Brodie Rolph

I graduated from the University of York in 2024 with an integrated master’s in Physics with Astrophysics. My academic journey has been shaped by a fascination with the research and development processes that underpin modern society. From the thrills of rocketry to the integrity of the power grid, I have always been drawn to solving complex problems that demand a blend of skills across physics, engineering, and computational modelling. This drive led me to the Fusion CDT, where I find inspiration not only in the fundamental goal of achieving sustainable fusion energy but also in the diverse and highly skilled community dedicated to this ambitious endeavour.

My project, “Stability Requirements for Volume Ignition,” investigates an ignition scheme for use in inertially confined fuel. In Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), fusion is initiated by compressing a small fuel capsule to extreme densities and temperatures using intense energy sources such as high-powered lasers. Traditional central hotspot ignition aims to ignite the fuel at its centre, with the fusion reaction spreading outward. As only a small region needs to be ignited initially, a very high gain can be achieved; however, this approach is extremely sensitive to hydrodynamic instabilities. In contrast, volume ignition seeks to ignite the entire fuel mass simultaneously, resulting in a lower gain but potentially enhancing the robustness of the ignition process. With ICF being inherently pulsed, reliability is critical for making inertial fusion power plants viable on a commercial scale.

Supervisors

• Dr John Pasley