Sharing fusion physics knowledge at a time of despair

October 4, 2023

TU/e researcher Felix Warmer is contributing to an online lecture series on fusion physics especially for Ukrainian students displaced and affected by the war.

War destroys cities and society, and unfortunately the Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv knows about this all too much. In 2022, Russia bombarded the city, destroying homes, schools, hospitals and other educational infrastructure in the process. But from the smoke and ruins, there comes hope, particularly for those students studying fusion physics and whose education has been disrupted. A group of experts on fusion physics have come together to deliver an online series of lectures on physics, especially for those students affected by the war. And amongst the lecturers is TU/e researcher Felix Warmer, who delivers the final lecture in the series later this month.

The war in Ukraine has changed the lives of millions ever since Russia mounted its first attacks on February 24^th 2022. Many cities and towns have been decimated by unprovoked attacks, and the inhabitants have struggled with the onslaught.

Kharkiv was one of the first cities attacked on that day in February, and over the days and weeks after the initial attacks, many buildings were severely damaged, including the School of Economics of the National University of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology. The loss of life was significant across the city.

“Unfortunately, due to the attacks, a number of lecturers and researchers at the Institute of Physics were killed,” says Felix Warmer, assistant professor at the Department of Applied Physics and Science Education at TU/e whose research is on fusion power. “The institute was well-known for its expertise in fusion physics, and we in the field lost friends and colleagues.”

Felix Warmer.

The idea

In the aftermath of the destruction in Kharkiv, Andreas Dinklage, a former colleague of Warmer at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald, Germany, had an idea.

“Andreas thought about how we could help the fusion physics community and students in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and further afield,” says Warmer. “And he came up with the idea for a lecture series for bachelor students.”

Nuclear fusion is the process by which two lighter atomic nuclei come together to form a heavier atom, releasing energy in the process. This energy can then be used to generate electrical energy, for example.

So, along with Igor Garkusha of the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology and Igor Girka from the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Dinklage set about organizing a lecture series on fusion energy. Due to the war, traditional education and lectures halted for many students, and the lecture series would serve to address the shortfall in their education.

“However, as many students in Ukraine are unable to leave the country at the moment and it was difficult to get the funds for lecturers to travel to Ukraine, all lectures are delivered online,” says Warmer.

Kharkiv. Source: iStockphoto

The Charkiw lectures

Known as “The Charkiw lectures” (Charkiw is the German spelling for Kharkiv), the lecture series brings together some of the leading lights in the world of fusion physics.

And what’s the aim of the lecture series? Warmer: “At the end of the lecture series, the aim is that students will have the necessary skills to work in the control room of a fusion reactor. That’s the dream anyway. The course starts with the basics of plasma physics and then moves on through theory and experiments.”

The lecture series consists of 12 lectures, and it started back in June 2023 with the first lecture by Peter Manz from the University of Greifswald on the essentials of magnetic confinement fusion. Experts from around the world are delivering lectures as part of the series, and the students in attendance are a mixture of Ukrainian-based students and international students.

Warmer’s lecture, which is co-delivered with Hartmut Zohm from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Garching, Germany, is the final lecture in the series and will take place on October 18^th. It focuses on stellarator fusion reactors, an important research area at the Science and Technology of Nuclear Fusion research group here at TU/e.

Control room of a fusion reactor

Warmer’s lecture and the book

What can students expect in the final lecture of the series? Warmer: “Prior to my final lecture, the other lectures will have covered the physics, the engineering, and mathematics of fusion reactors. And in the final lecture, we want to share the skills needed to build a viable fusion power plant. That’s the end milestone.”

Warmer’s lecture will cover the key concepts needed to build a stellarator reactor, how far are we from developing various types of reactors, what’s been built so far, and the challenges or problems that need to be solved in the future.

“Overall, it's about informing students about the steps they can take in relation to their future careers, potentially placing them in key roles working in fusion reactors. And it’s about helping them to respect the technology. Through understanding the approach, they can hopefully see the benefits of the process for future energy production,” says Warmer.

After the lecture series, the plan is to collate the whole program in a book with each lecturer contributing a short chapter on their topic.

“We see it as a comprehensive teaching book that could be used around Europe and the world,” says Warmer. “And we hope that the book proves a valuable resource for various audiences – whether it’s bachelor students or experts. Fusion is a safe technology, and we want to promote this.”