A Community Plan for Fusion Energy and Discovery Plasma Sciences: Report of the 2019–2020 American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics Community Planning Process

Summary

This document presents a comprehensive community strategic plan for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES), developed through the 2019–2020 APS-DPP Community Planning Process. It outlines strategic objectives and programmatic recommendations across Fusion Science and Technology (FST), Discovery Plasma Science (DPS), and key cross-cutting areas such as workforce development, diversity, equity, and inclusion, theory and computation, and measurement and diagnostics. The plan emphasizes enabling the construction of a low-capital-cost fusion pilot plant (FPP) producing net electricity while sustaining broad foundational and discovery plasma research.

Title Page

A Community Plan for Fusion Energy and Discovery Plasma Sciences Report of the 2019–2020 American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics Community Planning Process

Chairs and Topical Group Leaders

Chairs: Scott Baalrud - University of Iowa Nathaniel Ferraro - Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Lauren Garrison - Oak Ridge National Laboratory Nathan Howard - Massachusetts Institute of Technology Carolyn Kuranz - University of Michigan John Sarff - University of Wisconsin-Madison Earl Scime (emeritus) - West Virginia University Wayne Solomon - General Atomics

Magnetic Fusion Energy: Ted Biewer, ORNL Dan Brunner, CFS Cami Collins, General Atomics Brian Grierson, PPPL Walter Guttenfelder, PPPL Chris Hegna, U Wisconsin-Madison Chris Holland, UCSD Jerry Hughes, MIT Aaro Järvinen, LLNL Richard Magee, TAE Saskia Mordijck, William & Mary Craig Petty, General Atomics Matthew Reinke, ORNL Uri Shumlak, U Washington

Fusion Materials and Technology: John Caughman, ORNL David Donovan, UT Knoxville Karl Hammond, U Missouri Paul Humrickhouse, INL Robert Kolasinski, Sandia Ane Lasa, UT Knoxville Richard Nygren, Sandia Wahyu Setyawan, PNNL George Tynan, UCSD Steven Zinkle, UT Knoxville

General Plasma Science: Daniel Den Hartog, U Wisconsin-Madison Dan Dubin, UCSD Hantao Ji, Princeton Yevgeny Raitses, PPPL Dan Sinars, Sandia David Schaffner, Bryn Mawr College Steven Shannon, NC State Stephen Vincena, UCLA

High Energy Density Physics: Alex Arefiev, UCSD Todd Ditmire, UT Austin Forrest Doss, LANL Johan Frenje, MIT Cliff Thomas, UR/LLE Arianna Gleason, Stanford/SLAC Stephanie Hansen, Sandia Louisa Pickworth, LLNL Jorge Rocca, Colorado State Derek Schaeffer, Princeton Sean Finnegan, LANL

Preface

This document is the final report of the Community Planning Process (CPP) that describes a comprehensive plan to deliver fusion energy and to advance plasma science. The CPP was initiated by the executive committee of the American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics (APS-DPP) to help the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) fulfill a charge from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a strategic plan for the DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES). In this charge, dated Nov. 30, 2018, DOE Deputy Director for Science Dr. Stephen Binkley requested that FESAC “undertake a new long-range strategic planning activity for the Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program. The strategic planning activity—to encompass the entire FES research portfolio (namely, burning plasma science and discovery plasma science)—should identify and prioritize the research required to advance both the scientific foundation needed to develop a fusion energy source, as well as the broader FES mission to steward plasma science.” The CPP represents the first phase in developing a long range strategic plan for FES, and will serve as the basis for the second phase activity conducted by FESAC. It is worth noting that enacting the full scope of the recommendations in the strategic plan in this document will require suitable partnerships with other offices and governmental agencies, as well as with private industry and international partners.

This Community Planning Process has sought to form a consensus plan by the entire U.S. fusion and plasma physics community. The CPP has encouraged and received broad engagement from the entire U.S. fusion and plasma physics community by inviting the involvement of multiple professional societies (including APS, IEEE, ANS, HEDSA, USBPO, UFA, AVS, and others) and hosting frequent town halls, webinars, hundreds of small group discussions among subject matter experts, dedicated workshops, and focus group discussions. Hundreds of whitepapers, initiative proposals, and summary quad charts were submitted by the community throughout the process. This process has been extensively and transparently documented on a dedicated website (https://sites.google.com/pppl.gov/dpp-cpp). We believe that this process has been a success, not only by yielding the plan presented here, but also by bringing a diverse community together to embrace an ambitious vision for the future.

Executive Summary

Fusion is the fundamental source of energy in the universe. We, and everything around us, are built from elements created by fusion reactions that occurred through the birth and death of stars that lived long ago. Fusion and plasma—the ionized matter that constitutes 99% of the visible universe—are inextricably linked. Fusion in the Sun’s burning plasma indirectly powers our daily lives when we capture sunlight, catch the wind, and release ancient solar energy stored in fossil fuels. When harnessed on Earth, burning plasmas will directly provide a source of safe, clean energy capable of powering our society forever. The shared history of fusion and plasma science exemplifies how basic research translates from a deeper understanding of nature to important applications, such as plasma processing in the trillion-dollar microelectronics industry. Foremost of these applications will be the ability to harness fusion energy in a reactor—bringing a star to Earth—as one of the greatest achievements of humankind.

