Plasma Dynamics and Diagnostics

Research topics are related to questions of high-temperature fusion plasmas and to fundamental problems of laboratory plasmas.

Experiments and computer simulations are carried out to study energy and particle transport in fusion plasmas. Objective is an improved understanding of transport losses in toroidally confined plasmas which are caused by plasma turbulence. Turbulent transport is the key parameter determining the economy of a fusion power plant.

Electromagnetic waves are a versatile tool used for plasma heating and diagnostics. In experiment and simulation the physical properties of wave propagation, mode conversion and absorption are investigated in magnetised and unmagnetised plasmas.

Experiments are carried out on the torsatron TJ-K and at the large tokamak ASDEX Upgrade of MPI für Plasmaphysik (IPP) in Garching. Furthermore, the linear plasma device FLIPS is used for the study of fundamental plasma properties. The activities comprise design and construction of diagnostics, to plan and carry out experimental campaigns and to apply modern data analyses techniques to the data.

The experimental work is accompanied by computer simulations. At IPF the 3-dimensional code IPF-FD3D has been developed which treats electromagnetic waves in a plasma. A PIC-Code is used for the interpretation of plasma waves and the plasma sheath, and the plasma-turbulence code GEM3 developed at IPP is used for comparison with turbulence measurements.

• Confinement studies
• Drift-wave turbulence
• Turbulent transport and sheared flows
• Turbulence on transition from closed to open field lines
• The turbulent cascade
• Zonal flows and GAMs
• Wavelet analysis of intermittency
• Microwave heating
• Bernstein-wave experiments
• The plasma sheath

• The stellarator TJ-K
• The ASDEX Upgrade Tokamak at IPP
• The flexible linear plasma experiment FLIPS
• Microwave heating and antennas
• Langmuir-probe arrays
• The IPF-FD3D code
• Turbulence simulation codes

Join us
We offer Bacherlor-, Master- and  Doctoral Theses on current topics in plasma research. An impression of previous key topics can be gained by looking at selected projects. Alternatively, visit our stellarator experiment "TJ-K" in the laboratory. Are you interested? Contact us.