The Progress of a Microbeam Facility in the Institute of Plasma Physics

The progress of a microbeam facility in the Institute of Plasma Physics was discussed in this paper. This kind of equipment can supply single-particle beam which may be implanted into cells in micrometer-radius and measured by a new outstanding detector among global microbeam systems. Measurements by some plain targets showed that the highest current after the accelerator tube can be larger than 20 /μA, the H_2^+ current before the second bending magnet is near 0.9 /μA, the current after the second bending magnet is near 0.8 μA, and the current of the beam line (after a 2-mm diameter aperture) is near 0.25 nA which is enough for the single-particle microbeam experiment. It took scientists 3 months to do their microbeam experiment after setting up the accelerator beam line and get the microbeam from this equipment. Two pre-collimators were installed between the 2-mm diameter aperture and the collimator to survey the beam. Tracks on the CR39 film etched in the solution of NaOH showed that the beam can go through the collimator including a 10 μm diameter aperture and the 3.5 μm thick vacuum sealing film (Mylar). A new method, which is called optimization of the beam quality, was put forward in this paper, in order to get smaller diameter of beam-spot in microbeam system.

The Experiment of Obtaining Micron Beam in the Single-Particle Microbeam Facility of the Institute of Plasma Physics

The Experiments, methods and results of obtaining micron beam in the Microbeam Facility of the Institute of Plasma Physics were discussed in this paper. The H+2 beam was accelerated by the Van de GraafF electrostatic accelerator, and the collimator at the end of the beam line is a 60 μm thick stainless steel chip. And as a result, particle tracks on the solid track probes (CR39 film) etched in the solution of NaOH showed that the beam can go through the collimator with a small aperure (2000, 300, 55, 30, or 10 μm) and 3.5 μm thick vacuum film (Mylar). Besides the CR39 method, the beam was measured by an energy spectrum detector after the 10 μm diameter aperture and the 3.5 μm thick vacuum film too.

Impact of T_(i)/T_(e )ratio on ion transport based on EAST H-mode plasmas

At the EAST tokamak, the ion temperature(T_(i)) is observed to be clamped around 1.25 keV in electron cyclotron resonance(ECR)-heated plasmas, even at core electron temperatures up to 10 keV(depending on the ECR heating power and the plasma density). This clamping results from the lack of direct ion heating and high levels of turbulence-driven transport. Turbulent transport analysis shows that trapped electron mode and electron temperature gradient-driven modes are the most unstable modes in the core of ECR-heated H-mode plasmas. Nevertheless, recently it was found that the T_(i)/T_(e)ratio can increase further with the fraction of the neutral beam injection(NBI) power, which leads to a higher core ion temperature(Ti0). In NBI heating-dominant H-mode plasmas, the ion temperature gradient-driven modes become the most unstable modes.Furthermore, a strong and broad internal transport barrier(ITB) can form at the plasma core in high-power NBI-heated H-mode plasmas when the T_(i)/T_(e)ratio approaches ~1, which results in steep core Teand Tiprofiles, as well as a peaked neprofile. Power balance analysis shows a weaker Teprofile stiffness after the formation of ITBs in the core plasma region, where Ticlamping is broken,and the core Tican increase further above 2 keV, which is 80% higher than the value of Ticlamping in ECR-heated plasmas. This finding proposes a possible solution to the problem of Ticlamping on EAST and demonstrates an advanced operational regime with the formation of a strong and broad ITB for future fusion plasmas dominated by electron heating.

