Milestone in predicting core plasma turbulence: successful multi-channel validation of the gyrokinetic code GENE

The ASDEX Upgrade Team

doi:10.1038/s41467-025-56997-2

Milestone in predicting core plasma turbulence: successful multi-channel validation of the gyrokinetic code GENE

The ASDEX Upgrade Team

Laboratory for Plasma Physics

Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik
Technische Universität München
University of Stuttgart
MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
General Atomics
Ecole Polytechnique
Centre for Energy Research
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion
Culham Centre for Fusion Energy
University of Seville
University of Ghent
ITER
Instituto Superior Técnico
Consorzio Rfx
Technical University of Denmark
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Istituto di Fisica del Plasma Piero Caldirola
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Laboratorio Nacional de Fusión
Aalto University
University of Cagliari
Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Universitat Innsbruck
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Eindhoven University of Technology
ENEA Centro Ricerche Frascati
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
University of Tuscia
Vienna University of Technology
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
University of Rome
University of Milano-Bicocca
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Politecnico di Torino
University College Cork
Greifswald University
University of California, Davis
ICREA
University of York
Institute of Plasma Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Royal Military Academy
Technische Universität Graz
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (CEA)
Chalmers University of Technology
Institut Jean Lamour
Durham University
Barcelona Supercomputer Centre
National Science Center Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology
Consorzio CREATE
Université Aix Marseille
Research Center

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

On the basis of several recent breakthroughs in fusion research, many activities have been launched around the world to develop fusion power plants on the fastest possible time scale. In this context, high-fidelity simulations of the plasma behavior on large supercomputers provide one of the main pathways to accelerating progress by guiding crucial design decisions. When it comes to determining the energy confinement time of a magnetic confinement fusion device, which is a key quantity of interest, gyrokinetic turbulence simulations are considered the approach of choice – but the question, whether they are really able to reliably predict the plasma behavior is still open. The present study addresses this important issue by means of careful comparisons between state-of-the-art gyrokinetic turbulence simulations with the GENE code and experimental observations in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak for an unprecedented number of simultaneous plasma observables.

Original language	English
Article number	2558
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	16
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56997-2
Publication status	Published - Dec 2025

Access to Document

10.1038/s41467-025-56997-2

Cite this

@article{7c78dad7554340d28d81fa61f4dcdafa,

title = "Milestone in predicting core plasma turbulence: successful multi-channel validation of the gyrokinetic code GENE",

abstract = "On the basis of several recent breakthroughs in fusion research, many activities have been launched around the world to develop fusion power plants on the fastest possible time scale. In this context, high-fidelity simulations of the plasma behavior on large supercomputers provide one of the main pathways to accelerating progress by guiding crucial design decisions. When it comes to determining the energy confinement time of a magnetic confinement fusion device, which is a key quantity of interest, gyrokinetic turbulence simulations are considered the approach of choice – but the question, whether they are really able to reliably predict the plasma behavior is still open. The present study addresses this important issue by means of careful comparisons between state-of-the-art gyrokinetic turbulence simulations with the GENE code and experimental observations in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak for an unprecedented number of simultaneous plasma observables.",

author = "Klara H{\"o}fler and Tobias G{\"o}rler and Tim Happel and Carsten Lechte and Pedro Molina and Michael Bergmann and Rachel Bielajew and Conway, \{Garrard D.\} and Pierre David and Denk, \{Severin S.\} and Rainer Fischer and Pascale Hennequin and Frank Jenko and McDermott, \{Rachael M.\} and White, \{Anne E.\} and Ulrich Stroth and S. Zoletnik and H. Zohm and A. Zito and Zimmermann, \{C. F.B.\} and M. Zilker and A. Zibrov and W. Zholobenko and W. Zhang and T. Zehetbauer and I. Zammuto and R. Zag{\'o}rski and Q. Yu and C. Yoo and Q. Yang and E. Wolfrum and R. Wolf and M. Wischmeier and B. Wiringer and M. Willensdorfer and White, \{A. E.\} and D. Wendler and M. Weiland and X. Wang and D. Wagner and \{von Toussaint\}, U. and I. Voitsekhovitch and E. Viezzer and T. Vierle and G. Verdoolaege and M. Tripsk{\'y} and V. Maquet and A. Lyssoivan and E. Lerche and S. Jachmich and \{The ASDEX Upgrade Team\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2025.",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1038/s41467-025-56997-2",

language = "English",

volume = "16",

journal = "Nature Communications",

issn = "2041-1723",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Milestone in predicting core plasma turbulence

