of the integrated operation of technologies for a fusion power plant 4) Test tritium breeding 5) Demonstrate the safety characteristics of a fusion device ITER – a snapshot • Fusion power = 500MW • Power Gain (Q) > 10 • Temperature ~ 100 million °C • Located in Cadarache, France • Growing Consortium: China, EU, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, USA • Collaboration agreements with: ➢ International Atomic Energy Agency ➢ Principality of Monaco 16/01/2008 ➢ CERN – 10/03/2008 ➢ Australia 30/09/2016 ➢ Kazakhstan 11/06/2017 ITER in detail Components labeled: Central Solenoid, Outer Intercoil Structure, Toroidal Field Coil, Poloidal Field Coil, Machine Gravity Supports, Blanket Module, Vacuum Vessel, Cryostat, Port Plug (IC Heating), Divertor, Torus Cryopump. Plasma conditions: - Total Fusion power: 500MW - Minor (a), major (R) radius: 2.0m, 6.2m - Ip, plasma current: 15MA - Toroidal field @6.2m: 5.3T - Plasma Volume: 837 m³ - Auxiliary heating, current drive: 73MW ITER construction more than 85% completed - May 2025: Aerial view of site - 29 January 2026: Tokamak pit view showing 4 (/9) sector modules installed ITER has had its fair share of delays… Reasons for Delay: • Project management and scope changes • Design complexity and component inconsistency • Covid-19 pandemic • Regulatory hurdles Leadership timeline: Kaname Ikeda -> Osamu Motojima -> Bernard Bigot -> Pietro Barabaschi (2022-) Budget: US $20-25 billion Timeline projection: - 2026: Now (Assembly) - 2034: First Plasma - 2036: Research - 2039: DT operation - 2050: Ongoing operations [Source: Plas. Phys. Cont. Fusion 67 2025 065023; Scientific American, June 2023] …but it’s not alone: nearly all first-of-a-kind are over budget and schedule - James Webb Space Telescope: Initial designs in 1996. Aimed for launch in 2007 at US$1bn. Final launch in late 2021. Final cost US$10bn. - F35 Joint Strike Fighter: Initial design work 2001. Full rate production 2015. Cost ? Full rate production 2024. Lifetime cost US$2000 bn. - Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3, Finland: Construction start 2005. Scheduled operation 2009 at €3.2 billion. Commercial Operation 2023. Final cost €11 billion. Fusion power plant schematic (ITER is not a power plant) - Very complicated nonlinear plasma physics! Plasma DT, n. - Primary fuels: Deuterium, Lithium. - Lithium blanket: Blanket required to generate tritium / lithium. (Build radius determined by slowing down of neutrons). - Cooling / power conversion: Steam generator, Turbine, Generator to electricity grid. - Exhaust: Helium. - Emergent challenges: nuclear technology, remote handling, Materials science for first wall. Economics of Fusion Power – Tokamak Design 1GWe DEMO2 reference design [Kemp R. IDM EU_D_2LCBVU, EUROfusion. 2015] EU study: “Approximation of the economy of fusion energy” [Entler et al Energy 152 (2018) 489-497] - Fusion Power: 3255MW - Thermal Power: 4149MW - Gross Electric Power: 1660MW - Net Electric Power: 953MW - Plant self-consumption: 707MW - Plant availability fraction: 75% - Fusion fuel (per day): < 2kg - Direct Construction Cost: $M8525 Cost breakdown: Magnets 37%, Buildings 17%, Nuclear technology 13%, Turbine plant 6%, Heating & Current drive system 6%, Fuel handling system 5%, Maintenance equipment 5%, Cooling systems 4%, Cryogenic systems 2%, Control & Diagnostics 2%, Reactor systems 2%, Vacuum systems 1%. Tokamak-reactor design Reactor determined by engineering, nuclear and physics constraints: • Plasma unstable at high elongation → κ < 1.7 • Blanket width set by neutron slowing down to max T breeding → 1m • Neutron wall loading limits + a/R choice → R0=5.4m • τE increases with |B|. Superconducting choice Nb3Sn → B < 6.8T • Coil winding thickness c set by winding pack and JxB limits. → c ~ 1m • nD τE Ti peak at Ti → 14keV (set by collision cross-section) • Assume Pfus produced PElec with thermal efficiency η = 0.4 → p ~ 8 atm. • Ideal gas equation → ncore ~ 1.5 x10^20 m^-3 (nair = 2.5 x10^25 m^-3, ndiamond = 1.7 x10^29 m^-3, nSun(0) = 9 x10^31 m^-3) [Solar core is 100x