Ion heat transport in electron cyclotron resonance heated L-mode plasma on the T-10 tokamak

Anomalous ion heat transport is analyzed in the T-10 tokamak plasma heated with electron cyclotron resonance heating(ECRH) in second-harmonic extra-ordinary mode. Predictive modeling with empirical scaling for Ohmical heat conductivity shows that in ECRH plasmas the calculated ion temperature could be overestimated, so an increase of anomalous ion heat transport is required. To study this effect two scans are presented: over the EC resonance position and over the ECRH power. The EC resonance position varies from the high-field side to the low-field side by variation of the toroidal magnetic field. The scan over the heating power is presented with on-axis and mixed ECRH regimes. Discharges with high anomalous ion heat transport are obtained in all considered regimes. In these discharges the power balance ion heat conductivity exceeds the neoclassical level by up to 10 times. The high ion heat transport regimes are distinguished by three parameters: the ratio Te/Ti, the normalized electron density gradient R/■, and the ion–ion collisionality νii~*. The combination of high Te/Ti, high νii~*, and R/■=6-10 results in values of normalized anomalous ion heat fluxes up to 10 times higher than in the low transport scenario.

Suppression of the m/n=2/1 tearing mode by electron cyclotron resonance heating on J-TEXT

Stabilization of tearing modes and neoclassical tearing modes is of great importance for tokamak operation.Electron cyclotron waves(ECWs)have been extensively used to stabilize the tearing modes with the virtue of highly localized power deposition.Complete suppression of the m/n=2/1 tearing mode(TM)by electron cyclotron resonance heating(ECRH)has been achieved successfully on the J-TEXT tokamak.The effects of ECW deposition location and power amplitude on the 2/1 TM suppression have been investigated.It is found that the suppression is more effective when the ECW power is deposited closer to the rational surface.As the ECW power increases to approximately 230 k W,the 2/1 TM can be completely suppressed.The island rotation frequency is increased when the island width is reduced.The experimental results show that the local heating inside the magnetic island and the resulting temperature perturbation increase at the O-point of the island play dominant roles in TM suppression.As the ECW power increases,the 2/1 island is suppressed to smaller island width,and the flow shear also plays a stabilizing effect on small magnetic islands.With the stabilizing contribution of heating and flow shear,the 2/1 TM can be completely suppressed.

Mechanical Analysis and Measurements of a Multicomponent NbTi/Cu Superconducting Magnets Structure for the Fully Superconducting Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source

A fully superconducting electron cyclotron resonance （ECR） ion source （SECRAL ID is currently being built in the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Its key components are three superconducting solenoids （Nb-Ti/Cu） and six superconducting sextupoles （Nb-Ti/Cu）. Different from the conventional supercon- ducting ECR magnetic structure, the SEC17AL Ⅱ includes three superconducting solenoid coils＇ that are located inside the superconducting sextupoles. The SECRAL Ⅱ can significantly reduce the interaction forces between the sextupole and the solenoids, and the magnets can also be more compact in size. For this multi-component SECRAL Ⅱ generating its self field of -8 T and being often exposed to the high self field, the mechanical analysis has become the main issue to keep their stress at 〈200 MPa on coils. The analytical and experimental results in mechanics are presented in the SECRAL Ⅱ structure. To improve the accuracy and efficiency of analysis, according to the composite rule of micromechanics, the equivalent uniform windings are used to simulate the epoxy-impregnated Nb-Ti/Cu coils. In addition, using low temperature strain gauges and a wireless fast strain acquisition system, a fundamental experiment on the based on our analysis, the stresses and deformations optimized. strains developments of a sextupole is reported. Finally, for its assembly of each SECRAL Ⅱ coil will be further

Study of runaway electron behaviour during electron cyclotron resonance heating in the HL-2A Tokamak

During the current flat-top phase of electron cyclotron resonance heating discharges in the HL-2A Tokamak, the behaviour of runaway electrons has been studied by means of hard x-ray detectors and neutron diagnostics. During electron cyclotron resonance heating, it can be found that both hard x-ray radiation intensity and neutron emission flux fall rapidly to a very low level, which suggests that runaway electrons have been suppressed by electron cyclotron resonance heating. From the set of discharges studied in the present experiments, it has also been observed that the efficiency of runaway suppression by electron cyclotron resonance heating was apparently affected by two factors： electroh cyclotron resonance heating power and duration. These results have been analysed by using a test particle model. The decrease of the toroidal electric field due to electron cyclotron resonance heating results in a rapid fall in the runaway electron energy that may lead to a suppression of runaway electrons. During electron cyclotron resonance heating with different powers and durations, the runaway electrons will experience different slowing down processes. These different decay processes are the major cause for influencing the efficiency of runaway suppression. This result is related to the safe operation of the Tokamak and may bring an effective control of runaway electrons.

