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We present Aurora, an open-source package for particle transport, neutrals and radiation modeling in magnetic confinement fusion plasmas. Aurora's modern multi-language interface enables simulations of 1.5D impurity transport within high-performance computing frameworks, particularly for the inference of particle transport coefficients. A user-friendly Python library allows simple interaction with atomic rates from the Atomic Data and Atomic Structure database as well as other sources. This enables a range of radiation predictions, both for power balance and spectroscopic analysis. We discuss here the superstaging approximation for complex ions, as a way to group charge states and reduce computational cost, demonstrating its wide applicability within the Aurora forward model and beyond. Aurora also facilitates neutral particle analysis, both from experimental spectroscopic data and other simulation codes. Leveraging Aurora's capabilities to interface SOLPS-ITER results, we demonstrate that charge exchange is unlikely to affect the total radiated power from the ITER core during high performance operation. Finally, we describe the ImpRad module in the OMFIT framework, developed to enable experimental analysis and transport inferences on multiple devices using Aurora., 8 pages + references, 5 figures

In this paper we validate the finite element code RAPLICASOL, which models radiofrequency wave propagation in edge plasmas near ICRF antennas, against calculations with the TOPICA code. We compare the output of both codes for the ASDEX Upgrade 2-strap antenna, and for a 4-strap WEST-like antenna. Although RAPLICASOL requires considerably fewer computational resources than TOPICA, we find that the predicted quantities of experimental interest (including reflection coefficients, coupling resistances, S- and Z-matrix entries, optimal matching settings, and even radiofrequency electric fields) are in good agreement provided we are careful to use the same geometry in both codes.

Cold pulses are introduced in Ohmic DIII-D tokamak plasmas via injection of impurities with a laser blow-off system, revealing for the first time in this machine a quick increase in core electron temperature shortly after the edge cold-pulse injection at low collisionality. The experimental results are consistent with predict-first simulations of heat transport enabled by the Trapped Gyro-Landau-Fluid transport model. Measurements of electron density evolution during the cold-pulse propagation are enabled by a high time resolution density profile reflectometer. The density evolution reveals the quick propagation of a pulse from edge to core, which is a mechanism to transiently increase core temperature in low-collisionality plasmas. Local transport simulations with measured density evolution demonstrate that the core temperature response can indeed be explained by the stabilization of Trapped Electron Mode turbulence at low collisionality, thus providing confidence that local transport modeling is enough to explain cold-pulse propagation and associated phenomenology.Cold pulses are introduced in Ohmic DIII-D tokamak plasmas via injection of impurities with a laser blow-off system, revealing for the first time in this machine a quick increase in core electron temperature shortly after the edge cold-pulse injection at low collisionality. The experimental results are consistent with predict-first simulations of heat transport enabled by the Trapped Gyro-Landau-Fluid transport model. Measurements of electron density evolution during the cold-pulse propagation are enabled by a high time resolution density profile reflectometer. The density evolution reveals the quick propagation of a pulse from edge to core, which is a mechanism to transiently increase core temperature in low-collisionality plasmas. Local transport simulations with measured density evolution demonstrate that the core temperature response can indeed be explained by the stabilization of Trapped Electron Mode turbulence at low collisionality, thus providing confidence that local transport modeling is enough ...

Fusion power may be seen as the energy of the future in the sense that it composes a potentially clean, cheap and unlimited power source that would reduce the worldwide dependency on non-renewable energies. Nevertheless, while nowadays the fusion reaction process itself has been achieved, significant net power has not yet been obtained, since the generated plasma needs to remain in particular pressure and temperature conditions. For this purpose, the plasma has to be confined. To do so, one of the solutions is to use a fusion reactor device that creates magnetic fields in a toroidal chamber, called Tokamak reactor. The main issue of Tokamak reactors is the presence of plasma instabilities, which provoke the fusion reaction decay and, in consequence, a reduction in the pulse duration. To maintain this pulse duration as long as possible, the use of robust and fast controllers is mandatory due to the unpredictability and the small time constant of the plasma behavior. In this context, this article focuses on improving the controllability of the plasma current, a relevant control variable, crucial during the plasma heating and confinement processes. In particular, two new robust control schemes based on sliding surfaces, namely, a Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) and a Supertwisting Controller (STC) are presented and applied to the plasma current control problem. In order to test the validity and goodness of the proposed controllers, their behavior is compared to that of the traditional PID schemes applied in these systems, using the RZIp model for the TCV (Tokamak a Configuration Variable) reactor. The obtained results are very promising, leading to consider these controllers as strong candidates to improve the performance of the PID-based controllers usually employed in this kind of systems.