[Nomination] Congratulations to Maxime Lesur, nominated at the IUF under the fundamental chair

Abstract

Enabling viable magnetic confinement fusion of a hydrogen plasma requires improved understanding of the dynamics of impurities (non-hydrogen particles), from the core of the plasma to the edge of the confining vessel. The 5 years of his delegation to the IUF (2023-2028) will be dedicated to a fundamental research project, whose goal is to develop a numerical modelling toolbox, which will account for plasma flows, impurity dynamics, and turbulence, all in a self-consistent manner, starting from a simplified (cylindrical) geometry. The linearly magnetized plasma device SPEKTRE, under construction in IJL, will allow him to test these models. In parallel, he will build a proposal for a collaborative work to incorporate the new physics into state-of-the-art numerical simulations of edge plasmas in the specific geometry (toroidal) of future thermonuclear reactors. The aim is to propose innovative methods of control of impurities, which will be an important step towards a clean, safe, renewable source of energy.