A Polarizer with Sinusoidal Grooves in the Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating System of the HL-2A Tokamak

Theoretical calculation and experimental results for a polarizer with sinusoidal grooves used in the electron cyclotron resonance heating （ECRH） system of the HL-2A tokamak are presented. The calculation is based on an integral method developed in the vector theory of diffraction gratings, and the polarization characteristics obtained with a low-power test are in good agreement with the numerical calculated results. With the polarizer assembled in a miter bend in the ECRH transmission line, pure ordinary mode （O-mode） and extraordinary mode （X-mode） polarized waves are also expected in the high-power experiment, depending on the polarizer rotation angle and the toroidal injection angle of the electron cyclotron （EC） wave beam. Second-harmonic X-mode experiments were successfully explored in HL-2A. Experimental result revealed that the electron temperature increased from 0.8 keV （Ohmic heating phase） to 1.5 keV （second X-mode heating phase）.

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.

Electron Cyclotron Resonance Deposition of Wide Bandgap a-SiC:H Films Using Acetylene under High Hydrogen Dilution

The deposition of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC.H) films from a mixture of silane, acetylene and hydrogen gas using the electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapour deposition (ECR-CVD) process is reported. The variation of the deposition and film characteristics such as the deposition rate- optical bandgap, photoluminescence and the infra-red (IR) absorption as a function of the hydrogen dilution is investigated. The deposition rate increases to a maximum value of ~25 nm/min at a moderate hydrogen diIution ratio of ~20 [hydrogenflow (sccm)/acetylene+silane flow (sccm)], and decreases in response to a further increase in the hydrogen dilution. There is no strong dependence of the optical bandgap on the hydrogen dilution within the dilution range investigated (10 to 60), and the optical bandgap calculated from the E04 method varied marginally from ~2.85 eV to ~3.17 eV. The room temperaturephotoluminescence (PL) peak energy and intensity shows a prominent shift to a maximum value of ~2.17 eV corresponding to maximum PL intensity at a moderate hydrogen diIution of ~30.The PL intensity shows a strong dependence on the hydrogen dilution variation. IR absorption results show that films deposited at higher hydrogen dilution have more Si-C bonding.

Relative Irradiance Measurement and Bonding Configurations of Amorphous Fluorinated Carbon Films Deposited by Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma

a-C:F films are deposited by microwave electron cyclotron resonance (ECR)plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using trifluoromethane (CHF3) and benzene (C6H6) as source gases at different microwave powers. The radicals in plasma originating from source gases dissociation are analyzed by relative irradiance measurement. The bonding configurations and binding state of a-C:F films are measured with Fourier-transformed infrared spectrometer (FTIR) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that a-C:F films are mainly composed of CF radical at lower powers but of CF2 radical at higher powers. The deposition of films is related to the radicals generated in plasma and the main bonding configurations are dependent on the ratio of CF to CF2 radicals in films.

Simulation of nonlinear behavior in an electron cyclotron resonance plasma

Some nonlinear behavior in electron cyclotron resonance plasma was investigated using a two-dimension hybrid-mode with self-consistent microwave absorption. The saturation,oscillations of plasma parameters (plasma density, potential, electron temperature) versus operating conditions (pressure, power) are discussed. Our simulation results are consistent qualitatively with many experimental measurements.

Correlation ofⅢ/Ⅴsemiconductor etch results with physical parameters of high-density reactive plasmas excited by electron cyclotron resonance

Reactive ion etching is the interaction of reactive plasmas with surfaces. To obtain a detailed understanding of this process, significant properties of reactive composite low-pressure plasmas driven by electron cyclotron resonance（ECR） were investigated and compared with the radial uniformity of the etch rate. The determination of the electronic properties of chlorine-and hydrogen-containing plasmas enabled the understanding of the pressure-dependent behavior of the plasma density and provided better insights into the electronic parameters of reactive etch gases. From the electrical evaluation of I（V） characteristics obtained using a Langmuir probe,plasmas of different compositions were investigated. The standard method of Druyvesteyn to derive the electron energy distribution functions by the second derivative of the I（V）characteristics was replaced by a mathematical model which has been evolved to be more robust against noise, mainly, because the first derivative of the I（V） characteristics is used. Special attention was given to the power of the energy dependence in the exponent. In particular, for plasmas that are generated by ECR with EM modes, the existence of Maxwellian distribution functions is not to be taken as a self-evident fact, but the bi-Maxwellian distribution was proven for Ar-and Kr-stabilized plasmas. In addition to the electron temperature, the global uniform discharge model has been shown to be useful for calculating the neutral gas temperature. To what extent the invasive method of using a Langmuir probe could be replaced with the noninvasive optical method of emission spectroscopy, particularly actinometry, was investigated,and the resulting data exhibited the same relative behavior as the Langmuir data. The correlation with etchrate data reveals the large chemical part of the removal process—most striking when the data is compared with etching in pure argon. Although the relative amount of the radial variation of plasma density and etch rate is approximately ？5%, the etch rate shows a slightly concave shape in contrast to the plasma density.