This report details a plan to realize the potential of fusion and plasma science to deepen our understanding of nature and to translate advances into commercialized fusion energy and other technologies that benefit society. It provides a consensus report on behalf of the entire U.S. fusion and plasma science community, which was developed following a community-led process that emphasized inclusivity and transparency at every stage. The following recommendations highlight the key output of this process, which are organized into the two crucial and complementary areas of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES): Fusion Science and Technology (FST), and Discovery Plasma Science (DPS), as well as cross-cutting opportunities that span the breadth of fusion and plasma science.

Fusion Science and Technology (FST) research holds the promise of providing limitless, clean, sustainable energy to the world. Recent advances, burgeoning private investment, and a renewed urgency to address U.S. energy needs motivate the transition to a mission-driven energy program. This community-driven strategic plan emphasizes exciting new research opportunities in fusion science and technology. It reflects the strong sentiment within the community that research in this area should be driven by the mission to enable construction of a fusion pilot plant (FPP) that produces net electricity and thereby establishes the scientific and technological basis for commercial fusion energy. By developing the innovative science and technology needed to accelerate the construction of a pilot plant at low capital cost, the U.S. will distinguish itself from its international counterparts and lead the way in the commercialization of fusion. To urgently move toward an FPP, cost-effective FPP designs must begin to be developed. The tokamak is presently the leading concept; however, research on other promising concepts, including optimized stellarators, inertial fusion, and alternative concepts, may ultimately lead to an attractive FPP. A prioritized set of strategic objectives needed to achieve this mission is described in this plan. The plan is broadly consistent with the recent National Academies Burning Plasmas report, and collectively establishes three key actions in FST to guide and orient the U.S. fusion program:

● Accelerate the development of the burning plasma physics basis necessary for a fusion pilot plant. Understanding burning plasmas, in which heating is dominantly provided by the energy released by fusion reactions, and resolving challenges associated with sustained operation, are critical steps toward achieving fusion energy. The U.S. should sustain full partnership in ITER, as this remains the best option for accessing burning plasmas at the scale of a power plant. To complete the plasma physics basis sufficient for an FPP, we should advance theory and modeling capabilities, utilize existing domestic and international facilities in the near term, and expand opportunities through public/private partnerships to provide access to burning plasma conditions. In addition, the conceptual design of a new U.S. tokamak facility capable of handling power exhaust at conditions typical of an FPP while simultaneously demonstrating the necessary plasma performance should begin immediately, with the goal of beginning research operations on the new facility before the end of the decade.

● Rapidly expand the fusion materials and technology program. The community recognizes the need to accelerate research in areas of fusion materials and technology, which apply to nearly any plausible pilot plant design, and likely set the timescale on which any FPP could be successful. The design and construction of a fusion prototypic neutron source (FPNS) should begin immediately to generate world-leading data on the degradation of materials when exposed to neutrons from fusion, in order to evaluate potential solutions for magnets, blankets, and other materials in an FPP. The FPNS should complement an expanded program for the development of structural and functional materials for fusion. Targeted investments should be made in fusion blanket and plasma facing component programs to provide critical new research capabilities and enhance U.S. leadership.

● Embrace innovation to drive the achievement of economically viable fusion energy. Research should focus on developing solutions to well-known challenges in fusion energy development by emphasizing exploration and utilization of new, potentially transformative science and technologies. Fully realizing the benefits of innovation requires consideration of the interconnected nature of fusion, which relies on coordinated research in plasma physics, fusion nuclear science, materials science, systems engineering, and many other fields. This should be addressed by establishing a multi-institutional, multidisciplinary program to develop fusion pilot plant concepts to help inform research needs and priorities. Our program must closely partner with private industry to drive innovative technologies that ensure the development of a commercially competitive product.

Discovery Plasma Science (DPS) research encompasses the study of the fundamental interactions of particles and light in plasmas, the study of astrophysical plasmas from planetary cores to stars, new theoretical and computational techniques to describe plasmas, and the practical application of plasmas for manufacturing, medicine, and agriculture. Its mission is to develop and verify a fundamental understanding of plasmas and take advantage of their unique properties to engineer technologies that support a growing economy. This work is organized into three Science Drivers: Explore the Frontiers of Plasma Science, Understand the Plasma Universe, and Create Transformative Technologies. In order to establish and maintain U.S. leadership in plasma science, we require world class facilities and reproducible theory, computation, and measurements. Often disciplines are closely identified with the tools used by its practitioners. For this reason we organize DPS into two complementary areas: High Energy Density Plasmas (HEDP), which typically relies on intense lasers or pulsed power, and General Plasma Science (GPS), which uses a broad range of tools. We have three main recommendations in DPS:

● Build an intermediate-scale general plasma science facility to study astrophysically-relevant magnetized plasma phenomena, significantly upgrade HED infrastructure, such as, LaserNetUS facilities and the Matter in Extreme Conditions instrument, and co-locate plasma devices at established facilities to leverage community expertise across the plasma science community.

● Support world-leading plasma science by ensuring stable funding for a balanced research portfolio, including single and multiple principal investigator scale projects, and those hosted at universities, national laboratories and industry. Leverage expertise outside of the plasma science community to support development of the vital data, methods, and techniques that support plasma science.

