Milestone in predicting core plasma turbulence: successful multi-channel validation of the gyrokinetic code GENE

Klara Höfler; Tobias Görler; Tim Happel; et al.; ASDEX Upgrade Team; Tuomas Tala; Jari Likonen; A. H. Hakola

doi:10.1038/s41467-025-56997-2

Milestone in predicting core plasma turbulence: successful multi-channel validation of the gyrokinetic code GENE

Klara Höfler^*
, Tobias Görler
, Tim Happel
, et al.
, ASDEX Upgrade Team
, Tuomas Tala
, Jari Likonen
, A. H. Hakola

^*Corresponding author for this work

BA4511 Fusion energy

Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik (IPP)
Technical University of Munich (TUM)
University of Stuttgart
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
General Atomics
University of Paris-Saclay
Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre for Energy Research (mtaEK)
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM/IFPILM)
Culham Science Centre
Aalto University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

On the basis of several recent breakthroughs in fusion research, many activities have been launched around the world to develop fusion power plants on the fastest possible time scale. In this context, high-fidelity simulations of the plasma behavior on large supercomputers provide one of the main pathways to accelerating progress by guiding crucial design decisions. When it comes to determining the energy confinement time of a magnetic confinement fusion device, which is a key quantity of interest, gyrokinetic turbulence simulations are considered the approach of choice – but the question, whether they are really able to reliably predict the plasma behavior is still open. The present study addresses this important issue by means of careful comparisons between state-of-the-art gyrokinetic turbulence simulations with the GENE code and experimental observations in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak for an unprecedented number of simultaneous plasma observables.

Original language	English
Article number	2558
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	16
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56997-2
Publication status	Published - 15 Mar 2025
MoE publication type	A1 Journal article-refereed

Funding

This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium, funded by the European Union via the Euratom Research and Training Programme (Grant Agreement No 101052200 — EUROfusion). This work is supported by the US Department of Energy under grants DE-SC0014264, DE-SC0006419, and DE-SC0017381.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

Access to Document

10.1038/s41467-025-56997-2Licence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{3d1ef8d9334a44ed948fb725d0736a41,

title = "Milestone in predicting core plasma turbulence: successful multi-channel validation of the gyrokinetic code GENE",

abstract = "On the basis of several recent breakthroughs in fusion research, many activities have been launched around the world to develop fusion power plants on the fastest possible time scale. In this context, high-fidelity simulations of the plasma behavior on large supercomputers provide one of the main pathways to accelerating progress by guiding crucial design decisions. When it comes to determining the energy confinement time of a magnetic confinement fusion device, which is a key quantity of interest, gyrokinetic turbulence simulations are considered the approach of choice – but the question, whether they are really able to reliably predict the plasma behavior is still open. The present study addresses this important issue by means of careful comparisons between state-of-the-art gyrokinetic turbulence simulations with the GENE code and experimental observations in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak for an unprecedented number of simultaneous plasma observables.",

author = "Klara H{\"o}fler and Tobias G{\"o}rler and Tim Happel and Carsten Lechte and Pedro Molina and Michael Bergmann and Rachel Bielajew and Conway, \{Garrard D.\} and Pierre David and Denk, \{Severin S.\} and Rainer Fischer and Pascale Hennequin and Frank Jenko and McDermott, \{Rachael M.\} and White, \{Anne E.\} and Ulrich Stroth and S. Zoletnik and H. Zohm and A. Zito and Zimmermann, \{C. F.B.\} and M. Zilker and A. Zibrov and W. Zholobenko and W. Zhang and T. Zehetbauer and I. Zammuto and R. Zag{\'o}rski and Q. Yu and C. Yoo and Q. Yang and E. Wolfrum and R. Wolf and M. Wischmeier and B. Wiringer and M. Willensdorfer and White, \{A. E.\} and D. Wendler and M. Weiland and X. Wang and D. Wagner and \{von Toussaint\}, U. and I. Voitsekhovitch and \{et al.\} and \{ASDEX Upgrade Team\} and Tuomas Tala and A. Snicker and A. Salmi and Y. Liu and Jari Likonen and A. Lahtinen and J. Karhunen and Hakola, \{A. H.\}",

year = "2025",

month = mar,

day = "15",

doi = "10.1038/s41467-025-56997-2",

language = "English",

volume = "16",

journal = "Nature Communications",

issn = "2041-1723",

publisher = "Springer Nature",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Milestone in predicting core plasma turbulence