Electron Cyclotron Harmonic Wave Heating in Tokamak Plasmas with Different Polarization Modes

Electron cyclotron heating on HL-2A has been simulated by TORAY-GA with a second harmonic extraordinary wave and a fundamental ordinary wave. The results show that the wave absorption of the second harmonic extraordinary wave is better than that of the fundamental ordinary wave. In order to understand the interaction mechanism between electrons and the two different polarization modes, the energy exchange between electrons and the two modes are theoretically analyzed, and it is found that the coupling intensity described by the Bessel function and different polarizations of the two modes are the main reasons leading to the above phenomenon. The theoretical results of this study fit well with the simulated and numerical results.

The research progress of an E//B neutral particle analyzer

An E//B neutral particle analyzer(NPA)has been designed and is under development at Sichuan University and Southwestern Institute of Physics.The main purpose of the E//B NPA is to measure the distribution function of fast ions in the HL-2A/3 tokamak.The E//B NPA contains three main units,i.e.the stripping unit,the analyzing unit and the detection unit.A gas stripping chamber was adopted as the stripping unit.The results of the simulations and beam tests for the stripping chamber are presented.Parallel electric and magnetic fields provided by a NdFeB permanent magnet and two parallel electric plates were designed and constructed for the analyzing unit.The calibration of the magnetic and electric fields was performed using a 50 kV electron cyclotron resonance ion source(ECRIS)platform.The detection unit consists of 32lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate(LYSO)detector modules arranged in two rows.The response functions ofα,hydrogen ions(H^(+),H_(2)^(+)and H_(3)^(+))andγfor a detector module were measured with^(241)Am,^(137)Cs and^(152)Eu sources together with the 50 kV ECRIS platform.The overall results indicate that the designed E//B NPA device is capable of measuring the intensity of neutral hydrogen and deuteron atoms with energy higher than 20 keV.

Deposition of High Quality GaN Film Under High ECR Plasma Density

Aim To investigate the influence of ion density( n i) on the deposition of wurtzite GaN films on the substrate of α Al 2O 3(0001) by electron cyclotron resonance plasma. Methods Langmuir probe measurement, Double crystal X ray diffraction and Hall measurement were used. Results The quality of GaN film strongly depended on its growth condition. The higher ion density resulted in a higher amount ratio of N/Ga and a lower background electron concentration of GaN film. When the GaN was prepared in the ion density of 2 0×10 11 cm -3 , the amount ratio of N/Ga was close to 1, the electron background density was 3 7×10 18 cm -3 and its full width at half magnitude(FWHM) was 16?arcmin. Conclusion The quality of GaN film can be improved by raising the plasma density.

Particle Simulation of Three-Grid ECR Ion Thruster Optics and Erosion Prediction

Ion optics is a critical component of ion thrusters. A two-dimensional axisymmetric model is developed to study the characteristics of three-grid electron cyclotron resonance ion thruster optics. The code is based on a particle-in-cell combined with the Monte Carlo collision method to simulate ion dynamics and charge-exchange processes in the grid region. The simulation results show that the mode can give a reasonable estimate of the physics characteristics of the ion optics. The design of the ion optics satisfies the requirement of preventing electron backstreaming. Charge-exchange ions can cause damage to the grids, especially to the accelerator grid. ＇Barrel＇ erosion can increase the accelerator grid aperture radius at a rate of 1.91~ 10-11 m/s, while the decelerator grid plays an important role in reducing ＇pits-and-grooves＇ erosion.

Interaction between plasma and electromagnetic field in ion source of 10 cm ECR ion thruster

Through diagnosing the plasma density and calculating the intensity of microwave electric field,four 10 cm electron cyclotron resonance(ECR)ion sources with different magnetic field structures are studied to reveal the inside interaction between the plasma,magnetic field and microwave electric field.From the diagnosing result it can be found that the plasma density distribution is controlled by the plasma generation and electron loss volumes associated with the magnetic field and microwave power level.Based on the cold plasma hypothesis and diagnosing result,the microwave electric field intensity distribution in the plasma is calculated.The result shows that the plasma will significantly change the distribution of the microwave electric field intensity to form a bow shape.From the boundary region of the shape to the center,the electric field intensity varies from higher to lower and the diagnosed density inversely changes.If the bow and its inside lower electric field intensity region are close to the screen grid,the performance of ion beam extracting will be better.The study can provide useful information for the creating of 10 cm ECR ion source and understanding its mechanism.

