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Systematic Techniques for Robust Inference and Data-driven Explainable closures for plasma physics

Project description

Machine learning for robust models in plasma physics

Complex kinetic models described by the Vlasov equation are simplified in plasma physics through the closure process to arrive at magneto-fluid models. While these simplified models require less computational power, they have limitations in applications where particle collisions are infrequent. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the STRIDE project will use machine learning to create models with fewer degrees of freedom to describe kinetic processes for Geospace Environmental Modelling (GEM), such as magnetic reconnection. It will use deep neural networks and equation discovery to correct fluid-type models, which will be tested in numerical simulations. The project will address challenges related to model robustness, uncertainty quantification, and extreme event generation. Trained models will be made open-source to support further research.

Objective

Plasma physics has seen a long tradition of deriving simplified models such as magnetohydrodynamics through a process known as closure: starting from computationally demanding kinetics and following various analytical approximate schemes resulting in fluid-type models which are less accurate but more tractable. Due to smaller computational footprint these models have found applications in space weather modelling and fusion. The problem is that in many interesting applications, e.g. where collisions between particles are rare, the analytic closures have limitations.

The goal of STRIDE (Systematic Techniques for Robust Inference and Data-driven Explainable closures for plasma) is to use machine learning to construct models with fewer degrees of freedom that describe kinetic processes relevant for Geospace Environmental Modelling (GEM), such as magnetic reconnection. Corrections to fluid-type models will be learned with deep neural networks and equation discovery and tested in numerical simulations. The important challenge involves understanding how such surrogates can be made robust against out-of-distribution shifts (i.e. different physical conditions) and numerical instabilities. Thus the closures will be first trained on data generated by high fidelity physics-based model, e.g. kinetic Particle-in-Cell simulations, for a specific set of parameters and then transfer learning will be applied to a different set of parameters to improve robustness. Uncertainty quantification and the ability to generate extremes will be investigated.

The scientific question to be addressed here include: how can we interpret the trained models using explainable AI, what are the optimal ways of performing transfer learning and fine-tuning on the observational data, are there physical considerations (such as conservation laws or symmetries) that can reduce the costs associated with training such machine learning models? Trained models will be made open-source to foster research.

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Topic(s)

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01

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Coordinator

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 175 920,00
Address
OUDE MARKT 13
3000 Leuven
Belgium

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Region
Vlaams Gewest Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Arr. Leuven
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

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