CoffeeBreakDown

This episode features an insightful conversation with Dr. Pablo Rodriguez-Fernandez, Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center. His work has been instrumental in the core plasma design of the SPARC device currently under construction in Devens, USA by Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS). Join us as we delve into the necessities and procedures for optimizing the perform...

An inspiring conversation with Dr. Francesco Sciortino, co-founder and CEO of Proxima Fusion, which is a start-up company aiming to design and build an optimized stellerator fusion device. Join us as he illuminates the reasoning behind their bold conceptual design and their vision of a sleek optimization stack combining simulation software and hardware manufacturing. He also shares some personal w...

In this episode, Daan J. Boer (PhD student at TU Eindhoven) talks about a novel data platform called LXCat-3. The platform is supposed to replace the current version of the well-established LXCat to provide atomic and molecular data, such as electron impact cross sections and measured transport parameters, that are fundamental for the low temperature plasmas (LTP) community. The conversation start...

This episode features Dr. Simon van Mulders, a recent graduate from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) who specialized in model-based optimization of tokamak plasma scenarios. After the release of the DeepMind article about using ML models for plasma shape control, a new wave of interest has surged into the development of advanced plasma control algorithms, which take advantage of mod...

This episode features Dr. Teobaldo Luda, a plasma physicist at IPP Garching who specializes in the modelling of a enigmatic aspect of a high-performance fusion plasma, the plasma pedestal. Join us as he lays out the known facts about this feature, why it is still an open field of research, and his approach to modelling it without the existence of a generalized theory to describe it. Hosted on Acas...

In this episode, Tobias Gergs (Ruhr University Bochum, Germany) talks about machine learning (ML) in low temperature plasmas. First, we introduce the concepts of ML and deep learning. Then, we give some examples of work on ML for plasma processing applications focusing on plasma sputtering and deposition. At the end of the episode, we discuss about the role of ML for plasma science and give some s...

This episode brings on two PhD students from the DIFFER institute, Maria Morbey and Laura Fumagalli, who have taken a brave step in agreeing to openly share their experiences about being women in the (currently) largely male-dominated field of STEM research. This represents our effort to bring more honest conversations in the realm of gender disparity within the scientific field, with the intent o...

This episode features Lorenzo Zanisi, a data scientist working at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to apply machine learning models to accelerate fusion computations. Our conversation covers some brief introduction to the concepts of machine learning (ML), its distinction from artificial intelligence (AI) and traditional statistical modelling, and finally some examples of how it...

In this episode, we talk about turbulent transport in tokamak boundaries with Dr. Maurizio Giacomin (University of York, UK). We introduce the main equations, assumptions, and numerical methods that are used to describe transport in tokamaks boundaries. Furthermore, a novel theory-based density scaling law is explained and its importance for design of future machines is discussed. At the end of th...

In this episode, Professor Vasco Guerra (IST Lisbon, Portugal) gives an overview of the different plasma technologies for conversion of carbon dioxide and nitrogen into chemicals and fuels and he explains the role of plasmas for a decarbonized economy. Plasmas have been studied since decades. The game changer is the drop in price of renewable electricity that makes this technology attractive for f...

We wrap up some considerations from the first Season of this Podcast and we have some announcements for the next Season. Stay tuned in 2023 for new epsodes on fusion and plasma science! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest this episode is Darío Cruz, the Executive Officer of the FuseNet organization. He explains the mission and activities of FuseNet, it's role in the field of fusion, and shares his opinions on the education efforts on fusion science and engineering within Europe. Tune in for a dynamic discussion filled with insights into the broadness of the fusion field and the opportunities available to...

A lively chat with Dr. Alex Fontana about career developments and reserch. Alex studied physics in Padua (Italy) and then he moved to Lyon (France) for a PhD in experimental physics. In this episode, Alex shares with us some tips for career developments and his experiences switching from theoretical to experimental physics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode features Prof. dr. Niek Lopes Cardozo, a prominent fusion researcher at the Eindhoven University of Technology and a former vice-chair of European Domestic Agency of ITER. We embark on a communicative journey around the transition of fusion science into a productive technology and probe further into its potential place in the global economy. Tune in to discover more about the pragmati...

Our guest today, Paul Mulholland, is a PhD candidate at the Eindhoven University of Technology, studying fusion plasma turbulence from a theoretical and modelling standpoint. His background in theoretical physics provides him a deeper understanding of the turbulent plasma phenomena, which we cover on a more intuitive level. Also, he provides an insightful opinion and discussion on the interplay be...

Our guest today is Dr. Pedro Viegas, currently postdoctoral researcher at the University of Lisbon. With Pedro, we explore recent advancements in the field of plasma jets and interaction with surfaces. Plasma jets are nowadays used for medicine and surface functionalization. In this episode, Pedro points out the main challenges and future developments for this application. Why do we need advanceme...

Our guest today, Chris Orrico, is a Master student finishing up his thesis at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in the Netherlands. Arriving to the fusion field from a more engineering background, he discusses both the technical and personal challenges he faced through his project. He imparts a few words of wisdom and guidance for those seeking to follow a similar path. The discussion...

Rouven Lamprecht, PhD student at Kiel University (Germany), talks about the topic of his research that is about neuromorphic hardware. As a difference with standard CMOS technology, this hardware draws inspiration from biological principles. In this episode, Rouven introduces the concepts of bio-inspired computation and memristive devices. He also tells us about the interesting parts and challenge...

This episode takes a brand-new turn for us at CoffeeBreakDown, going live on location at the FuseNet PhD Event in Padua, Italy. We feature 11 talented and enthusiastic PhD students from all around Europe! They share a little bit about their work, along with the myriad of whys and hows regarding their choice to pursue fusion science and engineering. Tune in and see if they can inspire you as well!...

As a compliment to our previous episode on experimental edge plasma research, we bring on Dr. Jorge González on this episode to discuss approaches to these research topics from a modelling perspective. He shares his experiences with modelling the extremely intricate processes involved in the edge plasma region and plasma-surface interaction within the linear device, MAGNUM-PSI, and its relevance t...

A lively chat with Dr. Renato Perillo, a postdoctoral researcher in fusion science at the University of California San Diego. We discuss about current and future challenges in fusion research, including particle transport, instabilities, and power exhaust. Renato shares with us his experience and suggestions on how to pursue a career in fusion science. This topic can be very interesting also for y...

A chat with Dr. Daan van Vugt, founder of Ignition Computing, about the culture of open-source software, from both professional and personal viewpoints. Ignition Computing is a recent startup company, which boasts among its roles a contract by the ITER Organization to assist in software- and computer modelling-related solutions. More information about open-source software licenses: https://opensou...

We talk about sustainability and green energy with Prof. Thomas Butterworth and Tim Righart. Tom and Tim are researchers on plasma technology working at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen (the Netherlands). In this episode, we discuss about the Brightsite Plasma Lab as home for fundamental and applied research. Tim and Tom explain us the advantages and challenges in plasma techonolgy for pr...

A light-hearted chat with Dr. Ray Chandra and returning guest, Dr. Michele Marin. In this episode, we critique the portrayal of fusion reactors in mainstream science-fiction media, analyzing them based on their attention to the science behind fusion reactors. We set out to grade each depiction individually, leading to some interesting differences and discussions throughout the critique. Be sure to...

A chat with Dr. Jacob Stephens, assistant professor at Texas Tech University (USA), about data management and data sharing for plasma models. In this Episode, we introduce the Plasma Data Exchange Project and, in particular, the LXCat project that provides electron and ion scattering cross sections, swarm parameters, and other data useful for modeling low temperature plasmas. Hosted on Acast. See...