Wave field structure and power coupling features of blue-core helicon plasma driven by various antenna geometries and frequencies

This paper deals with wave propagation and power coupling in blue-core helicon plasma driven by various antennas and frequencies.It is found that compared to non-blue-core mode,for blue-core mode,the wave can propagate in the core region,and it decays sharply outside the core.The power absorption is lower and steeper in radius for blue-core mode.Regarding the effects of antenna geometry for blue-core mode,it shows that half helix antenna yields the strongest wave field and power absorption,while loop antenna yields the lowest.Moreover,near axis,for antennas with m=+1,the wave field increases with axial distance.In the core region,the wave number approaches to a saturation value at much lower frequency for non-blue-core mode compared to blue-core mode.The total loading resistance is much lower for blue-core mode.These findings are valuable to understanding the physics of blue-core helicon discharge and optimizing the experimental performance of blue-core helicon plasma sources for applications such as space propulsion and material treatment.

等离子体覆盖金属目标的电磁散射特性

研究复杂等离子体目标电磁散射特性,需要采用高效的数值计算方法。为此,提出了一种分段线性递归卷积时域有限差分(PLRC-FDTD)算法及其在MPI+openMP并行计算模型中的高效实现方法,对不同等离子体参数和入射电磁波参数条件下等离子体覆盖金属目标的电磁散射特性进行了仿真计算。结果表明:当等离子体频率与入射波频率相近时,共振吸收占主导,反射率最低;等离子体层越厚,对电磁波的吸收越明显;对于特定参数的入射电磁波,可通过改变等离子体参数的方法来实现对电磁波的有效吸收,从而实现目标的主动隐身。

径向压力和温度分布对螺旋波等离子体波场和能量吸收影响研究

为了揭示螺旋波等离子体推力器中的等离子体源功率耦合机理,针对气体工质电离后被射频加热的稳态过程,考虑等离子体密度非均匀分布条件,采用三参数压力函数(fa,sp,tp)和温度函数(f_a,s_t,t_t)表示柱状等离子体内压力和温度的径向分布,分析了径向压力梯度、温度梯度对螺旋波等离子体内功率沉积、波电场、波磁场和电流密度的影响。考虑梯度为正,梯度为负和梯度为零三种梯度类型。结果发现:压力梯度为正时,螺旋波在等离子体临近壁面处的功率沉积减弱,但射频波透入深度增加,原因是靠近管壁处等离子体密度较低,RF波径向单位长度衰减较少,透入深度增加。温度梯度为负时,柱状等离子体中心处能量沉积变强,原因是管中心位置等离子体密度较大,电子温度较高,与RF波能量耦合增强;横向截面的电磁场、电流密度分布在不同压力和温度梯度下基本不变,证明了m=1模式的稳定性。

澳大利亚国立大学等离子体推进研究

介绍了澳大利亚国立大学在等离子体推进领域的发展历程、技术特色及其工作原理(螺旋波双层推进器—Helicon double layer thruster、双阶段4层栅格离子发动机—Dual stage 4 grid thruster、口袋火箭—Pocket rocket),主要装置及其特征参数(WOMBAT—Waves on magnetized beams and turbulence、WOMBAT XL、Chi Kung、Piglet)、诊断设备及其典型结果 (射频补偿朗缪尔探针、发射探针、B-dot磁探针、迟滞场能量分析仪、高灵敏度动量测量摆)以及研究成果、人才队伍、项目来源和国际合作等情况,并结合在等离子体推进领域的研究现状以及研究中遇到的科学技术问题,给出了针对性的建议和思考。

Effect of Radial Density Configuration on Wave Field and Energy Flow in Axially Uniform Helicon Plasma

The effect of the radial density configuration in terms of width, edge gradient and volume gradient on the wave field and energy flow in an axially uniform helicon plasma is studied in detail. A three-parameter function is employed to describe the density, covering uniform,parabolic, linear and Gaussian profiles. It finds that the fraction of power deposition near the plasma edge increases with density width and edge gradient, and decays in exponential and ＂bumpon-tail＂ profiles, respectively, away from the surface. The existence of a positive second-order derivative in the volume density configuration promotes the power deposition near the plasma core, which to our best knowledge has not been pointed out before. The transverse structures of wave field and current density remain almost the same during the variation of density width and gradient, confirming the robustness of the m=1 mode observed previously. However, the structure of the electric wave field changes significantly from a uniform density configuration, for which the coupling between the Trivelpiece-Gould（TG） mode and the helicon mode is very strong, to non-uniform ones. The energy flow in the cross section of helicon plasma is presented for the first time, and behaves sensitive to the density width and edge gradient but insensitive to the volume gradient. Interestingly, the radial distribution of power deposition resembles the radial profile of the axial component of current density, suggesting the control of the power deposition profile in the experiment by particularly designing the antenna geometry to excite a required axial current distribution.

