On Tuesday, September 22, a technical incident involving one of the 60 kW DC generators occurred during an ongoing experiment in the VINETA laboratory. An electrical switching component inside the generator caught fire, initially causing heavy smoke and triggering an automatic shutdown of the generator. After flames were spotted inside the unit, the fire was successfully extinguished using a fire extinguisher.
As a precaution, the staff member involved in extinguishing the fire underwent a medical examination due to the smoke exposure; no adverse health effects were found.
The affected generator has been taken out of service. The cause of the malfunction, as well as any necessary repairs and safety measures, are currently being investigated. Measurement operations at VINETA have been suspended until further notice.

09/18/2026

The density limits in L- and H-mode have different causes. A recent study on Alcator C-Mod shows a rapid increase in the particle flux perpendicular to the magnetic field at the separatrix near the density limits of both H- and L-modes under high magnetic field conditions. The present work suggests that the final step in the chain of events associated with the density limit is the collapse of a power-starved plasma driven by atomic physics processes. This limit corresponds to the point where the perpendicular heat flux reaches the level of the parallel heat flux; beyond this point, thermal equilibrium is lost, leading to a fold catastrophe.

08/24-28/2026

Programs of the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research bring together physicists, students and researchers from all over the world, under one roof, to work together to solve the most challenging questions. From 24 August 2026 to 28 August 2026, a programme on the subject of Plasma Turbulence: New Challenges from Magnetic Confinement took place. Peter Manz took part and gave a talk. He met up with old colleagues like Pat Diamond, as well as many researchers and very talented students. It was a very inspiring event. We would like to thank the ICTS for its hospitality.  

07/26/2026

EMC3-Eirene is the primary tool for describing transport in the scrape-off layer in stellarators. Unfortunately, EMC3-Eirene cannot describe drifts satisfactorily. In this study, Tobias Tork presents progress towards incorporating drifts, based on BOUT++, into the modelling of the scrape-off layer in stellarators. The results were published in Contributions to Plasma Physics.   

07/15/2026

The ELMy H-mode and EDA H-mode regimes in Alcator C-Mod were investigated, with a focus on the pedestal structure, neutral particle transport and fluctuations. The high-density EDA H-mode regime is dependent on neutral particles, whilst the ELMy H-mode regime is less influenced by neutral sources. Pedestal density models, in particular the Saarelma–Connor model, are validated, with improvements made through RBM transport channels. Predictions for ELM-free SPARC operating regimes can be made based on these findings. 
The results were published in Nuclear Fusion.