● Collaborate by developing networks of scientists and facilities to enable a broad range of frontier scientific research, and translate discoveries to advance other areas of science and engineering. Current networks, which include LaserNetUS, and collaborative low-temperature plasma research centers, should be expanded and new collaborative networks, such as ZNetUS and MagNetUSA, should be formed. Support and expand partnerships both within DOE and with other agencies where such collaborations are likely to have high impact. The NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering as well as the NNSA/DOE Joint Program in HEDLP are exemplary in this regard, and support for these programs should be continued and expanded. Many other possibilities are emphasized in this report, including connections with the missions of DOE-BES, DOE-NNSA, NASA, NIH, DOD and several other agencies with missions that are advanced by plasma science.

Cross-cutting opportunities represent a number of shared challenges and research needs that cut across the wide scope of fusion and plasma science and technology. We highlight four representative recommendations:

● Harness innovations in advanced scientific computing tools and increase capacity computing to improve fundamental understanding and predictive modeling capabilities. Plasma and fusion science are drivers of advanced scientific computing and are poised to benefit from and contribute to national priorities for exascale computing resources, machine learning, and quantum information science.

● Pursue innovations in diagnostic development that advance our understanding of basic plasma science, improve our ability to control fusion plasmas, and enhance survivability in extreme environments. Improvements in diagnostic resolution will provide new insights into the fundamental mechanisms governing plasma behavior as well as their interactions with materials. New diagnostics that are resistant to radiation effects are imperative to ensure survivability in a fusion plasma environment.

● Support public-private partnerships across the full breadth of fusion and plasma science. The private sector, working alongside government funded research, can create transformational plasma-enabled technologies for improved human health and well-being, including the realization of fusion energy.

● Embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion, and develop the multidisciplinary workforce required to solve the challenges in fusion and plasma science. To support the multidisciplinary workforce needed for fusion energy and plasma science, we must increase pathways for undergraduates and technical workers, and increase science literacy by developing community outreach. In so doing, we must commit ourselves to the creation and maintenance of a healthy community climate of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which will benefit the community as a whole and the mission of FES.

We recommend regular community strategic planning every 5–7 years to keep the plan consistent with evolving progress in science, technology, and external factors. This planning activity has provided tremendous benefits by bringing the community together to discuss the common scientific challenges and vision that make FES a coherent program. As a result, the community has embraced the complementary goals of an energy mission to commercialize fusion as soon as possible, and the vigorous pursuit of plasma science to advance our understanding of nature and to develop technology that will benefit our society.

Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Discovery Plasma and Fusion Science and Technology community recognizes that having a healthy climate of diversity, equity and inclusion is critical to solve the challenges we face in our field. We acknowledge, as a community, that our current (and historically) unhealthy climate is a serious problem and we commit to taking immediate action to achieve equitable, diverse, and inclusive outcomes. Diversity is expressed in myriad forms, including all ages, socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, gender identities, gender expressions, national origins, religious affiliations, sexual orientations, family education level, disability status, political perspective—and other visible and nonvisible differences. Equity ensures equal opportunity and the impact of those opportunities in equitable outcomes for all persons; requiring zero tolerance for bias, harassment, and discrimination. Inclusion is the deliberate effort to ensure that our community is a place where differences are welcomed and encouraged, different perspectives are respectfully heard and where every individual feels a sense of belonging.

The limited data available show that our community has serious diversity deficiencies; for example, roughly 9% of the membership of the APS Division of Plasma Physics are women, which is the lowest percentage among all APS divisions. Recent doctoral awardees in plasma physics and nuclear engineering are fewer than 15% women and fewer than 5% underrepresented minorities, below the already poor numbers in all of physics (19% women, 7% underrepresented minorities) and all of engineering (23% women, 9% underrepresented minorities).

If our community is not welcoming and supportive, we will not attract the needed talent and continue to lose people from marginalized groups who, at various stages of their careers, find the barriers and challenges of navigating an unwelcoming community to be an unnecessary burden, resulting in them taking their talents to a different field. It is our shared responsibility to create a healthy climate of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Such a climate not only creates a fair and safe environment for minoritized groups, but benefits the community as a whole and the mission of FES by leveraging the resources of diversity to advance our collective capabilities. This report outlines several recommendations (CC-WF) that should be acted upon to improve the DEI climate in our field.

Table of Contents

Preface Executive Summary Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Table of Contents

Discovery Plasma Science (p. 1)

