In some fusion systems, particles hotter than the core of the sun can become unstable within just a few thousandths of a second. That is far too fast for a human operator to respond. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University have developed a new software framework that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to make those rapid decisions while maintaining strict safety controls and leaving people responsible for setting the system's objectives.
The framework is called PACMAN (a novel abbreviation for Prediction And Control using MAchiNe learning). Researchers successfully tested it on a real fusion system in five separate experiments. Its design and initial results are described in a new paper published in the journal Nuclear Fusion.
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