MANTA: A Negative-Triangularity NASEM-Compliant Fusion Pilot Plant

MANTA is a conceptual design for a compact fusion pilot plant built around a negative-triangularity plasma, a shape that avoids edge-localized modes without needing an H-mode pedestal. The study evaluates the design against the requirements set out by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for a US fusion pilot plant, covering plasma physics, magnets, blanket and tritium handling, balance of plant, and cost.

The design was developed by a large, mostly student-and-early-career team across several institutions. My contribution was on the disruption and off-normal-events side.