jay kesner

Senior Scientist, Physics Research Group Leader, LDX
	Email: Kesner@psfc.mit.edu Phone: (617) 253-8662 Address: Room NW17-213 Related links: Physics Research, LDX

Research Interests

Research interests include both theoretical and experimental studies of innovative concepts with a recent focus on the levitated dipole fusion concept.

Education

Cornell University:  BS (1965) Engineering Physics

Columbia University :  Ph.D (1970) Plasma Physics

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Jay Kesner received his B.S. degree in Engineering Physics from Cornell University in 1965 and his Ph.D. degree in Plasma Physics from Columbia University in 1970.

Dr. Kesner has performed both theoretical and experimental research relating to mirror, tokamak and dipole confinement devices. 

From 1970 to 1972 he was a Foreign Guest Scientist at the Euratom-C.E.A. Laboratory, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France working on computational and experimental plasma physics in a mirror experimental group. From January 1973 to 1980 he was an Associate Scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Research activities included both theoretical, experimental and fusion reactor physics. He helped to initiate the PHAEDRUS tandem mirror experiment and a theoretical support group. These research efforts focused on open ended magnetic systems.

From 1980 to the present Dr. Kesner has been at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Plasma Science and Fusion Center where he is a Senior Scientist (86-present). He was co-principle investigator in the TARA experimental program (1981-1986) and headed a supporting theory and advanced mirror concepts effort in support of that experiment.  From 1990 to 1995 Dr. Kesner collaborated with Columbia University scientists at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory on the theory and analysis of advanced physics experiments in both the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). During this time he also collaborated with the PBX-M experiment at Princeton on current drive experiments.

In 1997, in collaboration with Professor M. Mauel of Columbia University, he proposed to build the first fusion related levitated dipole experiment, termed the LDX. The Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) is a first-of-its-kind experiment incorporating three superconducting magnets and exploring the physics of high-temperature plasma confined by magnetic fields that resemble those surrounding magnetized planets, like Earth and Jupiter. The goal of the experiment is to study the properties of the confined plasma and to determine whether larger dipole magnets could someday be used to create a source of fusion power. The LDX project was approved in 1998 as a joint MIT-Columbia University project headed by Drs. Kesner and Mauel. The first experiments were performed in the summer of 2004. Dr. Kesner has written several theoretical papers on the underlying physics of the dipole confinement approach.

Selected Publications

J. Kesner, D.T. Garnier, A. Hansen, M. Mauel, L. Bromberg, “D-D Fusion in a Levitated Dipole", Nuclear Fusion 44 (2004) 193.

J. Kesner, “Convective Cell Formation in a Z-Pinch", Phys. Plasmas 10, 908 (2003).

J. Kesner, R.J. Hastie, “Electrostatic Drift Modes in a Closed Field Line Configuration", Phys. Plasmas 9, 4414 (2002).

A. Simakov, P.J. Catto, R.J. Hastie, J. Kesner, J.J. Ramos, M.E., H.V. Wong, W. Horton, J.W. Van Dam, H.L. Berk, M. Kotschenreuther, C. Crabtree, “Stability of Axisymmetric Plasmas in Closed Line magnetic Fields", 19th IAEA Fusion, Lyon, France (2002). Energy Conf, Paper IC/P-13.

J. Kesner, A. Simakov, D. Garnier, P.J. Catto, R. Hastie, S. Krasheninnikov, M. Mauel, T Sunn Pedersen, J. Ramos, “Dipole Equilibrium and Stability'', Nuc Fus 41, (2001) 301.

J. Kesner, “Interchange Modes in a Collisional Plasma'', Phys. Plasmas 7 (2000) 3837.

M. Mauel, D. Garnier, T.S. Pedersen, P. J. Catto, R. J. Hastie, J. Kesner, J. J. Ramos, A. Simakov and S. Krasheninnikov, “Dipole Equilibrium and Stability", 18th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, 2000, Sorrento, Italy.

J. Kesner, D.T. Garnier, “Convective Cell Formation in a Levitated Dipole", Phys. Plasmas 7 (2000) 2733.

D. Garnier, J. Kesner, M. Mauel, “MHD Stability in a Levitated Dipole'', Phys. Plasmas 6 (1999) 3431.

J. Kesner, L. Bromberg, D.T. Garnier, M.E. Mauel, “Plasma Confinement in a Magnetic Dipole'', 17th IAEA Fusion Energy Conf, Paper IAEA-F1-CN-69-ICP/09 Yokohama, Japan (1998), Fusion Energy 1998, Yokohama, Japan 1998 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna 1999).

J. Kesner, “Stability of a Plasma Confined in a Dipole Field'', Phys. Plasmas 5 (1998) 3675.

D. Garnier, M. Mauel, J. Kesner, J. Dawson, “Dipole Fusion Confinement Concept: A white Paper for the Fusion Community'', MIT Report PSFC/RR-987-5 (1998).

J. Kesner and M. Mauel, “Plasma Confinement in a Levitated Magnetic Dipole'', Plasma Physics Reports, 23 (1997) 742.

J. Kesner, “Stability of Electrostatic Modes in a Levitated Dipole'', Phys. Plasmas 4 (1997) 419.

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