Mervi Johanna Mantsinen

Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación

Nuclear Fusion is a leading journal that publishes articles making significant advances to the field of controlled thermonuclear fusion. Its Special Issue published in November 2023 was dedicated to 15 articles presenting results from the second major deuterium-tritium campaign (DTE2) carried out at the JET tokamak in 2021, almost 25 years after DTE1, and the related campaign using tritium plasmas. The articles report on experiments that were planned and carried out along six main goals:

  • Demonstrate high fusion power, sustained for 5
  • Demonstrate an ITER-relevant, Neon-seeded radiative scenario in D-
  • Demonstrate fusion-born alpha-particle
  • Clarify isotope effects on energy and particle transport and explore consequences of mixed species plasma.
  • Address key plasma-wall interaction
  • Demonstrate radio-frequency heating schemes relevant to ITER D-T

The DTE2 experiments were successfully completed on 21 December 2021, establishing a new fusion energy world record equal to 59 MJ of fusion energy in one plasma pulse.

The Nuclear Fusion Special issue is dedicated to the team of scientists, engineers and technicians who ensured the success of these experiments. Their most significant output is the validation of current models and physics workflows in the most D-T fusion reactor relevant conditions to date.

  • Reference:
    Nuclear Fusion Special Issue of Papers Presenting Results from the JET tritium and deuterium/tritium campaign 2023, Volume 63, Number 11, November 2023. It includes the following articles:
    – Mantsinen M J et al 2023, ‘Experiments in high-performance JET plasmas in preparation of second harmonic ICRF heating of tritium in ITERN‘ ucl. Fusion 63 112015.
    – Hobirk J et al 2023, The JET hybrid scenario in Deuterium, Tritium and Deuterium-Tritium,Nucl. Fusion 63 112001.
    – Garcia J et al 2023. ‘Modelling performed for predictions of fusion power in JET DTE2: overview and lessons learnt’,Nucl. Fusion, 63, 11, 112003.
    – Solano ER, et al. 2023, ‘L-H transition studies in tritium and deuterium–tritium campaigns at JET with Be wall and W divertor‘, Nuclear Fusion, 63, 112011.