• Vision (p. 1)
• Mission (p. 1)
• Criteria (p. 4)
• Programmatic Recommendations (p. 4)
  • Build: Invest in new facilities (p. 4), Upgrade current facilities (p. 6), Co-locate facilities (p. 7)
  • Support: Support steady funding of plasma science (p. 8), Support fundamental data needs (p. 10), Support science centers (p. 10)
  • Collaborate: Expand networks (p. 10), Expand partnerships (p. 13)
• DPS-1: Explore the Frontiers of Plasma Science (p. 15)
  • DPS-A: Understand how intense light couples its energy to matter (p. 17)
  • DPS-B: Explore how magnetic fields control transport and influence self-organization in plasmas across scales (p. 18)
  • DPS-C: Advance Understanding of Plasmas Far From Equilibrium and at Interfaces (p. 20)
  • DPS-D: Advance Understanding of Strong Coupling and Quantum Effects in Plasmas (p. 22)
  • DPS-E: Create and Explore Antimatter Plasmas (p. 24)
• DPS-2: Understand the Plasma Universe (p. 26)
  • DPS-F: Understand plasma interactions between the Sun, Earth, and other objects in the solar system (p. 29)
  • DPS-G: Understand the origin and effects of magnetic fields across the universe from star and planet formation to cosmology (p. 31)
  • DPS-H: Understand the causes and consequences of the most energetic, extreme, and explosive phenomena found in the cosmos (p. 33)
• DPS-3: Create Transformative Technologies (p. 35)
  • DPS-I: Develop plasma-based technologies that contribute to a stable national energy infrastructure (p. 37)
  • DPS-J: Develop plasma-based technologies that enable advanced manufacturing (p. 39)
  • DPS-K: Develop plasma-based technologies that improve the physical well being of society (p. 41)
  • DPS-L: Develop plasma-based technologies that provide secondary sources and other new capabilities, to benefit fundamental science, industry, and societal needs (p. 43)

Fusion Science and Technology (p. 44)

• Vision Statement (p. 46)
• Mission Statement (p. 46)
• Definition of a Fusion Pilot Plant (p. 47)
• Values (p. 47)
• Science Drivers (p. 47)
  • SD1: Control, Sustain, and Predict Burning Plasmas (p. 47)
  • SD2: Handle Reactor Relevant Conditions (p. 48)
  • SD3: Harness Fusion Power (p. 49)
• Strategic Objectives and Recommendations (p. 49)
  • FST Strategic Objective A: Demonstrate solutions for managing high heat and particle loads sufficient to design plasma-facing components (PFCs) for a fusion pilot plant (p. 49)
  • FST Strategic Objective B: Determine the structural and functional materials that will survive under fusion reactor conditions (p. 56)
  • FST Strategic Objective C: Develop the science and technology necessary to breed, extract, and safely manage large quantities of tritium (p. 60)
  • FST Strategic Objective D: Advance the tokamak physics basis sufficiently to design a low cost fusion pilot plant (p. 67)
  • FST Strategic Objective E: Advance the stellarator physics basis sufficiently to design a low cost fusion pilot plant (p. 72)
  • FST Strategic Objective F: Innovate the magnet, heating, and current drive technology needed to reduce the pilot plant capital cost (p. 75)
  • FST Strategic Objective G: Develop the balance of plant technology, remote handling and maintenance approach, and licensing framework necessary to ensure safe and reliable operation of the fusion pilot plant (p. 80)
  • FST Strategic Objective H: Develop alternative approaches to fusion that could lead to a lower cost fusion pilot plant, utilizing partnerships with private industry and interagency collaboration (p. 85)
• Fusion Science and Technology Program Recommendations (p. 89)
  • FST Program Recommendation A: Establish a multi-institutional, multidisciplinary program to develop fusion pilot plant concepts (p. 89)
  • FST Program Recommendation B: Participate fully in ITER to advance our capability to predict, control, and sustain a burning plasma and to obtain the critical science and technology input needed to design a fusion pilot plant (p. 91)
  • FST Program Recommendation C: Deploy various models of public-private partnerships to develop technology at a lower cost and move towards fusion commercialization (p. 94)
  • FST Program Recommendation D: Develop and utilize a hierarchy of validated models for predictive integrated modeling, by continuing the partnership between FES and ASCR, expanding capacity computing infrastructure, and utilizing advances in computational architecture and capability (p. 95)
  • FST Program Recommendation E: Establish a program for developing diagnostics, measurement, and control techniques that can be used in a reactor environment (p. 98)

Cross-Cutting Opportunities and Recommendations (p. 102)

• Cross-cut TC: Theory and Computation (p. 102)
• Cross-cut MD: Advance the development of Measurement and Diagnostics techniques for plasma science and fusion energy (p. 105)
• Cross-cut ET: Enabling Technology (p. 109)
• Cross-cut WF: Develop a Diverse and Inclusive Workforce for Fusion and Discovery Plasma Science, Engineering, and Technology (p. 113)

References (p. 120) Appendices (p. 123)

• Appendix A: The Prioritization Assessment Criteria Applied to Fusion Science and Technology Program Elements (p. 123)
• Appendix B: Assessing the Needed Capabilities for the New Tokamak User Facility (p. 126)
• Appendix C: Focus Groups (p. 132)
• Appendix D: Glossary of Acronyms (p. 137)
• Appendix E: The Community Planning Process (p. 141)
• Appendix F: Community Workshops (p. 142)
• Appendix G: Initiatives (p. 171)

Discovery Plasma Science: Overview, Vision, and Mission

Discovery Plasma Science (DPS) is an incredibly diverse field of research that advances many areas of science and technology. An indication of its breadth can be gleaned from the enormous range of density and temperature conditions that it encompasses, from near-vacuum trapped ion plasmas at micro-Kelvin temperatures, to high energy density plasmas at several times solid density and tens of millions of degrees. Throughout this range of conditions, advances in DPS research contribute to answering the fundamental questions of science, including understanding symmetries of nature, the evolution of the universe, and how material properties change in extremes of temperature, density, and radiation fields. A characteristic of these discoveries is that they often enable the development of new technologies on short timescales. Plasma science has provided a major impetus to multi-billion-dollar twentieth century technologies such as microelectronics and lighting, and it continues to drive twenty-first century technologies in manufacturing, medicine, agriculture, and national security. As such, we identify the following Vision and Mission for DPS:

Vision: Realize the potential of plasma science to deepen our understanding of nature and to provide the scientific underpinning for plasma-based technologies that benefit society.