Comparative analysis of microstructure,mechanical,and corrosion properties of biodegradable Mg-3Y alloy prepared by selective laser melting and spark plasma sintering

This work explored possibilities of biodegradable magnesium alloy Mg-3Y preparation by two modern powder metallurgy techniques–spark plasma sintering(SPS)and selective laser melting(SLM).The powder material was consolidated by both methods utilising optimised parameters,which led to very low porosity(∼0.3%)in the SLM material and unmeasurably low porosity in the SPS material.The main aim of the study was the thorough microstructure characterisation and interrelation between the microstructure and the functional properties,such as mechanical strength,deformability,and corrosion resistance.Both materials showed comparable strength of∼110 MPa in tension and compression and relatively good deformability of∼9%and∼21%for the SLM and SPS materials,respectively.The corrosion resistance of the SPS material in 0.1 M NaCl solution was superior to the SLM one and comparable to the conventional extruded material.The digital image correlation during loading and the cross-section analysis of the corrosion layers revealed that the residual porosity and large strained grains have the dominant negative effect on the functional properties of the SLM material.On the other hand,one of the primary outcomes of this study is that the SPS consolidation method is very effective in the preparation of the W3 biodegradable alloy,resulting in material with convenient mechanical and degradation properties that might find practical applications.

Cleaning of two mirrors in the first mirror unit using radiofrequency capacitively coupled plasma

First mirror(FM)cleaning,using radio frequency(RF)plasma,has been proposed to recover FM reflectivity in nuclear fusion reactors such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor(ITER).To investigate the influence of simultaneous cleaning of two mirrors on mirror cleaning efficiency and uniformity,experiments involving single-mirror cleaning and dual-mirror cleaning were conducted using RF capacitively coupled plasma in the laboratory.For the test and simultaneous cleaning of two mirrors,the FM and second mirror(SM),both measuring 110 mm×80 mm,were placed inside the first mirror unit(FMU).They were composed of 16 mirror samples,each with a dimension of 27.5 mm×20 mm.These mirror samples consist of a titanium-zirconium-molybdenum alloy substrate,a 500 nm Mo intermediate layer and a 30 nm Al_(2)O_(3) surface coating as a proxy for Be impurities.The cleaning of a single first mirror(SFM)and the simultaneous cleaning of the FM and SM(DFM and DSM)lasted for 9 h using Ar plasma at a pressure of 1 Pa.The total reflectivity of mirror samples on the DSM did not fully recover and varied with location,with a self-bias of−140 V.With a self-bias of−300 V,the total reflectivity of mirror samples on the SFM and DFM was fully recovered.The energy dispersive spectrometer results demonstrated that the Al_(2)O_(3) coating had been completely removed from these mirror samples.However,the mass loss of each mirror sample on the SFM and DFM before and after cleaning varied depending on its location,with higher mass loss observed for mirror samples located in the corners and lower loss for those in the center.Compared with SM cleaning,the simultaneous cleaning of two mirrors reduced the difference between the highest and lowest mass loss.Furthermore,this mass loss for the mirror samples of the DFM facing the DSM was increased.This indicated that mirror samples cleaned face to face in the FMU simultaneously could influence each other,highlighting the need for special attention in future studies.

Effects of vacuum magnetic field region on the compact torus trajectory in a tokamak plasma

The trajectory of the compact torus(CT)within a tokamak discharge is crucial to fueling.In this study,we developed a penetration model with a vacuum magnetic field region to accurately determine CT trajectories in tokamak discharges.This model was used to calculate the trajectory and penetration parameters of CT injections by applying both perpendicular and tangential injection schemes in both HL-2A and ITER tokamaks.For perpendicular injection along the tokamak's major radius direction from the outboard,CTs with the same injection parameters exhibited a 0.08 reduction in relative penetration depth when injected into HL-2A and a 0.13reduction when injected into ITER geometry when considering the vacuum magnetic field region compared with cases where this region was not considered.In addition,we proposed an optimization method for determining the CT's initial injection velocity to accurately calculate the initial injection velocity of CTs for central fueling in tokamaks.Furthermore,this paper discusses schemes for the tangential injection of CT into tokamak discharges.The optimal injection angle and CT magnetic moment direction for injection into both HL-2A and ITER were determined through numerical simulations.Finally,the kinetic energy loss occurring when the CT penetrated the vacuum magnetic field region in ITER was reduced byΔEk=975.08 J by optimizing the injection angle for the CT injected into ITER.These results provide valuable insights for optimizing injection angles in fusion experiments.Our model closely represents actual experimental scenarios and can assist the design of CT parameters.

