Participation since 2021 in the EUROfusion programme – the National Nuclear Fusion Programme, which aims to promote research and development in the field of nuclear fusion, targeting the achievement of energy production from this technology.

Specifically, in the year 2025, researchers from the Institute are participating in the work packages (WP) ENR (Enable Research), TRED (Training Education) και TE (Tokamak Exploitation)::

Participation in WPENR

The Institute’s researchers are involved in the topics “Magnetized Inertial Confinement Fusion” and “Foams as a pathway to energy from high gain direct drive ignition (FoPIFE)” in WPENR. The research activities of the Institute’s personnel include:

Studies for high rep-rate ion source development from gaseous targets using ultrashort laser pulses

Point protection radiography of foams

Participation in WPTRED

Participation of the Institute’s PhD candidates (within the framework of a return-based scholarship) in WPTRED, which concerns the education and development of new skills for young scientists. The PhD theses of the candidates have been approved by the Funding Authority. Their research activities include:

High current generated dense plasma characterization and secondary emission studies

Finite element method simulations for the study of the thermomechanical behavior of materials in thermonuclear fusion reactors

Study and shaping of simple and nanostructured materials through ultrashort, high frequency acoustic pulses

Participation in WPTE

Participation of Institute researchers with computational simulations in the programme “W PFC damage induced by runaway electron incidence” under WPTE. Within this framework, the following activities are implemented:

Modelling of the RE-induced W damage experiments in WEST and AUG: (i) LS-DYNA modelling of the PFC thermomechanical response (in collaboration with KTH, Stockholm). (ii) Understanding of the PFC explosion mechanism in W (in collaboration with KTH, Stockholm)

Past Participation

Researchers from the Institute had previously participated (2021–2024) in the topic “Advancing shock ignition for direct-drive inertial fusion”. Their research activities included:

Studying fundamental material properties and laser-plasma interaction mechanisms, diagnostics development

Strategies for mitigation of hydrodynamic instabilities and specifically study of the effect of the elastic phase of materials on inertial confinement fusion targets as a trigger for the development of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in the plasma phase

Experimental and numerical study of particle acceleration using high intensity short laser pulses