more dense than Iron!] • P⍺ > Plosses → Ip ~15MA • Steady state, Iohmic = 0. Ip = ICD + IBS. ICD < 2.2MA RF current drive, (coupling efficiency ~50%, recirculating power < 10%) → fBS = IBS/Ip > 84% [J. P. Friedberg et al Phys. Plas. 22, 070901, 2015] Tokamak-reactor design: ITER choices Comparing standard constraints against ITER: - Steady state / bootstrap fraction: ITER choices have fBS = 25-35% (marked X as insufficient for steady state without large external drive). Tokamak-reactor design: CFS SPARC/ARC Approach Relaxing superconducting field limit: - CFS SPARC/ARC: Change Superconducting material to REBCO/YBCO high temperature tape, allowing higher magnetic field strengths. Tokamak-reactor design: Spherical Tokamak Approach Relaxing neutron wall loading limits and aspect ratio choice (a/R): - Tokamak Energy, UK - Spherical Tokamak for Electricity Production (STEP), UK Tokamak-reactor design: Stellarator Approach Relaxing steady state / current drive requirements: - Steady state, Iohmic = 0, Ip = ICD + IBS is automatic in stellarators without needing driven plasma current. - Examples: Wendelstein 7-X, Type One Energy, Gauss Fusion. Stellarators: confinement with a twist • Tokamak: field line helicity created by internal plasma current • Stellarator: field line helicity created by twist of field coils ✓ Eliminates disruptive current-driven instabilities, ✗ field coils are an engineering challenge, ✗ flux surfaces aren’t guaranteed. e.g. W7-X : a first-generation computationally optimised stellarator (low neoclassical transport, low current, good stability, and “good” flux surfaces) • € 1 billion experiment. Construction started in ~2000. • Aim: evaluate fusion reactor using stellarator technology. • Opened by Chancellor Merkel in February 2016 (03/02/2016) Parameter space of optimised stellarators is vast Simons Foundation Collaboration on Hidden Symmetries and Fusion Energy, 2018 - 2025 (https://hiddensymmetries.princeton.edu/) - Objective: To create and exploit an effective mathematical and computational framework for the design of stellarators with hidden symmetries. (good flux surfaces, good particle confinement, high bootstrap fraction) - Deliverables: Optimum design principles of a stellarator, a modern optimization code (SIMSOPT) that can exploit the full power of petascale and exascale computers, and designs of next-generation stellarator experiments (https://github.com/hiddenSymmetries/simsopt) - Research by M. Landreman, Journal of Plasma Physics, 88(6), 905880616, 2022 & M. Landreman et al Physics of Plasmas 29, 082501 (2022): Optimized quasi-axisymmetric configuration with energetic particle confinement, self-consistent bootstrap. (Flux surfaces: Not Guaranteed! Bootstrap: Not Automatic!) Potential game changers for fusion • Superconducting Magnet Technology: higher field strength, lower cryogenic cost • Integrated Modelling : self-consistent core-edge simulation • AI : Surrogate modelling, Control • Design Optimisation • Advanced divertor materials • Radiation resistant structural materials • Ignition & JET record stored energy shots • Increasing urgency of climate action • Wave of capital from tech billionaires Recent Advances: - J. Degrave et al Magnetic control of tokamak plasmas through deep reinforcement learning, Nature 602, 2022 (Collaboration between DeepMind and EPFL, Switzerland; Demonstration of real time control using a PINN) - S. Pinches et al Dec. 2025: Visualization with IMAS-ParaView of induced currents in vacuum vessel and plasma electron temperature during disruption in ITER simulated with JOREK code. The rise of the private sector 22 July 2025 (Source: Global Fusion Industry Report) Number of private fusion companies growing rapidly from 1985 to 2024+: - 29 USA - 12 Europe - 8 Asia - 4 Rest of World (1 Australia, 1 New Zealand) Notable companies timeline includes TAE Technologies, General Fusion, Tokamak Energy, Helion, Zap Energy, HB11 Energy, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Marvel Fusion, Focused Energy, Type One Energy, OpenStar Technologies, Proxima