Mission: Develop fundamental understanding of the unique dynamical behaviors of plasmas, demonstrate that our understanding is true, and identify opportunities where the unique properties of plasmas can be used to engineer technologies that support a growing and sustainable economy.

Within FES, DPS research is organized into two complementary areas that are primarily associated with the tools that make the science possible:

• High Energy Density Plasma (HEDP) research is associated with the science enabled by pulsed power devices and high-intensity lasers. These novel technologies produce matter at extreme conditions, reaching energy densities in excess of 100 billion Joules per cubic meter and pressures exceeding a million times atmospheric pressure. This field explores the properties of this extreme state of plasma, recreating conditions of dense astrophysical objects such as the interior of stars, giant planets, and exoplanets. It also explores exotic physical effects associated with the interaction of intense lasers with matter, including the possibility of creating pair plasmas from the vacuum.
• General Plasma Science (GPS) utilizes a wide range of theoretical tools, and small to mid-scale experimental facilities. Within GPS, basic plasma science seeks to develop accurate theoretical descriptions of the complex emergent behavior of the plasma state, to push it into new regimes that expand our concept of what constitutes a plasma, and to design experiments and diagnostics to explore these states and to validate the models. Plasma astrophysics translates these fundamental discoveries to a better understanding of space and the cosmos, while low temperature plasma science translates discoveries into new technologies that improve our way of life by creating a richer, healthier, and more sustainable future.

Independent of the tools used, the field is also organized by categories of scientific questions that it aims to answer, organized into three Science Drivers: Explore the Frontiers of Plasma Science, Understand the Plasma Universe, and Create Transformative Technologies.

Discovery Plasma Science: Programmatic Recommendations

Criteria:

1. Establish U.S. leadership in plasma science through world class facilities and reproducible theory, computation, and measurements
2. Create transformational applications of plasmas to benefit society
3. Maintain breadth of the research program to benefit from innovation and high risk discovery
4. Engage the entire community of stakeholders, including national laboratories, universities, and industry
5. Capitalize on the potential of interdisciplinary applications of plasma research

Build:

1. Invest in new facilities:

• Invest in an intermediate scale general plasma science facility to investigate the science of solar wind plasmas in the laboratory.
• Invest in a multi-PW facility that can access intensities beyond the current state of the art with multiple lasers, and in high power lasers with greatly increased repetition rates (e.g. Omega EP-OPAL proposal combining multiple 25 PW 20 fs beams and multi-kJ beams).
• Invest in facilities over a broad range of scales (pyramid-like structure of small-scale single-PI, intermediate-scale multi-PI user facilities, and large-scale facilities/space missions).

2. Upgrade current facilities:

• Improve and upgrade national HED infrastructure at multiple scales, particularly at LaserNetUS facilities, in power, energy, and repetition rate, with temporally-synchronized multiple beams and precise control of laser parameters.
• Couple long pulse multi-kJ and multi-PW lasers with an x-ray free electron laser (XFEL), which can be done at the Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) instrument.
• Provide upgrades for GPS facilities to leverage current FES investments in frontier-level science (e.g. Basic Plasma Science Facility, MagNetUSA network, and Low Temperature Plasma collaborative research facilities).

3. Co-locate facilities:

• Co-locate plasma devices at established facilities to leverage community expertise across the plasma science community (e.g., multi-GeV electron accelerator with multi-PW optical laser for strong field QED; pulsed power at XFEL/high-energy laser facilities).

Support:

1. Support steady funding of plasma science: Regularizing and formalizing stewardship and funding profiles in HEDP and GPS to eliminate disruptive year-to-year funding variability.
2. Support fundamental data needs: Dedicated support to expand, improve, and increase open access to atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) data, nuclear data, and material constitutive properties.
3. Support science centers: Form flexible and frequent DOE science centers to address time-critical science problems and pool interagency expertise.

Collaborate:

1. Expand networks: Expand LaserNetUS and LTP centers; establish ZNetUS for pulsed power and MagNetUSA for magnetized plasma experiments; support open-source programming ecosystems like PlasmaPy.
2. Expand partnerships: Continue and expand NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering and NNSA/DOE Joint Program in HEDLP; initiate new partnerships with NASA, NIH, USDA, EPA, DOD, DOE-BES, and ARPA-E.

Discovery Plasma Science: Science Drivers and Specific Objectives

DPS-1: Explore the Frontiers of Plasma Science

• DPS-A: Understand how intense light couples its energy to matter (femtosecond/multi-picosecond relativistic LPI studies, QED-plasma theoretical models).
• DPS-B: Explore how magnetic fields control transport and influence self-organization in plasmas across scales (fundamental pulsed-power transport inhibition, magnetic reconnection/dynamo, electromagnetic turbulence, strongly magnetized plasmas).
• DPS-C: Advance Understanding of Plasmas Far From Equilibrium and at Interfaces (reaction kinetics and plasma chemistry, sheaths and plasma-boundary interactions, superbanana transport in weakly-collisional plasmas).
• DPS-D: Advance Understanding of Strong Coupling and Quantum Effects in Plasmas (transport properties in strongly-coupled plasmas, phase diagrams/EOS of dense degenerate matter, quantum computation using trapped ion plasma crystals).
• DPS-E: Create and Explore Antimatter Plasmas (matter-antimatter CPT and gravitational symmetry, positron-molecule interactions and PAL, laser-driven pair plasma generation and trapping).