Experimental Investigations of Quasi-Coherent Micro-Instabilities in J-TEXT Ohmic Plasmas

Quasi-coherent micro-instabilities is one of the key topics of magnetic confinement fusion. This work focuses on the quasi-coherent spectra of ion temperature gradient(ITG) and trapped-electron-mode instabilities using newly developed far-forward collective scattering measurements within ohmic plasmas in the J-TEXT tokamak.The ITG mode is characterized by frequencies ranging from 30 to 100 k Hz and wavenumbers(k_(θρs)) less than 0.3. Beyond a critical plasma density threshold, the ITG mode undergoes a bifurcation, which is marked by a reduction in frequency and an enhancement in amplitude. Concurrently, enhancements in ion energy loss and degradation in confinement are observed. This ground-breaking discovery represents the first instance of direct experimental evidence that establishes a clear link between ITG instability and ion thermal transport.

High-intensity laser-driven secondary radiation sources using the ZEUS 45 TW laser system at the Institute of Plasma Physics and Lasers of the Hellenic Mediterranean University Research Centre

The rapid development of high-intensity laser-generated particle and photon secondary sources has attracted widespread interest during the last 20 years not only due to fundamental science research but also because of the important applications of this developing technology.For instance,the generation of relativistic particle beams,betatron-type coherent X-ray radiation and high harmonic generation have attracted interest from various fields of science and technology owing to their diverse applications in biomedical,material science,energy,space,and security applications.In the field of biomedical applications in particular,laser-driven particle beams as well as laser-driven X-ray sources are a promising field of study.This article looks at the research being performed at the Institute of Plasma Physics and Lasers(IPPL)of the Hellenic Mediterranean University Research Centre.The recent installation of the ZEUS 45 TW laser system developed at IPPL offers unique opportunities for research in laser-driven particle and X-ray sources.This article provides information about the facility and describes initial experiments performed for establishing the baseline platforms for secondary plasma sources.

Linear analysis of plasma pressure-driven mode in reversed shear cylindrical tokamak plasmas

The linear behavior of the dominant unstable mode(m=2,n=1)and its high order harmonics(m=2n,n≥2)are numerically investigated in a reversed magnetic shear cylindrical plasma with two q=2 rational surfaces on the basis of the non-reduced magnetohydrodynamics(MHD)equations.The results show that with low beta(beta is defined as the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic field pressure),the dominant mode is a classical double tearing mode(DTM).However,when the beta is sufficiently large,the mode is driven mainly by plasma pressure.In such a case,both the linear growth rate and mode structures are strongly affected by pressure,while almost independent of the resistivity.This means that the dominant mode undergoes a transition from DTM to pressure-driven mode with the increase of pressure,which is consistent with the experimental result in ASDEX Upgrade.The simulations also show that the distance between two rational surfaces has an important influence on the pressure needed in mode transition.The larger the distance between two rational surfaces,the larger the pressure for driving the mode transition is.Motivated by the phenomena that the high-m modes may dominate over low-m modes at small inter-resonance distance,the high-m modes with different pressures and q profiles are studied too.

Investigation of electron cyclotron wave absorption and current drive in CFETR hybrid scenario plasmas

The investigation of electron cyclotron(EC)wave absorption and current drive has been performed for the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor(CFETR)hybrid scenarios using the TORAY code.To achieve the physics goal of the EC system in CFETR,a total of four wave frequency values and nine locations of launching antennas have been considered,and the injection poloidal and toroidal angles have been scanned systematically.The electron cyclotron current drive(ECCD)efficiency of the 170 GHz EC system is quite low due to the wave-particle interactions being located at the low-field side.To optimize the ECCD efficiency,the wave frequency is increased up to 221–250 GHz,which leads to the power being deposited at the high-field side.The off-axis ECCD efficiency can be significantly enhanced by launching EC waves from the top window and injecting them towards the high-field side.The optimized ECCD efficiency atρ=0.32 and atρ=0.4 is 2.9 and 2.2 times that of 170 GHz,respectively.

