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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Development of a Direct Neutral Density Diagnostic for Fusion Edge Plasmas

As magnetically confined plasmas progress towards ignition and long pulse experiments, measurement and control of the neutral density in the plasma edge has become a critical issue for stability, formation of transport barriers, and fueling. Recent experiments by our research group have demonstrated that is possible to use two-photon absorption laser induced fluorescence (TA-LIF) to directly measure the density of neutral hydrogen in helicon sources and in the HIT-SI3 spheromak. While those experiments validated key elements of a diagnostic system that would enable similar measurements in tokamak plasmas, they did not fully address the issue of performance optimization in the presence of intense background light at the fluorescence wavelength and they also identified a number of other issues that must be resolved before successful TALIF neutral density measurements in a tokamak are likely to be achieved. Additional specific concerns raised during design reviews with the leadership of the DIII-D tokamak facility included: the minimum detection threshold for this TALIF diagnostic (currently ~ 5 x 10 15 m -3 ) and the rate at which neutral density measurements could be obtained. Improving the system performance to reduce the minimum detection threshold and demonstrating a faster rate of density determination are required to advance this diagnostic to the level where it could be considered for implementation on a major tokamak facility in the USA. The key issues that will be addressed through additional technological development are: validation of a new, chromatic aberration-free, xenon calibration scheme; increasing the output power of the laser; and suppression of background emission at the fluorescence wavelength through optimization of the collection optics and gating of the photomultiplier detector with a goal of obtaining a minimum detection threshold of 5 x 10 14 m -3 . Another key technological development, so far only tested in helicon source experiments, is the validation of Doppler-free TALIF as a means of obtaining higher speed, calibrated, neutral density measurements in tokamak-like conditions at the full cadence of the pulsed TALIF laser. In this work, we propose to complete these technological advancements through installation and testing of our prototype TALIF system on the proto-MPEX experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The proto-MPEX facility will provide plasma conditions similar to the edge plasma of a major tokamak experiment but with pulse lengths and pulse repetition rates ideally suited for extensive development of a TALIF neutral density diagnostic. Measurement of the absolute neutral density in the edge of a magnetically confined plasma is necessary for plasma density control; calculation of charge-exchange power losses; control of plasma-wall interactions; determination of the braking of plasma flow; determination of the fuel mixture in deuterium-tritium plasma; and understanding the dynamics of the divertor region in the plasma edge. In terms of potential impact on the worldwide fusion program, we note that in burning plasma experiments, such as ITER, a 100 mJ/pulse Doppler-free TALIF diagnostic should be capable of directly measuring the deuterium/tritium (D/T) isotope ratio in the outer 0.5 to 1.0 m of the plasma radius. The D/T ratio is a critically important parameter for the control and optimization of burning plasmas. Therefore, development of the diagnostic system proposed here is also relevant to long-term US participation in diagnostic development for large tokamaks.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Analysis of MHD stability and active mode control on KSTAR for high confinement, disruption-free plasma

Long-pulse plasma operation at high normalized beta, $β_N$, above the $\textit{n}$= 1 ideal MHD no-wall stability limit in KSTAR is presently limited by tearing instabilities rather than resistive wall modes. H-mode plasma operation during the recent KSTAR device campaign produced discharges having strong $\textit{m/n}$= 2/1 tearing instabilities at $β_N$ lower than the ideal MHD no-wall beta limit. The unstable tearing mode consequently reduced plasma confinement and toroidal plasma rotation significantly. We report the experiment confirmed that an extended duration of electron cyclotron heating (ECH) at the initial phase of the discharge plays a critical role in mode destabilization. To study destabilizing mechanisms that affect the mode growth, the stability of the observed tearing modes from plasmas with significantly different $β_N$ is computed by using the resistive DCON code and the M3D-C 1 code. Equilibrium reconstructions that include constraints from internal profile diagnostics, and computed fast particle pressure are used as input for reliable computation of stability. The classical tearing stability index, Δ', from resistive DCON is computed to be unstable when the island is fully saturated with large amplitude, while the unstable mode is not computed by M3D-C 1 . The modified Rutherford equation (MRE) describing the evolution of the island width has been constructed for KSTAR plasmas by using plasma parameters computed by the TRANSP code. The MRE model estimates a saturated island width corresponding to ~10% of the plasma minor radius for equilibrium at high $β_N$ 3 having a stable Δ' from the resistive DCON. In preparation for long-pulse plasma operation at higher beta utilizing increased plasma heating power, a resistive wall mode (RWM) active feedback control algorithm has been completed and enabled on KSTAR. To accurately determine the $\textit{n}$= 1component produced by RWMs, an algorithm has been developed that includes magnetic sensor compensation of the prompt applied field and the field from the induced current on the passive conductors. Use of multiple toroidal sensor arrays is enabled by modifying the sensor toroidal angles assumed in mode decomposition to include the effect of varied mode helicities in the outboard region where the mode measurement is made. This analysis on stability, transport, and control provides the required foundation for disruption prediction and avoidance research on KSTAR.