T2 - successful multi-channel validation of the gyrokinetic code GENE

AU - Höfler, Klara

AU - Görler, Tobias

AU - Happel, Tim

AU - Lechte, Carsten

AU - Molina, Pedro

AU - Bergmann, Michael

AU - Bielajew, Rachel

AU - Conway, Garrard D.

AU - David, Pierre

AU - Denk, Severin S.

AU - Fischer, Rainer

AU - Hennequin, Pascale

AU - Jenko, Frank

AU - McDermott, Rachael M.

AU - White, Anne E.

AU - Stroth, Ulrich

AU - Zoletnik, S.

AU - Zohm, H.

AU - Zito, A.

AU - Zimmermann, C. F.B.

AU - Zilker, M.

AU - Zibrov, A.

AU - Zholobenko, W.

AU - Zhang, W.

AU - Zehetbauer, T.

AU - Zammuto, I.

AU - Zagórski, R.

AU - Yu, Q.

AU - Yoo, C.

AU - Yang, Q.

AU - Wolfrum, E.

AU - Wolf, R.

AU - Wischmeier, M.

AU - Wiringer, B.

AU - Willensdorfer, M.

AU - White, A. E.

AU - Wendler, D.

AU - Weiland, M.

AU - Wang, X.

AU - Wagner, D.

AU - von Toussaint, U.

AU - Voitsekhovitch, I.

AU - et al.

AU - ASDEX Upgrade Team

AU - Tala, Tuomas

AU - Snicker, A.

AU - Salmi, A.

AU - Liu, Y.

AU - Likonen, Jari

AU - Lahtinen, A.

AU - Karhunen, J.

AU - Hakola, A. H.

PY - 2025/3/15

Y1 - 2025/3/15

N2 - On the basis of several recent breakthroughs in fusion research, many activities have been launched around the world to develop fusion power plants on the fastest possible time scale. In this context, high-fidelity simulations of the plasma behavior on large supercomputers provide one of the main pathways to accelerating progress by guiding crucial design decisions. When it comes to determining the energy confinement time of a magnetic confinement fusion device, which is a key quantity of interest, gyrokinetic turbulence simulations are considered the approach of choice – but the question, whether they are really able to reliably predict the plasma behavior is still open. The present study addresses this important issue by means of careful comparisons between state-of-the-art gyrokinetic turbulence simulations with the GENE code and experimental observations in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak for an unprecedented number of simultaneous plasma observables.

AB - On the basis of several recent breakthroughs in fusion research, many activities have been launched around the world to develop fusion power plants on the fastest possible time scale. In this context, high-fidelity simulations of the plasma behavior on large supercomputers provide one of the main pathways to accelerating progress by guiding crucial design decisions. When it comes to determining the energy confinement time of a magnetic confinement fusion device, which is a key quantity of interest, gyrokinetic turbulence simulations are considered the approach of choice – but the question, whether they are really able to reliably predict the plasma behavior is still open. The present study addresses this important issue by means of careful comparisons between state-of-the-art gyrokinetic turbulence simulations with the GENE code and experimental observations in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak for an unprecedented number of simultaneous plasma observables.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105000435249

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-025-56997-2

DO - 10.1038/s41467-025-56997-2

M3 - Article

C2 - 40089474

AN - SCOPUS:105000435249

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 16

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

IS - 1

M1 - 2558

ER -

Milestone in predicting core plasma turbulence: successful multi-channel validation of the gyrokinetic code GENE

Abstract

Funding

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this