Progress of Lyman-alpha-based beam emission spectroscopy(Ly BES)diagnostic on the HL-2A tokamak

An edge Lyman-alpha-based beam emission spectroscopy(LyBES)diagnostic,using a heating NBI(neutral beam injection)system,is currently under development on the HL-2A tokamak.The 20-channel edge LyBES,which is intended to measure the density fluctuation in plasma edge(from R=1960 mm to R=2026 mm)with an improved spatial resolution of 3.3 mm,is a complement to the existing conventional beam emission spectroscopy(BES)diagnostic.In this article,we introduce the progress of LyBES diagnostic,including the collection optics,the monochromator,and the detector system.The reflectance of the collection mirrors is measured to be~82%at 122 nm,and the aberration geometrical radius of the collection optics is tested to be~150μm in the aimed area.The linear dispersion of the LyBES monochromator is designed to be~0.09 nm mm^(-1).The bandwidth of the detector system with the 5×10^(7)V A^(-1)preamplifier gain is measured to be~280 kHz,and the peak-to-peak noise of the detector system is tested to be~16 mV.The finalized design,components development and testing of the LyBES diagnostic have been completed at present,and an overall performance of the LyBES diagnostic is to be confirmed in the next HL-2A campaign.

Laboratory observation of electron energy distribution near three-dimensional magnetic nulls

The acceleration of electrons near three-dimensional(3D)magnetic nulls is crucial to the energy conversion mechanism in the 3D magnetic reconnection process.To explore electron acceleration in a 3D magnetic null topology,we constructed a pair of 3D magnetic nulls in the PKU Plasma Test(PPT)device and observed acceleration of electrons near magnetic nulls.This study measured the plasma floating potential and ion density profiles around the 3D magnetic null.The potential wells near nulls may be related to the energy variations of electrons,so we measured the electron distribution functions(EDFs)at different spatial positions.The axial variation of EDF shows that the electrons deviate from the Maxwell distribution near magnetic nulls.With scanning probes that can directionally measure and theoretically analyze based on curve fitting,the variations of EDFs are linked to the changes of plasma potential under 3D magnetic null topology.The kinetic energy of electrons accelerated by the electric field is 6 eV(v_(e)~7v_(Alfvén-e))and the scale of the region where accelerating electrons exist is in the order of serval electron skin depths.

Reconstruction of poloidal magnetic field profiles in field-reversed configurations with machine learning in laser-driven ion-beam trace probe

The diagnostic of poloidal magnetic field(B_(p))in field-reversed configuration(FRC),promising for achieving efficient plasma confinement due to its highβ,is a huge challenge because B_(p)is small and reverses around the core region.The laser-driven ion-beam trace probe(LITP)has been proven to diagnose the B_(p)profile in FRCs recently,whereas the existing iterative reconstruction approach cannot handle the measurement errors well.In this work,the machine learning approach,a fast-growing and powerful technology in automation and control,is applied to B_(p)reconstruction in FRCs based on LITP principles and it has a better performance than the previous approach.The machine learning approach achieves a more accurate reconstruction of B_(p)profile when 20%detector errors are considered,15%B_(p)fluctuation is introduced and the size of the detector is remarkably reduced.Therefore,machine learning could be a powerful support for LITP diagnosis of the magnetic field in magnetic confinement fusion devices.

Inward particle transport driven by biased endplate in a cylindrical magnetized plasma

The inward particle transport is associated with the formation of peaked density profiles,which contributes to improve the fusion rate and the realization of steady-state discharge.The active control of inward particle transport is considered as one of the most critical issues of magnetic confinement fusion.Recently,it is realized preliminarily by adding a biased endplate in the Peking University Plasma Test(PPT)device.The results reveal that the inward particle flux increases with the bias voltage of the endplate.It is also found that the profile of radial electric field(Er)shear is flattened by the increased bias voltage.Radial velocity fluctuations affect the inward particle more than density fluctuations,and the frequency of the dominant mode driving inward particle flux increases with the biased voltage applied to the endplate.The experimental results in the PPT device provide a method to actively control the inward particle flux using a biased endplate and enrich the understanding of the relationship between E_(r)×B shear and turbulence transport.

Preparation of a beam emission spectroscopy diagnostic based on a Lyman-alpha line to diagnose core and edge-plasma density fluctuation on the HL-2A tokamak

In this article,the design of a Lyman-alpha-based beam emission spectroscopy(LAB)diagnostic on the HL-2A tokamak has been proposed for the first time.The purpose of this novel diagnostic is to measure density fluctuations of tokamak plasma.The light-collection system of LAB,which consists of the first mirror and two groups of coaxial double-mirror telescopes,can realize a twosegmented viewing field ofρ=0–0.2 andρ=0.75–1,which is optimized to measure plasma density fluctuation,not only in the edge transport barrier region but also in the internal transport barrier region,to investigate the underlying physics of turbulence in tokamaks.Spectrometers are developed to separate out the Doppler-shifted target line(122.03 and 122.17 nm)from the background Lyman-alpha line(121.53 nm).Here,30 Core-LAB channels and 30 Edge-LAB channels are under development on the HL-2A tokamak.It has high radial spatial resolutions of about 2.7 mm and 3.3 mm for the core and edge channels,respectively.Taking the high light intensity of this Lyman-alpha line into account,temporal resolution of 200 k Hz can be ensured by broad bandwidth amplifiers.This high spatio-temporal resolution makes LAB a potential keen tool to experimentally investigate tokamak plasma physics.