Fusion, etc. Cumulative funding exceeds $USD10 billion TOTAL FUNDING TO JULY 2025: • Total funding to date: $9,766,000,000 • Total this year: $2,643,573,000 • Total private funding to date: $8,971,150,000 • Total public funding to date: $794,850,000 General approach distribution: - 25 Magnetic confinement (inc. Tokamak, Stellarator) - 11 Inertial confinement - 6 Magneto-inertial - 4 Hybrid electrostatic confinement - 1 Muon-catalyzed fusion - 4 Non-traditional concepts / Not stated Funding Increase 2024-2025: - Pacific Fusion: $900m - Helion: $425m - Marvel: $200m - TAE: $150m - Proxima Fusion: $150m - Zap Energy: $130m - Tokamak Energy: $125m - Focused Energy: $110m - Type One Energy Group: $64m - ENN Science and Technology: $55m - Realta Fusion: $36m - Renaissance Fusion: $36m Billion Dollar Companies: • Commonwealth Fusion Systems ~USD$3bn • TAE Systems ~USD$1.3bn (post Trump Media Merger 18/12/2025) • Helion Energy Systems ~USD$1bn Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) Spin-out from MIT in 2018. Aims to commercialize fusion energy rapidly using high-field tokamak technology coupled with advanced materials — especially high-temperature superconductors (HTS). SPARC = physics + technology demonstrator: • Uses D-T cycle • Conventional aspect ratio tokamak • R0 ~ 1.85m, a ~ 0.57m • High field strength 12.2T on-axis (23T peak) • Ip ~ 8.7MA • Energy gain Q > 2 • Fusion power: 50-140MW • Pulse length ~ 10s (inductive) • Claims operational by end of 2026. Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) ARC = First commercial power plant: • Uses D-T cycle • Conventional aspect ratio tokamak • R0 ~ 3.3m, a ~ 1.1m • High field strength 9.2T on-axis (23T peak) • Ip ~ 9.2MA • Energy gain Q > 10 • Fusion power: 200MW electric (500MW thermal) • Continuous operation • Claims fBS = 63%. Hard. • Claims operational by early 2030’s TAE (Tri Alpha Energy) Technologies Founded in 1998 in Foothill Ranch, California, USA. Aim: To develop a practical, commercially viable fusion power system using a reverse field pinch. • Multi-fuel strategy: - D-T fusion: intermediate steps and validating concepts - p-11B fusion: long term vision • Power generation by slowing down of ⍺’s to drive a current (direct), or heating a blanket and a heat-exchanger (indirect) • Hardware includes plasma guns and neutral beam injectors • Claims commercially viable by early 2030’s Helion Energy Magneto-inertial, pulsed fusion approach using Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) plasmas, designed to generate electricity directly from fusion without a steam cycle. Aim: To develop a commercially viable p-11B fusion power system using a reverse field pinch. Technology Concept: 1. Formation of RFP configurations 2. Acceleration of RFP plasmas 3. Compression: Plasma heated to fusion conditions 4. Recoil: Plasma expansion produces change in field, induces current directly Committed to providing electricity to Microsoft data centres from 2028. HB11 Energy (Sydney, Australia): • Uses p-11B reaction • Non-thermal ignition via laser-driven plasma block acceleration ➢ Use petawatt-class lasers ➢ Generate extremely high electric fields ➢ Directly accelerate plasma blocks (non-thermal ignition) ➢ Trigger an avalanche reaction of alpha particles • Founded 2017, building on work of Heinrich Hora • Raised ~AUD$32m to date • Claims commercially viable in the 2030’s • CEO: Dr Warren McKenzie (https://hb11.energy/contact/) OpenStar Technologies (Wellington, NZ): • Uses p-11B reaction • Levitated dipole magnetic confinement • Founded late 2021, funded late 2022 • Raised $20m USD; ~70 employees • First plasmas October 2024 in “Junior” experiment • 5.7 tesla magnet in a 5.2 metre vacuum vessel, ~50 kW EC heating • Design of 2nd generation device underway • Claims commercially viable by about 2030 • Founder: Ratu Mataira ([email protected]) • NZ Government backs fusion energy research (by NZ$35m) 4 February 2026. The UK Approach to Fusion • A substantial fusion program since the 1950’s (UK Atomic Energy Authority). • Hosted Joint European Torus (1983-2023) • UK