resistive wall mode (RWM)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Real-time confinement regime detection in fusion plasmas with convolutional neural networks and high-bandwidth edge fluctuation measurements

Abstract A real-time detection of the plasma confinement regime can enable new advanced plasma control capabilities for both the access to and sustainment of enhanced confinement regimes in fusion devices. For example, a real-time indication of the confinement regime can facilitate transition to the high-performing wide-pedestal (WP) quiescent H-mode, or avoid unwanted transitions to lower confinement regimes that may induce plasma termination. To demonstrate real-time confinement regime detection, we use the 2D beam emission spectroscopy (BES) diagnostic system to capture localized density fluctuations of long wavelength turbulent modes in the edge region at a 1 MHz sampling rate. BES data from 330 discharges in either L-mode, H-mode, quiescent H (QH)-mode, or WP QH-mode were collected from the DIII-D tokamak and curated to develop a high-quality database to train a deep-learning classification model for real-time confinement detection. We utilize the 6×8 spatial configuration with a time window of 1024 µ s and recast the input to obtain spectral-like features via fast Fourier transform preprocessing. We employ a shallow 3D convolutional neural network for the multivariate time-series classification task and utilize a softmax in the final dense layer to retrieve a probability distribution over the different confinement regimes. Our model classifies the global confinement state on 44 unseen test discharges with an average F 1 score of 0.94, using only ∼1 ms snippets of BES data at a time. This activity demonstrates the feasibility for real-time data analysis of fluctuation diagnostics in future devices such as ITER, where the need for reliable and advanced plasma control is urgent.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

First Measurement of Drift-Alfvén Wave Polarization in Magnetically Confined Fusion Plasmas

Polarization of drift-Alfvén waves, defined as the ratio of electrostatic to electromagnetic fluctuations, has remained unmeasurable in fusion plasmas for decades, despite its pivotal role in understanding wave dynamics and their impact on plasmas. We report the first measurements of drift-Alfvén wave polarization in a hot, magnetically-confined plasma. Here, the breakthrough is enabled by a novel methodology developed from gyrokinetic theory, utilizing fluctuations of electron temperature and density. Analysis of data from the DIII-D tokamak reveals that the waves above the geodesic acoustic mode frequency exhibit dominant electromagnetic polarization, whereas lower frequency waves show a mix of electromagnetic and electrostatic polarization, indicating a strong coupling between shear Alfvén waves and drift-acoustic waves.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Self-organized confinement in whole-device modeling of laboratory magnetospheres

Turbulent self-organization driven by global ideal interchange modes in a dipole-confined plasma is explored with self-consistent, whole-plasma simulations using a flux-tube averaged magnetohydrodynamic model in dipole magnetic geometry. We show the existence of robust particle pinch driven by ideal interchange-mode fluctuations, in which the particles are transported up the density gradient. It is found that the plasma profiles in a dipole field spontaneously relax to a marginally stable state as centrally peaked pressure and density are created by global interchange-mode transport.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Testing the conservative character of particle simulations: I. Canonical and noncanonical guiding center model in Boozer coordinates

The guiding center (GC) Lagrangian in Boozer coordinates for toroidally confined plasmas can be cast into canonical form by eliminating terms containing the covariant component B Ψ P of the magnetic field vector with respect to the poloidal flux function Ψ P . In an unperturbed plasma, B Ψ P can be eliminated via exact coordinate transformations, but, in general, one relies on approximations, assuming that the effect of B Ψ P is small. In this work, we are interested in the question whether Hamiltonian conservation laws are still satisfied when B Ψ P is retained in the presence of fluctuations. Considering fast ions in the presence of a shear Alfvén wave field with fixed amplitude, fixed frequency, and a single toroidal mode number n, we show that simulations using the code ORBIT with and without B Ψ P yield practically the same resonant and nonresonant GC orbits. The numerical results are consistent with theoretical analyses (presented in the appendix), which show that the unabridged GC Lagrangian with B Ψ P retained yields equations of motion that possess two key properties of Hamiltonian flows: (i) phase space conservation and (ii) energy conservation. As counter-examples, we also show cases where energy conservation (ii) or both conservation laws (i) and (ii) are broken by omitting certain small terms. When testing the conservative character of the simulation code, it is found to be beneficial to apply perturbations that do not resemble normal (eigen) modes of the plasma. The deviations are enhanced and, thus, more easily spotted when one inspects wave-particle interactions using nonnormal modes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Dynamics of rapidly spinning blob-filaments: Fluid theory with a parallel kinetic extension

Blob-filaments (or simply “blobs”) are coherent structures formed by turbulence and sustained by nonlinear processes in the edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) of tokamaks and other magnetically confined plasmas. The dynamics of these blob-filaments, in particular, their radial motion, can influence the scrape-off layer width and plasma interactions with both the divertor target and with the main chamber walls. Motivated by recent results from the XGC1 gyrokinetic simulation code reported on elsewhere [J. Cheng et al., Nucl. Fusion 63, 086015 (2023)], a theory of rapidly spinning blob-filaments has been developed for this work. The theory treats blob-filaments in the closed flux surface region or the region that is disconnected from sheaths in the SOL. It extends previous work by treating blob spin, arising from partially or fully adiabatic electrons, as the leading-order effect and retaining inertial (ion charge polarization) physics in next order. Spin helps to maintain blob coherency and affects the blob's propagation speed. Dipole charge polarization, treated perturbatively, gives rise to blob-filaments with relatively slow radial velocity, comparable to that observed in the simulations. The theory also treats the interaction of rapidly spinning blob-filaments with a zonal flow layer. It is shown analytically that the flow layer can act like a transport barrier for these structures. Finally, parallel electron kinetic effects are incorporated into the theory. Various asymptotic parameter regimes are discussed, and asymptotic expressions for the radial and poloidal motion of the blob-filaments are obtained.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

An ignition criterion for inertial fusion boosted by microturbulence

Turbulence on fine spatial scales enhances fusion reactivity, enabling ignition at lower temperature. A modified Lawson-like ignition criterion is derived for inertially confined plasmas harboring turbulent kinetic energy. For some turbulent energy spectra, hot spots ignite at lower energy density and smaller volume. While detrimental mixing effects typically accompany turbulence and obscure these advantages, targets might be engineered to drive flow in regions where it is beneficial. The optimal length scale for this driving is identified, typically lying in the micrometer range.

Alpha particles↗
DOE OSTI2023

Principal Challenges in Toroidal Magnetic Confinement Fusion Systems

Research efforts toward a practical and economical magnetically confined fusion power source have made steady progress over the years. Today, the principal approaches to confining a hot plasma of Deuterium and Tritium ions long enough for a significant frac/on to undergo thermonuclear burn employ toroidal geometries. Such geometries are attractive because charged particles are tightly bound around the field lines, undergoing locally helical orbits as they travel along those lines. In the core regions of the plasma, the field lines have no connection to the material surfaces making up the interior of the vacuum vessel, so that plasma confinement times can be long enough for significant thermonuclear burnup via fusion reactions to take place. For good confinement, the geometry of the field lines must be such that nested field lines (which lie on nested flux surfaces) twist around the toroidal axis (a quasi-circular line that approximately lies in the center of the confined plasma) at rates that vary based on their distance from that axis. The rotational transform (or field line pitch), iota/2π , is defined as the number of poloidal transits per single toroidal transit of a field line on a toroidal flux surface.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Driven resonant current amplification in self-organized plasma configurations with uniform λ and plasma pressure confinement

Driven resonant current amplification in uniform λ=$^{μoJ}_{B}$, self-organized plasma configurations with plasma pressure confinement is studied. This work extends previous analyses of force-free states (J ∥ B) to equilibria with plasma pressure gradients (∇P = J × B ≠ 0). An analytical treatment shows that in equilibria with uniform λ and a plasma pressure gradient that varies linearly with poloidal magnetic flux, driven resonances are either downshifted or upshifted from their force-free values. Additionally, a modification of off resonance current amplification is observed in pressure confining equilibria. Computational results add support to analytical predictions, and also include driven resonance behavior with equilibrium profiles not considered analytically. Furthermore, these results suggest not only persistence, but also modification of driven resonant current amplification in sustained spheromak configurations with plasma pressure confinement when compared to force-free states. By providing a basis for the existence of driven, high current amplification, pressure confining equilibria, this work provides insight into the accessibility of sustained spheromak states of most interest for potential fusion energy applications.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electron transport barrier and high confinement in configurations with internal islands close to the plasma edge of W7-X

The low magnetic shear in the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator makes it feasible to shape the separatrix by the large islands constituting an island-divertor, and this can be exploited to access various magnetic configurations, including samples of different internal island sizes and locations. To investigate the configuration effects on the plasma confinement, a configuration scan was performed by changing the coil currents to vary the rotational transform between values 5/4 and 5/6 at the plasma boundary with different power levels (2, 4, 6 MW) of electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) at a maximum plasma density of 8 × 10 19 m -2 . neutral beam injection (NBI) heating was also applied during some configurations of the scan to create a density ramp and access high densities beyond the X2 ECRH cutoff. For the magnetic configurations, where the 5/5 and 5/6 island chains were moved closer to separatrix but remaining inside the last closed flux surface, the electron cyclotron emission shows that an electron temperature, T e , pedestal develops already during ECRH heated plasma buildup phase indicating a transport barrier, and the barrier sustains irrespective of changed plasma heating conditions such as NBI in the later part of discharge. The transport barrier is broken by subsequent fast crashes, observed with multiple plasma diagnostics with characteristics such as tokamak edge localized modes, and the corresponding crash amplitude and frequency vary with plasma pressure. The impact of the transport barrier on plasma confinement can be seen through the increased core T e profile, which could be responsible for the overall increase in the stored diamagnetic energy by approximately 10% for these configurations. After the plasma heating is terminated, a backwards transition to a degraded confinement state is also observed. These observations indicate a configuration triggered high confinement mode in low shear W7-X. This work focuses on the occurrence of this transport barrier for different magnetic configurations and its relation to internal magnetic islands.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measurements of fusion reaction history in inertially confined burning plasmas

Direct evidence of inertially confined fusion ignition appears in the abrupt temperature increase and consequent rapid increase in the thermonuclear burn rate as seen in the reaction history. The Gamma Reaction History (GRH) and Gas Cherenkov Detector (GCD) diagnostics are γ-based Cherenkov detectors that provide high quality measurements of deuterium–tritium fusion γ ray production and are, thus, capable of monitoring the thermonuclear burn rate. Temporal shifts in both peak burn time and burn width have been observed during recent high-yield shots (yields greater than 1017 neutrons) and are essential diagnostic signatures of the ignition process. While the current GRH and GCD detectors are fast enough to sense the changes of reaction history due to alpha heating, they do not have enough dynamic range to capture the onset of alpha heating. The next generation of instrumentation, GRH-15m, is proposed to increase the yield-rate coverage to measure the onset of alpha-heating.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Lyapunov-based nonlinear control of nonautonomous systems with individual input constraints

A control algorithm that can locally stabilize a specific class of multi-input multi-output nonautonomous nonlinear dynamical systems while satisfying individual input constraints is developed. The proposed Lyapunov-based state-feedback control law inherently accounts for the actuator amplitude saturation limits without the need for computationally expensive real-time optimization techniques. In addition to the control law, a formal definition for the local “controllable region” within which the controller can asymptotically drive the system states to the origin and satisfy the input saturation limits is also presented. The nonautonomous nature of the system dynamics implies that the “controllable region” continuously evolves with time. Therefore, a sufficient condition to maintain the system states within the “controllable region” is proposed in this work to make practical implementation feasible. The effectiveness of the controller is tested for a specific control problem arising in tokamaks, which are toroidal devices that use strong magnetic fields to confine a plasma (hot ionized gas). Here, the primary emphasis of tokamak research is to regulate the plasma properties around predetermined values to achieve stable plasma confinement. Nonlinear simulations show that the proposed controller can achieve the desired plasma control objectives in a DIII-D tokamak scenario.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Theory of ignition and burn propagation in inertial fusion implosions

A detailed analytic model is presented here to investigate the physics of burn propagation in inertially confined plasmas. The onset of ignition and burn propagation occurs when alpha heating of the hot spot causes rapid ablation of shell mass into the hot spot. This allows large energy gains to be achieved since most of the fuel mass is located in the shell. Here, we first present a comprehensive review of previous analytic models that have been used to describe the physics of hot-spot evolution and ignition; we then show that a proper description of a propagating burn wave requires a comprehensive model of hot spot and shell evolution that includes proper mass conservation in the shell, fusion reactivity, and fuel depletion. The analytic theory is in good agreement with detailed radiation-hydrodynamic simulations that predict the onset of burn propagation as occurring when the yield enhancement caused by alpha heating is between 15- and 25-fold, $f_α$ ~ 1.4, where $f_α$ = alpha energy deposited/hot-spot energy at bang time, and the hot-spot burnup fraction is approximately 2%. We show that the definition of ignition is not sensitive to the alpha-particle stopping power nor asymmetries provided that the absorbed fraction of alpha particles $θ_α$ is correctly accounted for. Finally, we use the results of 2-D simulations to show that even when $θ_α$ is small and unknown (as is true in hot spots with mid modes that have significant leakage of alpha particles into the surrounding cold bubbles), one can still relate the experimentally measureable parameter $\chi^{53}_α$ to the yield amplification and the burning-plasma parameter $Q^{\text{hs}}_α$ = alpha energy deposited/total input work delivered to the hot spot

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

How turbulence spreading improves power handling in quiescent high confinement fusion plasmas

Viable magnetic fusion devices necessitate combining good confinement with effective power flux handling. A major concern for ITER, and devices beyond, is the divertor heat load width, which sets peak boundary heat loads on the plasma-facing materials. Current estimates of the heat flux width are narrow for future reactors. Here, we demonstrate how pedestal turbulence can expand into, or entrain, the stable scrape-off-layer and so broaden the heat flux width beyond these neoclassical predictions. Employing combined theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches, we focus on quiescent high confinement discharges on the DIII-D tokamak, but the results are of broader significance. Our findings uncover common trends in the edge turbulence intensity flux, the pressure perturbation skewness, and the turbulence mixing length, which together determine the heat flux width. This research demonstrates the physics of scrape-off-layer broadening by turbulence and highlights the promise of a turbulent pedestal for successful core-edge integration in ITER and future fusion devices.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

A high-density and high-confinement tokamak plasma regime for fusion energy

The tokamak approach, utilizing a toroidal magnetic field configuration to confine a hot plasma, is one of the most promising designs for developing reactors that can exploit nuclear fusion to generate electrical energy. To reach the goal of an economical reactor, most tokamak reactor designs simultaneously require reaching a plasma line-averaged density above an empirical limit—the so-called Greenwald density and attaining an energy confinement quality better than the standard high-confinement mode. However, such an operating regime has never been verified in experiments. In addition, a long-standing challenge in the high-confinement mode has been the compatibility between a high-performance core and avoiding large, transient edge perturbations that can cause very high heat loads on the plasma-facing-components in tokamaks. Here we report the demonstration of stable tokamak plasmas with a line-averaged density approximately 20% above the Greenwald density and an energy confinement quality of approximately 50% better than the standard high-confinement mode, which was realized by taking advantage of the enhanced suppression of turbulent transport granted by high density-gradients in the high-poloidal-beta scenario. Furthermore, our experimental results show an integration of very low edge transient perturbations with the high normalized density and confinement core. The operating regime we report supports some critical requirements in many fusion reactor designs all over the world and opens a potential avenue to an operating point for producing economically attractive fusion energy.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Control of internal transport barriers in magnetically confined tokamak burning plasmas

The initiation, termination, and control of internal transport barriers associated with E × B flow shear near local minima of magnetic shear are examined for burning plasmas to determine if the positive feedback loops between profiles, instability, transport, and flow shear operate in regimes with fusion self-heating. A five-field transport model for the evolution of profiles of density, ion and electron temperature, ion and electron fluctuations, and radial electric field is utilized to examine the efficacy of controls associated with external inputs of heat and particles, including neutral beam injection, RF, pellets, and gas puffing. The response of the plasma to these inputs is studied in the presence of self-heating. The latter is affected by the external inputs and their modification of profiles and is, therefore, not an external control. Provided sufficient external power is applied, internal transport barriers can be created and controlled, both in ion and electron channels. Barrier control is sensitive to the locations of power deposition and pellet ablation, as well as temporal sequencing of external inputs.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

A near X-point charge exchange neutral spectroscopy (CENS) system for DIII-D

A 16 channel spectroscopy system has been installed on DIII-D to provide information about the energy distribution of the atomic neutrals using the Doppler shift and broadening of passive Balmer-α emission. Here, the lines of sight are dominantly in the toroidal direction, with tangencies near the lowest point on closed magnetic flux surfaces moving from the lower divertor upward into the confined plasma. This allows the system to provide details of the neutrals as they undergo various atomic physics processes while traveling upward from the lower divertor. The spectrally resolved measurements provide several advantages that complement typical optical filter based measurements of hydrogenic spectral lines. These include more direct measurements of the neutrals that fuel deeper in the plasma and capturing neutral velocity distribution information via the Doppler broadened and shifted line. In addition, the spectral separation of higher energy “thermal” neutrals and bright cold emission from the scrape-off layer allows for a more straightforward calculation of the underlying neutral densities based on the emission because of the dependence of the thermal emission on confined plasma properties that are approximately flux functions and well measured.

Atomic and molecular physics↗