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At least 19 records

Characterization of an atomic hydrogen source for charge exchange experiments

We characterized the dissociation fraction of a thermal dissociation atomic hydrogen source by injecting the mixed atomic and molecular output of the source into an electron beam ion trap containing highly charged ions and recording the x-ray spectrum generated by charge exchange using a high-resolution x-ray calorimeter spectrometer. We exploit the fact that the charge exchange state-selective capture cross sections are very different for atomic and molecular hydrogen incident on the same ions, enabling a clear spectroscopic diagnostic of the neutral species.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Charge Exchange of Highly Charged Ne and Mg Ions with H and He

Cross sections for single electron capture (SEC), or charge exchange (CX), in collisions of Ne{sup (8–10)+} and Mg{sup (8–12)+} with H and He, are computed using an approximate multichannel Landau–Zener (MCLZ) formalism. Final-state-resolved cross sections for the principal (n), orbital angular momentum (ℓ), and where appropriate, total spin angular momentum (S) quantum numbers are explicitly computed, except for the incident bare ions Ne{sup 10+} and Mg{sup 12+}. In the latter two cases, nℓ-resolution is obtained from analytical ℓ-distribution functions applied to n-resolved MCLZ cross sections. In all cases, the cross sections are computed over the collision energy range 1 meV/u to 50 keV/u with LZ parameters estimated from atomic energies obtained from experiment, theory, or, in the case of high-lying Rydberg levels, estimated with a quantum defect approach. Errors in the energy differences in the adiabatic potentials at the avoided crossing distances give the largest contribution to the uncertainties in the cross sections, which are expected to increase with decreasing cross section magnitude. The energy differences are deduced here with the Olson–Salop–Tauljberg radial coupling model. Proper selection of an ℓ-distribution function for bare ion collisions introduces another level of uncertainty into the results. Comparison is made to existing experimental or theoretical results when available, but such data are absent for most considered collision systems. The nℓS-resolved SEC cross sections are used in an optically thin cascade simulation to predict X-ray spectra and line ratios that will aid in modeling the X-ray emission in environments where CX is an important mechanism. Details on a MCLZ computational package, Stueckelberg, are also provided.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Kinetic theory for charge-exchange spectroscopy: Effects of magnetic and electric fields on the distribution function after charge-exchange

In plasmas equipped with neutral beam injection, excitation of atomic spectral lines via charge-exchange with neutral atoms is the basis of one of the standard plasma diagnostic techniques for ion density, temperature, and velocity. In order to properly interpret the spectroscopic results, one must consider the effects of the energy dependence of the charge-exchange cross-section as well as the motion of the ion after charge-exchange during the period when it is still in the excited state. This motion is affected by the electric and magnetic fields in the plasma. The present paper gives results for the velocity distribution function of the excited state ions and considers in detail the cross-section and ion motion effects on the post charge-exchange velocity. The expression for this velocity in terms of the charge-exchange cross-section and the pre charge-exchange velocity allows that latter velocity to be determined. The present paper is the first to consider the effect of the electric as well as the magnetic field and demonstrates that electric field and diamagnetic terms appear in the expression for the inferred velocity. The present formulation also leads to a novel technique for assessing the effect of the energy dependence of the charge-exchange cross-section on the inferred ion temperature.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Charge-exchange coupling between pickup ions across the heliopause and its effect on energetic neutral hydrogen flux

Pickup ions (PUIs) appear to play an integral role in the multi-component nature of the plasma in the interaction between the solar wind (SW) and local interstellar medium (LISM). Three-dimensional (3D) MHD simulations with a kinetic treatment for neutrals and PUIs are currently still not viable. In light of recent energetic neutral atom (ENA) observations by the Interstellar Boundary EXplorer, the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the complex coupling between PUIs across the heliopause (HP) as facilitated by ENAs using estimates of PUI properties extracted from a 3D MHD simulation of the SW-LISM interaction with kinetic neutrals. First, we improve upon the multi-component treatment of the inner heliosheath (IHS) plasma from Zank et al. by including the extinction of PUIs through charge-exchange. We find a significant amount of energy is transferred away from hot, termination shock-processed PUIs into a colder, 'freshly injected' PUI population. Second, we extend the multi-component approach to estimate ENA flux from the outer heliosheath (OHS), formed from charge-exchange between interstellar hydrogen atoms and energetic PUIs. These PUIs are formed from ENAs in the IHS that crossed the HP and experienced charge-exchange. Our estimates, based on plasma-neutral simulations of the SW-LISM interaction and a post-processing analysis of ENAs and PUIs, suggest the majority of flux visible at 1 AU from the front of the heliosphere, between ∼0.02 and 10 keV, originates from OHS PUIs, indicating strong coupling between the IHS and OHS plasmas through charge-exchange.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Unresolved puzzles in the x-ray emission produced by charge exchange measured on electron beam ion traps

Charge exchange recombination, the transfer of one or more electrons from an atomic or molecular system to a positive ion, is a common phenomenon affecting laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. Controlled studies of this process in electron beam ion traps during the past one and a half decades have produced multiple observations that are difficult to explain with available spectral models. Some of the most recent observations are so puzzling that they bring in doubt the existence of a coherent predictive capability for line formation by charge exchange, making investigations of charge exchange a fertile ground for continued measurements and theoretical development.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

The charge exchange recombination spectroscopy diagnostic on the upgraded Lithium Tokamak eXperiment (LTX-β)

The Lithium Tokamak eXperiment has undergone an upgrade to LTX-β, a major part of which is the addition of neutral beam injection (NBI). NBI has allowed for a new charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CHERS) system to be installed in order to measure impurity concentrations, ion temperature, and toroidal velocity. Previously on LTX measuring these parameters relied on passive spectroscopy and inversion techniques and had large uncertainty. The CHERS system has 52 total views, split into four groups of 13, half facing toward the beam and half symmetrically facing away from the beam, so the background non-beam related emission can be simultaneously subtracted. Both sets of views sample a major radius of 27-59 cm, with resolution through the beam of 1.5-2.5 cm. LTX-β is expected to have its magnetic axis near 35 cm, with minor radii of 18-23 cm. Three separate spectrometers will be used for the diagnostic, giving the system great flexibility to simultaneously measure emission from multiple impurity lines. The viewing optics are f/1.8, allowing all of the spectrometers to be fully illuminated. Design and calibration of the system as well as the advantages of various configurations of the spectrometers will be highlighted.

Elliott, Drew↗

Charge exchange spectroscopy of multiply charged ions of industrial and astrophysical interest

Photon emission spectra have been measured in collisions of multiply charged ions with neutral target gases in keV collision energies. Extreme ultra-violet emission spectra of Xe and Sn ions have contributed to give the atomic data for the understanding of the light source plasmas for the next generation semiconductor lithography. And soft X-ray emission spectra of highly charged O ions have related to the solar wind charge exchange, and the results have been regarded as the useful data for the understanding the collisions of the solar wind ions with the neutral matter within the heliosphere.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Line Ratios for Solar Wind Charge Exchange with Comets

Charge exchange (CX) has emerged in X-ray emission modeling as a significant process that must be considered in many astrophysical environments—particularly comets. Comets host an interaction between solar wind ions and cometary neutrals to promote solar wind charge exchange (SWCX). X-ray observatories provide astronomers and astrophysicists with data for many X-ray emitting comets that are impossible to accurately model without reliable CX data. Here, we utilize a streamlined set of computer programs that incorporate the multi-channel Landau–Zener theory and a cascade model for X-ray emission to generate cross sections and X-ray line ratios for a variety of bare and non-bare ion single electron capture (SEC) collisions. Namely, we consider collisions between the solar wind constituent bare and H-like ions of C, N, O, Ne, Na, Mg, Al, and Si and the cometary neutrals H{sub 2}O, CO, CO{sub 2}, OH, and O. To exemplify the application of this data, we model the X-ray emission of Comet C/2000 WM1 (linear) using the CX package in SPEX and find excellent agreement with observations made with the XMM-Newton RGS detector. Our analyses show that the X-ray intensity is dominated by SWCX with H, while H{sub 2}O plays a secondary role. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that CX cross sections have been implemented into a X-ray spectral fitting package to determine the H to H{sub 2}O ratio in cometary atmospheres. The CX data sets are incorporated into the modeling packages SPEX and Kronos .

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Instrumentation for the upgrade to the JET core charge-exchange spectrometers

Charge-exchange spectroscopy on JET has become particularly challenging with the introduction of the ITER-like wall. The line intensities are weaker and contaminated by many nuisance lines. We have therefore upgraded the instrumentation to improve throughput and allow the simultaneous measurement of impurity and fuel-ion charge exchange by splitting the light between two pairs of imaging spectrometers using dichroic beam splitters. Imaging instruments allow us to stack 11 × 1 mm diameter fibres on the entrance slits without cross talk. CCD cameras were chosen to have 512 × 512 pixels to allow frame transfer times <0.2 ms which with minimum exposure times of 5 ms give tolerable smearing even without a chopper. The image plane is optically demagnified 2:1 to match the sensor size of these cameras. Because the image plane of the spectrometer is tilted, the CCD must also be tilted to maintain focus over the spectrum (Scheimpflug condition). To avoid transverse keystoning (causing the vertical height of the spectra to change across the sensor), the configuration is furthermore designed to be telecentric by a suitable choice of the lens separation. The lens configuration is built almost entirely from commercial off-the-shelf components, which allowed it to be assembled and aligned relatively rapidly to meet the deadline for in-vessel calibration in the JET shutdown.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

The character of resonant charge exchange involving highly excited atoms

We study the process of resonant charge exchange involving excited helium atoms with the principal quantum number n = 5 colliding with the helium ion in the ground state in the collision energy range from thermal up to 10 eV. This information may be important for the analysis of planet atmospheres containing helium, in particular, for Jupiter's atmosphere, but our basic interest is the transition from the quantum to classical description of this process, where, due to large cross sections, evaluations of the cross sections are possible. For the chosen process, quantum theory allows determining the cross section as a result of a tunnel electron transition, while classical theory accounts for over-barrier electron transitions. The classical theory additionally requires effective transitions between states with close energies. The analysis of these transitions for helium with n = 5 shows that electron momenta and their projections are mixed for a part of the states, while for other states, the mixing is absent. A simple criterion to separate such states is given. In addition, the main contribution to the cross section of resonant charge exchange follows from tunnel electron transitions. As a result, the quantum theory is better for calculating the cross sections of resonant charge exchange than the classical one and also allows finding the partial cross sections of resonant charge exchange, while the classical approach gives the cross section of resonant charge exchange in a simple manner with the accuracy of 20%.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

The loss rates of O{sup +} in the inner magnetosphere caused by both magnetic field line curvature scattering and charge exchange reactions

With consideration of magnetic field line curvature (FLC) pitch angle scattering and charge exchange reactions, the O{sup +} (>300 keV) in the inner magnetosphere loss rates are investigated by using an eigenfunction analysis. The FLC scattering provides a mechanism for the ring current O{sup +} to enter the loss cone and influence the loss rates caused by charge exchange reactions. Assuming that the pitch angle change is small for each scattering event, the diffusion equation including a charge exchange term is constructed and solved; the eigenvalues of the equation are identified. The resultant loss rates of O{sup +} are approximately equal to the linear superposition of the loss rate without considering the charge exchange reactions and the loss rate associated with charge exchange reactions alone. The loss time is consistent with the observations from the early recovery phases of magnetic storms.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Carbon charge exchange analysis in the ITER-like wall environment

Charge exchange spectroscopy has long been a key diagnostic tool for fusion plasmas and is well developed in devices with Carbon Plasma-Facing Components. Operation with the ITER-like wall at JET has resulted in changes to the spectrum in the region of the Carbon charge exchange line at 529.06 nm and demonstrates the need to revise the core charge exchange analysis for this line. An investigation has been made of this spectral region in different plasma conditions and the revised description of the spectral lines to be included in the analysis is presented.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Synthetic diagnostic for assessing spatial averaging of charge exchange recombination spectroscopy measurements

A synthetic charge exchange recombination spectroscopy diagnostic based on the FIDASIM modeling suite has been created for the DIII-D tokamak. This synthetic diagnostic assumes that the ions have Maxwellian distribution functions on each flux surface and models emission from charge exchange events between the beam neutrals and a fully ionized impurity. This work was motivated by the observation of non-Gaussian spectra that may be caused by spatial averaging, atomic physics, or non-Maxwellian distribution functions. Measurements of non-Gaussian spectra commonly observed in the high confinement mode pedestal and in plasmas with large core gradients are compared to the synthetic diagnostic. Spatial averaging alone cannot account for the observations in these two cases, opening up the possibility of there being other causes such as non-Maxwellian distribution functions. Here, the synthetic diagnostic has also been used to resolve a long-standing issue: it is shown that the lower temperatures measured by using vertical view chords relative to tangential view chords are due to increased spatial averaging for vertical views due to the DIII-D neutral beams being approximately twice as tall as they are wide.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Optimization and application of cooled avalanche photodiodes for spectroscopic fluctuation measurements with ultra-fast charge exchange recombination spectroscopy

The Ultra Fast Charge Exchange Recombination Spectroscopy (UF-CHERS) diagnostic is a highly specialized spectroscopic instrument with 2 spatial channels consisting of 8 spectral channels each and a resolution of ~0.25 nm deployed at DIII-D to measure turbulent ion temperature fluctuations. Charge exchange emissions are obtained between 528-530 nm with 1 μs time resolution to study plasma instabilities. A primary challenge of extracting fluctuation measurements from raw UF-CHERS signals is photon and electronic noise. In order to reduce dark current, the Avalanche Photodiode (APD) detectors are thermoelectrically cooled. State-of-the-art components are used for the signal amplifiers and conditioners to minimize electronic noise. Due to the low incident photon power (≤ 1 nW), APDs with a gain of up to 300 are used to optimize the signal to noise ratio. Maximizing the APDs’ gain while minimizing the excess noise factor (ENF) is essential since the total noise of the diagnostic sets a floor for the minimum level of detectable broadband fluctuations. The APDs’ gain should be high enough that photon noise dominates electronic noise, but not excessive so that the ENF overwhelms plasma fluctuations. A new generation of cooled APDs and optimized preamplifiers exhibits significantly enhanced signal-to-noise compared to a previous generation. Experiments at DIII-D have allowed for characterization and optimization of the ENF vs. gain. Here, a gain of ~100 at 1700 V is found to be near optimal for most plasma conditions. Ion temperature and toroidal velocity fluctuations due to the Edge Harmonic Oscillation (EHO) in Quiescent H-mode (QH) plasmas are presented to demonstrate UF-CHERS’ capabilities.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Evaluation of emission contributions from charge-exchange between the excited states of deuterium with He + during diagnostic of thermal helium gas beam injection and laser-induced fluorescence

Emission contributions from charge-exchange of excited deuterium ( n = 2, 3) with He + are evaluated in a1-D kinetic collisional radiative model in order to analyze their effects on the Thermal Helium Beam (THB) line-ratio diagnostic on ASDEX Upgrade and Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) He I density measurements in ITER. Recent charge-exchange calculations show that cross sections from excited deuterium ( n = 2, 3) with He + are over 4-orders of magnitude higher than those from the ground state ( n = 1) and occur at very low energies where they are more likely to interact with the thermal He + ions introduced by ionization of the diagnostic helium gas-puff injection. Higher densities of excited deuterium are typically present in the Scrape-Off Layer (SOL), divertor, and edge regions of tokamaks, where the LIF and THB helium diagnostics are typically used for n HeI and simultaneous determination of electron temperatures and densities and where contributions from charge-exchange emission may offset these values if not taken into account. The analysis presented in this work shows that due to the higher density of deuterium in the ground rather than in excited states and the divergent behavior of deuterium and He + density profiles along the SOL and edge regions, the deuterium-He + charge-exchange contributions to the helium puff emission are 3-orders of magnitude lower than those from electron-impact excitation. Similar plasma conditions are expected in the ITER divertor, with the exception that in the area near the strike-points and targets, the electron temperature is not high enough to excite from the ground state but deuterium, electron, and He + densities are high enough to dominate the emission from charge-exchange and recombination. These findings strengthen the assumption made in the present line-ratio model that helium emission from gas-puff into plasma is mainly dominated by electron-excitation. It is also shown that, in general, charge-exchange helium emission is 2-orders of magnitude higher than the emission due to recombination. Finally, these findings suggest the importance of including charge-exchange processes as a source of neutrals in ionic fractional abundance calculations in plasmas and helium-ash transport modeling in fusion reactors.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

X-ray Emission Measurements following Charge Exchange between C 6+ and He

X-ray spectra following charge exchange collisions between C6+ and He are presented for collision energies between 460 eV/u and 32,000 eV/u. Spectra were obtained at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory ion-atom merged-beams apparatus, using a microcalorimeter X-ray detector capable of fully resolving the C VI Lyman series lines through Ly-gamma. These line ratios are sensitive to the initial electron l-distribution and test our understanding of the charge exchange process. In addition, these line ratios are important for identifying charge exchange in astrophysical contexts involving the interaction of solar wind ions with neutrals. Our measurements are performed at collision velocities (300 km/s to 2500 km/s) which overlap most of the solar wind range. Additional data of this type can hopefully be combined with computations to provide an extensive set of reliable line ratios and absolute cross sections for the interpretation of a variety of astrophysical situations.

Defay, X↗

Observation of highly disparate $K$-shell x-ray spectra produced by charge exchange with bare mid-$Z$ ions

Here, we performed charge-exchange experiments with the electron-beam ion trap and an x-ray calorimeter spectrometer at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. We compare the relative strength of the high-n Lyman series emission for different combinations of ions and neutral gases. Theoretical predictions show good agreement with experimental data on the relative capture cross section as a function of principal quantum number n; however, the few published predictions of the distribution of captures as a function of orbital angular momentum l do not agree with experiments. Our experimental results show that the relative strength of high-n Lyman series emission varies more widely than previous experiments have found and models predict. We find that hardness ratios from charge exchange with helium and molecular hydrogen are more disparate than charge exchange with many-electron neutral species, which is likely due to differences in the relative importance of multielectron capture. We also find that there is no clear scaling of the hardness ratio with the ionization potential of the neutral species, the number of valence electrons in the neutral species, or the atomic number of the ion.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