Main research topic:
Energetic particle and burning plasma physics for fusion applications - theory, simulation, experiment

LIGKA

LIGKA (Linear Stability Solver for Alfvén Physics) is a global, gyrokinetic eigenvalues code in general tokamak gemetry. It is desiged to assess the stability threshold for a wide range of electromagnetic and electrostatic fluctuations that resonantly interact with super-thermal ions in fusion plasmas. It is parallalised for setting up and solving the global matrix, that depends non-linearly on the complex eigenvalues. References: Lauber PhD Thesis 2003 , Lauber JCP 2007, Lauber PPCF 2009, Lauber PREP 2013, Bierwage NF 2017, Lauber JPC 2018; LIGKA git repository: ssh://git@git.iter.org/stab/ligka.git

EP-Stability Workflow

Building on the various operation modes of LIGKA, an IMAS-based (ITER Integrated Modeling & Analysis Suite) Python workflow has been designed and implemented in collaboration with and supported by the ITER organisation. It allows the user to automatically asses the stability of various classes of Alfvénic modes for multiple time slices of an experimental tokamak discharge or a scenario simulation. A hierarchy of local and global models with different levels of kinetic closure can be chosen and compared within the same framework. References: V.-A. Popa, Ph. Lauber et al, NF 2023; Training material Ph. Lauber et al, 2023

ATEP code

As one of the main outcomes of an Eurofusion Enabling Research Project (see below), a phase space zonal structure (PSZS) transport code (called ATEP code) has been developed. It evolves a 3D advection diffusion equation in constants of motion space and thus addresses phase-space resolved energetic particle transport as a full-F model. Different reduced models are being implemented, based on the general underlying comprehensive theory. Similarly to the EP-Stability Workflow, it is fully embedded into IMAS. References: Ph. Lauber et al, IAEA FEC 2023