Practical 2.45-GHz microwave-driven Cs-free Hˉ ion source developed at Peking University

A practical 2.45-GHz microwave-driven Cs-free H^- source was improved based on the experimental H^- source at Peking University（PKU）. Several structural improvements were implemented to meet the practical requirements of Xi＇an Proton Application Facility（XiPaf）. Firstly, the plasma chamber size was optimized to enhance the plasma intensity and stability. Secondly, the filter magnetic field and electron deflecting magnetic field were enhanced to reduce co-extracted electrons. Thirdly, a new two-electrode extraction system with farther electrode gap and enhanced water cooling ability to diminish spark and sputter during beam extraction was applied. At last, the direct H^- current measuring method was adopted by the arrangement of a new pair of bending magnets before Faraday cup（FC） to remove residual electrons. With these improvements, electron cyclotron resonance（ECR） magnetic field optimization experiments and operation parameter variation experiments were carried out on the H^- ion source and a maximum 8.5-mA pure H^- beam was extracted at 50 kV with the time structure of 100 Hz/0.3 ms. The root-mean-square（RMS） emittance of the beam is 0.25 Π·mm·mrad. This improved H^- source and extraction system were maintenance-free for more than 200 hours in operation.

Understanding hydrogen plasma processes based on the diagnostic results of 2.45 GHz ECRIS at Peking University

Optical emission spectroscopy（OES）, as a simple in situ method without disturbing the plasma, has been performed for the plasma diagnosis of a 2.45 GHz permanent magnet electron cyclotron resonance（PMECR） ion source at Peking University（PKU）. A spectrum measurement platform has been set up with the quartz-chamber electron cyclotron resonance（ECR） ion source [Patent Number： ZL 201110026605.4] and experiments were carried out recently. The electron temperature and electron density inside the ECR plasma chamber have been measured with the method of line intensity ratio of noble gas. Hydrogen plasma processes inside the discharge chamber are discussed based on the diagnostic results. What is more, the superiority of the method of line intensity ratio of noble gas is indicated with a comparison to line intensity ratio of hydrogen. Details will be presented in this paper.

Study and Design of a High-Frequency Interaction Cavity for a 140 GHz Megawatts Gyrotron

The gyrotron is one of the most promising high-power millimeter-wave sources for electron cyclotron resonance heating（ECRH） in controlled thermal nuclear fusion experiments.In this paper,the design of a high-frequency interaction cavity of a 1 MW/140 GHz gyrotron is described in detail.The cavity is designed by using eigen mode analysis and radio frequency（RF） behavior calculation.Rounded transitions at the input and output tapers are designed for reducing mode conversion.With the obtained cavity structure,non-linear self-consistent equations are adopted to calculate its output power and efficiency.A particle-in-cell（PIC） method is used to simulate the beam-wave interaction process for obtaining the resonant frequency and output power of the cavity.The PIC simulation results match considerably well with the results obtained by the non-linear self-consistent calculation.The cavity is currently under construction and will be integrated with other components for overall testing.

Development of plasma sources for Dipole Research EXperiment(DREX)

Dipole Research EXperiment（DREX） is a new terrella device as part of the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility（SPERF） for laboratory studies of space physics relevant to the inner magnetospheric plasmas. Adequate plasma sources are very important for DREX to achieve its scientific goals. According to different research requirements, there are two density regimes for DREX. The low density regime will be achieved by an electron cyclotron resonance（ECR） system for the ‘whistler/chorus＇ wave investigation, while the high density regime will be achieved by biased cold cathode discharge for the desired ‘Alfvén＇ wave study. The parameters of ‘whistler/chorus＇ waves and ‘Alfvén＇ waves are determined by the scaling law between space and laboratory plasmas in the current device. In this paper, the initial design of these two plasma sources for DREX is described. Focus is placed on the chosen frequency and operation mode of the ECR system which will produce relatively low density ‘artificial radiation belt＇ plasmas and the seed electrons, followed by the design of biased cold cathode discharge to generate plasma with high density.

Simulation of ECR Startup and Comparison with Experimental Observations in SUNIST

Transient process of ECR startup in SUNIST is analyzed and simulated in a one- dimensional model. Contributions from the generation, drift, diffusion and loss of electrons are taken into account in the model and estimated from experimental parameters, e.g., toroidal field, vertical field and gas filling pressure. Typical discharges are simulated with the conditions close to the experimental ones. Experimental and simulated results are comparable qualitatively in amplitudes and semi-quantitatively in time. From the results it is confirmed that the transient process of ECR startup ill SUNIST is dominated, as preliminarily deduced from experimental observations, by a pair of exclusive factors, namely the absorption, due to gas ionization, and the reflection of microwave, caused by the shift of over dense plasmas due to outward E x B drift. In addition to these two factors, electron loss along the field line is also very important in determining the character of discharges.