The architects (ENIA Architectes) who planned the exterior aspect of the ITER scientific buildings wanted them to meld into the natural environment, and at the same time to reflect the precision of the research work being performed within.   Their technical solution reposes on alternating cladding of polished stainless steel and grey-lacquered metal. At the same time as the ITER buildings reflect the changing skies and pick up the hues of the passing seasons, the polished, sharp quality of their exteriors conveys something of the high-tech nature of the activities they harbour.   In order to check the feasibility of installation and to have the final choices validated by the architects, a mockup of the planned cladding has been erected at the south corner of the Assembly Building. A few square metres of the building's metal structure have been covered with the two types of alternating cladding, allowing us to imagine what the completed building will look like.   Melding into the natural environment, the alternating cladding of polished stainless steel and grey-lacquered metal reflects the precision of the research work being performed within. © ENIA Architectes For the moment, the mirror-like surfaces only reflect the shapes of the trucks and cranes that surround the building.   But we have an indication of what the final result will be—and it's quite impressive.

In the October issue of Physics Today, three US researchers report on recent advances in the understanding of wave-particle physics in tokamaks.   In fusion plasmas, interactions between electromagnetic waves and the most energetic ions can perturb ion orbits enough to expel them from the confining magnetic field, resulting in loss of performance. A better understanding of energetic ion behavior in tokamaks is needed to predict and produce the operating parameters required for a fusion reactor.   Based on experiments and simulations of wave-induced ion transport, researchers David Pace (General Atomics), Bill Heidbrink (University of California, Irvine) and Michael Van Zeeland (General Atomics) have supplied new details on the process. Continued development of wave-particle physics will arm researchers with the ability to predict, and then avoid or mitigate, scenarios at ITER in which alpha particles are transported out of their confined orbits in the plasma.   Read the full article at AIP Scitation. A pdf version of the article can also be downloaded from the General Atomics website.

The European Domestic Agency for ITER has chosen Siemens for the design, fabrication and testing of three high voltage units that will host the power supplies for ITER's most powerful heating system—neutral beam injection.   In ITER two neutral beam injectors will deliver high-energy beams of neutral deuterium atoms for long pulses to heat the plasma. Because these high-power systems are the first tokamak neutral beam systems based on a negative ion source, risk will be mitigated in advance of operation at the PRIMA neutral beam test facility currently under construction in Padua, Italy. Europe, Japan and India are contributing all components according to the specifications of Procurement Arrangements signed with the ITER Organization; Italy is building the facility as a voluntary contribution to the neutral beam development program.   PRIMA will host a full-size negative ion source (SPIDER) and a full-size heating neutral beam injector (MITICA). The components designed for the test beds are the same as those that will be used on the heating neutral beams in ITER.   Europe has chosen Siemens to design, manufacture and test three high voltage units—one for the MITICA test bed and two for ITER's powerful neutral beam injection system. Each large, two-storey unit will contain transformers, power distribution systems, and control cubicles and stand on post insulators over six metres tall. The total weight of each unit—structure and components included—will reach 100 metric tons.   The EUR 18 million, seven-year contract also includes the delivery of high voltage bushing assemblies to connect the power supplies to transmission lines. Read the full report on the European Domestic Agency website.

It looks like a jellyfish is trapped inside of a fusion machine. But nature lovers can relax: the video at right is a real—if unusual—record of a plasma experiment inside the spherical MAST tokamak at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE).   In the image on the right side, a MAST plasma is processed with a magnification method called Eulerian Video Magnification. (At left, a normal MAST plasma without the processing applied, for comparison.)   This technique takes a static image, detects small changes in intensity of the light (such as small movements in the images) and amplifies them. It is well suited to footage of tokamak plasmas and has already been used to good effect on MAST.   The "jellyfish" plasma in this clip, produced by CCFE's Thomas O'Gorman, lets fusion researchers view phenomena (a 2,1 tearing mode in this case) which cause the plasma's edge to wobble but are not visible with the naked eye. This is potentially very useful in detecting "unseen" plasma instabilities that reduce the confinement of energy in a tokamak.   So, if you'll pardon the pun, the much-maligned jellyfish could help take the "sting" out of plasma instabilities and propel fusion towards the electricity grid...   View the video on CCFE's website

Korea's National Fusion Research Institute (NFRI) celebrated its tenth anniversary on 1 October in the presence of distinguished guests Chairman Sangchun Lee of the National Research Council of Science and Technology and Deputy Minister Jaemun Park of the Ministry of Science ICT and Future Planning (MSIP).Since NFRI's inception in 2005, the institute has successfully brought the KSTAR tokamak to the level of a world-class superconducting fusion device (2007), celebrated its first plasma (2008) and surpassed the 10,000th plasma experiment mark (2014), testifying to the stability of the device. KSTAR is now playing an important role by running experiments in support of ITER. During the ceremony, participants from industry, academia and national research institutes reflected on the 20-year effort in Korea toward the development of fusion energy. Awards of recognition were granted to distinguished contributors and a certification plaque was awarded to KSTAR, selected as one of the Top 70 scientific and technological achievements in the country. "With the passion and confidence that has brought us so far during the past decade," said NFRI Director-General Keeman Kim, "we will continue to strive forward to bring Korea to the top when it comes to fusion energy commercialization."

A 14-minute documentary on ITER aired on Russia's TV Channel 24 on Saturday 17 October. The documentary brings the viewer into the heart of ITER construction for an update of work underway on the lower levels of the Tokamak Complex, future home to the 23,000-ton ITER machine. The team of journalists also travels to the European winding facility in La Spezia, Italy (ASG Superconductors) to investigate the complexities of ITER engineering and manufacturing.   At La Spezia, Russian-produced niobium-tin superconductor is integrated through a complex series of steps into ITER's giant toroidal field magnets.   Watch "Horizons of the atom" here (in Russian).

​PPPL presented its 2015 outstanding research awards to engineer Charles Neumeyer and physicist Rajesh Maingi on 5 October. Neumeyer received the Kaul Foundation Prize for "the design analysis and overall management of the US contributions to the steady state electric network that will supply power to ITER. This culminated in the successful delivery of the first major plant components to ITER, establishing procedures for all future shipments of ITER components." This accomplishment was made possible in part by the strong and trusting relationship that was established years ago between Neumeyer and the present members of the ITER "electricians". "In this long venture, the human dimension was essential", says Joël Hourtoule, ITER Electrical Power Distribution section leader. Maingi received the Distinguished Research Fellow award for "seminal research and program leadership in tokamak boundary and divertor physics." Read more on the PPPL website.