{"id":1848,"date":"2026-04-02T13:17:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/1848\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T13:17:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:17:07","slug":"expanding-americas-role-in-fusion-systems-in-france-and-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/1848\/","title":{"rendered":"Expanding America\u2019s Role in Fusion Systems in France and Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newswise \u2014 Harnessing fusion energy requires seeing deep inside the plasma<\/a> that fuels the reaction to understand its behavior. But it\u2019s challenging to catch a glimpse. Custom technology is needed to measure particles hotter than the sun, many times per second.<\/p>\n

A new international project will add powerful new X\u2011ray imaging systems to fusion experiments in France and Japan, along with a multi\u2011energy camera system in France, to make those measurements and help guide the design of future fusion systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The effort is led by the U.S. Department of Energy<\/a>\u2019s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory<\/a> (PPPL), a global leader in fusion research, working with partners at Massachusetts Institute of Technology<\/a> (MIT), the University of Tennessee, Knoxville<\/a> (UTK) and host laboratories overseas. R-V Industries<\/a>, a private company based in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania, built and tested many of the system\u2019s parts, including the vacuum chambers, stands, mounts and bellows.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis investment marks a critical step toward advancing our U.S. Fusion Science & Technology Roadmap<\/a> and the Genesis Mission<\/a>,\u201d said Jean Paul Allain, Director of the Office of Fusion at DOE. \u201cThe high-quality data generated will be invaluable for model validation and verification, while also advancing our efforts to converge artificial intelligence<\/a> and fusion data, supporting the DOE\u2019s Genesis Mission through the AI<\/a>-Fusion Digital Convergence Platform.\u201d<\/p>\n

DOE has provided $12.5 million in funding for the project, with PPPL staff stationed abroad for several years. International partners often turn to PPPL for the Lab\u2019s unparalleled theory, computation and diagnostic techniques, adding rich value to the overall fusion landscape. As PPPL marks its 75th anniversary this year, the project highlights how the Lab\u2019s legacy of discovery continues to shape the future of fusion energy around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a strong example of scaling up the capability of the Lab and the U.S. program through international partnership on a major international facility,” said Matthew Lanctot, acting research division director for the DOE\u2019s Fusion Energy Sciences.<\/p>\n

Seeing the whole plasma<\/p>\n

At the tungsten (W) Environment in Steady-state Tokamak<\/a> (WEST), PPPL and MIT are adding two new X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer (XICS) systems to look through the top and bottom of the plasma, adding to an existing French system that looks through the center. Because these new views avoid the central axis of the doughnut-shaped plasma, scientists call them \u2018off-axis\u2019 \u2014 and they\u2019re essential for seeing the full picture. The additional systems will let researchers look at the plasma from more angles and with greater precision. Such a view is critical for understanding how plasma behaves and, ultimately, how to produce a sustained fusion reaction. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you think of the plasma like a human body, if you only look at the belly button, then you don\u2019t know what\u2019s happening with the head or the feet,\u201d said PPPL\u2019s head of advanced projects Luis Delgado-Aparicio<\/a>, who leads the project. \u201cNow we will be completing the picture, so we can study the entire body.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is XICS?
XICS measures X-rays emitted by plasma to determine critical information, including temperature, flow speed and direction, along with the density of unwanted particles that can cool the plasma. These measurements are essential to keeping the fusion reaction stable. There are other systems that can gather such measurements, but they can sometimes provide inaccurate measurements if the temperature shifts. XICS\u2019 advanced calibration system ensures every measurement is highly accurate.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the expanded and improved view provided by XICS will allow for a better understanding of how plasma behaves inside a fusion system like WEST, which is operated by France\u2019s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission in partnership with the EUROfusion consortium. It is one of many fusion systems worldwide known as a tokamak<\/a>: a doughnut-shaped device that confines a plasma using magnetic fields. WEST is particularly interesting to study because its walls are made of tungsten, a material many fusion researchers believe is the best choice in terms of longevity and plasma management.<\/p>\n