Quasi-coherent mode in core plasma of SUNIST spherical tokamak

A quasi-coherent(QC)mode was observed in the core region of low-density ohmic plasmas in Sino-UNIted Spherical Tokamak.In experiments on the QC mode,two sets of moveable Langmuir probes(LPs)were used to measure the local parameters including floating potential,electron temperature,electron density,and so on,as well as their profiles.To monitor the magnetohydrodynamic activities,a Mirnov probe was used to measure the poloidal magnetic fluctuation.The QC mode can be seen in the spectra of floating potential,but there is no similar peak in the spectra of magnetic fluctuation.Thus,the QC mode is probably electrostatic.By analyzing the electrostatic potential fluctuations from the LPs,the features of the QC mode including frequency,wavenumber,propagation direction,and dependence on collisionality are identified,which are consistent with the characteristics of dissipative trapped electron mode.

Prediction of multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge movement in density-limit disruptive plasmas on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak using random forest

Multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge(MARFE) movement which can cause density limit disruption is often encountered during high density operation on many tokamaks. Therefore, identifying and predicting MARFE movement is meaningful to mitigate or avoid density limit disruption for the steady-state high-density plasma operation. A machine learning method named random forest(RF) has been used to predict the MARFE movement based on the density ramp-up experiment in the 2022’s first campaign of Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST). The RF model shows that besides Greenwald fraction which is the ratio of plasma density and Greenwald density limit, dβp/dt,H98and d Wmhd/dt are relatively important parameters for MARFE-movement prediction. Applying the RF model on test discharges, the test results show that the successful alarm rate for MARFE movement causing density limit disruption reaches ~ 85% with a minimum alarm time of ~ 40 ms and mean alarm time of ~ 700 ms. At the same time, the false alarm rate for non-disruptive and non-density-limit disruptive discharges can be kept below 5%. These results provide a reference to the prediction of MARFE movement in high density plasmas, which can help the avoidance or mitigation of density limit disruption in future fusion reactors.

Hybrid simulation of q=1 high-order harmonics driven by passing energetic particles in tokamak plasmas

High-order harmonics q(ψ_(s))=1 energetic particle modes(EPMs)have been observed in toroidal plasmas experiments with neutral beam injection.To investigate these phenomena,linear properties and nonlinear dynamics of these EPMs driven by passing energetic particles(EPs)are studied via the global hybrid kinetic-magnetohydrodynamic code M3D-K.Simulation results demonstrate that passing EPs'effects on high mode-number harmonics(q(ψ_(s))=m/n=2/2,3/3,4/4)instability are more obvious than the q(ψ_(s))=1/1 mode,especially when q-profile is sufficiently flat in the core region.Furthermore,the effects of the pitch angleΛ_0 and beam ion pressure P_(hot)/P_(total)on the features of high n components are also analyzed specifically.It is found that there exists only one resonant condition for these EPMs.In the nonlinear phase,these high mode-number harmonics can induce significant energetic ions redistribution and chirping up phenomena,which differs from the classical fishbone excited by passing EPs.These discoveries are conducive to better apprehend the underlying physical mechanisms of the highorder harmonics driven by passing EPs.

