About

Jade A. Anderson, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, specializing in Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention. She grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, and completed her undergraduate education at Hampton University. She earned her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine in 2016. Following her medical training, she completed two years of Orthopaedic Surgery residency at The Ohio State University, then transitioned to Radiology residency at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut. She further specialized by completing a fellowship in Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. Dr. Anderson joined the department's MSK Imaging and Intervention section as an assistant professor (CHS) in 2023 and became co-chair of the Women Professionals in Radiology (WPR) committee in the same year. Her career interests include academic medicine, with a focus on teaching and mentoring medical students, and she is actively involved in efforts to increase diversity and women within the field of radiology. Her research interests focus on gender and minority health equity. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys traveling, exploring new cuisines, and spending time with her family and friends.

Research topics

• Physics
• Nuclear physics
• Computer Science
• Quantum mechanics
• Computational physics
• Materials science
• Mechanics
• Classical mechanics
• Optics
• Atomic physics

Selected publications

• Confinement performance predictions for a high field axisymmetric tandem mirror

  Journal of Plasma Physics · 2025-07-31 · 12 citations

  articleOpen access

  This paper presents a Hammir tandem mirror confinement performance analysis based on Realta Fusion’s first-of-a-kind model for axisymmetric magnetic mirror fusion performance. This model uses an integrated end plug simulation model including, heating, equilibrium and transport combined with a new formulation of the plasma operation contours (POPCONs) technique for the tandem mirror central cell. Using this model in concert with machine learning optimization techniques, it is shown that an end plug utilizing high temperature superconducting magnets and modern neutral beams enables a classical tandem mirror pilot plant producing a fusion gain Q > 5. The approach here represents an important advance in tandem mirror design. The high-fidelity end plug model enables calculations of heating and transport in the highly non-Maxwellian end plug to be made more accurately. The detailed end plug modelling performed in this work has highlighted the importance of classical radial transport and neutral beam absorption efficiency on end plug viability. The central cell POPCON technique allows consideration of a wide range of parameters in the relatively simple near-Maxwellian central cell, facilitating the selection of more optimal central cell plasmas. These advances make it possible to find more conservative classical tandem mirror fusion pilot plant operating points with lower temperatures, neutral beam energies and end plug performance requirements than designs in the literature. Despite being more conservative, it is shown that these operating points have sufficient confinement performance to serve as the basis of a viable fusion pilot plant provided that they can be stabilized against magnetohydrodynamic and trapped particle modes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Deuterium retention in cold spray tantalum coatings vs. polycrystalline tungsten and tantalum

  Nuclear Fusion · 2025-06-16 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Abstract Enhanced deuterium retention in tantalum (Ta) cold spray coatings, compared to reference polycrystalline tantalum and tungsten materials, has been evaluated using the thermal desorption spectrometry technique. Tantalum coatings, deposited via cold spray technology on 316L stainless steel substrates, are proposed as plasma-facing material surfaces with hydrogen gettering functionality for advanced fusion concepts. The materials were exposed to 95 eV D ions at a flux of 1.6– <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>3.5</mml:mn> <mml:mo>×</mml:mo> <mml:msup> <mml:mn>10</mml:mn> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>21</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> D m −2 s −1 . Retention was measured as a function of incident ion fluence and surface temperature. The results highlight an increased deuterium inventory in Ta cold spray coatings by a factor of 3.5 compared to polycrystalline tantalum and by two orders of magnitude compared to polycrystalline tungsten. A tendency for retention saturation in tantalum is observed at a fluence above <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> <mml:mo>×</mml:mo> <mml:msup> <mml:mn>10</mml:mn> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>24</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> D m −2 . While deuterium retention gradually decreases with increasing surface temperature from 400 K to 925 K for polycrystalline tungsten, it remains constant for polycrystalline tantalum. In contrast, retention in Ta coatings significantly decreases when the surface temperature exceeds 750 K. The microstructure of the cold spray Ta coatings plays a crucial role in the dynamics of deuterium trapping and release. Tantalum also exhibits a superior resistance to blister formation compared to tungsten when subjected to a high dose of deuterium.

  PublisherDOI

• Application of the portable diagnostic package to the Wisconsin high-temperature-superconducting axisymmetric mirror (WHAM)

  AIP Advances · 2025-11-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  We present an application of the Portable Diagnostic Package (PDP) on the Wisconsin High-temperature-superconducting Axisymmetric Mirror (WHAM), which integrates an optical emission spectroscopy (OES) system and an active Thomson scattering (TS) system. The OES system facilitates a comprehensive impurity line survey and enables flow measurements through the Doppler effect observed on impurity lines. Plasma rotation profiles were successfully derived from doubly charged carbon lines. The TS system enabled the first measurements of the electron temperature in commissioning plasmas on WHAM. Notably, the PDP was installed, commissioned, and used to obtain OES and TS data within ∼6 months from project start, enabled by its designed portability and standardized interfaces. These results demonstrate the PDP’s potential to accelerate diagnostic readiness and advance experimental plasma studies.

