New issue of ASDEX Upgrade Letter

Information on research with the ASDEX Upgrade fusion device

December 13, 2021

ASDEX Upgrade Letter deals with developments and research results from the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak fusion device at Garching, on which scientists from all over Europe are working.

"Happy Birthday, ASDEX Upgrade!" reads issue 23/2021 of the newsletter. Over the past 30 years, significant results have been produced that have influenced the course of international fusion research. It will further remain the task of ASDEX Upgrade to prepare for ITER operation and an attractive DEMO design. Examples are given in the current letter: for example, during the last experimental campaign, a new diagnostic based on Thomson scattering was put into operation to observe the divertor plasma. For a more detailed understanding of the processes in the divertor, it provides precise data on the plasma temperature and density there.

Another example is power plant-relevant studies on fuelling, made possible by a newly developed control system for the pellet injector. With the new control system, small cubes of hydrogen ice can be shot deep into the plasma - precise and adaptable in real time to the instantaneous plasma state - to increase density at the hot center.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic prevented a festive event, the 30th anniversary was celebrated online, including a year-round social media campaign: #happybirthdayasdexupgrade30

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