Relationship of mode transitions and standing waves in helicon plasmas

Helicon wave plasma sources have the well-known advantages of high efficiency and high plasma density, with broad applications in many areas. The crucial mechanism lies with mode transitions, which has been an outstanding issue for years. We have built a fluid simulation model and further developed the Peking University Helicon Discharge code. The mode transitions, also known as density jumps, of a single-loop antenna discharge are reproduced in simulations for the first time. It is found that large-amplitude standing helicon waves(SHWs) are responsible for the mode transitions, similar to those of a resonant cavity for laser generation.This paper intends to give a complete and quantitative SHW resonance theory to explain the relationship of the mode transitions and the SHWs. The SHW resonance theory reasonably explains several key questions in helicon plasmas, such as mode transition and efficient power absorption, and helps to improve future plasma generation methods.

Experimental observation of the transport induced by ion Bernstein waves near the separatrix of magnetic nulls

The waves in a magnetic null could play important roles during 3D magnetic reconnection.Some preliminary clues in this paper show that the ion Bernstein wave(IBW)may be closely related to transport process in magnetic null region.The magnetic null configuration experiment reported here is set up in a linear helicon plasma device,Peking University plasma test device(PPT).The wave modes with frequencies between the first and third harmonics of local ion cyclotron frequency(w_(ci))are observed in the separatrix of magnetic null,which are identified as the IBW based on the dispersion relation.Further analysis shows that IBW could drive substantial particle flux across the magnetic separatrix.The theoretical radial particle flux driven by IBW and the measured parallel flow in PPT device are almost on the same order,which shows that IBW may play an important role during 3D reconnection process.

Conceptual design of Dipole Research Experiment(DREX)

A new terrella-like device for laboratory simulation of inner magnetosphere plasmas,Dipole Research Experiment,is scheduled to be built at the Harbin Institute of Technology（HIT）,China,as a major state scientific research facility for space physics studies.It is designed to provide a ground experimental platform to reproduce the inner magnetosphere to simulate the processes of trapping,acceleration,and transport of energetic charged particles restrained in a dipole magnetic field configuration.The scaling relation of hydromagnetism between the laboratory plasma of the device and the geomagnetosphere plasma is applied to resemble geospace processes in the Dipole Research Experiment plasma.Multiple plasma sources,different kinds of coils with specific functions,and advanced diagnostics are designed to be equipped in the facility for multi-functions.The motivation,design criteria for the Dipole Research Experiment experiments and the means applied to generate the plasma of desired parameters in the laboratory are also described.

Optical design of the Lyman alpha based beam emission spectroscopy (LAB) diagnostic on the HL-2A tokamak

In this article,we present the optical design of a novel diagnostic on the HL-2A tokamak,i.e.the 20-channel edge Lyman-alpha beam emission spectroscopy,which is a promising solution for edge density turbulence research on tokamaks,as it offers the possibility of density fluctuation measurement with a 3.3 mm spatial resolution while maintains a high temporal resolution of 1μs.The optical path,including the reflective collection optics,the high-dispersion spectrometer,and the linear detector array,is carefully optimized to obtain a good image quality and a high throughput.The maximum root mean square radius of the collection optics is 64μm.The detected photon flux is estimated to be about 1011 photons/s/channel.

Estimation of China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor performance and burning fraction in different pellet fueling scenarios by a multi-species radial transport model

Tritium self-sufficiency in future deuterium–tritium fusion reactors is a crucial challenge.As an engineering test reactor,the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor requires a burning fraction of 3%for the goal to test the accessibility to the future fusion plant.To self-consistently simulate burning plasmas with profile changes in pellet injection scenarios and to estimate the corresponding burning fraction,a one-dimensional multi-species radial transport model is developed in the BOUT++framework.Several pellet-fueling scenarios are then tested in the model.The results show that the increased fueling depth improves the burning fraction by particle confinement improvement and fusion power increase.Nevertheless,by increasing the depth,the pellet cooling-down may significantly lower the temperature in the core region.Taking the density perturbation into consideration,the reasonable parameters of the fueling scenario in these simulations are estimated as pellet radius r_(p)=3 mm,injection rate=4 Hz,and pellet injection velocity=1000–2000 m s^(-1) without drift or 450 m s^(-1) with high-field-side drift.

Effects of magnetic field on electron power absorption in helicon fluid simulation

In this study,a code,named Peking University Helicon Discharge(PHD),which can simulate helicon discharge processes under both a background magnetic field greater than 500 G and a pressure less than 1 Pa,is developed.In the code,two fluid equations are used.The PHD simulations led to two important findings:(1)the temporal evolution of plasma density with the background magnetic field exhibits a second rapid increase(termed as the second density jump),similar to the transition of modes in helicon plasmas;(2)in the presence of a magnetic field,the peak positions of electron power absorption appeared near the central axis,unlike in the case of no magnetic field.These results may lead to an enhanced understanding of the discharge mechanism.