Augmented reality system for visualising magnetic field topology and charged-particle trajectories in magnetic fusion plasmas

TL;DR

This paper introduces a cost-effective augmented reality system that visualizes magnetic field structures and charged-particle trajectories in fusion plasmas, enhancing collaborative understanding.

Contribution

It integrates simulation with AR using a web camera and OpenCV, enabling real-time, interactive, and shared visualization of complex plasma structures.

Findings

Real-time superimposition of trajectories onto camera images

Interactive manipulation allows viewing from multiple angles

Shared AR environment facilitates collaborative research and education

Abstract

A cost-effective augmented reality (AR) system is presented for visualising three-dimensional magnetic field structures and charged-particle trajectories in magnetically confined fusion plasmas. The system presented in this study integrates an orbit-following simulation code with a marker-based AR framework using a web camera and the OpenCV library. By synchronizing the time step of the simulation with the frame rate of the camera, the trajectories are continuously updated and superimposed in real time onto the camera image. Through the interactive operation of manipulating the web camera, users can observe three-dimensional structures, such as magnetic islands, from various positions and viewing angles. Simultaneously, the visualisation results can be shared by multiple people through a display. Such a shared AR environment supports an intuitive understanding of three-dimensional spatial structures that involve a high cognitive load. It also enables collaborative reasoning based on common visual information in research on magnetic confinement fusion, where researchers and students have diverse backgrounds in physics, engineering, and related fields.