MIT is implementing the two off-axis XICS systems, which will show how temperature, rotation and tungsten impurity levels vary across the entire plasma \u2014 not just at one point, but mapped from the plasma\u2019s core to edge. \u201cThis is crucial information for all heat, momentum and impurity transport studies,\u201d said John Rice<\/a>, a senior research scientist at MIT\u2019s Plasma Science and Fusion Center.<\/p>\n

Managing heat for future fusion systems<\/p>\n

Delgado\u2011Aparicio and PPPL staff research scientist Tullio Barbui<\/a> are also designing a new vertical multi-energy soft X-ray camera to pair with an existing horizontal camera on WEST. Much like XICS, the vertical multi-energy camera will provide insights into managing the heat inside a tungsten-clad tokamak<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing the data produced by the multi-energy suite and by XICS, we\u2019re going to all work together to understand particle transport, plasma confinement<\/a> and radiation management and, ultimately, manage power loss so that fusion systems can run efficiently,\u201d said Delgado\u2011Aparicio.<\/p>\n

Livia Casali<\/a>, an assistant professor, Zinkle Fellow and ITER scientist fellow at UTK, will design and execute experiments to test impurity behavior. The measurements from the new PPPL spectrometer will provide detailed constraints on radiation and impurity transport. Casali will then use her novel computer code, SICAS, to analyze the experimental data gathered in WEST and the tokamak<\/a> JT-60SA which is in Naka, Japan. \u201cImpurities affect radiation and temperature, which, in turn, modify plasma conditions that then alter impurity behavior,\u201d Casali said. \u201cSICAS captures this feedback loop consistently, producing a clear and unified view of the whole plasma system.\u201d Casali\u2019s code simulates ion and impurity transport across the entire plasma system within an integrated framework that allows each region to dynamically influence the others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Testing advanced scenarios on JT\u201160SA<\/p>\n

JT\u201160SA, a tokamak<\/a> operated by Japan\u2019s National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology<\/a> in collaboration with Europe\u2019s Fusion for Energy<\/a>, will also receive a 3.3\u2011metric\u2011ton XICS system designed and built by PPPL. The XICS system has already been packed into seven large crates for shipment and will be installed and tested over the next two years, with the first data expected in September 2026.<\/p>\n

The project will involve significant international collaboration and data sharing, with PPPL researchers working in Japan for the next four years. The project is just one way that PPPL continues to amplify its impact through partnerships with companies, universities and labs across the U.S. and the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project ties together what we learn on WEST and JT\u201160SA and feeds it directly into PPPL\u2019s broader tokamak<\/a> program,\u201d said Rajesh Maingi<\/a>, head of tokamak<\/a> experimental science at PPPL, who serves as the project\u2019s formal monitor. \u201cIt\u2019s a model for how U.S. laboratories can contribute high\u2011impact diagnostics to international facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

About PPPL<\/p>\n

PPPL is mastering the art of using plasma \u2014 the fourth state of matter \u2014 to solve some of the world\u2019s toughest science and technology challenges. Nestled on Princeton University\u2019s Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro, New Jersey, our research ignites innovation in a range of applications, including fusion energy, nanoscale fabrication, quantum materials and devices, and sustainability science. The University manages the Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s Office of Science, which is the nation\u2019s single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences. Feel the heat at https:\/\/energy.gov\/science<\/a> and https:\/\/www.pppl.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Newswise \u2014 Harnessing fusion energy requires seeing deep inside the plasma that fuels the reaction to understand its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1849,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[524,1942,544,5,1310,1941,1940,1943,1944],"class_list":{"0":"post-1848","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-artificial-intelligence","9":"tag-doe-science-news-source","10":"tag-energy","11":"tag-france","12":"tag-fusion","13":"tag-fusionplasma-and-fusion-sciencephysicsplasma-physicstokamaks","14":"tag-newswise","15":"tag-physics","16":"tag-princeton-plasma-physics-laboratory"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}