T2 - successful multi-channel validation of the gyrokinetic code GENE

AU - Höfler, Klara

AU - Görler, Tobias

AU - Happel, Tim

AU - Lechte, Carsten

AU - Molina, Pedro

AU - Bergmann, Michael

AU - Bielajew, Rachel

AU - Conway, Garrard D.

AU - David, Pierre

AU - Denk, Severin S.

AU - Fischer, Rainer

AU - Hennequin, Pascale

AU - Jenko, Frank

AU - McDermott, Rachael M.

AU - White, Anne E.

AU - Stroth, Ulrich

AU - Zoletnik, S.

AU - Zohm, H.

AU - Zito, A.

AU - Zimmermann, C. F.B.

AU - Zilker, M.

AU - Zibrov, A.

AU - Zholobenko, W.

AU - Zhang, W.

AU - Zehetbauer, T.

AU - Zammuto, I.

AU - Zagórski, R.

AU - Yu, Q.

AU - Yoo, C.

AU - Yang, Q.

AU - Wolfrum, E.

AU - Wolf, R.

AU - Wischmeier, M.

AU - Wiringer, B.

AU - Willensdorfer, M.

AU - White, A. E.

AU - Wendler, D.

AU - Weiland, M.

AU - Wang, X.

AU - Wagner, D.

AU - von Toussaint, U.

AU - Voitsekhovitch, I.

AU - Viezzer, E.

AU - Vierle, T.

AU - Verdoolaege, G.

AU - Tripský, M.

AU - Maquet, V.

AU - Lyssoivan, A.

AU - Lerche, E.

AU - Jachmich, S.

AU - The ASDEX Upgrade Team

PY - 2025/12

Y1 - 2025/12

N2 - On the basis of several recent breakthroughs in fusion research, many activities have been launched around the world to develop fusion power plants on the fastest possible time scale. In this context, high-fidelity simulations of the plasma behavior on large supercomputers provide one of the main pathways to accelerating progress by guiding crucial design decisions. When it comes to determining the energy confinement time of a magnetic confinement fusion device, which is a key quantity of interest, gyrokinetic turbulence simulations are considered the approach of choice – but the question, whether they are really able to reliably predict the plasma behavior is still open. The present study addresses this important issue by means of careful comparisons between state-of-the-art gyrokinetic turbulence simulations with the GENE code and experimental observations in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak for an unprecedented number of simultaneous plasma observables.

AB - On the basis of several recent breakthroughs in fusion research, many activities have been launched around the world to develop fusion power plants on the fastest possible time scale. In this context, high-fidelity simulations of the plasma behavior on large supercomputers provide one of the main pathways to accelerating progress by guiding crucial design decisions. When it comes to determining the energy confinement time of a magnetic confinement fusion device, which is a key quantity of interest, gyrokinetic turbulence simulations are considered the approach of choice – but the question, whether they are really able to reliably predict the plasma behavior is still open. The present study addresses this important issue by means of careful comparisons between state-of-the-art gyrokinetic turbulence simulations with the GENE code and experimental observations in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak for an unprecedented number of simultaneous plasma observables.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105000435249

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-025-56997-2

DO - 10.1038/s41467-025-56997-2

M3 - Article

C2 - 40089474

AN - SCOPUS:105000435249

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 16

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

IS - 1

M1 - 2558

ER -

Milestone in predicting core plasma turbulence: successful multi-channel validation of the gyrokinetic code GENE

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this