Abstract Details
Abstracts
Author: Maxwell H Rosen
Requested Type: Poster
Submitted: 2025-03-16 16:09:25
Co-authors: J. Juno, M. Francisquez, A. Hakim, G.W. Hammett
Contact Info:
Princeton University
203 Hibben Magie Road
Princeton, NJ 08540
USA
Abstract Text:
Magnetic mirrors are a promising approach to fusion energy, offering steady-state operation and a simple cylindrical geometry that enhances reliability and maintainability. The Wisconsin High-Field Axisymmetric Mirror (WHAM) experiment aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a tandem mirror reactor using modern advances in ion neutral beam injection, electron-cyclotron heating, and shear flow stabilization. Computational modeling is crucial to WHAM’s mission, but current simulations rely on time-independent, bounce-averaged, and axisymmetric assumptions, limiting spatial resolution to 1x2v. To fully capture key physical phenomena, higher-dimensional (2x or 3x) kinetic models are needed.
Gkeyll, a discontinuous Galerkin-based kinetic plasma solver, offers a powerful framework for addressing these challenges. Mirror simulations require high resolution to capture phase-space compression due to strong magnetic gradients, but this leads to small time steps, while our goal is to resolve long-time-scale dynamics above collision times. Additionally, electron dynamics in mirror expanders demand spatially adaptive grids, as uniform grids optimized for the central region may be inadequate for the expander.
Recent advancements in Gkeyll have yielded a ~200x speedup, enabling more detailed studies. This work presents simulations incorporating beam heating effects to refine distribution functions, novel non-uniform spatial grids for improved resolution near the mirror throat, and analytic treatments of electron behavior in the expander. These developments are critical for advancing 5D gyrokinetic turbulence and stability studies, contributing to the broader understanding of mirror-based fusion devices.
Characterization: 4.0
Comments:
Place my poster near James Juno, Dingyun Liu, Ammar Hakim and Greg Hammett. We all work in the same group