Innovations in high-fidelity magnetohydrodynamic modelling for advanced stellarators

Abstract Stellarators are a promising candidate for realising fusion energy via magnetic confinement of high temperature plasmas. The intrinsically non-axisymmetric geometry of stellarators affords significant flexibility to optimise configurations for desirable physics and engineering properties. In this review, we present an overview of recent advances in high-fidelity macroscopic modelling for strongly-shaped stellarators, with applications ranging from design validation to understanding experimental observations and discovery-driven science. Following a discussion of the general challenges of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modelling, we focus on new developments with the extended-MHD code, M3D-C1. In closing, we discuss some opportunities and future directions for improving simulation capabilities and advancing physics understanding.