"I am a strong believer in the collaborative nature of research"
Ralf Mackenbach © 2024 EPFL
Ralf Mackenbach, a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Plasma Center (SPC), has been awarded the prestigious Rubicon Grant by the Dutch Research Council for his research at SPC. This two-year grant, beginning in September 2024, will allow him to test new plasma forms using the Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV) fusion device at EPFL, and apply an interesting model developed during his Ph.D.
What this grant mean to you?
The Rubicon Grant is a broad, competitive award, open to academics from a wide range of fields. Having read the other grantees' proposals, I am deeply honored to have been given this opportunity alongside such excellent researchers. This grant gives me the opportunity to expand the research I conducted during my Ph.D. into a more experimental setting.
I am interested in the “turbulence" fusion reactors exhibit — swirls and whirls that mix different regions of the plasma, which makes it more difficult to sustain the desired conditions
Can you explain your research in simple terms?
I am interested in the “turbulence" fusion reactors exhibit — swirls and whirls that mix different regions of the plasma, which makes it more difficult to sustain the desired conditions (e.g. high temperatures and lots of fuel). For my Ph.D., I worked on a model that circumvented the complexity of such turbulence calculations by instead investigating how much energy there could be in these swirls and whirls at most, the so-called “available energy”. This turned out to be a fruitful perspective, as it indeed was able to predict the intensity of the turbulence.
What is your research objective now?
Now I can push the boundaries by using this model to identify novel plasma shapes and experimentally test them on TCV. It also allows me to refine my experimental skills and work alongside the great team of experimentalists at SPC.
The best ideas arise where different researchers meet and cross-pollination occurs
What do you think of the environment at SPC, and what does it bring you?
I am a strong believer in the collaborative nature of research — the best ideas arise where different researchers meet and cross-pollination occurs. The SPC is an excellent environment, especially in this perspective: It hosts researchers that investigate wildly varying plasmas by means of pen and paper (theory), computers (numerics), and by designing and running experiments (experimentalists). This breadth and diversity is sure to foster many interesting ideas, and I hope it will push the research forward in new directions.
Mackenbach, R. J. J. (2023). Available Energy: A compass for navigating the nonlinear landscape of fusion plasma turbulence.[Phd Thesis 1 (Research TU/e / Graduation TU/e), Applied Physics and Science Education]. Eindhoven University of Technology.