Large converged energy barriers have been cleared

Researchers at the University of Texas-Austin have seen significant developments in practical fusion energy, addressing the challenges that have plagued stellar fusion reactors for decades. The breakthrough was published in a physical review letter, introducing a calculation method that accelerates fusion reactor design at multiples of ten times without sacrificing accuracy.

Break the calculation bottleneck

For nearly 70 years, fusion scientists have struggled with a fundamental problem: how to effectively predict and eliminate magnetic field leakage containing ultrathermal plasma. This challenge is particularly difficult for a fusion reactor first proposed in the 1950s.

“The most exciting thing is that we are solving a problem that has been an empty problem for nearly 70 years,” said Josh Burby, assistant professor of physics at UT Austin and first author of the paper. “This is a paradigm shift in the way we design these reactors.”

The fusion capability problem focuses on the “magnetic flask” of the reactor containing high-energy alpha particles. When these particles escape, they prevent the plasma from reaching the temperature and density needed to maintain the fusion reaction, the same process that our solar powers.

Mathematical breakthrough

So far, engineers face a difficult choice when designing great people:

• According to Newton’s law of motion (accurate but slow afterwards), a very time-consuming calculation is used
• Based on perturbation theory, there are significantly fewer methods of dependence on faster but accurate approximation

The team led by UT Austin, including researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory and One Type Energy Group, has developed a new approach based on symmetry theory. Their data-driven approach learns from full-orbit particle simulation data to create a non-perturbation model that significantly outperforms traditional methods.

“At present, without our results, there is no practical way to find theoretical answers to the Alpha particle restriction problem,” Burby explained. “The direct application of Newton’s law is too expensive. The perturbation method makes serious mistakes. Ours is the first theory to bypass these traps.”

Reality applications beyond stars

Computational progress has meaning beyond stellar agents. The researchers noted that their approach could also solve a key problem in Tokamaks, another popular fusion reactor design, where high-energy “run-controlled electrons” could damage the reactor walls.

By more efficiently identifying potential leaks in magnetic fields, engineers can now significantly accelerate the development timeline of commercial convergence energy by designing ten times faster.

The road to clean energy

What makes this breakthrough particularly valuable? Despite multiple challenges facing Fusion Energy Research, the solution addresses the largest stellar-specific obstacle.

Fusion energy represents the potential for the absence of the abundant, low-cost, clean energy of long-lived radioactive waste associated with current nuclear fission power plants. It is often described as the “holy grail” of energy production – by fusing light elements into heavier elements to generate capabilities in the same way.

Can this computational advancement be the catalyst that ultimately makes commercial fusion possible? Despite significant engineering challenges, eliminating this major design bottleneck opens the door to stellar reactors that can ultimately power our homes and industries.

The research team includes Max Ruth, a postdoctoral fellow at UT Austin and graduate student Ivan Maldonado, Dan Messenger of Los Alamos, and Leopoldo Carbajal of One Type Energy Group, a company that is working to commercialize Stellarator Technology. The U.S. Department of Energy supports this effort.