氩气压力对螺旋波放电影响的发射光谱诊断及仿真研究

螺旋波等离子体源以其高电离效率与高密度优势受到多个领域的青睐。螺旋波放电高电离效率的机理或者功率耦合模式,一直是困扰该领域学者的难点之一,对于放电过程与特性的诊断则是揭示其物理机制的重要途径。光谱诊断能够克服介入式诊断手段对等离子体的干扰同时受等离子体烧蚀等弊端,且响应速度快、操作灵活。为研究螺旋波等离子体的放电特性以及气体压力的影响,开展了以氩气为工质气体的光谱实验研究,并针对实验开展了Helic程序数值模拟。通过改变光纤探头焦距调整径向诊断位置,得到谱线强度的径向分布。由氩原子4p-4s能级跃迁产生的谱线主要集中在740~920 nm区间,谱线相对强度较离子激发谱线较强。实验研究发现,在较低氩气压力范围(0.2 Pa< P Ar <1.0 Pa),随着压力增加,放电光强迅速增加,但是当压力增加到大于1.0 Pa之后,光强增长的趋势变缓,甚至部分谱线的相对强度不再增长,达到类饱和状态,朗缪尔探针测量得到离子密度变化趋势与其相似。光强分布在靠近径向边界处( r ≈4 cm)存在凸起,且随压力增加,该凸起分布更为明显。通过对电子温度的计算发现,压力增加到一定程度将影响放电均匀性。仿真结果显示,增大压力,功率沉积密度的径向分布逐渐向径向边界处积累,与实验观察到的谱线强度径向凸起相一致,螺旋波与TG波的耦合效率增加。随着气体压力的增加,Er的径向边界峰值降低,原因是波所受阻尼增强, TG波被有效地局限于径向较窄的边界处。电流密度轴向分量Jz在等离子体内部和边界处的峰值呈显著的减小趋势,可见,虽然压力增加一定程度上提高了等离子体密度,但却相应的减小了电离率,导致轴向电流密度受限。但是径向电流密度Jr却呈现先减小后增大的趋势,且增长幅度明显,综合来看,放电效率有所提高。可见适当增加气体压力,有助于提高放电的功率耦合效率和强度,增加等离子体密度。光强比值法是针对线性谱线参数计算的典型方法, Helic程序亦是专业领域内认可度很高的计算工具,结果可靠,分析方法具有可借鉴性。实验及仿真结果对于提高氩气工质下的螺旋波放电强度提供了一定的参考价值。

空间电推进的推力测量方法研究现状

在空间电推进的研发和规划中,推力的精确测量具有非常重要的意义。近年来,随着电推进复杂程度和任务难度的不断增加,对其推力性能评价技术及方法提出了更高的要求。针对该需求,介绍了当前空间电推进的推力测量方法及其工作原理、技术特点和应用案例。测力方式主要有直接测量和间接测量,其中直接测量主要包括天平式、扭转式、摆式,间接测量主要包括靶式和悬臂梁式。通过对比分析各种测力方式之间的区别和优缺点,为开发者的测力系统设计提供了相应的参考。对测力过程中的系统设计、系统标定、系统响应、系统响应的测量以及计算推力五个环节中可能出现的各种关键问题分别进行了详细阐述,并提出针对性的改进方法,同时结合空间电推进领域的发展趋势及其对推力测量的需求,为未来的研究给出了针对性的建议。