  PublisherDOI

• Prospects for a high-field, compact break-even axisymmetric mirror (BEAM) and applications

  Journal of Plasma Physics · 2024-01-17 · 16 citations

  articleOpen access

  This paper explores the feasibility of a break-even-class mirror referred to as BEAM (break-even axisymmetric mirror): a neutral-beam-heated simple mirror capable of thermonuclear-grade parameters and $Q\sim 1$ conditions. Compared with earlier mirror experiments in the 1980s, BEAM would have: higher-energy neutral beams, a larger and denser plasma at higher magnetic field, both an edge and a core and capabilities to address both magnetohydrodynamic and kinetic stability of the simple mirror in higher-temperature plasmas. Axisymmetry and high-field magnets make this possible at a modest scale enabling a short development time and lower capital cost. Such a $Q\sim 1$ configuration will be useful as a fusion technology development platform, in which tritium handling, materials and blankets can be tested in a real fusion environment, and as a base for development of higher- $Q$ mirrors.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Compelling Need for a Mid-Scale Stellarator Facility

  2024-06-24

  reportOpen access

  In the pursuit of the goal of commercial fusion as an abundant and safe source of energy, the stellarator is a leading concept with compelling attractiveness and demonstrated performance. In this white paper we, as a community of US researchers from Universities, National Laboratories, and Private Industry, involved in studying the stellarator concept, lay out the programmatic and technical motivation for a new mid-size stellarator research facility in the US. This contribution is complementary to several other whitepapers authored by members of our community which address different mid-scale stellarator aspects. A community based technical facility proposal has been prepared by F. Parra, et al: Flexible Stellarator Physics Facility. Two private stellarator companies have submitted proposals supporting the development of a mid-scale stellarator: Thea Energy (C.P.S. Swanson, et al.), Type One Energy (W. Guttenfelder, et al.).

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Confinement performance predictions for a high field axisymmetric tandem mirror

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2024-11-11 · 3 citations

  preprintOpen access

  This paper presents Hammir tandem mirror confinement performance analysis based on Realta Fusion's first-of-a-kind model for axisymmetric magnetic mirror fusion performance. This model uses an integrated end plug simulation model including, heating, equilibrium, and transport combined with a new formulation of the plasma operation contours (POPCONs) technique for the tandem mirror central cell. Using this model in concert with machine learning optimization techniques, it is shown that an end plug utilizing high temperature superconducting magnets and modern neutral beams enables a classical tandem mirror pilot plant producing a fusion gain Q &gt; 5. The approach here represents an important advance in tandem mirror design. The high fidelity end plug model enables calculations of heating and transport in the highly non-Maxwellian end plug to be made more accurately. The detailed end plug modelling performed in this work has highlighted the importance of classical radial transport and neutral beam absorption efficiency on end plug viability. The central cell POPCON technique allows consideration of a wide range of parameters in the relatively simple near-Maxwellian central cell, facilitating the selection of more optimal central cell plasmas. These advances make it possible to find more conservative classical tandem mirror fusion pilot plant operating points with lower temperatures, neutral beam energies, and end plug performance requirements than designs in the literature. Despite being more conservative, it is shown that these operating points have sufficient confinement performance to serve as the basis of a viable fusion pilot plant provided that they can be stabilized against MHD and trapped particle modes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Physics basis for the Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror (WHAM)

  Journal of Plasma Physics · 2023 · 66 citations

  • Physics
  • Computational physics
  • Nuclear physics

  The Wisconsin high-temperature superconductor axisymmetric mirror experiment (WHAM) will be a high-field platform for prototyping technologies, validating interchange stabilization techniques and benchmarking numerical code performance, enabling the next step up to reactor parameters. A detailed overview of the experimental apparatus and its various subsystems is presented. WHAM will use electron cyclotron heating to ionize and build a dense target plasma for neutral beam injection of fast ions, stabilized by edge-biased sheared flow. At 25 keV injection energies, charge exchange dominates over impact ionization and limits the effectiveness of neutral beam injection fuelling. This paper outlines an iterative technique for self-consistently predicting the neutral beam driven anisotropic ion distribution and its role in the finite beta equilibrium. Beginning with recent work by Egedal et al. ( Nucl. Fusion , vol. 62, no. 12, 2022, p. 126053) on the WHAM geometry, we detail how the FIDASIM code is used to model the charge exchange sources and sinks in the distribution function, and both are combined with an anisotropic magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium solver method to self-consistently reach an equilibrium. We compare this with recent results using the CQL3D code adapted for the mirror geometry, which includes the high-harmonic fast wave heating of fast ions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Initial study on thermal stability of cold spray tantalum coating irradiated with deuterium for fusion applications

