DIII-D Boundary/Plasma Materials Interaction Research Initiative
A major challenge facing the design and operation of next-step high-power steady-state fusion devices is to develop a viable boundary solution with order-of-magnitude increases in power relative
to present experience, while having acceptable divertor target plate erosion and being compatible with maintaining good core plasma confinement. To respond to this challenge, a new initiative has been launched on DIII-D to develop and demonstrate innovative
Plasma Materials Interface (PMI) solutions, leveraging strong collaborative efforts within the DIII-D national fusion program. This boundary/PMI initiative will adopt the following transformational approaches: (1) Developing and testing an advanced divertor
concept compatible with the core plasma high performance operational scenarios of future fusion devices. This entails validation of predictive models for heat flux dissipation, development and testing of advanced divertor configurations on DIII-D to reduce
the density threshold for detachment; (2) validating Advanced Materials (AM) solutions for reactor plasma facing components at reactor-relevant temperatures in DIII-D high-performance Advanced Tokamak (AT) plasmas, in collaboration with the broad material
research/development community; (3) integrating validated AMs with ATs to provide integrated boundary/PMI solutions for next-step high-power steady-state fusion devices. This presentation discusses the present progress and near-term boundary/PMI research plan
on DIII-D and opportunities for collaboration in this critical area.