Optimizing the Edge: Enhancing Fusion Energy System Performance through Barrier Control
Abstract: The successful integration of a high-performance core plasma with a highly dissipative boundary layer is vital for the advancement of fusion energy systems. At the heart of this integration lies the edge transport barrier, also recognized as the H-mode pedestal. This region serves as the interface, balancing the dynamics of the core and the edge plasmas and is essential in optimizing overall fusion energy system performance. The ability of the edge transport barrier to minimize energy losses is of paramount importance for the efficiency of fusion systems. In this seminar, we will delve into the latest research efforts focused on identifying and comprehending the localized instabilities at the periphery of fusion devices, as well as the ongoing challenges in crafting predictive edge models for emergent fusion systems designs. Furthermore, if time allows, the talk will also cover recent progress in understanding and addressing particle debris in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography processes."
Bio: Dr. Ahmed Diallo is a Program Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), where he advances commercial fusion energy by guiding and overseeing transformative research projects.
Before joining ARPA-E, Diallo worked at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory for 13 years. He served as Principal Research Physicist and the Head of the Advanced Diagnostics Development Division. During his tenure at PPPL, Diallo developed advanced lasers, X-rays, and other diagnostic techniques in support of microelectronics, quantum computing, high-energy-density plasmas, and magnetic fusion plasma research. He also served as the Deputy Director for the public-private Innovation Network for Fusion Energy partnership, where he planned, directed, and evaluated research activities in partnership with national labs, universities, and private industries. While at PPPL, Diallo was a recipient of the U.S. Department of Energy's Early Career Research Program Award, was honored as a DOE Oppenheimer Fellow, and was named a PPPL Distinguished Research Fellow.
Prior to his time at PPPL, Diallo served as a Research Fellow at the Australian National University, and as a Post-Doctoral Scientist at the Swiss Plasma Center at the Swiss Federal Technical Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Iowa.