  Physica Scripta · 2023-10-05 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Removal of neutral hydrogen atoms in the plasma edge reduces the number of charge exchange events and thus, the net energy losses in the plasma, significantly improving performance of fusion devices. Effective control of the residual pressure of hydrogen isotopes (HIs) in the plasma edge may be achieved by utilizing a hydrogen absorbing first wall interface capable of withstanding the harsh fusion environment. In this study, we have investigated tantalum (Ta) coating deposited by cold spray technology on 316L stainless steel substrate as a potential plasma-facing material surface. High fluence low energy deuterium plasma irradiation experiments and subsequent thermal annealing cycles associated with thermal desorption spectrometry (TDS) demonstrated superior structural stability of the Ta coating. TDS experiments revealed the outgassing of deuterium (as measure of its retention) for cold spray Ta coatings to be three times higher than bulk Ta and two orders of magnitude greater than bulk polycrystalline W. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed evolution of oxidation states upon deuterium irradiation and a partial recovery of the metallic signature of Ta after the thermal treatment at 1100 K.

  PublisherDOI

• Extending the low-recycling, flat temperature profile regime in the lithium tokamak experiment-β (LTX-β) with ohmic and neutral beam heating

  Nuclear Fusion · 2023-03-16 · 15 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Recent experiments in the lithium tokamak experiment- β (LTX- β ) have extended the duration, performance, operating conditions, and diagnosis of the flat-temperature profile, low-recycling regime first observed in LTX. As expected, Li retains hydrogen and suppresses edge neutral cooling, allowing increased edge electron temperature, roughly equal to the core T e . Flat temperature profiles had been obtained transiently in LTX, as the plasma density decayed following the cessation of edge gas puffing. Careful control over the fueling in LTX- β has now been shown to sustain the flat T e profile and hot edge unique to the low-recycling regime for multiple confinement times in high performance discharges with decaying or steady density. With low density, the flat T e profile is also seen to extend into the scrape-off layer. Neutral beam heating is observed in target discharges with relatively flat electron temperature profiles ( T edge ∼ T core /2), though beam heating is stronger in discharges with higher fueling, higher density, and depressed edge T e . Beam heating produces additional peaking of the T e profile, without degradation of the energy confinement time. Neutral beam heating of target discharges with relatively flat electron temperature profiles similarly results in broad beam heated temperature profiles. Energy confinement in LTX- β generally compares favorably to ohmic and H-mode scalings, frequently exceeding them by factors of 2–4. New and improved diagnostics in LTX- β enable better characterization of this unique regime, including measurements of ion temperature and high field side Thomson scattering profiles. As an initial step toward characterizing turbulence with no T e gradient and roughly equal density and pressure gradient, core fluctuation spectra have been measured in peaked T e discharges using far-forward scattering and fluctuation reflectometry.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Self-organized magnetic equilibria in tokamak plasmas with very low edge safety factor

  Physics of Plasmas · 2022-08-01 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access

  Tokamak plasmas often exhibit self-organizing behavior in which internal modes shape the toroidal current density profile, a common example being the sawtooth instability. However, such behavior has not been studied in detail for edge safety factor below 2 due to disruptive kink instabilities that typically prevent operation in this regime. Now, steady tokamak plasmas with an edge safety factor down to 0.8 have been created in the Madison Symmetric Torus, where disruptions are prevented due to a thick, conductive wall and a feedback power supply that sustains the plasma current. Internal measurements and nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic modeling reveal a family of safety factor profiles with a central value clamped near unity as the edge safety factor decreases, indicating current profile broadening through a relaxation process. As the safety factor decreases, the magnetic fluctuations become irregular, and the electron energy confinement time decreases.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• C. B. Forest

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  108 shared

• J. S. Sarff

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  97 shared

• G. Fiksel

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  70 shared

• D. J. Den Hartog

  60 shared

• B. E. Chapman

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  57 shared

• D. L. Brower

  University of California, Los Angeles

  55 shared

• S. C. Prager

  Princeton University

  45 shared

• T. M. Biewer

  41 shared

Education

• B.S.

  Hampton University

• M.D.

  Boston University