DPS-2: Understand the Plasma Universe

• Ten fundamental plasma processes: Magnetic dynamos, magnetic reconnection, plasma turbulence, collisionless shock waves, transport properties, wave-particle interactions, atomic/chemical processes under extreme conditions, multi-scale coupling, boundary/interface effects, and flowing plasmas.
• DPS-F: Understand plasma interactions between the Sun, Earth, and other objects in the solar system (solar corona heating, solar wind acceleration, magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, lunar plasma wake).
• DPS-G: Understand the origin and effects of magnetic fields across the universe from star and planet formation to cosmology (planetary/stellar/galactic dynamos, accretion disks, dusty plasmas, astrophysical spectroscopy).
• DPS-H: Understand the causes and consequences of the most energetic, extreme, and explosive phenomena found in the cosmos (cosmic ray acceleration, extreme field/density physics from planetary cores to black holes, plasma effects on nucleosynthesis).

DPS-3: Create Transformative Technologies

• DPS-I: Develop plasma-based technologies that contribute to a stable national energy infrastructure (selective material processing, carbon-neutral chemistry, plasma-liquid/catalyst interfaces).
• DPS-J: Develop plasma-based technologies that enable advanced manufacturing (nanoelectronics, ALD/MLD, surface modification, AI/ML-driven process control).
• DPS-K: Develop plasma-based technologies that improve the physical wellbeing of society (plasma medicine, cancer therapies, plasma agriculture, environmental remediation).
• DPS-L: Develop plasma-based technologies that provide secondary sources and other new capabilities (compact bright X-ray, gamma-ray, neutron, and ion beam sources).

Fusion Science and Technology: Vision, Mission, Values, and Science Drivers

Vision Statement: Our vision is for fusion energy to be a major source of safe, economical, and environmentally sustainable energy in time to address critical energy and security needs of the U.S. and the world.

Mission Statement: Establish the basis for the commercialization of fusion energy in the U.S. by developing the innovative science and technology needed to accelerate the construction of a fusion pilot plant at low capital cost.

Definition of a Fusion Pilot Plant (FPP):

1. Produce net electricity from fusion
2. Establish the capability of high average power output
3. Demonstrate the safe production and handling of tritium, as well as the feasibility of a closed fuel cycle

FST Values:

1. Prioritize research most important to the FPP Mission
2. Act with Urgency to address energy security and sustainability
3. Embrace a Culture of Innovation and Diversity
4. Maintain Flexibility to benefit from innovation
5. Establish a firm Scientific Basis
6. Aspire to U.S. Leadership
7. Build and strengthen International Collaboration where beneficial
8. Engage All Stakeholders, including Labs, Universities, and Industry

Science Drivers:

• SD1: Control, Sustain, and Predict Burning Plasmas: Addressing burning plasma physics, alpha particle confinement and instabilities, real-time control, transient avoidance, and whole-device predictive modeling.
• SD2: Handle Reactor Relevant Conditions: Mitigating extreme heat, particle, and 14 MeV neutron fluxes on first walls, divertors, and structural materials; understanding corrosion, tritium permeation, and material degradation.
• SD3: Harness Fusion Power: Integrating balance of plant, power conversion, safe tritium breeding and closed fuel cycle operations, remote handling, and licensing frameworks.

Fusion Science and Technology: Strategic Objectives (FST-SO-A to H)

FST Strategic Objective A: Demonstrate solutions for managing high heat and particle loads sufficient to design plasma-facing components (PFCs) for a fusion pilot plant.

• 1. Understand solid PMI under FPP conditions, complete and operate MPEX, and deploy high heat flux test stands.
• 2. Advance liquid metal (LM) PFC readiness using test stands (LMX, FLIT) and experiments (LTX-β, HIDRA, NSTX-U).
• 3. Integrate full-physics and reduced material models with edge/divertor plasma models.
• 4. Develop and deploy in situ and real-time materials characterization tools.

FST Strategic Objective B: Determine structural and functional materials that will survive under fusion reactor conditions.

• 1. Expand materials development program (advanced manufacturing, nano-engineered alloys, ML-assisted discovery).
• 2. Immediately design, construct, and operate a Fusion Prototypic Neutron Source (FPNS) (>10 dpa/yr, ~10 appm He/dpa).
• 3. Perform in-pile fission irradiation testing with spectral tailoring.
• 4. Develop high-temperature nuclear structural design (HTNSD) criteria building on ISDC.
• 5. Establish cryogenic neutron irradiation capabilities for superconducting magnet materials.
• 6. Integrate FPP materials R&D with remote maintenance and RAMI requirements.

FST Strategic Objective C: Develop science and technology to breed, extract, and safely manage large quantities of tritium.

