Pádraig Mac Cárthaigh

Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy Research, a European Research Area, is the main focus of my work, which encompasses close collaborations with the Max Planck Institut für Plasmaphysik, Garching, and other leading European fusion laboratories hosting major facilities in magnetic confinement fusion research, namely tokamak and stellarator experiments. My work in this field is mainly computational, consisting of the generation of 2-D and 3-D magnetohydrodynamic equilibria from plasma diagnostic data. Two approaches are used: (i) iterative nonlinear equilibrium codes which directly interpret experimental data and (ii) training-type methods using Monte Carlo-generated databases of simulated equilibrium states. The latter approach is used to conduct design studies for the planned ITER (International Tokamak Experimental Reactor) project, a model of worldwide scientific and technological cooperation, which is expected to demonstrate a net fusion power gain and will form a bridge between present-day research and a functioning fusion power reactor, one of the most promising options for a long-term solution to global energy needs in the post-fossil fuel era. The challenge of maximizing the information extracted from noisy, ill-conditioned experimental data, a common occurrence in tokamak and stellarator experiments, has spawned my interest in Inverse Problems