SFU Mathematics of Computation, Application and Data ("MOCAD") Seminar: Antoine Cerfon

Stellarators are promising magnetic fusion devices for electricity generation, because the dynamics of the hot fusion fuel - called a plasma - is largely determined by external control, as opposed to dynamical self-organization, as is the case for other magnetic fusion concepts. Computer design and simulations reliably predict experimental performance, which opens a lower risk and more cost efficient path to fusion power. In this talk, I will present the mathematical challenges one faces when designing stellarators with optimized performance. I will show how recent progress in our mathematical understanding of stellarators and in numerical methods for reactor optimization have led to the discovery of reactor designs with outstanding physical properties. I will also highlight open problems in pure mathematics, scientific computing, numerical optimization, and reduced-order modeling, whose solutions could further improve reactor performance.