SUMTRAIC is an experimental SUMmer TRAIning Course in plasma physics in magnetic confinement fusion devices (tokamaks) organized annually at the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague (IPP CAS), Czech Republic.
The centre of gravity of this summer school lays in the direct involvement of the participants in the processing and analysis of experimental data from the COMPASS tokamak, which operated from 2009 to 2021 as one of the leading devices among smaller tokamaks in the world, with an experimental program that focused on plasma-wall interaction, edge plasma physics, H-mode and runaway electrons. It will be followed by COMPASS Upgrade, which will enable cutting edge research with high power (10 MW) and magnetic field (5 T) plasma scenarios. Topics on studies and simulations related to this future device might be proposed to students.
Topics in the past have included:
- Search for stationary zonal flows at the plasma edge using a so-called rake probe head;
- Investigation of plasma rotation by optical diagnostic;
- Sawtooth simulations with the code Raptor;
- Power decay length measurements by mean of an infrared camera and divertor probes;
- Study of the scrape-off layer turbulence, ELM detection and precursors of ELMs by mean of Lithium beam diagnostic;
- Measurements of filamentary structures by a so called U-probe;
- Investigation of L-mode plasma performance using neutral beam injectors;
- SOL current measurements thanks to a five-segment floating divertor tile.
The next course will be held from
28 August to 8 September 2023. See
these pages for all information.