Meet our users: Paolo Ricci

November 04, 2022 - by CSCS

Name
Paolo Ricci

Position
Associate Professor

Institution
EPF Lausanne

Background

2000-2004 PhD in physics, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
2004-2006 Research Associate, Dartmouth College, USA
2010-2016 Tenure Track Assistant Professor, EPF Lausanne
2016-Present Associate Professor, EPF Lausanne

Area of research
Theoretical plasma physics.

Specialised in
Turbulent phenomena that occur in the boundary of fusion devices where, within a few centimetres, the temperature drops from values ten times as high as in the core of the sun to room temperature.

HPC means for me
An essential tool to disentangle the complex physical phenomena at play in fusion devices. This is necessary for optimal ITER operation and DEMO design.

“State-of-the-art facilities managed by the CSCS and its extraordinarily efficient team have enabled the Swiss Plasma Center to make fundamental advances in predicting the behavior of plasma dynamics in ITER, a necessary step to optimize the functioning of this incredibly complex experiment. Ultimately, by replicating the Sun's fusion processes, ITER will demonstrate that it is possible to create clean energy on Earth”. (Image: Alessandro Della Bella, CSCS)

Simulation of the tokamak boundary in reactor-relevant conditions

We address the interaction of the plasma with the neutral atoms that are injected with the goal of cooling the plasma before it reaches the solid walls of a fusion reactor.