My master’s thesis project has been done in collaboration between the EPFL in Lausanne and the physics department of ULB in Brussels. The Swiss Plasma Center (SPC), located on the EPFL campus, has hosted me for six months, allowing me to work on the Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV).
My project has been supervised in Switzerland by Christian Theiler, Olivier Février and Harshita Raj and in Belgium by Mustapha Tlidi, with the aim of studying the presence of toroidal asymmetries in TCV, during localized Nitrogen gas seeding experiments.
The aim was to check if the plasma cooling in the divertor region (leading to a detached plasma) is axisymmetric or presents some asymmetry related to the injection location. My work has combined experimental work, analyzing a wide range of TCV diagnostics, and modelling of the injection trying to foresee the best scenario to observe the presence of asymmetries. In particular, the asymmetry is expected if impurities are ionised in the divertor region. I actively participated in the experimental activity by calibrating three newly installed gas injection valves and planning the experiments with the help of my supervisors. I have also learned skills in data analysis, theoretical modelling, and general notions of plasma physics. I have studied, in the first part of my work, the physics of detachment and the role played by impurity radiation.
It has been inspiring to experimentally analyse the role of the injection’s location as the topic of toroidal asymmetries may be a key topic for the future fusion devices. Asymmetries in plasma profiles have been observed in experiments in the Low confinement mode (L‐mode). SPC is a superb scientific facility that combines a pleasant ambiance with a unique working environment where I was able to get answers to my project‐related scientific queries.
During my stay, I lived in Saint Sulpice, near Lausanne. Saint Sulpice is a wonderful place where to enjoy the nearby lake (Lac Leman) and the Swiss hospitality. It has been amazing to live in Switzerland and I have appreciated the kindness of people, the calm atmosphere, and the sceneries during my weekend excursions by train. The internship contribution I received has been fundamental for my housing and for sustaining my life in Switzerland and I would like to thank FuseNet for it. Switzerland is a great country, which offers so many opportunities, allowing to practice hiking, but also swimming and visiting beautiful towns. I truly recommend getting to the SPC to do a master thesis as it offers so many learning and personal development opportunities.
Thanks to my supervisors, we managed to perfectly perform the internship activity, allowing me to successfully defend my thesis in Belgium and having my work appreciated by my Belgian supervisor.
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