As a fusion energy sciences researcher who works on many national-scale experimental user facilities across the world, Dr. Logan is always looking to perform impactful research that will facilitate the advent of a magnetic-confinement fusion reactor.
Dr. Logan’s personal research is defined by a through-line of optimizing the various consequences of breaking a tokamak’s axisymmetry (tokamaks are torus-shaped devices with nominal symmetry in the toroidal direction). His early work at Princeton included developing a new model of neoclassical toroidal viscosity (NTV) induced by non-axisymmetric perturbations, using predictive MHD modeling to optimize magnetic perturbation diagnostics, installing said diagnostics on the DIII-D tokamak, and leading experiments to validate the model predictions with these diagnostics. Since then, his research has expanded to encompass a wide range of experimental efforts studying resonant magnetic perturbation, stability and transport in major tokamak facilities such as EAST (China), KSTAR (Korea) and DIII-D (USA).
Logan also continues to develop and maintain the Generalized Perturbed Equilibrium Code (GPEC) MHD model used by 30+ researchers at 8+ laboratories as well as the OMFIT profile fitting tool used to analyze diagnostic data at 17+ fusion centers across the world. He continues to balance model development and experimental work to maximize his impact in the field of fusion energy sciences.
Select Publications
N.C. Logan et al., Improved Particle Confinement with Resonant Magnetic Perturbations in DIII-D Tokamak H-mode Plasmas, Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 205001 (2022).
N.C. Logan, C. Zhu, J.-K. Park, S. Yang, & Q. Hu, Physics basis for design of 3D coils in tokamaks, Nucl. Fusion, 61, 07601 (2021).
N.C. Logan et al., Empirical Scaling of the n = 2 Error Field Penetration Threshold in Tokamaks, Nucl. Fusion, 60, 086010 (2020).
N. C. Logan, J.-K. Park, K. Kim, Z. Wang, and J. W. Berkery, Neoclassical toroidal viscosity in perturbed equilibria with general tokamak geometry, Phys. Plasmas, 20, 122507 (2013).
Professional Experience
2023-present
Columbia University - Research Scientist
2020-2023
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - Physicist
2015-2020
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory - Research Physicist