BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
PRODID:UW-Madison-Physics-Events
BEGIN:VEVENT
SEQUENCE:3
UID:UW-Physics-Event-9833
DTSTART:20261005T170000Z
DTEND:20261005T180000Z
DTSTAMP:20261008T004939Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260923T144214Z
LOCATION:2241 Chamberlin Hall
SUMMARY:STAR_Lite: Hampton University’s flexible\, table-top quasi-a
 xisymmetric stellarator for testing resilient divertors\, Plasma Physi
 cs (Physics/ECE/NE 922) Seminar\, Shibabrat Naik\, Hampton University
DESCRIPTION:STAR_Lite is a stellarator under construction at Hampton U
 niversity whose primary purpose is to test divertor resilience\, speci
 fically non-resonant divertors (NRDs)\, to magnetic field error and pl
 asma current. The first coil configuration\, STAR_Lite-A\, is a two-fi
 eld-period quasi-axisymmetric configuration with 0.5 m major radius an
 d mean field strength on the axis of 87.5 mT\, the field being set by 
 2.45 GHz electron cyclotron heating (ECH) from two 15 kW magnetrons. S
 ix modular coils of two distinct shapes are wound from 4/0 copper cabl
 e around stainless-steel spines bent to the design curve\, a method ch
 osen so the coils can be made in-house. A key feature of this design i
 s its operational flexibility\, and our analysis will also demonstrate
  that the X-point structure remains resilient to both equilibrium chan
 ges and real-world manufacturing errors. I will present the magnetic t
 opology of STAR_Lite-A including analysis and optimization for the X-p
 oints\, their stable and unstable manifolds\, last closed flux surface
  (LCFS)\, and related divertor structure\, EMC3-Lite heat flux calcula
 tions on two candidate vacuum vessels\, and a Monte Carlo study of coi
 l fabrication errors using Gaussian-process perturbations. Quasisymmet
 ry and the existence of the X-points are robust to errors up to 1cm ma
 nufacturing error and I will discuss what that implies for field corre
 ction. I will close with a new approach to combined X-point and vessel
  optimization that has produced single X point\, parabolic\, and snowf
 lake divertor candidates for future STAR_Lite coil configurations. STA
 R_Lite is primarily built by the undergraduate students who wind the c
 oils on bent steel spines\, perform electrical characterization of the
  coils\, test and assemble the pulsed-power system\, and will run the 
 Hall-probe field-mapping campaign. STAR_Lite is funded through DOE FAI
 R\, RENEW and the Simons Foundation\, with the stated aim of building 
 a fusion workforce pipeline at Hampton University.<br>\n<br>\nBiograph
 y<br>\nShibabrat Naik joined Hampton University in September 2023 as a
  faculty member in the Department of Mathematics and as a member of th
 e Center for Fusion Training and Research. His research interests are 
 in theory and applications of nonlinear dynamics\, chaos\, computation
 al science and engineering\, and magnetic confinement of plasma. Along
  with collaborators and co-investigators\, he has secured $1.46 millio
 n in research funding from DOE for training and developing a fusion wo
 rkforce at Hampton University. Currently\, he co-supervises a team of 
 10 undergraduate students from mathematics\, engineering\, and compute
 r science. He obtained his Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Virgini
 a Tech and trained as a postdoctoral researcher in engineering at Drex
 el University and University of Pennsylvania\, applied mathematics at 
 University of Bristol and University of Warwick. His interdisciplinary
  research articles on nonlinear dynamical systems and computational sc
 ience have appeared in Physical Review E\, Nonlinearity\, Royal Societ
 y’s PCCP\, Chaos\, Commun. Nonlinear Sci Numer. Simul.
URL:https://www.physics.wisc.edu/events/?id=9833
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR