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NASA NTRS1993

Self-consistent electrostatic potential due to trapped plasma in the magnetosphere

A steady state solution for the self-consistent electrostatic potential due to a plasma confined in a magnetic flux tube is considered. A steady state distribution function is constructed for the trapped particles from the constants of the motion, in the absence of waves and collisions. Using Liouville's theorem, the particle density along the geomagnetic field is determined and found to depend on the local magnetic field, self-consistent electric potential, and the equatorial plasma distribution function. A hot anisotropic magnetospheric plasma in steady state is modeled by a bi-Maxwellian at the equator. The self-consistent electric potential along the magnetic field is calculated assuming quasineutrality, and the potential drop is found to be approximately equal to the average kinetic energy of the equatorially trapped plasma. The potential is compared with that obtained by Alfven and Faelthammar (1963).

Miller, Ronald H.↗

DOE OSTI2025

The separatrix electron density in JET, ASDEX upgrade and alcator C-Mod H-mode plasmas: A common evaluation procedure and correlation with engineering parameters

The separatrix electron density is an important parameter for core-edge scenario integration in tokamak devices, as it influences plasma confinement, divertor detachment and disruption avoidance. This quantity has been measured in H-mode discharges on JET, ASDEX Upgrade and Alcator C-Mod by applying the same fitting function to Thomson scattering measurements, and by employing the same analysis technique based on scrape-off layer power balance. To estimate the power crossing the separatrix, the inter-ELM time derivative of the plasma energy d W /d t has been experimentally evaluated and found to be approximately a constant fraction of the absorbed heating power. Correlations between n e,sep and engineering parameters have been investigated, revealing that n e,sep scales with the divertor neutral pressure p 0,div in a similar manner across all devices. Additionally, when n e,sep is normalized to the obtained n e,sep dependency, no clear correlation with the plasma current is found. These observations are in agreement with the 2-point model, which suggests that the upstream separatrix density is mainly set by the recycling at the divertor target.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

Three-dimensional tomographic imaging for dynamic radiation behavior study using infrared imaging video bolometers in large helical device plasma

A three-dimensional (3D) tomography system using four InfraRed imaging Video Bolometers (IRVBs) has been designed with a helical periodicity assumption for the purpose of plasma radiation measurement in the large helical device. For the spatial inversion of large sized arrays, the system has been numerically and experimentally examined using the Tikhonov regularization with the criterion of minimum generalized cross validation, which is the standard solver of inverse problems. The 3D transport code EMC3-EIRENE for impurity behavior and related radiation has been used to produce phantoms for numerical tests, and the relative calibration of the IRVB images has been carried out with a simple function model of the decaying plasma in a radiation collapse. The tomography system can respond to temporal changes in the plasma profile and identify the 3D dynamic behavior of radiation, such as the radiation enhancement that starts from the inboard side of the torus, during the radiation collapse. The reconstruction results are also consistent with the output signals of a resistive bolometer. These results indicate that the designed 3D tomography system is available for the 3D imaging of radiation. The first 3D direct tomographic measurement of a magnetically confined plasma has been achieved.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2018

Stellarator Research Opportunities: A Report of the National Stellarator Coordinating Committee

This document is the product of a stellarator community workshop, organized by the National Stellarator Coordinating Committee and referred to as Stellcon, that was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts in February 2016, hosted by MIT. The workshop was widely advertised, and was attended by 40 scientists from 12 different institutions including national labs, universities and private industry, as well as a representative from the Department of Energy. The final section of this document describes areas of community wide consensus that were developed as a result of the discussions held at that workshop. Areas where further study would be helpful to generate a consensus path forward for the US stellarator program are also discussed. The program outlined in this document is directly responsive to many of the strategic priorities of FES as articulated in ‘‘Fusion Energy Sciences: A Ten-Year Perspective (2015–2025)’’ [1]. The natural disruption immunity of the stellarator directly addresses ‘‘Elimination of transient events that can be deleterious to toroidal fusion plasma confinement devices’’ an area of critical importance for the US fusion energy sciences enterprise over the next decade. Another critical area of research ‘‘Strengthening our partnerships with international research facilities,’’ is being significantly advanced on the W7-X stellarator in Germany and serves as a test-bed for development of successful international collaboration on ITER. This report also outlines how materials science as it relates to plasma and fusion sciences, another critical research area, can be carried out effectively in a stellarator. Additionally, significant advances along two of the Research Directions outlined in the report; ‘‘Burning Plasma Science: Foundations—Next-generation research capabilities’’, and ‘‘Burning Plasma Science: Long pulse—Sustainment of Long-Pulse Plasma Equilibria’’ are proposed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2017

Stellarator Research Opportunities: A report of the National Stellarator Coordinating Committee

This document is the product of a stellarator community workshop, organized by the National Stellarator Coordinating Committee and referred to as Stellcon, that was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts in February 2016, hosted by MIT. The workshop was widely advertised, and was attended by 40 scientists from 12 different institutions including national labs, universities and private industry, as well as a representative from the Department of Energy. The final section of this document describes areas of community wide consensus that were developed as a result of the discussions held at that workshop. Areas where further study would be helpful to generate a consensus path forward for the US stellarator program are also discussed. The program outlined in this document is directly responsive to many of the strategic priorities of FES as articulated in “Fusion Energy Sciences: A Ten-Year Perspective (2015-2025)” [2]. The natural disruption immunity of the stellarator directly addresses “Elimination of transient events that can be deleterious to toroidal fusion plasma confinement devices” an area of critical importance for the U.S. fusion energy sciences enterprise over the next decade. Another critical area of research “Strengthening our partnerships with international research facilities,” is being significantly advanced on the W7-X stellarator in Germany and serves as a test-bed for development of successful international collaboration on ITER. This report also outlines how materials science as it relates to plasma and fusion sciences, another critical research area, can be carried out effectively in a stellarator. Additionally, significant advances along two of the Research Directions outlined in the report; “Burning Plasma Science: Foundations - Next-generation research capabilities”, and “Burning Plasma Science: Long pulse - Sustainment of Long-Pulse Plasma Equilibria” are proposed.

Gates, David A.↗

DOE OSTI2018

Stellarator Research Opportunities: A Report of the National Stellarator Coordinating Committee

This paper is the product of a stellarator community workshop, organized by the National Stellarator Coordinating Committee and referred to as Stellcon, that was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts in February 2016, hosted by MIT. The workshop was widely advertised, and was attended by 40 scientists from 12 different institutions including national labs, universities and private industry, as well as a representative from the Department of Energy. The final section of this document describes areas of community wide consensus that were developed as a result of the discussions held at that workshop. Areas where further study would be helpful to generate a consensus path forward for the US stellarator program are also discussed. The program outlined in this document is directly responsive to many of the strategic priorities of FES as articulated in “Fusion Energy Sciences: A Ten-Year Perspective (2015–2025)” [1]. The natural disruption immunity of the stellarator directly addresses “Elimination of transient events that can be deleterious to toroidal fusion plasma confinement devices” an area of critical importance for the US fusion energy sciences enterprise over the next decade. Another critical area of research “Strengthening our partnerships with international research facilities,” is being significantly advanced on the W7-X stellarator in Germany and serves as a test-bed for development of successful international collaboration on ITER. Finally, this report also outlines how materials science as it relates to plasma and fusion sciences, another critical research area, can be carried out effectively in a stellarator. Additionally, significant advances along two of the Research Directions outlined in the report; “Burning Plasma Science: Foundations—Next-generation research capabilities”, and “Burning Plasma Science: Long pulse—Sustainment of Long-Pulse Plasma Equilibria” are proposed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2014

Propagation And Damping Of High Harmonic Fast Waves And Electron Cyclotron Waves In The Nstx-U-Device

For the spherical torus and for conventional tokamaks to be viable means of producing fusion energy there are two important requirements. The first is to heat the plasma in the experimental devices to high temperatures; preferably, to fusion relevant temperatures. The second is to drive a current in the plasma so that the fusion device operates in a steady-state mode. A pulsed fusion reactor for energy production is not desirable. A favored means to achieve both of these requirements is through the use of microwaves, commonly referred to as radio frequency waves. This proposal was to understand observations from the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) device on radio frequency wave heating of the confined plasma during operations with high harmonic fast waves. The proposed research was also directed toward assisting in the optimization of the experimental modes of operation so as to maximize the heating efficiency. A detailed analysis of the experiments has shown that about one-third of the input radio frequency power does not make it into the core region of the plasma where heating is required. The losses are believed to occur primarily in the edge region where the radio frequency power is initially coupled into the plasma. Using sophisticated computational codes and theoretical models, that have been developed for the NSTX-U experimental program, this research quantified the physical processes which occur in the edge plasma and lead to a decrease in the heating efficiency. The effect of edge turbulence on the scattering of radio frequency waves was studied for waves in the ion cyclotron and electron cyclotron range of frequencies. For high harmonic fast waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies, simulations were carried out using a full-wave solver that was extended to the vacuum vessel wall. These simulations successfully reproduced trends that were observed experimentally. This simulation capability was also used to study the interaction of high harmonic fast waves with the scrape-off layer plasma. More recently, a new technique has been developed for the calculation of radio frequency waves in toroidal geometry that enables the simultaneous incorporation of antenna geometry, plasma facing components, the scrape off-layer, and core propagation in the high harmonic fast wave regime. The effect of turbulent plasmas on the mode conversion of extraordinary electromagnetic waves in the electron cyclotron range of frequencies in the NSTX-U plasma has been studied theoretically. In the over-dense plasmas of NSTX-U, the traditional electromagnetic waves are not effective for delivering energy and momentum to the core plasma. However, electron Bernstein waves generated by mode conversion are efficient carriers of wave energy and momentum to the core. The mode conversion occurs in the turbulent edge region. A theory for mode conversion in such plasmas has been developed. The parameters that can optimize the mode conversion can be readily determined. Also, the model is useful for experimentalists to analyze observation on a shot-to-shot basis.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2014

Propagation And Damping Of High Harmonic Fast Waves And Electron Cyclotron Waves In The Nstx-U-Device

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2014

Observation of a new high-β and high-density state of a magnetospheric plasma in RT-1

A new high-β and high-density state is reported for a plasma confined in a laboratory magnetosphere. In order to expand the parameter regime of an electron cyclotron resonance heating experiment, the 8.2 GHz microwave power of the Ring Trap 1 device has been upgraded with the installation of a new waveguide system. The rated input power launched from a klystron was increased from 25 to 50 kW, which enabled the more stable formation of a hot-electron high-β plasma. The diamagnetic signal (the averaged value of four magnetic loops signals) of a plasma reached 5.2 mWb. According to a two-dimensional Grad-Shafranov analysis, the corresponding local β value is close to 100%.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Interactions Between Microturbulence and Magnetohydrodynamic Instabilities in Magnetized Plasmas (Final Technical Report)

This document details the work accomplished during the period 04/15/2012-01/31/2020 for the collaborative project “Interactions Between Microturbulence and Magnetohydrodynamic Instabilities in Magnetized Plasmas,” and serves as the final report on the University of California, San Diego part of this collaborative project for Department of Energy Office of Science - Fusion Energy Sciences Grant No. DE- SC0007783. This project focused on the development of analytic and computational tools, seeking to better understand the mutual interactions between small-scale temperature-gradient driven microturbulence and macroscopic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities, particularly tearing modes, in magnetically confined plasmas relevant for the generation of fusion energy. This project advanced understanding through numerical simulations of different sets of model equations, corresponding to different microturbulence instabilities. Questions addressed included how the magnitudes, spatial structures, and scaling's of turbulent forcing's and drags impact magnetic island dynamics, as well as quantifying the “region of influence” of an island on the microturbulence dynamics. A key finding of the project is that the microturbulence fluctuations and associated cross-field particle and energy fluxes exhibit spatial asymmetries for sufficiently large islands. The results have improved our fundamental understanding of plasma dynamics, motivated new experimental investigations, and will help inform future fusion predictive modeling efforts.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Characterization of laser-induced plasmas associated with energetic laser cleaning of metal particles on fused silica surfaces

Here, time-resolved plasma emission spectroscopy was used to characterize the energy coupling and temperature rise associated with single, 10-ns pulsed laser ablation of metallic particles bound to transparent substrates. Plasma associated with Fe(I) emission lines originating from steel microspheres was observed to cool from >24,000 to ~15,000 K over ~220 ns as $\tau$ -0.28 , consistent with radiative losses and adiabatic gas expansion of a relatively free plasma. Simultaneous emission lines from Si(II) associated with the plasma etching of the SiO2 substrate were observed yielding higher plasma temperatures, ~35,000 K, relative to the Fe(I) plasma. Lastly, the difference in species temperatures is consistent with plasma confinement at the microsphere-substrate interface as the particle is ejected, and is directly visualized using pump-probe shadowgraphy as a function of pulsed laser energy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2019

Constructing stellarators with quasisymmetry to high order

Here, a method is given to rapidly compute quasisymmetric stellarator magnetic fields for plasma confinement, without the need to call a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium code inside an optimization iteration. The method is based on direct solution of the equations of magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium and quasisymmetry using Garren & Boozer’s expansion about the magnetic axis ( Phys Fluids B, vol. 3, 1991, p. 2805), and it is several orders of magnitude faster than the conventional optimization approach. The work here extends the method of Landreman et al. ( J. Plasma Phys. , vol. 85, 2019, 905850103), which was limited to flux surfaces with elliptical cross-section, to higher order in the aspect-ratio expansion. As a result, configurations can be generated with strong shaping that achieve quasisymmetry to high accuracy. Using this construction, we give the first numerical demonstrations of Garren and Boozer’s ideal scaling of quasisymmetry breaking with the cube of the inverse aspect ratio. We also demonstrate a strongly non-axisymmetric configuration (vacuum rotational transform $\unicode[STIX]{x1D704} >0.4$ ) in which symmetry-breaking mode amplitudes throughout a finite volume are ${<}2\times 10^{-7}$ , the smallest ever reported. To generate boundary shapes of finite-minor-radius configurations, a careful analysis is given of the effect of substituting a finite minor radius into the near-axis expansion. In conclusion, the approach here can provide analytic insight into the space of possible quasisymmetric stellarator configurations, and it can be used to generate good initial conditions for conventional stellarator optimization.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

High Resolution Ion Energy Distribution Measurements for Energization Studies on Madison Symmetric Torus RFP Plasmas

We propose to continue a comprehensive and aggressive collaborative study of the critical issues of RFP and fusion physics at MST by enhancing the inferred ion distribution function and the high (spatial and temporal) resolution of magnetic fluctuation measurements. For this, we propose to make novel use of a retarding potential before a neutral particle analyzer as well as a novel millimeter magnetic probe. The measurement of relationships between ion and electron temperatures and magnetic field fluctuations can provide otherwise unobtainable insights on the role of turbulence in fusion plasmas with special focus on the impact of magnetic field turbulence on plasma confinement and scaling. These insights can be particularly valuable when they are coupled with an increased understanding of the issues which drive the turbulence onset, enhance steady-state sustainment, and enable turbulent dissipation. With these new insights, MST will be particularly well positioned to provide important insights in a manner portable to a broad class of fusion devices. We propose to exploit this opportunity and, at the same time, take full advantage of the associated educational enhancements for plasma physics students as FAMU continues to expand the diversity of the fusion scientific workforce.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Nuclear diagnostics for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) plasmas

The field of nuclear diagnostics for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) is broadly reviewed from its beginning in the seventies to present day. During this time, the sophistication of the ICF facilities and the suite of nuclear diagnostics have substantially evolved, generally a consequence of the efforts and experience gained on previous facilities. As the fusion yields have increased several orders of magnitude during these years, the quality of the nuclear-fusion-product measurements has improved significantly, facilitating an increased level of understanding about the physics governing the nuclear phase of an ICF implosion. The field of ICF has now entered an era where the fusion yields are high enough for nuclear measurements to provide spatial, temporal and spectral information, which have proven indispensable to understanding the performance of an ICF implosion. At the same time, the requirements on the nuclear diagnostics have also become more stringent. To put these measurements into context, this review starts by providing some historical remarks about the field of ICF and the role of nuclear diagnostics, followed by a brief overview of the basic physics that characterize the nuclear phase and performance of an ICF implosion. A technical discussion is subsequently presented of the neutron, gamma-ray, charged-particle and radiochemistry diagnostics that are, or have been, routinely used in the field of ICF. This discussion is followed by an elaboration of the current view of the next-generation nuclear diagnostics. Since the seventies, the overall progress made in the areas of nuclear diagnostics and scientific understanding of an ICF implosion has been enormous, and with the implementation of new high-fusion-yield facilities world-wide, the next-generation nuclear diagnostics will play an even more important role for decades to come.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Nonlinear phenomena in RF wave propagation in magnetized plasma: A review

