Program Identity

Executive summary

The program addresses key plasma modelling issues for reactor design. This new software should become essential for designing optimal power-handling strategies at the tokamak first wall, both directly (via the simpler proxyapps) and indirectly by improving detailed physical understanding of the often turbulent, plasma-wall interaction.

This website was designed following the NEPTUNE workshop minuted as ref. [1], and the related documents refs. [2, 3]. to cover all aspects of the overall NEPTUNE package, as they emerge, beginning with the initial concept, advancing to detailed design of classes (objects) and interfaces, and ultimately producing documentation to ensure the software remains usable, maintainable and relevant for at least 30 years.

Further information

High-level project issues are covered by the project science plan ref. [4]; the NEPTUNE project is ExCALIBUR funded ref. [5]. Distribution and use of the software is covered by the extremely permissive MIT licence ref. [6], regarded as equivalent to the BSD3 licence. Collaboration is encouraged, and there are many additional benefits of community membership as set out below. Those interested in joining the community should email neptune@ukaea.uk to establish a dialogue.

Benefits of community membership

The principal benefit is access to what should ultimately become a powerful and comprehensive software package for modelling tokamak edge plasma using finite element and particle methods. In addition members will also gain

• • Access to reports as the community produces them, in the access-controlled github site ref. [7], subdirectories reports and reports/ukaea_reports. (ref. [8] is a searchable public github site containing most of the material.) These directories already include educational material on

  • – Finite elements

  • – Surveys of current software

  • – Surveys of current HPC machines and performance

  • – Uncertainty Quantification

  • – Aspects of software engineering, such as design patterns

• • Rights to attend workshops and shape the NEPTUNE software, announced in the Slack or Zulip channel.

• • Right to attend project lectures on work performed by the community, and on relevant background material such as the spectral/hp element method, announced in the Slack or Zulip channel.

• • The tex subdirectory ref. [9] contains bibtex databases to aid report writing in subdirectory bib and graphics suitable for producing presentations in subdirectories pics and png.

The Slack channel is ‘#excalibur-neptune’. (The Slack communication software is downloadable from https://slack.com/). It is anticipated that Slack will ultimately replaced by an Opensource option such as Zulip.

(Note that access to some NEPTUNE reports is restricted to community members.)

Convention on use of IETF Keywords (not yet enforced)

The RFC2119 subset of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) keywords ref. [10] is used throughout the website, unless stated otherwise. Such usage implies specific meanings for “MUST", “MUST NOT", “REQUIRED", “SHALL", “SHALL NOT", “SHOULD", “SHOULD NOT", “RECOMMENDED", “MAY", and “OPTIONAL" when the words are capitalised.