The Monte Carlo Computational Summit was held on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, USA on 25-26 October 2023. The goals of the summit were to discuss algorithmic and software alterations required for successfully porting respective code bases to exascale-class computing hardware, compare software engineering techniques used by various code teams, and consider the adoption of industry-standard benchmark problems to better facilitate code-to-code performance comparisons. A large portion of the meeting included candid discussions of direct experiences with approaches that have and have not worked. Participants reported that identifying and implementing suitable Monte Carlo algorithms for GPUs continues to be a sticking point. They also report significant difficulty porting existing algorithms between GPU APIs (specifically Nvidia CUDA to AMD ROCm). To better compare code-to-code performance, participants decided to design a C5G7like benchmark problem with a defined figure of merit, with the expectation of adding more benchmarks in the future. Problem specifications and results will eventually be hosted in a public repository and will be open to submissions by all Monte Carlo transport codes capable of running the benchmark problem. The participants also identified the need to explore the intermediate and long-term future of the Monte Carlo neutron transport community and how best to modernize and contextualize Monte Carlo as a useful tool in modern industry. Overall the summit was considered to be a success by the organizers and participants, and the group shared a strong desire for future, potentially larger, Monte Carlo summits.

Despite the potential for limitless clean energy, nuclear fusion is seldom discussed in conjunction with other alternative energy sources. Nonetheless, there is a small but strong amateur community dedicated to the research of nuclear fusion. If grown, this community may help facilitate more conversation, interest, and eventual research into nuclear fusion. An often-large barrier in independent fusion research is detection and quantification of reactions. This research outlines the common methods currently used for fusion detection in inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) reactors and suggests an experiment to explore indirect methods of detection using Matlab code written for light emission analysis. Current indirect, or theoretical, methods of determining reaction rate are unreliable, as they do not consider all construction variables of the reactor. By measuring characteristics of the plasma to determine reaction rate, a more accurate indirect measurement method may be developed, allowing for a larger number of individuals to participate in nuclear fusion research.