A SciDAC center to advance our understanding of the physics of runaway electrons
See our research
Theoretical development pushing forward our conceptual understanding and treatment of the physics of relativistic runaway electrons.
Advanced large scale simulations to resolve the detailed physics occurring in experimental phenomena.
Algorithmic and computational tool development facilitating new forms of computational research pioneered by the project.
Numerical simulation of runaway electrons with KORC: 3-D effects on synchrotron radiation (SR)
Kinetic cooling effects due to localized pellet particle source (Left); Formation of electrostatic sheath at the cloud-plasma interface P: Passing, A: Collisionally attenuated flux, T: Trapped thermal electrons, S: Secondary electrons (Right)
Conservative solvers for RE kinetics are key to future research
Runaway energy and pitch distribution saturation
A fluid-kinetic framework for self-consistent runaway-electron simulations
Quasilinear whistler interaction and phase space vortices explain critical E field puzzle
Experimental evidence indicates that established theory can not explain runaway electron behavior. Simultaneously, initial assessments by the theory and modeling community suggest that the primary candidates for runaway mitigation, namely, massive gas injection and shattered pellet injection, both carry significant risk of aggravating runaway damage in ITER, and proposed mitigation methods may not work.
The risk to the mission of ITER is so great, that predictive capability must be developed via theory and simulation in advance of experimental operations on ITER with a thorough validation against present day experiments. The United States is responsible for the design and implementation of the disruption mitigation system on ITER, and in July 2016 the Simulation Center for Runaway Electron Avoidance and Mitigation (SCREAM) was launched by the Department of Energy (DOE), in a joint Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) and Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) collaboration, to address this need.
Mechanisms critical to the generation and evolution of relativistic runaway electrons are identified that advance our understanding of what influences RE evolution most, and suggest potential methods for avoidance and mitigation. A significant part of these efforts depended on advances in scientific computing and applied mathematics. These results lead to several high profile publications and presentations. A list of publications can be found here.
SCREAM is renewed as a SciDAC Center, adding to and strengthening the team focussed on the central guiding objective of the development of a computational solutions for runaway physics that will reliably predict their behavior and mitigation strategies.
Princeton University
Lead Principal Investigator
Columbia University
Principal Investigator
University of Texas at Austin
Principal Investigator
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
General Atomics
Principal Investigator
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Co Principal Investigator
University of Texas at Austin
Co Principal Investigator
Our team members include research scientists from several academic institutions, national laboratories, and private industry. Here are some of the key researchers involved.
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
University of Buffalo
Comp-X
Comp-X
General Atomics
SLS2 Consulting
General Atomics
