22nd International Spherical Torus Workshop

ISTW 2024 will be hosted by UK Atomic Energy Authority at Rhodes House, Oxford, England from 21st – 24th October 2024. 

Contact the organiser on

Previous ISTWs have been held Virtually/Beijing (2022), Frascati (2019), Seoul (2017), Princeton (2015), York (2013), Toki (2011), Madison (2009), Frascati (2008), Fukuoka (2007), Chengdu (2006), St Petersburg (2005), Kyoto (2004), Culham (2003), Princeton (2002), Sao Jose dos Campos (2001), Seattle (1999), Tokyo (1998), St Petersburg (1997), Culham (1996), Princeton (1995), Oak Ridge (1994).  Further details of previous events can be found here.

Objectives

The objectives of this workshop are to contribute to advancing the understanding of spherical tori (ST) configurations and to enhance their potential for fusion power applications. The scope of the meeting covers the full range of research activities on STs, extended to their interface with other compact toroid fusion concepts, namely, spheromaks and field reversed configurations, and aims to provide a forum for discussion and collaboration enhancement.

Topics

Topical areas of interest include:

  • A. Plasma science (experiment and/or theory-computation)
  • B. Engineering, technology and diagnostic development
  • C. Future concepts (device upgrades, power plants)

To be notified when registration opens for the conference, tours of Culham and Tokamak Energy, and the conference dinner please register your interest. We will continue to keep the website updated as and when further information about the programme becomes available.

Visas

Please check the UK Government website to see if you need a visa to attend this conference and if so click the box when registering your interest.

We will send you a visa invitation letter to assist with the process.  We recommend you apply for a visa at least 16 weeks ahead of the event.

Register Interest

Please let us have the following information and we will let you know as soon as registration opens.

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Registration

Registration will open shortly and there will be a standard set fee.  We will also be running a tour to Tokamak Energy and UKAEA, a conference dinner and a walking tour of Oxford, please see below for further details and costs.

Please do ensure you register your interest in the event so that we can let you know as soon as registration opens.

Registration fee

(includes Monday evening welcome drinks reception)

£450.00

Walking tour of Oxford

Sunday afternoon between 3:00pm and 4:30pm                   

This walk is open to both delegates and any accompanying persons including children.

The walk will take you past some of Oxford’s key highlights including the Bodleian Library which was founded in 1602 and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe.  Famously, filming for Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone took place there.

You will also see the Radcliffe Camera, a focal point in the city which dates back to 1737,  and you should be able to enter the grounds of one of the famed colleges.  

All the guides are local to Oxford and will be able to answer your questions about the city – including where the best pubs are to be found and great places to eat! 

Note:  this tour is subject to a minimum number of guests.  Refunds will be made if it is unable to take place.

£15pp

Welcome drinks reception

This event is included in your registration fee and will take place in Rhodes House immediately after the afternoon session closes on Monday.

Conference Dinner   

Sunday afternoon between 3:00pm and 4:30pm                   

The conference dinner will be held on Tuesday evening at the Cherwell Boathouse.  A favourite with UKAEA, this long-standing, family-owned restaurant is on the outskirts of the city on the banks of the River Cherwell.  The menu is seasonal, so you can be sure of the freshest produce.

Accompanying persons aged 18 and over are welcome to join this event.

£42.50pp

Tour of Tokamak Energy and UK Atomic Energy Authority

Taking place on Wednesday afternoon, you’ll be picked up by coach from Oxford and taken to both Tokamak Energy and the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

Tokamak Energy was founded in 2009 as a spin-off from UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). Their US subsidiary, Tokamak Energy Inc, was established in 2019. They are developing the technology to deliver fusion energy in the 2030s; a clean, secure, affordable, and readily available energy source for all. They are the only private fusion company with over a decade’s experience developing the two technologies that offer the most efficient and commercially attractive route to fusion energy: the compact spherical tokamak and high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets.

Their dedicated HTS magnet business unit, in collaboration with key manufacturing partners, is focussed on becoming the leading supplier of HTS technology for fusion and other exciting new applications, including science, renewable energy and propulsion in water, air and space.

To find out more, please check out their website.

There is, of course no cost to enter either establishment, the fee covers the coach hire.

£25.00

Abstracts

A one page abstract must be submitted by Friday 28th June to . The abstract may be text only or contain figures and graphics, but must be only one page. The abstract must contain the authors’ names, affiliation and email address. Acceptable file formats are Microsoft Word or PDF.

The abstract shall be prepared according to the following instructions:

  • 1) Page size: A4 (297mm by 210 mm) – vertical orientation
  • 2) Margins 25mm all around
  • 3) Layout:
          Title: single-spaced, 14-point size, Times New Roman Font, bold
          Authors: single-spaced, 12-point size, Times New Roman Font
          Affiliation: single-spaced, 12-point size, Times New Roman Font, italic
          Text: single-spaced, 12-point size, Times New Roman Font
          Length: one page

Local Accommodation

To stay at Rhodes House, the event venue, click here. Apply event code UKAEACONF to enjoy a discounted rate

Oxford City Centre:

Just outside Oxford City Centre:

Nearby Towns hotel suggestions:

Transport Links

  • Buses run directly from London Heathrow Airport to Oxford and take less than 90 minutes.
  • From Gatwick you can travel to Oxford directly by bus, or via London by train.
  • Trains run to Oxford from Paddington Station and take around an hour.
  • There is a direct train with no changes from Birmingham Airport to Oxford which takes an hour.
  • There is a bus that runs from Birmingham Airport to Oxford Bus Station and takes around 1hr 20 mins.
  • You can travel by train from London St Pancras International, the terminus for Eurostar in 90 minutes.

Committee Members

  • Chair: Jack Berkery (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory)
  • China: Tan Yi (Tsinghua University)
  • EU: Eleonora Viezzer (Universidad de Sevilla)
  • Japan: Akira Ejiri (University of Tokyo)
  • Korea: Jong-Kyu Park (Seoul National University)
  • UK: Sarah Elmore (UKAEA)
  • UK: Otto Asunta (Tokamak Energy)
  • US: Stephanie Diem (University of Wisconsin)

Jack Berkery

Deputy Director, NSTX-U Research Program

Dr. Jack Berkery is the Deputy Director of Research for the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U). Additionally, Dr. Berkery manages PPPL’s research collaborations with spherical tokamaks around the world, including in the UK, Spain, and Japan. Prior to joining PPPL, Dr. Berkery had worked for many years for Columbia University on a long-term collaboration at NSTX-U. His research was focused on reducing disruptions of fusion plasma discharges in tokamaks, including the resistive wall mode, an instability of the plasma that can appear at high pressures. Dr. Berkery received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University in 1999, and his PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 2005. Dr. Berkery is a member of the American Physical Society (APS) and has been invited by selective committees to give talks on his research at many venues domestically and internationally. Dr. Berkery has been the first author on over twenty scientific papers on his research including two in the prestigious Physical Review Letters and one that was recognized as one of the most cited articles of 2014 by Physics of Plasmas.