• 1. Test functional solid and liquid breeder materials.
• 2. Test breeder-structure material compatibility.
• 3. Construct bench-scale tritium extraction and transport experiments.
• 4. Develop multiphysics integrated blanket modeling frameworks.
• 5. Design, construct, and operate a non-nuclear Blanket Component Test Facility (BCTF).
• 6. Identify component-scale irradiation testing strategy (Volumetric Neutron Source - VNS or ITER TBM).
• 7. Develop direct internal recycling (DIR) and continuous exhaust pumping.
• 8. Advance pellet injection (D-T pellet fueling and shattered pellet injection for DMS).
• 9. Innovate compact tritium processing and isotope separation (TCAP).
• 10. Develop rapid, accurate, in-line tritium inventory measurement diagnostics.
• 11. Develop permeation barriers (e.g. SiC, Al coatings) and containment systems.
• 12. Develop a comprehensive plan to provide the start-up tritium inventory for an FPP.

FST Strategic Objective D: Advance the tokamak physics basis sufficiently to design a low-cost fusion pilot plant.

• 1. Leverage ITER and private tokamaks (SPARC, ST-F1) for burning plasma physics.
• 2. Design and construct a New Tokamak User Facility (NTUF) operational before the end of the decade, featuring long-legged divertor capability (CAP-A) and high-average-power core scenario integration (CAP-B).
• 3. Advance high-confinement, non-inductive candidate scenarios on DIII-D and NSTX-U.
• 4. Develop prediction, avoidance, and mitigation (PAM) systems for tokamak disruptions.
• 5. Test tokamak-specific PFC integration, active wall conditioning, and slag management.

FST Strategic Objective E: Advance the stellarator physics basis sufficiently to design a low-cost fusion pilot plant.

• 1. Expand design and optimization tools for reduced neoclassical/turbulent transport.
• 2. Design, construct, and operate new mid-size quasi-helical symmetric (QHS) and quasi-axisymmetric (QAS) stellarators.
• 3. Validate steady-state divertor and core physics on international facilities (W7-X, LHD).

FST Strategic Objective F: Innovate magnet, heating, and current drive technology to reduce pilot plant capital cost.

• 1. Establish large-bore high-field magnet test facilities (up to 20 T) and cable test capabilities.
• 2. Integrate advanced magnet models into FPP multiphysics design tools.
• 3. Develop high-current, high-field cables and demountable joints for remote maintenance.
• 4. Construct a dedicated RF Test Facility for steady-state nuclear-compatible launchers.
• 5. Establish an RF source R&D center for high-efficiency gyrotrons (>200 GHz, ECRF, ICRF, LHRF).
• 6. Develop and validate reactor-relevant heating and current drive scenarios.

FST Strategic Objective G: Develop balance of plant, remote handling, and licensing framework for safe, reliable FPP operation.

• 1. Establish a fusion licensing working group engaging national labs, industry, and the NRC.
• 2. Establish technical and safety bases (radioactive inventories, MELCOR modeling, HTSDC).
• 3. Develop radiation-hardened sensors and diagnostics for remote plant survey and control.
• 4. Establish remote calibration, alignment, maintenance, and robotic replacement strategies.
• 5. Develop and test BoP equipment (high-temperature He and PbLi heat exchangers, Brayton cycle turbines).

FST Strategic Objective H: Develop alternative approaches to fusion (IFE, MIF/MTF, alternate MFE) that could lead to a lower-cost FPP.

• 1. Establish a dedicated IFE program focusing on high gain, efficient drivers, and low-cost targets.
• 2. Advance IFE driver technologies (heavy-ion beams, broadband lasers, plasma optics), target fabrication, and diagnostics.
• 3. Establish a staged three-tier evaluation program with rigorous metrics for alternate MFE concepts.
• 4. Leverage private industry and interagency programs (e.g. ARPA-E, INFUSE).

Fusion Science and Technology: Programmatic Recommendations (FST-PR-A to E)

FST Program Recommendation A: Establish a multi-institutional, multidisciplinary program to develop fusion pilot plant concepts.

• 1. Coordinate FPP conceptual studies across domestic programs and industry.
• 2. Integrate predictive plasma and material modeling with commercial engineering tools and costing algorithms.
• 3. Establish techno-economic analysis expertise within the U.S. fusion community.
• 4. Conduct FPP mission scoping engaging public and private stakeholders.

FST Program Recommendation B: Participate fully in ITER to advance capability to predict, control, and sustain burning plasmas.

• 1. Fulfill commitments to ITER construction (Sub-Project 1 & 2) and operations.
• 2. Develop a U.S. workforce program for domestic and onsite ITER participation (including ITER Project Associates).
• 3. Utilize domestic facilities (DIII-D) and ITPA to prepare for Pre-Fusion Power Operations (PFPO).
• 4. Leverage ITER to inform FPP design (tritium handling, plasma scenarios, diagnostic survivability).

FST Program Recommendation C: Deploy public-private partnerships to lower technology cost and accelerate commercialization.

• 1. Make INFUSE permanent and expand it; coordinate with ARPA-E; create cost-share programs modeled on NASA COTS and DOE SMR.
• 2. Foster regular dialogue between government researchers and private sector investors/industry.

FST Program Recommendation D: Develop and utilize a hierarchy of validated predictive integrated models (whole-plasma, whole-device, whole-facility).

