Speaker
Description
Turbulent transport in magnetically confined plasmas remains one of the most challenging phenomena in fusion energy research, driven by micro-instabilities that degrade confinement and operational performance. Gyrokinetic simulation codes, such as GKW (Gyrokinetic Workshop), are essential for studying these effects but produce highly complex, multi-dimensional datasets - often in the order of gigabytes to terabytes per timestep - on transformed grids aligned with magnetic field lines. This complexity makes intuitive visualization and rapid data exploration a significant barrier for scientists.
In this work, we present UKAEA’s efforts to develop accessible, high-performance visualization workflows for gyrokinetic data, leveraging state-of-the-art HPC platforms and modern visualization toolchains including ParaView, Blender, and NVIDIA Omniverse. Our approach focuses on enabling scientists to interactively explore multivariate simulation outputs quickly and effectively, transforming raw 5D data (three spatial and two velocity dimensions) into meaningful representations that support discovery and insight. By integrating advanced rendering techniques with scalable computing infrastructure (e.g., NVIDIA OVX), we aim to deliver workflows that serve diverse end products - from high-impact imagery and videos to immersive, interactive experiences - while maintaining scientific accuracy.
This work demonstrates how combining HPC capabilities with cutting-edge visualization frameworks can redefine how researchers interact with gyrokinetic simulations, accelerating analysis and fostering new understanding in fusion plasma physics.
