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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Fusion Science and Technology
July 2025
Latest News
Drones detect natural gamma radiation to measure agricultural soil health
The International Atomic Energy Agency has initiated a coordinated research project that will combine an “innovative, non-invasive, and scalable nuclear technique”—gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS)—with drones and satellite imagery to gather and analyze data that can reveal the quality of soil on agricultural lands around the world.
S. Ceccuzzi, E. Barbato, A. Cardinali, C. Castaldo, R. Cesario, M. Marinucci, F. Mirizzi, L. Panaccione, G. L. Ravera, F. Santini, G. Schettini, A. A. Tuccillo
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 64 | Number 4 | November 2013 | Pages 748-761
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST13-A24095
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Recent experiments on lower hybrid (LH) penetration at reactor-relevant densities, together with the recent demonstration of the technological viability of the passive-active multijunction launcher on long pulses, have removed major concerns about the employment of LH waves on next-generation tokamaks, where LH could profitably drive far-off-axis plasma current, allowing current profile control and helping in sustaining burning performance. In this frame and with the aim of being prepared for the design phase of the next experimental reactors, preliminary investigations on the possibility of using LH on DEMO have been started under the supervision of the European Fusion Development Agreement. This paper reports the outcomes of these studies, addressing three main questions: Is LH useful for DEMO? If so, which setting of physics parameters makes it as effective as possible? Last, can available technology fulfill such demands?From the physics viewpoint, deposition sensitivity to launcher poloidal position, scrape-off layer parameters, and peak n|n+ have been analyzed, indicating the equatorial injection of 5-GHz waves with n|n+peak = 1.8 as the most favorable option. On the engineering side, specific research and development needs have been investigated on the basis of available information and sensible assumptions, showing that most of the components of the transmission line and, of highest priority, radio-frequency vacuum windows demand intense development.