Preliminary computation of the gap eigenmode of shear Alfvén waves on the LAPD

Characterizing the gap eigenmode of shear Alfv′en waves(SAWs) and its interaction with energetic ions is important to the success of magnetically confined fusion. Previous studies have reported an experimental observation of the spectral gap of SAW on the on Large Plasma Device(LAPD)(Zhang et al. 2008 Phys. Plasmas 15 012103), a linear large plasma device(Gekelman et al. 1991 Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62 2875) possessing easier diagnostic access and lower cost compared with traditional fusion devices, and analytical theory and numerical gap eigenmode using ideal conditions(Chang 2014 Ph.D Thesis at Australian National University). To guide experimental implementation, the present work models the gap eigenmode of SAWs using exact LAPD parameters. A full picture of the wave field for previous experiment reveals that the previously observed spectral gap is not global but an axially local result. To form a global spectral gap, the number of magnetic mirrors has to be increased and stronger static magnetic field makes it clearer. Such a spectral gap is obtained for the magnetic field of B0(z) = 1.2 + 0.6 cos[2π(z-33.68)/3.63] with 7.74-m magnetic beach. By introducing two types of local defects(corresponding to Eθ(z0) = 0 and E’θ(z0) = 0 respectively), odd-parity and even-parity discrete eigenmodes are formed clearly inside the gap. The strength of these gap eigenmodes decreases significantly with collision frequency, which is consistent with previous studies. Parameter scans show that these gap eigenmodes can be even formed successfully for the field strength of B0(z) = 0.2 + 0.1 cos[2π(z-33.68)/3.63] and with only four magnetic mirrors, which are achievable by the LAPD at its present status. This work can serve as a strong motivation and direct reference for the experimental implementation of the gap eigenmode of SAWs on the LAPD and other linear plasma devices.

Influence of number and depth of magnetic mirror on Alfvnic gap eigenmode

Alfvnic gap eigenmode(AGE) can eject energetic particles from confinement and thereby threaten the success of magnetically controlled fusion. A low-temperature plasma cylinder is a promising candidate to study this eigenmode, due to easy diagnostic access and simple geometry, and the idea is to arrange a periodic array of magnetic mirrors along the plasma cylinder and introduce a local defect to break the field periodicity. The present work validates this idea by reproducing a clear AGE inside a spectral gap, and more importantly details the influence of the number and depth(or modulation factor)of magnetic mirror on the characteristics of AGE. Results show that AGE is suppressed by other modes inside the spectral gap when the number of magnetic mirrors is below a certain value, which leads to a weakened Bragg’s effect. The structure and frequency of AGE remain unchanged for a decreased number of magnetic mirrors, as long as this number is enough for the AGE formation. The width of spectral gap and decay constant(inverse of decay length) of AGE are linearly proportional to the depth of magnetic mirror, implying easier observation of AGE through a bigger mirror depth. The frequency of AGE shifts to a lower range with the depth increased, possibly due to the unfrozen plasma with field line and the invalidity of small-perturbation analysis. Nevertheless, it is exciting to find that the depth of field modulation can be increased to form AGE for a very limited number of magnetic mirrors. This is of particular interest for the experimental implementation of AGE on a low-temperature plasma cylinder with limited length.

Dynamic Control of Defective Gap Mode Through Defect Location

A one dimensional model is developed for defective gap mode（DGM）with two types of boundary conditions：conducting mesh and conducting sleeve.For a periodically modulated system without defect,the normalized width of spectral gaps equals to the modulation factor,which is consistent with previous studies.For a periodic system with local defects introduced by the boundary conditions,it shows that the conducting-mesh-induced DGM is always well confined by spectral gaps while the conducting-sleeve-induced DGM is not.The defect location can be a useful tool to dynamically control the frequency and spatial periodicity of DGM inside spectral gaps.This controllability can be potentially applied to the interaction between gap eigenmodes and energetic particles in fusion plasmas,and optical microcavities and waveguides in photonic crystals.

螺旋波等离子体原型实验装置中天线的优化设计与功率沉积

近年来,螺旋波等离子体源在核聚变条件下等离子体与材料的相互作用方面具有十分重要的研究意义.本文对高密度螺旋波等离子体原型实验装置(helicon physics prototype experiment, HPPX)中的螺旋波系统发射天线进行了优化设计,利用HELIC程序,对螺旋波的耦合和功率沉积与天线的类型、天线长度、运行频率等关键参数的相互关系作了数值模拟计算,进而给出了天线的最佳天线结构和物理尺寸.同时还分析了静磁场强度和轴心等离子体密度对功率沉积及其分布的影响,发现等离子体对螺旋波的吸收功率在多个静磁场和轴心密度处有不同的峰值功率点,且整体的耦合趋势随静磁场增大呈上升的趋势,而随轴心密度增大是下降的趋势;并根据这些仿真结果深入探讨了螺旋波等离子体的电离机制.为了进一步研究HPPX装置中螺旋波与等离子体耦合的问题,还给出了等离子体放电时的感生电磁场与电流密度的分布情况.本文工作可为HPPX装置上螺旋波天线设计和相关物理实验提供理论依据.

