2D electron density profile evolution during detachment in Super-X divertor L-mode discharges on MAST-U

Divertor geometry modeling with the SOLPS-ITER code for reactor concepts with liquid metal divertors

Multipellet fuelling experiments have been performed on the Joint European Torus (JET) and the resulting density profile evolution has been analysed. A local particle transport analysis is carried out using a 1½–D radial particle transport code to model the experimentally determined evolution of the electron density profile. Plasmas in the limiter configuration, with Ohmic heating, ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating and neutral beam injection are analysed. Ohmic and ICRF heated discharges with peaked density profiles generated by deep pellet penetration are usually characterized by a low core particle diffusivity and can be satisfactorily modelled without any anomalous convective (pinch) term. The evolution of the density profile in auxiliary heated discharges with enhanced levels of magnetohydrodynamic fluctuations shows a rapid decay of the peaked central density that can be modelled with a temperature dependent increase in the diffusivity. Particle balance calculations of effective particle diffusivity in the core region yield values as low as 0.04 m2/s in discharges with highly peaked density profiles. The determined particle diffusivity in all cases is 10–100 times larger than the neoclassical diffusivity. The dependence of the particle diffusivity on density profile peakedness correlates well with the effective thermal diffusivity from power balance calculations.

A three-frame Mach-Zehnder interferometer (TFMZI) was used for taking 3 pictures (5 ns exposure and 13 ns interpicture delay) of the imploding plasma in one z-pinch shot, which provides us a series of interferograms showing the evolution of electron density profile during z-pinch implosion stage. From these interferograms, the electron density profile ne(r , z), the velocities of plasma implosion were derived, and the plasma instabilities appearing as bubbles or fringe shearing were observed clearly. In order to study the correlation between the total energy of x-ray emission and the plasma implosion, thermopiles were also used in the experiments with TFMZI. The results of x-ray radiation diagnostics show us that a near uniform and symmetric imploding plasma shell would emit more x-ray yield than an asymmetric one, which is in good agreement with the implosion dynamics analyses.

The mega amp spherical tokamak (MAST) was a low aspect ratio device (R/a = 0.85/0.65 ~ 1.3) with similar poloidal cross-section to other medium-size tokamaks. The physics programme concentrates on addressing key physics issues for the operation of ITER, design of DEMO and future spherical tokamaks by utilising high resolution diagnostic measurements closely coupled with theory and modelling to significantly advance our understanding. An empirical scaling of the energy confinement time that favours higher power, lower collisionality devices is consistent with gyrokinetic modelling of electron scale turbulence. Measurements of ion scale turbulence with beam emission spectroscopy and gyrokinetic modelling in up-down symmetric plasmas find that the symmetry of the turbulence is broken by flow shear. Near the non-linear stability threshold, flow shear tilts the density fluctuation correlation function and skews the fluctuation amplitude distribution. Results from fast particle physics studies include the observation that sawteeth are found to redistribute passing and trapped fast particles injected from neutral beam injectors in equal measure, suggesting that resonances between the m = 1 perturbation and the fast ion orbits may be playing a dominant role in the fast ion transport. Measured D–D fusion products from a neutron camera and a charged fusion product detector are 40% lower than predictions from TRANSP/NUBEAM, highlighting possible deficiencies in the guiding centre approximation. Modelling of fast ion losses in the presence of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) can reproduce trends observed in experiments when the plasma response and charge-exchange losses are accounted for. Measurements with a neutral particle analyser during merging-compression start-up indicate the acceleration of ions and electrons. Transport at the plasma edge has been improved through reciprocating probe measurements that have characterised a geodesic acoustic mode at the edge of an ohmic L-mode plasma and particle-in-cell modelling has improved the interpretation of plasma potential estimates from ball-pen probes. The application of RMPs leads to a reduction in particle confinement in L-mode and H-mode and an increase in the core ionization source. The ejection of secondary filaments following type-I ELMs correlates with interactions with surfaces near the X-point. Simulations of the interaction between pairs of filaments in the scrape-off layer suggest this results in modest changes to their velocity, and in most cases can be treated as moving independently. A stochastic model of scrape-off layer profile formation based on the superposition of non-interacting filaments is in good agreement with measured time-average profiles. Transport in the divertor has been improved through fast camera imaging, indicating the presence of a quiescent region devoid of filament near the X-point, extending from the separatrix to ψn ~ 1.02. Simulations of turbulent transport in the divertor show that the angle between the divertor leg on the curvature vector strongly influences transport into the private flux region via the interchange mechanism. Coherence imaging measurements show counter-streaming flows of impurities due to gas puffing increasing the pressure on field lines where the gas is ionised. MAST Upgrade is based on the original MAST device, with substantially improved capabilities to operate with a Super-X divertor to test extended divertor leg concepts. SOLPS-ITER modelling predicts the detachment threshold will be reduced by more than a factor of 2, in terms of upstream density, in the Super-X compared with a conventional configuration and that the radiation front movement is passively stabilised before it reaches the X-point. 1D fluid modelling reveals the key role of momentum and power loss mechanisms in governing detachment onset and evolution. Analytic modelling indicates that long legs placed at large major radius, or equivalently low at the target compared with the X-point are more amenable to external control. With MAST Upgrade experiments expected in 2019, a thorough characterisation of the sources of the intrinsic error field has been carried out and a mitigation strategy developed.

By employing Bayesian inference techniques, the full electron density profile from the plasma core to the edge of Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) is inferred solely from neutral hydrogen beam and halo Balmer-α (Hα) emission data. The halo is a cloud of neutrals forming in the vicinity of the injected neutral beam due to multiple charge exchange reactions. W7-X is equipped with several neutral hydrogen beam heating sources and an Hα spectroscopy system that views these sources from different angles and penetration depths in the plasma. As the beam and halo emission form complex spectra for each spatial point that are non-linearly dependent on the plasma density profile and other parameters, a complete model from the neutral beam injection and halo formation through to the spectroscopic measurements is required. The model is used here to infer electron density profiles for a range of common W7-X plasma scenarios. The inferred profiles show good agreement with profiles determined by the Thomson scattering and interferometry diagnostics across a broad range of absolute densities without any changes to the input or fitting parameters. The time evolution of the density profile in a discharge with continuous core density peaking is successfully reconstructed, demonstrating sufficient spatial resolution to infer strongly shaped profiles. Furthermore, it is shown as a proof of concept that the model is also able to infer the main ion temperature profile using the same data set.

An optimized upper divertor with divertor-coils to study enhanced divertor configurations in ASDEX Upgrade

Understanding turbulence in the divertor leg of tokamaks is essential to predict the heat deposition profile on the divertor plate. This in turn is important for evaluating advanced divertor configurations, such as the super-X divertor. Within the divertor region, the private flux region is of interest because it is relatively unaffected by turbulence extending from the outboard midplane, so instabilities in this region could have a particularly pronounced effect on transport. These instabilities are modeled using the Arbitrary Topology Equation Reader (ArbiTER) eigenvalue code. Eigenmodes are examined further by comparing physics models to determine the fundamental mechanisms behind their formation and quantifying the effect of individual terms. This analysis is conducted on both conventional and super-X divertors to compare these effects. The resulting analysis reveals the presence of a geodesic curvature driven instability that is significantly more pronounced in the super-X configuration.

