Oliver Robertson
Postgraduate Researcher
University of York
Co-hort year: 2024 entry
I completed my undergraduate MPhys degree at the University of Manchester and graduated in 2021. During my master’s, I worked on a project focused on designing specialized components for radiation-resistant robotic systems capable of operating in the harsh radiation fields produced by spent nuclear fission fuel. The aim was to develop robots for applications in decommissioning end-of-life fission reactors. After this, I transitioned to the field of executive search in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Working closely with an international cohort of scientific executives allowed me to gain insight into the workings of industrial-scale science in a collaborative and fast-paced working environment on a global scale. My interest in nuclear physics and clean energy technologies eventually led me to the Fusion CDT.
One of the most important demands made of nuclear fusion reactors is providing good confinement – keeping the hot plasma away from the walls of the machine and the energy in the plasma using strong magnetic fields. This is critical for the feasibility of a commercial fusion power plant – one which must undergo long periods of shutdown and maintenance due to damage from an unstable plasma would not pass as economically viable. Effects within the plasma, such as turbulence, act to degrade confinement.
A promising approach to fusion power is the Spherical Tokamak, which has been found to exhibit enhanced plasma stability properties compared to the conventional Tokamak (which is itself a leading candidate for a practical fusion reactor). However, the physics basis for this route to fusion still needs development. Developing nonlinear generalised gyrokinetic modelling of plasma turbulence, representative of the Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MASTU) in Oxfordshire, will help to broaden understanding around the Spherical Tokamak approach. Conducting and quantifying turbulent transport studies for MAST-U pedestal plasmas, to be validated against experimental results, will help when looking further afield. The UK’s Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production – a project commissioned by the UK Atomic Energy Authority to prove the feasibility of fusion power at a commercial scale – would benefit from predictions made by a greater understanding of the physical theories behind Spherical Tokamaks.
In this project we will develop novel simulation tools which can solve the recently derived generalised gyrokinetic system and apply these to study the spherical tokamak context outlined above.
