News

CER Associate Research Scientist Simon Bott-Suzuki recently published an open-access article in Innovation News outlining the recent progress and advantages of magnetically driven inertial fusion energy (MD-IFE)

November 20, 2024

CER Associate Research Scientist Simon Bott-Suzuki recently published an open-access article in Innovation News outlining the recent progress and advantages of magnetically driven inertial fusion energy (MD-IFE). This approach uses large-scale pulsed power drivers to compress cylindrical fusion targets generating high energy yields in each shot. This enables far lower repetition rates than most other inertial fusion schemes, making MD-IFE amenable for application in a power station. Coupled with recent dramatic progress in performance, MD-IFE is one of the most promising and economically viable approaches for energy gain for putting fusion energy on the grid.

Dr Bott-Suzuki, also presented a technical summary during a plenary talk at the Dept of Energy Inertial Fusion Energy Workshop, held at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, on behalf of the pulsed power IFE community.

A pdf of the talk can be found here.

CER Assistant Project Scientist, Renato Perillo, presented recent work on Triple Play: Managing ELMs for Efficient Fusion Energy at the 66th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics (DPP) in Atlanta, Georgia

October 11, 2024

CER Assistant Project Scientist, Renato Perillo, presented results of work on plasma instabilities called "edge localized models," or ELMS and how to deal with them via an invited talk at APS-DPP. 

Read the full article.

CER Professor, Farhat Beg, is Co-Director of the new Fusion Engineering Institute

October 8, 2024

CER Professor, Dr. Beg, is Co-Director of the Fusion Engineering Institute, a new engineering institute led by the Jacobs School of Engineering focused on making sure humanity’s recent advances in fusion science translate into safe, abundant and affordable clean energy for California, the nation and the world. 

Read the full article.

CER Associate Researcher, Matthew Baldwin, receives funding for UC San Diego's PISCES facility through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)'s Creating Hardened And Durable fusion first Wall Incorporating Centralized Knowledge (CHADWICK) program

September 27, 2024

University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) – La Jolla, CA High Flux Plasma-Materials Interaction Testing for Rapid Fusion Materials Development - $1,345,309 University of California, San Diego’s (UC San Diego) Plasma Interaction with Surface Component Experimental Station (PISCES) facility is a unique long-standing scientific capability within the U.S. During the CHADWICK program, the PISCES facility will offer a range of plasma-materials interactions services to the material development teams. The facility will aid teams in testing how new materials will react to the plasma and irradiation environment expected in a fusion power plant.

Read the full press release here.

CER Director, Jan Kleissl, announced as Henry G. Booker Endowed Chair in the Jacobs School of Engineering

August 6, 2024

CER Director, Dr. Kleissl, is one of 18 new endowed chairs in the Jacobs School of Engineering at University of California San Diego. Within the Department of Mechanical and Aeroscpace Engineering, Dr. Kleissl is the Henry G. Booker Endowed Chair.

Read the full article.

Tyler Lynch, Reserach and Development Engineer, awarded 2023-2024 UC San Diego Exemplary Staff Employee of the Year Award

July 23, 2024

CER's very own Tyler Lynch recognized as 1 of 15 professional and support staff members receiving the recognition of 2023-2024 Exemplary Staff Employee of the Year. Tyler is part of the PISCES group led by Dr. George Tynan.

Read the full campus notice.

Interview with CER Director, Jan Kleissl, Featured in WalletHub

April 10, 2024

The article discusses the relatedness between eco-friendliness and personal finance.  Dr. Kleissl is featured as one of a few environmental experts and was asked a series of questions related to eco-friendliness at the household and governmental levels.  A snipit of Jan's interview is below. 

Q: What policies can state and local authorities pursue to make their communities more environmentally friendly?

A: The single most effective strategy is higher population density. This translates to more people living in condos or apartments versus single-family homes. Denser living reduces transportation distances and increases urban walkability. Multi-family units also reduce community energy use per capita because everyone's AC has to balance heat coming through 1 or 2 outside walls rather than 4 walls and a roof & floor of a house. Urban rezoning strategies are needed to permit higher-density construction.

Read the full article.

Collaborative $9M UC San Diego Award Aimed at Sparking Fusion Energy Breakthrough

February 27, 2024

In a pioneering initiative, universities, industry leaders, and national laboratories are banding together to accelerate the development of fusion energy. Funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) and powered by a $9 million budget over four years, the project named SMARTS (Surrogate Models for Accurate and Rapid Transport Solutions) aims to pave the way for more efficient and reliable fusion reactor performance prediction.

Funded as part of the DOE's $112 million in awards to the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program, SMARTS brings together a consortium of institutions including University of California San Diego, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), General Atomics, Sapientai, Kalling Software, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratory.

Read the full article.

UC San Diego is Part of DOE Grant to Establish Inertial Fusion Energy Hub

February 7, 2024

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a four-year, $16 million grant to a multi-institutional team led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and including the University of California San Diego to establish a national Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) Science & Technology Accelerated Research for Fusion Innovation & Reactor Engineering (STARFIRE) Hub.  

This IFE hub will accelerate demonstration of high-gain target designs, target manufacturing and engagement and diode-pumped solid state laser technologies, with development of these technologies guided through an IFE-plant modeling framework. The project will also begin developing the workforce of the future for IFE through partnerships with leading universities and innovative new curriculum development and implementation.

Read the full article.