program has centred on developing the spherical torus (first demonstrated by ANSTO in 1988): ➢ START (1991-1998) ➢ MAST (1999-2013) ➢ MAST Upgrade (2015-) • Massive expansion in funding / program over last 5 years: ➢ £650m Fusion Futures program Infrastructure, Skills, Industrial and commercial opportunities (October 2023 - 2027) ➢ £UK2.5 bn confirmed for ambitious Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), June 2025 • Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP): - Prototype fusion plant targeting 2040 at West Burton, Nottinghamshire (former coal power plant) - Aims: nett electrical power to grid, Tritium self sufficiency, Maintainable reactor system, Commercially relevant plant architecture (https://stepfusion.com/) Burning plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) BEST = compact, high-field tokamak under construction in Hefei, China (Chinese Academy of Sciences, building on EAST): • Uses D-T cycle • Conventional aspect ratio tokamak • R0 ~ 3.6m, a ~ 1.1m • High field strength 6.15T on-axis • Ip ~ 4-7MA • Energy gain Q > 1-5 • Fusion power: 20-200 MW • Pulse length ~ hours • Claims operational by end of 2027 • > $1bn USD invested Timeline: • Construction began in mid 2023 • May 2025: full device assembly commences • October 2025: Dewar base and vacuum vessel housing magnets installed Australia: A pioneer in Fusion Science 1934: Sir Mark Oliphant discovers He3+, T, and D-D reaction 1958: Sir Mark Oliphant initiates plasma physics research at ANU Innovations (incomplete list): - 1963: First tokamak outside Russia – Liley - 1970: Lagrangian WKB to describe waves + particles – Dewar - 1973: Nonlinear wave saturation – Dewar - 1974: Discovery of Alfven gaps in toroidal confinement – Dewar - 1978: Laser-driven plasma blocks – Hora - 1979: Invention of the rotomak – Jones - 1980: Construction of TORTUS tokamak at Univ. Sydney – Cross - 1983: Definitive treatment of ballooning modes in 3D – Dewar - 1985: First heliac confinement device (SHEILA) – Hamberger - 1988: First demonstration of a steady-state spherical torus configuration – Colins - 1992-2018: First hot heliac confinement device (H-1) – Blackwell - 1996: Spontaneous transitions to improved confinement (H-mode) – Shats - 2003: Development of time resolved coherence imaging – Howard - 2012: Bayesian implementation of magnetic force balance – Hole - 2012-15: Formulation of generalised Taylor relaxation to describe 3D fields – Dewar / Hole - 2015: Computation of continuum damping in 3D fields – Bowden / Hole - 2015: Pioneered use of GISAXS to characterise He formation in Tungsten – Corr - 2016: Entire new class of energetic particle driven modes – Qu / Hole [Honoring Sir Mark Oliphant (1901-2000) and Prof. Robert Dewar (1944-2024)] Fusion relevant Australasian research activity • Australian National University: Theory and modelling, Experimental plasma science • ANSTO: Operates OPAL research reactor; Nuclear materials engineering (work on W and alloys with UKAEA) • UNSW: Neutron shielding materials (with ANSTO, Tokamak Energy); Atomcraft undergraduate tokamak • HB11 Energy: Laser Fusion Energy technology with advanced fuels and proton-driven fast ignition • Curtin University: Atomic collision physics for neutral beam heating, diagnostics and first wall • University of Western Australia & Griffith University: plasma theory / mathematics, runaway electron modelling, disruption mitigation • The University of Sydney: Plasma theory / mathematics, Gridded inertial electrostatic confinement • Cruxis Fusion: Hybrid magnetic and electrostatic confinement device achieving a virtual cathode without physical grids ([email protected]) • OpenStar Technologies: Levitated dipole, Wellington NZ • Meranti Research: Plasma Storage Ring, Perth • Helixos: Fusion Consultancy, US, Aus Strong international dimension to research Collaborators include: ITER, UK Atomic Energy Authority, PPPL, General Atomics, IPP Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, EPFL, NIFS, KFE Korea Institute of Fusion