SOLPS-ITER drift modeling of neon impurity seeded plasmas in EAST with favorable and unfavorable toroidal magnetic field direction

To better understand divertor detachment and asymmetry in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST),drift modeling via the comprehensive edge plasma code SOLPS-ITER of neon impurity seeded plasmas in favorable/unfavorable toroidal magnetic field(BT)has been performed.Firstly,electrostatic potential/field(f/E)distribution has been analyzed,to make sure that f and E are correctly described and to better understand drift-driven processes.After that,drift effects on divertor detachment and asymmetry have been focused on.In accordance with the corresponding experimental observations,simulation results demonstrate that in favorable BTthe onset of detachment is highly asymmetric between the inner and outer divertors;and reversing BT can significantly decrease the magnitude of in-out asymmetry in the onset of detachment,physics reasons for which have been explored.It is found that,apart from the well-known E×B drift particle flow from one divertor to the other through the private flux region,scrape-off layer(SOL)heat flow,which is much more asymmetrically distributed between the high field side and low field side for favorable BTthan that for unfavorable B_T,is also a critical parameter affecting divertor detachment and asymmetry.During detachment,upstream pressure(P_u)reduction occurs and tends to be more dramatical in the colder side than that in the hotter side.The convective SOL heat flow,emerging due to in-out asymmetry in P_u reduction,is found to be critical for understanding divertor detachment and asymmetry observed in EAST.To better understand the calculated drastic power radiation in the core and upstream SOL,drift effects on divertor leakage/retention of neon in EAST with both BTdirections have been addressed for the first time,by analyzing profile of poloidal neon velocity and that of neon ionization source from atoms.This work can be a reference for future numeric simulations performed more closely related to experimental regimes.

Comparison of different noble gas injections by massive gas injection on plasma disruption mitigation on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

Massive gas injection(MGI)is a traditional plasma disruption mitigation method.This method directly injected massive gas into the pre-disruption plasma and had been developed on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST).Different noble gas injection experiments,including He,Ne,and Ar,were performed to compare the mitigation effect of plasma disruption by evaluating the key parameters such as flight time,pre-thermal quench(pre-TQ),and current quench(CQ).The flight time was shorter for low atomic number(Z)gas,and the decrease in flight time by increasing the amount of gas was insignificant.However,both pre-TQ and CQ durations decreased considerably with the increase in gas injection amount.The effect of atomic mass on pre-TQ and CQ durations showed the opposite trend.The observed trend could help in controlling CQ duration in a reasonable area.Moreover,the analysis of radiation distribution with different impurity injections indicated that low Z impurity could reduce the asymmetry of radiation,which is valuable in mitigating plasma disruption.These results provided essential data support for plasma disruption mitigation on EAST and future fusion devices.

Studies of laser-plasma interaction physics with low-density targets for direct-drive inertial confinement schemes

Comprehensive understanding and possible control of parametric instabilities in the context of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) remains achallenging task. The details of the absorption processes and the detrimental effects of hot electrons on the implosion process require as mucheffort on the experimental side as on the theoretical and simulation side. This paper describes a proposal for experimental studies on nonlinearinteraction of intense laser pulses with a high-temperature plasma under conditions corresponding to direct-drive ICF schemes. We propose todevelop a platform for laser-plasma interaction studies based on foam targets. Parametric instabilities are sensitive to the bulk plasma temperatureand the density scale length. Foam targets are sufficiently flexible to allow control of these parameters. However, investigationsconducted on small laser facilities cannot be extrapolated in a reliable way to real fusion conditions. It is therefore necessary to performexperiments at a multi-kilojoule energy level on medium-scale facilities such asOMEGAor SG-III. An example of two-plasmon decay instabilityexcited in the interaction of two laser beams is considered.

