Protected: MURF 2026
3rd MPEX User Research Forum (MURF-3)
Thursday & Friday, March 19-20, 2026 – University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
Welcome to the registration page for the 3rd MPEX User Research Forum (MURF-3), a 2-day workshop held March 19-20, 2026, to get community input on the 5-year research plan for the Material Plasma Exposure Experiment (MPEX), currently under assembly at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) is a linear plasma device designed to address crucial R&D gaps in the area of Plasma Material Interactions (PMI) for future fusion reactors.
MPEX is identified in DOE’s Fusion Science & Technology Roadmap as a key near-term facility for addressing challenges related to erosion, redeposition and co-deposition, gas implantation, surface morphology evolution, hydrogen retention, and effects of thermal transients. The MPEX plasma source and heating systems will allow exposure of plasma facing materials and components to high-flux, high-fluence plasmas for up to one million seconds. MPEX will also be unique for its ability to expose neutron-irradiated materials to prototypic fusion reactor divertor plasma conditions.
Registration & Important Dates
Register for MURF-3 via the form below by _____, 2026.
Deadline for uploading presentations:
MURF 2026 Registration Form
The registration form for the 3rd MPEX User Research Forum, to be held March 2026 at University of California, San Diego.
MURF-3 Agenda
Day 1 (Thursday, Mar. 19)
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 9:00–9:10 a.m. | Welcome |
| 9:10-9:30 a.m. | FES Perspective/Intro |
| 9:30-10:45 a.m. | MPEX Intro, MURF-3 Charges & Review of MURF-2 Recommendations |
| 10:45–11:00 a.m. | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 a.m. – Noon | MPEX Transition to Operations & 5-Year Research Plan Discussion |
| Noon – 1:30 p.m. | Lunch Break |
| 1:30-2:15 p.m. | MPEX Diagnostics |
| 2:15–3:00 p.m. | PMI Priority Research Needs |
| 3:00–3:45 p.m. | Industry PMI Research Needs |
| 3:45–4:00 p.m. | Coffee Break |
| 4:00-4:45 p.m. | Research Thrust Intros |
| PMI Thrust 1: Solid Surface PFMs (~20 min) | |
| PMI Thrust 2: Liquid Metal PFMs (~20 min) | |
| 4:45–5:00 p.m. | Daily Close-Out & Wrap-Up |
Day 2 (Friday, Mar. 20)
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 9:00–9:45 a.m. | Research Thrust Intros |
| PMI Thrust 3: Material Migration (Erosion/Redep) (~20 min.) | |
| PMI Thrust 4: H retention (~20 min) | |
| 9:45–10:15 a.m. | MPEX Research Opportunities Intro |
| 10:15–10:45 a.m. | Coffee Break |
| 10:45 a.m. – Noon | Thrust 1 & Thrust 2 Proposals |
| Noon – 1:30 p.m. | Lunch Break |
| 1:30–2:30 p.m. | Thrust 3 & Thrust 4 Proposals |
| 2:30-3:00 p.m. | Coffee Break |
| 3:00–4:30 p.m. | MURF Debrief & Discussion |
| 4:45 p.m. | End of MURF & Departure |