The experimentally observed in/out detachment asymmetry in KSTAR L-mode plasmas with deuterium (D) fueling and carbon walls has been investigated with the SOLPS-ITER code to understand its mechanism and identify important atomic processes in the divertor region. The simulations show that the geometrical combination of a vertical, inner target with a short poloidal connection from the X-point to the target and a much longer outer divertor leg on an inclined target lead to neutral accumulation towards the outer target, driving the outer target detachment at lower upstream density than is required for the inner target. This is consistent with available Langmuir probe measurements at both target plates, although the inner target profile is poorly resolved in these plasmas and further experiments with corroborating diagnostics are required to confirm this finding. The pressure and power loss factors defined in the two-point model (Stangeby 2018 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 60 4; Kotov and Reiter 2009 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 51 115002; Stangeby and Sang 2017 Nucl. Fusion 57 056007; Moulton et al 2017 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 59 6) of the divertor scrape-off layer (SOL) and the sources contributing to the loss factors are calculated through post-processing of the SOLPS-ITER results. The momentum losses are mainly driven by plasma-neutral interaction and the power losses by plasma-neutral interaction and carbon radiation. The presence of carbon impurities in the simulation enhances the pressure and power dissipation compared to the pure D case. Carbon radiation is a strong power loss channel which cools the plasma, but its effect on the pressure balance is indirect. Reduction of the electron temperature indirectly increases the momentum loss and increasing the volumetric reaction rates which are responsible for the loss of momentum. As a result, the addition of carbon saturates the momentum and power losses in the flux tube at lower upstream densities, reducing the roll-over threshold of the upstream density. The relative strengths of the various mechanisms contributing to momentum and power loss depend on the radial distance of the SOL flux tubes from the separatrix (near/far SOL) and the target (inner/outer target). This is related to the strong D2 molecule accumulation near the outer strike point, which makes the deuterium gas density at the outer target 2–10 times higher than that at the inner target. A large portion of the recycled neutral particles from both targets reach and accumulate in the outer SOL, which is predominantly attributed to the target inclination and gap structure between the central and outboard divertors and hence to the impact of geometry. The accumulated neutrals enhance the reactions involving D2, which causes momentum and power loss.

The connection between midplane and divertor conditions is studied on ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) for H-mode scenarios. H-mode discharges with variations in fuelling, heating power and impurity seeding are analysed, enabling to disentangle their impact on the evolution of midplane density profiles. The O-mode reflectometer installed on AUG provides unique insights on the midplane density profiles thanks to the ability to measure simultaneously at the high-field-side (HFS) and the low-field-side (LFS). At the inner divertor, with the onset of detachment, a region of high density is formed (HFS high density front, HFSHD) that expands into the HFS midplane, leading to strong poloidal asymmetries in the main chamber scrape-off layer (SOL) density. A good agreement is observed between the evolution of the density profiles at the midplane and that of the divertor volume density confirming the strong influence of divertor conditions on the midplane density profiles at the HFS. Our results confirm the existence of a relationship between plasma confinement, the shift in the midplane LFS density profile and the presence of the HFSHD with respect to changes in seeding and fuelling. It is established that the separatrix density at the LFS is better correlated with the neutral pressure at the outer target while the HFS SOL density follows the neutral pressure at the inner divertor. A comprehensive characterisation of the edge-localised mode (ELM) evolution at the midplane and divertor is performed demonstrating that also during the ELM cycle the divertor conditions have a strong effect on the SOL density at the midplane. The most striking result is the observation of a HFSHD at the HFS midplane just after the ELM crash associated with strong inner divertor detachment.

Using cosmological simulations, we address the interplay between structure and star formation in high-redshift galaxies via the evolution of surface density profiles. Our sample consists of 26 galaxies evolving in the redshift range $z=7-1$, spanning the stellar mass range $(0.2-6.4)\times 10^{10}M_\odot$ at $z=2$. We recover the main trends by stacking the profiles in accordance to their evolution phases. Following a wet compaction event that typically occurs when the stellar mass is $\sim10^{9.5}~M_{\odot}$ at $z\sim2-4$, the gas develops a cusp inside the effective radius, associated with a peak in star-formation rate (SFR). The SFR peak and the associated feedback, in the absence of further gas inflow to the centre, marks the onset of gas depletion from the central 1 kpc, leading to quenching of the central SFR. An extended, star-forming ring that forms by fresh gas during the central quenching process shows as a rising specific SFR (sSFR) profile, which is interpreted as inside-out quenching. Before quenching, the stellar density profile grows self-similarly, maintaining its log-log shape because the sSFR is similar at all radii. During the quenching process, the stellar density saturates to a constant value, especially in the inner 1 kpc. The stellar mass and SFR profiles deduced from observations show very similar shapes, consistent with the scenario of wet compaction leading to inside-out quenching and the subsequent saturation of a dense stellar core. We predict a cuspy gas profile during the blue nugget phase, and a gas-depleted core, sometimes surrounded by a ring, in the post-blue nugget phase.