Energy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, CIEMAT, CNRS, Kyoto University, UT Austin, ELI, LLE UR, GSI, Consorzio RFX, TEC, Chalmers, University of South China, Pavezzyum, Universidad de Salamanca, UC San Diego, Fudan University, University of Manchester, Magnix, Hyper Tech Research, European XFEL, Università degli Studi di Palermo. Is there an overlap with AUKUS? In discussion with: - Paul Methven, Director of STEP (Royal Navy Rear Admiral, Director Nuclear Submarine Acquisition 2017-2020) - Dougie Auld, UKAEA Chief Engineer (Royal Navy Nuclear Engineer, 32 years) Shared technical competencies: • Complex systems modelling • Neutronics • Control systems • Uncertainty quantification • Artificial Intelligence • Materials Science • Tritium handling (awareness) • Electrical power distribution and storage • Thermal cycling and hydraulics • Systems Engineering • Health physics • Safety case and safety case handling “Fusion is the miracle drug that attracts students to nuclear science” — Prof. Sir Steve Cowley, Director of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, UKAEA Director ATOMCRAFT: First tokamak designed, built and operated by undergraduates at UNSW Sydney • Purpose: An ambitious student project for training the next generation of engineers and scientists in advanced technologies. • Contacts: Marcus Borscz (student, [email protected]), A/Prof. Patrick Burr (academic, [email protected]) • Team: 55 undergraduates across eight schools of engineering and school of physics (Power & Plasma Engineering, Plant Engineering, Project Management) • Machine Specs: Small-scale tokamak with ohmic and ECR heating (@2.45 GHz); R0 ~ 0.3 m, Bφ ~ 0.1 T, aspect ratio ~ 3.5; targeting 100 ms pulses with H2 at Ip ~ 5 kA • Skill Areas: Plasma modelling (DYON, FreeGS, Tokamaker), diagnostics (Langmuir probe, Rogowski coil, spectroscopy), RF waveguide engineering, vacuum vessel design, glow discharge cleaning, supercapacitor energy storage, switched-mode power supplies, FPGA engineering • Partners: Tokamak Energy, HB11 Energy, UNSW Digital Grid Futures Institute, UNSW Nuclear Innovation Centre, Allfasteners • Timeline: Feb 2024 (Launch) -> Jan 2025 (Vacuum Vessel Mfg) -> Nov 2025 (Glow Discharge Demo) -> July 2026 (First plasma) -> Nov 2026 (ECRH operation) Wrapping up: Topics covered (1/2) • Introduced fusion • Placed nuclear power (inc. fusion) in context to global energy needs • Described different approaches to fusion power • Introduced and focused on technology most likely to work – toroidal confinement • Introduced ITER, tokamak reactors and stellarators • Outlined rise of the private sector and major UK and China programs • Sketched Australian R&D: past to present Wrapping up: Take-away (2/2) • Fusion is common in the Universe. • Fusion on Earth is hard, but the rewards if realised immense. • D-T fusion is hard. P-B fusion is much harder. • Large scale energy utilities based on existing well-established but obsolete technologies (e.g. coal) take ~ 10 years. Possible exception is China. • The next step experiment ITER is making progress. For the first time ever, ahead of schedule. DT operations envisaged from 2039. • ITER is not a power plant. • Unlikely fusion will contribute to grid before 2050. • New configurations (stellarators) and new technologies (high temp superconductors, advanced materials, AI) offer hope fusion can be accelerated. • There’s an opportunity to embrace the primary R&D program (ITER), new configurations, new technologies and the private sector to increase awareness and Australian participation in global fusion R&D. • Rejuvenation of community self-assembly via survey and follow up meeting in March. Australian Fusion Energy R&D Survey The purpose of this survey is to collect input on interest in community / collective engagement in advancing fusion energy R&D in Australia. These invaluable insights will be used to shape an agenda for a zoom meeting in March, whose purpose will be to re-examine self-assembly and advocacy in Australia in the field of fusion energy R&D. https://forms.office.com/r/WQpyia4y8f?origin=lprLink