• 1. Advance fundamental theoretical understanding of fusion-relevant plasma and materials.
• 2. Develop multi-fidelity model hierarchies through expanded SciDAC collaborations.
• 3. Develop robust integration methods for predictive whole-facility optimization.
• 4. Invest in computational infrastructure, GPU/exascale software engineering, and open data standards (IMAS).
• 5. Support verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification (V&V / UQ) with synthetic diagnostics.

FST Program Recommendation E: Establish a program for developing diagnostics, measurement, and control techniques for reactor environments.

• 1. Develop in situ and combined-effect diagnostics for materials and edge plasma validation.
• 2. Solve diagnostic survivability challenges under high neutron/gamma radiation.
• 3. Develop radiation-hardened control diagnostics compatible with blanket space constraints.
• 4. Develop advanced real-time control techniques to prevent disruptions and operate near stability limits.

Cross-Cutting Opportunities and Recommendations

Cross-cut TC: Theory and Computation:

• Support a broad spectrum of V&V activities from analytic theory to exascale capability and capacity computing.
• Harness growth in advanced computing, AI/ML, and quantum information science; provide dedicated software engineers.
• Improve code accessibility, open-source repositories (e.g. PlasmaPy), documentation, and public simulation datasets.

Cross-cut MD: Measurements and Diagnostics:

• Pursue innovations in high-resolution diagnostics for extreme environments: neutron spectrometry (alpha knock-on tail), high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy, optical Thomson scattering (OTS), in situ plasma-material interface diagnostics, and gamma-ray spectroscopy.
• Support generation and centralized databases of atomic, molecular, optical (AMO), and nuclear data.
• Establish a standing interdisciplinary diagnostics forum across DPS and FST topical areas.

Cross-cut ET: Enabling Technology:

• Create programs and Plasma Science Technology Networks to support public-private partnerships and strengthen the domestic supply chain (optics, laser glass, gyrotrons, capacitors).
• Broadly support advanced materials and additive manufacturing.
• Leverage small- and mid-scale facilities for rapid low-TRL testing and workforce entry.
• Build enabling technology evaluation metrics into future facility proposals.
• Initiate a periodic technology roadmap (analogous to ITRS) to track TRLs and critical gating technologies.

Cross-cut WF: Workforce Development, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

• Category A: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
  • A-1: Engage DEI experts to assess social climate and develop metrics; incorporate DEI in Committee of Visitors reviews.
  • A-2: Implement codes of conduct, unconscious bias/bystander training, and explore double-anonymous peer review.
  • A-3: Incorporate DEI/Broader Impacts criteria into DOE Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs).
  • A-4: Create accessible physical and digital environments compliant with ADA standards.
  • A-5: Expand funding opportunities/fellowships for underrepresented minorities and women.
  • A-6: Establish transparent, uniform paid parental leave policies (up to 12 weeks) and lactation facilities.
• Category B: Workforce Pathways:
  • B-1: Establish student design competitions in transformative enabling capabilities with K-12 outreach scoring.
  • B-2: Develop flexible post-undergraduate certificate and online master’s programs and technical apprenticeships.
  • B-3: Employ BS/MS-level scientists and engineers at major user facilities for operations and technical support.
  • B-4: Create public-private BS/MS rotational development programs.
  • B-5: Establish public-private graduate and postdoctoral fellowship programs.
  • B-6: Create a coordinated national paid summer undergraduate internship and introductory course (like NUF/SULI).
  • B-7: Cultivate faculty tenure lines via joint lab-university appointments and faculty development grants.
• Category C: Community Outreach and Engagement:
  • C-1: Launch and support a centralized public-facing website (USFusionEnergy.org).
  • C-2: Establish the Plasma Network for Outreach and Workforce (Plasma-NOW) for coordinated pre-college STEM outreach.

Appendices and Workshop Summary

Appendix A: Prioritization Assessment Criteria Applied to FST Program Elements

• Highlights prioritization methodology used at the CPP-Houston meeting based on 5 PACs: Importance to FPP Mission, Urgency, Impact of Investment, Innovation to Lower Cost, and U.S. Leadership and Uniqueness. Table A.1 ranked 23 program elements, identifying highest priority areas including FPNS, solid/liquid PFC development, blankets/tritium, and tokamak physics/NTUF.

Appendix B: Assessing Needed Capabilities for the New Tokamak User Facility (NTUF)

• Details mission requirements for NTUF to bridge the gap between present devices, ITER, and an FPP: (CAP-A) divertor exhaust flexibility at reactor heat/particle fluxes; (CAP-B) simultaneous integration of high-confinement core scenarios with high bootstrap fraction.

Appendix C: Focus Groups

• Summarizes findings from targeted focus groups for women, underrepresented minorities, graduate students, and early-career researchers, emphasizing climate urgency, career barriers, mentoring needs, and actionable DEI recommendations.

Appendix D: Glossary of Acronyms

• Comprehensive list of acronyms across plasma science, fusion technology, facilities, and institutions.

Appendix E, F, G: Planning Process, Workshop Agendas, and Community Initiatives

• Agendas of the community workshops (Maryland, Madison, Menlo Park, Knoxville, Houston) and listing of over 300 submitted community initiative whitepapers.