Degradation of sulfamethoxazole in water by dielectric barrier discharge plasma jet:influencing parameters,degradation pathway,toxicity evaluation

Sulfamethoxazole(SMX)is an antibiotic and widely present in aquatic environments,so it presents a serious threat to human health and sustainable development.A dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)plasma jet was utilized to degrade aqueous SMX,and the effects of various operating parameters(working gas,discharge power,etc)on SMX degradation performance were studied.The experimental results showed that the DBD plasma jet can obtain a relatively high degradation efficiency for SMX when the discharge power is high with an oxygen atmosphere,the initial concentration of SMX is low,and the aqueous solution is under acidic conditions.The reactive species produced in the liquid phase were detected,and OH radicals and O3were found to play a significant role in the degradation of SMX.Moreover,the process of SMX degradation could be better fitted by the quasi-first-order reaction kinetic equation.The analysis of the SMX degradation process indicated that SMX was gradually decomposed and 4-amino benzene sulfonic acid,benzene sulfonamide,4-nitro SMX,and phenylsulfinyl acid were detected,and thus three possible degradation pathways were finally proposed.The mineralization degree of SMX reached 90.04%after plasma treatment for 20 min,and the toxicity of the solution fluctuated with the discharge time but eventually decreased.

Optimization of X-mode electron cyclotron current drive in high-electron-temperature plasma in the EAST tokamak

A discharge with electron temperature up to 14 keV has been achieved in EAST.Analysis of the electron cyclotron current drive(ECCD)efficiency at high electron temperature under EAST parameters is presented using C3PO/LUKE code.Simulation results show that the ECCD efficiency of X-mode increases with central electron temperature up to 10 keV and then starts to decrease above 10 keV,at a specific magnetic field and toroidal angle.The efficiency degradation is due to the presence of the third harmonic extraordinary(X3)downshifted absorption at the low field side(LFS);even the cold resonance of X3 mode is located outside the plasma.As the electron temperature increases from 5 to 20 ke V,the X3 absorption increases from 0.9%to 96.4%.The trapping electron effect at the LFS produces a reverse Ohkawa current.The competition between the Fisch–Boozer current drive and the Ohkawa current drive results in a decrease in ECCD efficiency.ECCD efficiency optimization is achieved through two methods.One is to increase the toroidal angle,leading to X2 mode predominating again over X3 mode and the electron resonance domain of X2 mode moving far from the trapped/passing boundary.The second one is to increase the magnetic field to move away the X3 resonance layer from the plasma,hence less EC power absorbed by X3 mode.

Studies of laser-plasma interaction physics with low-density targets for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion on the Shenguang III prototype

The physics of laser-plasma interaction is studied on the Shenguang III prototype laser facility under conditions relevant to inertial confinement fusion designs.A sub-millimeter-size underdense hot plasma is created by ionization of a low-density plastic foam by four high-energy(3.2 kJ)laser beams.An interaction beam is fired with a delay permitting evaluation of the excitation of parametric instabilities at different stages of plasma evolution.Multiple diagnostics are used for plasma characterization,scattered radiation,and accelerated electrons.The experimental results are analyzed with radiation hydrodynamic simulations that take account of foam ionization and homogenization.The measured level of stimulated Raman scattering is almost one order of magnitude larger than that measured in experiments with gasbags and hohlraums on the same installation,possibly because of a greater plasma density.Notable amplification is achieved in high-intensity speckles,indicating the importance of implementing laser temporal smoothing techniques with a large bandwidth for controlling laser propagation and absorption.

Endurance-test and theoretical prediction of a rare earth nanocathode for the applied field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster

The erosion loss of cathode is essential for the lifetime of magnetoplasmadynamic thruster(MPDT).In this work,an endurance test system for MPDT cathodes was designed and developed,and the erosion characteristics,erosion rate and erosion mechanism of the cathode were studied using the system under vacuum condition.The WCe20 hollow cathode was selected to carry out the long-term erosion of 540 h with the argon propellant supply flow rate of40 ml min^(-1),the input current of 25 A,and the central magnetic field intensity of 96 Gs.In order to predict the theoretical service life of cathode,a steady state erosion numerical model was established.The calculation results show that the total erosion rate of sputtering and evaporation is 11.58 mg h^(-1),which is slightly smaller than the test data of the average cathode corrosion rate of 12.70 mg h^(-1) in the experiment,because the experimental value includes start-up erosion rate.