Speaker: Adelle Wright, University of Wisconsin

Title: Recent advances in three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics and the application to stellarators for fusion energy

Abstract: Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is a nonlinear dynamical system rich in spatio-temporal complexity, which models the behaviour of highly ionised gases (i.e. plasmas) in the continuum limit. Stellarators, together with tokamaks, are the two leading concepts for realising fusion energy via toroidal magnetic confinement of plasmas, the macroscopic properties of which are described by nonlinear MHD.

This presentation gives an overview of recent advances in understanding the macroscopic properties of magnetically confined plasmas, particularly in the absence of continuous symmetries, through new developments in MHD theory and innovations in high-fidelity extended-MHD modelling. 

A consequence of the Hamiltonian nature of magnetic field lines, the absence of a continuous symmetry in the toroidal direction can have profound impacts on plasma properties in both tokamaks and stellarators. This makes understanding and predicting nonlinear properties of three-dimensional (3D) MHD important for fusion. Clarifying the role of 3D effects is critical for determining when macroscopic instabilities are benign or have the potential to become disruptive.

Bio: Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Dr. Adelle Wright is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Prior to joining the faculty at UW-Madison in 2023, Adelle was a Staff Research Physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory’s Theory Department in Princeton, New Jersey.

Adelle received her PhD in 2021 from the Australian National University (ANU) under the supervision of Professors Bob Dewar and Matthew Hole and holds a BSc (Honours) in physics, also from ANU.

This talk will be offered in a hybrid format. If you wish to participate remotely, please send an email to [email protected].