St. Mike’s professor spreads fusion plasma physics knowledge through international collaboration

Saint Michael’s Physics Professor and Chair Alain Brizard – one of the world’s foremost experts on fusion plasma physics –  is spending a month in Japan as a visiting professor at the National Institute for Fusion Science in Toki, Gifu Prefecture.

Alain Brizard

During his visit, Brizard will give lectures and seminars; will work with graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and research physicists; and he will have the opportunity to travel to other universities in Japan to share his knowledge. His visiting professor post is part of a longtime trend of international collaboration that Brizard has engaged in while a professor at Saint Michael’s, including trips to China, Japan, Finland, Germany, and other areas of the world. Brizard’s international engagement has also brought students to Vermont.

“My European colleagues have sent their graduate students to visit me in Vermont. For a week or two, I  teach them some of the mathematical techniques from my research, and then they go back and make use of those techniques,” Brizard said. 

Last November, Brizard was invited to speak at the Asia Pacific Conference of Plasma Physics in Nagoya. It was there, during Brizard’s first visit to Japan, that he connected with Professor Hideo Sugama of the National Institute for Fusion Science, with whom Brizard is collaborating this summer. 

“When two people who are active separately decide to collaborate, there’s a good chance of getting some exciting results,” Brizard said.

Through Sugama, Brizard learned about the Joint Institute for Fusion Theory (JIFT), one of the three programs through which the U.S.-Japan Fusion Research Collaboration is organized. The JIFT program facilitates visiting professor exchanges every year. This 40-year partnership between the U.S. and Japan has promoted collaboration on joint scientific projects aiming to determine the best materials for future magnetic confinement fusion energy machines and power plants based on tokamak or stellarator concepts.

While in Japan, Brizard will work with Sugama on advanced collision operators for gyrokinetic numerical simulations. Brizard’s 40 years of work in thermonuclear fusion energy research has mainly focused on the mathematical models used by computer programs simulating fusion reactions, including accelerating these simulations. Brizard’s work has been essential in advancing fusion research and development. 

“As part of my graduate studies at Princeton University, I and some colleagues were able to develop mathematical methods that speed up numerical simulations by a factor of around a thousand,” Brizard said. More recently, his scientific papers have included the names of Saint Michael’s students who have also contributed to his work while being mentored by Brizard.  

In a recent interview, Brizard reflected on the ways in which Saint Michael’s has contributed to his knowledge. 

“I’ve been able to explore a lot of mathematical techniques that are not initially directly related to fusion plasma physics, and I’ve been very fortunate to always intersect my research,” he said. “If I had been at a large university or a national laboratory, I would not have had the time to explore these new directions. This freedom has increased the power of my work, because I’ve been able to make connections between physics and mathematics that would otherwise not be known in the physics community.”

Saint Michael’s College Professor Alain Brizard is interviewed by reporters from NBC5.

During his time at Saint Michael’s, Brizard has been an active member of the national and international physics community. Twelve years ago, he was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society at the recommendation of the Division of Plasma Physics. This is a distinct honor, representing recognition by professional peers. Each year, no more than 0.5 percent of the Society’s membership are elected to the status of Fellow of the American Physical Society. He was one of only two scientists in Vermont to receive the honor at that point.

“Saint Michael’s physics students benefit tremendously from my experience,” Brizard said. “When I teach my physics courses, students do not just get the information from the textbook, but I often rewrite and present the material in a way that is unique, adding my perspective.”