The evolution of the material density profile behind the front of a divergent initiating shock wave in HMX and RDX based explosives in the transitional regime of explosive transformation was studied using flash radiography. The explosives were loaded by a divergent shock wave through a Plexiglas layer of varied thickness. Distinctive features were found in the evolution of the density profile behind the front of a divergent initiating shock wave that did not become a detonation wave and behind the front of an initiating shock wave that became a detonation wave.

The lithium vapor box divertor is a proposed divertor design that will minimize contamination of the upstream plasma in a fusion device, while also ensuring protection of the target. In this design lithium is evaporated near the target by high temperature lithium surfaces, dissipating the plasma heat flux. The lithium vapor box has been predicted via the fluid-kinetic code scrape off layer plasma simulator (SOLPS-ITER) to achieve low (/0.05) upstream concentrations of lithium and low target heat fluxes. Here we compare two choices of deuterium gas puff location using SOLPS-ITER, the private flux region (PFR) and the common flux region (CFR), and find significant differences in the contamination level required to reach an acceptable target heat flux (defined here as q10 MW m−2). Deuterium gas puffing from the PFR is seen to better reduce upstream lithium contamination. The difference in puffing location is seen to cause changes in the upstream flow of lithium ions. The PFR puff, having better access to the separatrix, can better reduce the upstream-directed flow of lithium near the separatrix which is the primary source of contamination due to a large thermal force in this region. Puffing from the CFR, partially due to inefficacy at reducing separatrix lithium flow, has higher lithium concentration within the plasma. Solutions that reduce the heat flux to below 10 MW m−2 have a range of lithium concentrations between /0.01–0.12 depending on puff intensity, location, evaporator temperature and recycling at the various plasma facing components. The efficacy of the puffs is tested for sensitivity to deuterium recycling coefficient at the target, evaporators, and main chamber walls. A CFR located puff is found to be more dependent on the recycling coefficients used than a PFR located puff. regardless of the set of recycling coefficients chosen, PFR puffing achieves lower lithium contamination than CFR puffing for a given heat flux.

Plasma merging is a promising, innovative method of initial heating for spherical tokamak (ST) plasmas. Detailed measurements of the temporal evolution of electron density profiles during plasma merging processes in a TS‐3 device was studied using a CO2 laser interferometer with temporal and spatial resolution. The experimental observations show that the electrons are confined securely inside the magnetic separatrix in the moving plasma during the merging process. It has been found that the plasma particles are not ejected from the confinement region during the magnetic reconnection event, even though the magnetic structure of the plasma is changed drastically. Furthermore, it is shown that the electron density profile becomes hollow after plasma merging. These results indicate that plasma merging is effective not only as a method of initial heating of the ST, but also as a means of particle supply to the ST. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 145(2): 42–49, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.10159

We report results of the study of a plasma waveguide created by a fast argon capillary discharge. The rapid plasma compression that occurs following a fast current pulse generates an electron density profile with a minimum on axis which constitutes a suitable channel for the optical guiding of intense laser pulses. Interferometric measurements that directly map the evolution of the electron density profile of the waveguide are presented. Guided beam propagation of a 40 mJ, 2.5 ps, laser pulse by an 11 cm long capillary discharge is reported, along with measurements of the near field and far field distributions of the guided beam.

Experiments of disruption mitigation with massive gas injection have been conducted in J-TEXT tokamak with various impurities (He, Ne, Ar and He&Ar (90%:10%) mixtures) injection. A 17-channels polarimeter-interferometer (POLARIS) has been used to analyze the evolution of the electron density profile during pre-TQ and TQ phases. Experiments show that both the impurity species and applied high voltage of the valve have an obvious influence on the impurities deposition location and electron density profile. Moreover, with the high spatial resolution of POLARIS, a rather accurate impurity mixing efficiency has been obtained. The results show that Ar, the high atomic number (high-Z) impurity, has high cooling efficiency and evident mitigation effects, but the mixing efficiency for Ar is only of order 5%–8%. As for the low-Z impurity, He has fast propagation velocity and can reach high mixing efficiency, which is found to be of order 20%–40%. The use of the mixtures of high-Z and low-Z impurities (He&Ar (90%:10%)) can combine the fast penetration of He and high cooling efficiency of Ar, and the mixing efficiency is up to the order 20%–40%, improving the disruption mitigation efficiency and time response of disruption mitigation system.