Transfer learning to model inertial confinement fusion experiments
This work addresses the challenge of accurately modeling inertial confinement fusion experiments for researchers in fusion energy, though it is incremental as it applies an existing machine learning technique to a new domain.
The authors tackled the problem of calibrating inertial confinement fusion simulations to experimental data by introducing hierarchical transfer learning, which bootstraps calibration from low to high fidelity models and then to experiments, resulting in models that are more predictive of Omega experiments than simulations alone and can accurately predict future experiments.
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments are designed using computer simulations that are approximations of reality, and therefore must be calibrated to accurately predict experimental observations. In this work, we propose a novel nonlinear technique for calibrating from simulations to experiments, or from low fidelity simulations to high fidelity simulations, via "transfer learning". Transfer learning is a commonly used technique in the machine learning community, in which models trained on one task are partially retrained to solve a separate, but related task, for which there is a limited quantity of data. We introduce the idea of hierarchical transfer learning, in which neural networks trained on low fidelity models are calibrated to high fidelity models, then to experimental data. This technique essentially bootstraps the calibration process, enabling the creation of models which predict high fidelity simulations or experiments with minimal computational cost. We apply this technique to a database of ICF simulations and experiments carried out at the Omega laser facility. Transfer learning with deep neural networks enables the creation of models that are more predictive of Omega experiments than simulations alone. The calibrated models accurately predict future Omega experiments, and are used to search for new, optimal implosion designs.