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FUSION ENERGY
Improved Algorithms Shift Plasma Simulations into High Gear
“The computer literally is providing a new window through which we can observe the natural world in exquisite detail.” 1
Nowhere is that statement more true than in the field of plasma science, where for nearly three decades, computational simulations have contributed as much as experiments to the advancement of knowledge. The simulation of a magnetic fusion confinement system involves modeling of the core and edge plasmas, as well as the plasma-wall interactions. In each region of the plasma, turbulence can cause anomalies in the transport of the ionic species in the plasma; there can also be abrupt changes in the form of the plasma caused by large-scale instabilities. Computational modeling of these key processes requires large-scale simulations covering a broad range of space and time scales.
DOE’s SciDAC program has brought together plasma physicists, computer scientists, and mathematicians to develop more comprehensive models and more powerful and efficient algorithms that enable plasma simulation codes to take full advantage of the most advanced terascale computers, such as NERSC’s Seaborg IBM system. Dramatic improvements in three of these codes are described in this section.
1 J.S. Langer, chair of the
July 1998 National Workshop on Advanced Scientific Computing.
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