Nonlinear phenomena in RF wave propagation has been observed from the earliest days in basic laboratory experiments going back to the 1960s [1], followed by observations of parametric instability (PDI) phenomena in large scale RF heating experiments in magnetized fusion plasmas in the 1970s and beyond [2]. Although not discussed here, the importance of PDI phenomena has also been central to understanding anomalous absorption in laser-fusion experiments (ICF) [3]. In this review I shall discuss the fundamentals of nonlinear interactions among waves and particles, and in particular, their role in PDIs. This phenomenon is distinct from quasi-linear phenomena that are often invoked in calculating absorption of RF power in wave heating experiments in the core of magnetically confined plasmas [4]. Indeed, PDIs are most likely to occur in the edge of magnetized fusion plasmas where the electron temperature is modest and hence the oscillating quiver velocity of charged particles can be comparable to their thermal speeds. Specifically, I will review important aspects of PDI theory and give examples from past experiments in the ECH/EBW, lower hybrid (LHCD) and ICRF/IBW frequency regimes. Importantly, PDI is likely to play a fundamental role in determining the so-called “density limit” in lower hybrid experiments that has persisted over the decades and still central to understanding present day experiments [5-7].

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2025

A framework for discrete optimization of stellarator coils

Designing magnets for three-dimensional plasma confinement is a key task for advancing the stellarator as a fusion reactor concept. Stellarator magnets must produce an accurate field while leaving adequate room for other components and being reasonably simple to construct and assemble. In this paper, a framework for coil design and optimization is introduced that enables the attainment of sparse magnet solutions with arbitrary restrictions on where coils may be located. The solution space is formulated as a 'wireframe' consisting of a mesh of interconnected wire segments enclosing the plasma. Two methods are developed for optimizing the current distribution on a wireframe: Regularized Constrained Least Squares, which uses a linear least-squares approach to optimize the currents in each segment, and Greedy Stellarator Coil Optimization, a fully discrete procedure in which loops of current are added to the mesh one by one to achieve the desired magnetic field on the plasma boundary. Examples are presented of solutions obtainable with each method, some of which achieve high field accuracy while obeying spatial constraints that permit easy assembly.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2018

Unraveling the surface chemistry processes in lithiated and boronized plasma material interfaces under extreme conditions

The review of recent theoretical and experimental research on the complex surface chemistry processes that evolve from low-Z material conditioning on plasma-facing materials under extreme fusion plasma conditions is presented. A combination of multi-scale computational physics and chemistry modeling with real-time diagnosis of the plasma-material interface in tokamak fusion plasma edge is complemented by ex-vessel in-situ single-effect experimental facilities to unravel the evolving characteristics of low-Z components under irradiation. Effects of the lithium and boron coatings at carbon surfaces to the retention of deuterium and chemical sputtering of the plasma-facing surfaces are discussed in detail. The critical role of oxygen in the surface chemistry during hydrogen-fuel irradiation is found to drive the kinetics and dynamics of these surfaces as they interact with fusion edge plasma that ultimately could have profound effects on fusion plasma confinement behavior. Computational studies also extend in spatio-temporal scales not accessible by empirical means and therefore open the opportunity for a strategic approach at irradiation surface science studies that combined these powerful computational tools with in-vessel and ex-vessel in-situ diagnostics.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

Modulation of Core Turbulent Density Fluctuations by Large-Scale Neoclassical Tearing Mode Islands in the DIII-D Tokamak

We report the first observation of localized modulation of turbulent density uctuations en (via Beam Emission Spectroscopy) by neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) in the core of the DIII-D tokamak. NTMs are important as they often lead to severe degradation of plasma confinement and disruptions in high-confinement fusion experiments. Magnetic islands associated with NTMs significantly modify the profiles and turbulence drives. In this experiment n was found to be modulated by 14% across the island. Gyrokinetic simulations suggest that en could be dominantly driven by the ion temperature gradient (ITG) instability.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