Particle flux characteristics of a compact high-field cascaded arc plasma device

A new compact cascaded arc device for plasma-wall interaction study is developed at the Institute of Plasma Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences.A magnetic field up to 0.8 T is achieved to confine plasmas in a 1.2 m long and 0.1 m diameter vacuum chamber.Gas fluid type analysis in this compact vacuum system was done under high particle flux condition.The gas pressure obtained by calculation was consistent with the measurement result.Continuous argon plasma discharge with ion flux of~0.5×10^(24)m^(-2)s^(-1)is successfully sustained for more than 1h.The effects of magnetic field configuration,gas flow rate,and discharge arc current on the ion flux to target were studied in detail.

Time-and-space resolved measurements of the emission uniformity of carbon fibre cathode in high-current pulsed discharge

The remaining challenges, confronting high-power microwave （HPM） sources and pulsed power generators, stim- ulate the developments of robust relativistic electron beam sources. This paper presents a carbon fibre cathode which is tested in a single pulsed power generator. The distribution and the development of cathode plasma are observed by time-and-space resolved diagnostics, and the uniformity of electron beam density is checked by taking x-ray images. A quasistationary behaviour of cathode plasma expansion is observed. It is found that the uniformity of the extracted electron beam is satisfactory in spite of individual plasma jets on the cathode surface. These results show that carbon fibre cathodes can provide a positive prospect for developing a high-quality electron beam.

Plasma characterization on carbon fiber cathode by spectroscopic diagnostics

This paper mainly investigates plasma characterization on carbon fiber cathodes with and without cesium iodide （CsI） coating powered by a - 300 ns, - 200 kV accelerating pulse. It was found that the CsI layers can not only improve the diode voltage, but also maintain a stable perveance. This indicates a slowly changed diode gap or a low cathode plasma expansion velocity. By spectroscopic diagnostics, in the vicinity of the cathode surface the average plasma density and temperature were found to be -3×10^14 cm^-3 and - 5 eV, respectively, for an electron current density of - 40 A/cm^2. Furthermore, there exists a multicomponent plasma expansion toward the anode. The plasma expansion velocity, corresponding to the carbon and hydrogen ions, is estimated to be - 1.5 cm/μs. Most notably, Cs spectroscopic line was obtained only at the distance - 0.5 mm from the cathode surface. Carbon and hydrogen ions are obtained up to the distance of 2.5 mm from the cathode surface. Cs ions almost remain at the vicinity of the cathode surface. These results show that the addition of CsI enables a slow cathode plasma expansion toward the anode, providing a positive prospect for developing long-pulse electron beam sources.

On the heating mechanism of electron cyclotron resonance thruster immerged in a non-uniform magnetic field

To study the heating mechanism of electron cyclotron resonance thruster(ECRT)immersed in a non-uniform magnetic field,experiments and simulations are performed based on an electron cyclotron resonance plasma source at ASIPP.It is found that the first harmonic of electron cyclotron resonance is essential for plasma ignition at high magnetic field(0.0875 T),while the plasma can sustain without the first and second harmonics of electron cyclotron resonance at low magnetic field(till 0.0170 T).Evidence of radial hollow density profile indicates that upper hybrid resonance,which has strong edge heating effect,is the heating mechanism of low-field ECRT.The heating mode transition from electron cyclotron resonance to upper hybrid resonance is also revealed.Interestingly,the evolutions of electron temperature and electron density with input power experience a‘delayed’jump,which may be correlated with the different power levels required for cyclotron and ionization.Moreover,when the field strength decreased,the variation of electron density behaves in an opposite trend with that of electron temperature,implying a possible competition of power deposition between them.The present work is of great interest for understanding the plasma discharge in ECRT especially immersed in a non-uniform magnetic field,and designing efficient ECRT using low magnetic field for economic space applications.

基于局域发射光谱的LEAD装置螺旋波等离子参数测量

发射光谱法是常见的用于诊断等离子体的光学诊断技术,然而,这项技术并不能在空间上分辨等离子体。为了以低成本得到高空间分辨率的等离子体参数,发展了局域发射光谱法。这是一种将光纤伸入等离子体中以采集光纤前端等离子体光谱学信息的高空间分辨率光学诊断技术。介绍了局域发射光谱法技术的原理,并在大型线性等离子体实验装置LEAD上用蚊香形射频天线激发了氩等离子体,并在不同的射频功率和径向位置下对比了局域发射光谱法测得的等离子体光强和朗缪尔探针测得的等离子体电子密度,同时观察到了在射频功率500 W左右等离子体从感性耦合放电模式到螺旋波模式的跳变。结果表明:局域发射光谱法测得的光强与实验室现有的朗缪尔探针测量的电子密度之间较强的正相关,证明了用光强表征电子密度的可靠性,和LEAD装置上现有的朗缪尔探针在不同的等离子体模式的诊断上互补。