Become a DIII-D Participant
November 25, 2020
A new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) has been published at https://science.osti.gov/fes/Funding-Opportunities/Grant-Applications-to-DIII-D-Program. Please see below for information for those submitting a proposal.
November 6, 2020
New job opportunities and postdoctoral positions are available at DIII-D. For the latest jobs across all institutions see here:Jobs and Postdoctoral opportunities
Significant opportunities exist for participating in exciting research at all levels on the DIII-D tokamak in San Diego. The DIII-D program is a national and international collaboration among ~100 academic and corporate research institutions. Collaborators lead and manage elements of the program, generate ideas and innovations, lead experiments, build and operate diagnostics and equipment, analyze data, provide theory and modeling, and report and publish results. Graduate and undergraduate students also find opportunities for contributing to world-class fusion science.
The overall goal of the DIII-D program is to establish the scientific basis for the optimization of the tokamak approach to fusion energy. This includes specific emphasis on three areas of research:
- Prepare for Burning Plasmas: Deliver predictive understanding of the impact and optimization of burning plasma conditions on plasma performance in ITER and future devices.
- Evaluate the Requirements for Steady-State Tokamak Operation: Provide the physics understanding that establishes the requirements for achieving efficient, high performance, steady-state operation in future fusion devices.
- Establish the Physics Basis for Robust, Effective Plasma Boundary/Material Solutions: Develop and validate solutions for simultaneous heat and particle flux control including transients in future, high-power fusion devices.
DIII-D scientists are committed to addressing ITER research needs. Efforts in this area include pioneering work in control of core and edge instabilities, core stability and transport including the effect of low-torque operation (using co-counter current NBI and ECH heating/current drive), validating safe rapid plasma shutdown methods, testing and developing operating scenarios for ITER, developing physics models for partially detached divertor solutions, and evaluating plasma-material interactions.
The research program includes major elements of fusion science: transport, stability, energetic particles, heating and current drive, pedestal and boundary physics, and plasma-material interactions. A hallmark of the DIII-D program is its emphasis on model validation enabled by a world-leading diagnostic set. DIII-D actively participates in the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) and internationally coordinated multi-machine experiments.
DIII-D has a flexible set of heating and current-drive systems, including 20MW of neutral beam heating (co- and counter-current injection, with 5MW of variable off-axis injection and current drive), and 6 MW-class gyrotrons with steerable launchers for EC heating, current drive, and stability control. Multiple pellet injectors provide capability for ELM pacing, disruption mitigation, and fueling studies, while active density control is provided by three in-vessel cryopumps. The flexible shape control system allows lower-single-null, upper-single-null, and double-null shapes with a wide range of triangularity and elongation.
DIII-D Funding Opportunities Announcement (updated November 25, 2020)
A new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), entitled “Grant Applications from Universities and Other Research Institutions for Collaborative Research on the DIII-D National Fusion Facility” has been posted on the OSTI web site at https://science.osti.gov/fes/Funding-Opportunities/Grant-Applications-to-DIII-D-Program. Some important dates:
- Recommended Pre-Application Due Date: November 15, 2020 (A Pre-Application is required)
- Deadline for submitting Records of Discussion for final signatures: January 15 at 5 PM Pacific Time
- Application Due Date (if funding is desired during FY21): January 31, 2021
Questions about the FOA should be directed to Dr. Matthew Lanctot .
All applicants will need to include a completed Record of Discussion (see below) with their final application (not needed for the pre-application). If you have questions about that process, or to be matched with somebody at DIII-D for that discussion, please contact Chuck Greenfield .
More detailed information on the DIII-D program is available in the DIII-D Five-Year Plans:
- The current (2019-2024) DIII-D 5-year plan can be found here.
Recent updates on current research topics and plans may be found at:
To be considered for funding, applicants must have discussed their proposed research with the DIII-D National Research Program Leaders and must include a signed Record of Discussion form (DOWNLOAD HERE).
IMPORTANT: It takes time to prepare and review these, so in order to be able to complete the ROD form (revised 12/1/2020) in time for your proposal submission we ask that you abide by the following deadlines:
- IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIVING ENCOURAGEMENT FROM DOE: Contact Chuck Greenfield
to be matched with a DIII-D Program research contact
- December 4, 2020: Begin your discussions with a research contact
- January 15, 2021: You should have completed your discussions with your research contact, as well as any needed discussions with the DIII-D Operations Director or Diagnostics Leader (as appropriate) and a Computer Resources responsible officer and the completed ROD form should be in the hands of the DIII-D Director (Richard Buttery) for his final signature.
Note that our role in this process is not to judge your proposal, but rather to (1) help you prepare your proposal to be consistent with the capabilities and plans of the DIII-D Program, and (2) to make sure we understand (and can tell DOE) what resources your proposed work would need from the DIII-D Program.
Contact information for key individuals in each topical area may be found in the opportunities announcement poster.