The University of Tokyo, Starlight Engine, and Kyoto Fusion Engineering Conclude Joint Research Agreement
The University of Tokyo, Starlight Engine, and Kyoto Fusion Engineering have signed a joint research agreement for divertor plasma research within the FAST project, aiming for power generation demonstration in the 2030s. This collaboration seeks to establish optimal divertor design and operational policies for the early realization of fusion energy.
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- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 20:01
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 11:31
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National University Corporation The University of Tokyo (hereinafter, The University of Tokyo), Starlight Engine Inc. (hereinafter, Starlight Engine), and Kyoto Fusion Engineering Ltd. (hereinafter, Kyoto Fusion Engineering) announce that they have concluded a joint research agreement regarding divertor plasma research for the FAST project, which aims for power generation demonstration in the 2030s.
■ Background of the Joint Research Agreement
Amid accelerating global development competition for the early realization of fusion energy, "FAST" was launched in November 2024 as a privately-led industry-academia collaboration project aiming for power generation demonstration in the 2030s. FAST adopts the tokamak confinement method for plasma, which has the most research and experimental data, allowing for cost and technical risk management. The project is promoted by Starlight Engine, the project's main entity, along with leading Japanese fusion researchers, industrial partners including Kyoto Fusion Engineering, and international collaboration partners.
In a fusion energy plant, the design of the divertor, which efficiently discharges impurities from the core to outside the reactor, is crucial for achieving stable operation under high heat load conditions. To this end, understanding plasma characteristics in the divertor region and deriving an optimal divertor design based on that understanding are indispensable. Therefore, the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at the University of Tokyo, Starlight Engine, and Kyoto Fusion Engineering have concluded a joint research agreement on divertor plasma research.
Professor Shin Kajita of the University of Tokyo is a leading researcher in the fields of plasma measurement and plasma-material interaction. His laboratory conducts applied research on novel functional materials using metals and metal oxides surface-modified by plasma, focusing on the development of plasma measurement techniques indispensable for plasma control and the elucidation of interactions with reactor wall materials. Assistant Professor Yuki Hayashi, who previously worked at the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) and now holds his current position, possesses achievements and knowledge in research on non-contact divertor plasma, which is considered effective in controlling plasma flowing into the divertor region and suppressing heat load. By combining the high level of expertise of both researchers with the technological capabilities and project promotion power of Kyoto Fusion Engineering and Starlight Engine, they will work to establish the optimal divertor design and operational policy for FAST.
■ Content of the Joint Research Agreement
This research, led by Assistant Professor Yuki Hayashi, aims to establish the divertor design and operational policy suitable for FAST. It will evaluate heat load, particle transport, and plasma-wall interaction that affect the divertor design and operating scenarios.
Specifically, the following items will be investigated through one-dimensional plasma transport simulations:
- Examination of radiative cooling by impurity gas puffing and recycling rate for target divertor steady-state heat load.
- Estimation of neutral particle flux to the first wall due to charge exchange.
- Provision of allowable pedestal temperature and density when the divertor heat load is set as a boundary condition.
■ Comments from the Three Parties
Professor Shin Kajita / Assistant Professor Yuki Hayashi, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
"We are delighted to be involved in the industry-academia collaboration project 'FAST' through this joint research with Starlight Engine and Kyoto Fusion Engineering. Understanding the interaction between plasma and materials is indispensable for realizing fusion energy. We will contribute to the divertor design of FAST by leveraging our past research achievements and knowledge."
Kiyotaka Kikuchi, Representative Director, President & CEO, Starlight Engine Inc.
"To develop the equipment and systems that constitute FAST, collaboration with researchers possessing abundant knowledge is essential. We are greatly encouraged to conduct divertor plasma research with Assistant Professor Hayashi, who will serve as the research representative, and Professor Kajita, an expert in plasma measurement and material interaction."
Kei Seko, Representative Director, President & COO, Kyoto Fusion Engineering Ltd.
"The divertor is a critical component of a fusion plant, and divertor plasma research is indispensable for its design. We are confident that by combining the excellent knowledge of Professor Kajita and Assistant Professor Hayashi, who are at the forefront of research in this field, with our company's knowledge of reactor engineering, we can advance the important design of FAST one step further."
■ Background of the Joint Research Agreement
Amid accelerating global development competition for the early realization of fusion energy, "FAST" was launched in November 2024 as a privately-led industry-academia collaboration project aiming for power generation demonstration in the 2030s. FAST adopts the tokamak confinement method for plasma, which has the most research and experimental data, allowing for cost and technical risk management. The project is promoted by Starlight Engine, the project's main entity, along with leading Japanese fusion researchers, industrial partners including Kyoto Fusion Engineering, and international collaboration partners.
In a fusion energy plant, the design of the divertor, which efficiently discharges impurities from the core to outside the reactor, is crucial for achieving stable operation under high heat load conditions. To this end, understanding plasma characteristics in the divertor region and deriving an optimal divertor design based on that understanding are indispensable. Therefore, the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at the University of Tokyo, Starlight Engine, and Kyoto Fusion Engineering have concluded a joint research agreement on divertor plasma research.
Professor Shin Kajita of the University of Tokyo is a leading researcher in the fields of plasma measurement and plasma-material interaction. His laboratory conducts applied research on novel functional materials using metals and metal oxides surface-modified by plasma, focusing on the development of plasma measurement techniques indispensable for plasma control and the elucidation of interactions with reactor wall materials. Assistant Professor Yuki Hayashi, who previously worked at the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) and now holds his current position, possesses achievements and knowledge in research on non-contact divertor plasma, which is considered effective in controlling plasma flowing into the divertor region and suppressing heat load. By combining the high level of expertise of both researchers with the technological capabilities and project promotion power of Kyoto Fusion Engineering and Starlight Engine, they will work to establish the optimal divertor design and operational policy for FAST.
■ Content of the Joint Research Agreement
This research, led by Assistant Professor Yuki Hayashi, aims to establish the divertor design and operational policy suitable for FAST. It will evaluate heat load, particle transport, and plasma-wall interaction that affect the divertor design and operating scenarios.
Specifically, the following items will be investigated through one-dimensional plasma transport simulations:
- Examination of radiative cooling by impurity gas puffing and recycling rate for target divertor steady-state heat load.
- Estimation of neutral particle flux to the first wall due to charge exchange.
- Provision of allowable pedestal temperature and density when the divertor heat load is set as a boundary condition.
■ Comments from the Three Parties
Professor Shin Kajita / Assistant Professor Yuki Hayashi, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
"We are delighted to be involved in the industry-academia collaboration project 'FAST' through this joint research with Starlight Engine and Kyoto Fusion Engineering. Understanding the interaction between plasma and materials is indispensable for realizing fusion energy. We will contribute to the divertor design of FAST by leveraging our past research achievements and knowledge."
Kiyotaka Kikuchi, Representative Director, President & CEO, Starlight Engine Inc.
"To develop the equipment and systems that constitute FAST, collaboration with researchers possessing abundant knowledge is essential. We are greatly encouraged to conduct divertor plasma research with Assistant Professor Hayashi, who will serve as the research representative, and Professor Kajita, an expert in plasma measurement and material interaction."
Kei Seko, Representative Director, President & COO, Kyoto Fusion Engineering Ltd.
"The divertor is a critical component of a fusion plant, and divertor plasma research is indispensable for its design. We are confident that by combining the excellent knowledge of Professor Kajita and Assistant Professor Hayashi, who are at the forefront of research in this field, with our company's knowledge of reactor engineering, we can advance the important design of FAST one step further."