Curriculum Vitae Prof. Dennis G. Whyte

University of Wisconsin - Madison

1500 Engineering Dr., Madison WI 53706 USA

Tel: (608) 262-4854

E-mail:

Vital Statistics

Birth:May 24, 1964 Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada

Citizenship:Canadian

Employment

2002-Assistant Professor, Engineering Physics
University of Wisconsin –Madison, Madison, WI 53706

1997-2002Research Scientist, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093-0417

1995-2003Divertor Material Evaluation Studies Coordinator, DIII-D National Fusion Facility General Atomics, San Diego, CA 92186-9784

1993-1994Postdoctoral Fellow, DIII-D Fusion Program

Education

1992Ph.D. (Applied Physics), INRS-Energie, Université du Québec, Montréal

1988M.Sc. (Applied Physics), INRS-Energie, Université du Québec, Montréal

1986B.Eng. (Engineering Physics), University of Saskatchewan

Professional Profile

  • Outstanding research and publication record over 100 peer-reviewed publications.
  • Internationally recognized expert and innovator in disruption mitigation, plasma spectroscopy, plasma diagnostics, and plasma-material interactions demonstrated by10 invited presentations at international conferences.
  • Proven scientific leadership skills: coordinating experiments, analysis, and planning for a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research program at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility.
  • Enthusiastic and dedicated educator with excellent written and oral communication skills. University lecturer and volunteer in science education outreach program.

Research and Publication Highlights

  • Demonstrated elimination of lifetime limiting net erosion rates of plasma-facing surfaces in tokamak fusion reactors using low temperature plasmas.
    D.G. Whyte, et al. "The effect of detachment on divertor carbon erosion/redeposition in the DIII-D tokamak,” Nuclear Fusion 41 (2001) 1243.
    Invited paper “Divertor erosion in DIII-D,” 13th International Conference on Plasma Surface Interactions in Controlled Fusion Devices, San Diego, CA, May, 1998.
  • Developed plasma termination technique to mitigate severe damage to tokamak fusion reactor components caused by uncontrolled termination during disruptions.
    D. G. Whyte, et al. “Mitigation of tokamak disruptions using high-pressure gas injection,” Physical Review Letters 89 (2002) 055001.
    Invited paper “Mitigation of disruptions using high-pressure noble gas injection on the DIII-D tokamak,”15th International Conference on Plasma Surface Interactions in Controlled Fusion Devices, Gifu, Japan, May, 2002.
  • Measured and modeled processes of chemical removal of carbon surfaces and transport of hydrocarbon molecules in tokamak edge plasmas.
    D.G. Whyte, G.R. Tynan, R.P. Doerner, J.N. Brooks "Carbon chemical erosion with increasing plasma flux and density,” Nuclear Fusion 41 (2001) 47.
    Invited paper “Observations on chemical erosion in DIII-D and PISCES,” 9th International Workshop on Carbon Materials, Munich, Germany, September, 2000.
  • Developed a plasma particle transport diagnostic using laser ablation of thin films and XUV imaging spectroscopy (Ph.D. project).
    D. Whyte, et al. "Characterization of a laser ablation impurity injector for the Tokamak de Varennes," Fusion Technology 20 (1991) 399.
    D. Whyte, et al. "Divertor retention of metallic impurities during neutralization plate biasing on TdeV," Nuclear Fusion 34 (1994) 203.
  • Predicted and measured visible transitions of highly ionized argon for diagnosis of impurities in thermonuclear plasmas.
    D.G. Whyte, R.C. Isler, et al. "Argon density measurements from charge–exchange spectroscopy," Physics of Plasmas 5 (1998) 3694.
  • Co-author on invited Nuclear Fusion review article on plasma-material interactions in magnetic confinement fusion experiments.
    G. Federici, C.H. Skinner, J.N. Brooks, J.P. Coad, C. Grisolia, A.A. Haasz, A. Hassanein, V. Philipps, C.S. Pitcher, J. Roth, W.R. Wampler, D.G. Whyte, “Plasma-material interactions in current tokamaks and their implications for next step fusion reactors,” Nuclear Fusion 41 (2001)1751.

Memberships / Research Recognition

  • International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) topical expert group on Scrape-off-Layer and Divertor Physics.
  • ITER expert group on plasma-surface interactions.
  • Participant in U.S.-Japan fusion energy research exchange program.
  • Research Council, DIII-D National Fusion Facility.

Research Grants and Scholarship Awards

1995-2002Divertor Material Evaluation Studies grant

(General Atomics, San Diego, CA)

1993-95NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (Canada)

1993-95Fusion Canada Postdoctoral Research Grant

1988-91NSERC Doctoral Scholarship (Canada)

1988-91FCAR/NSERC Supplementary Scholarship

1982Governor General Bronze Medal (Canada)

References

Dr. Ronald D. Stambaugh

Vice-President, Director of Research, DIII-D National Fusion Facility

General Atomics, #13-216B

San Diego, CA 92186-9784

Tel: (858) 455-4153

Dr. Peter C. Stangeby

Professor, University of Toronto, Institute for Aerospace Studies

4925 Dufferin Street

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3H 5T6

Tel: (416) 667-7729

Dr. Brian C. Gregory

Professor Emeritus, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique – Energie et Materiaux

Université du Québec

1650 boul. Lionel-Boulet, C.P. 1020

Varennes, Québec, Canada J3X 1S2

Tel: (450) 652-8729

Dr. Bruce Lipschultz

Senior Research Scientist, Edge Plasma Physics

NW17-103, MIT Plasma Science & Fusion Center

175 Albany St, Cambridge, MA 02139

Tel: (617) 253-8636

Dr. Marshall Rosenbluth

General Atomics, #13-306

San Diego, CA 92186-9784

Tel: (858) 455-3146

MIT Research talk: Disruption mitigation March 2003: