B2-EIRENE simulation of plasma and neutrals in MAGNUM-PSI

Abstract

A self-consistent description (performed by means of the B2-EIRENE code package) of a hydrogen plasma including electrons, ions and neutral background gas is used to investigate the processes and plasma behavior under conditions expected in MAGNUM-PSI. Several cases varying in gas-puffing, pumping rate, and plasma parameters are simulated. In all cases a detached plasma regime is achieved. The plasma density increases considerably for higher neutral pressures up to (1–5)×1014cm−3. The particle flux to the target is ∼1024m−2s−1 and the plasma heat flux is ∼10MWm−2. The latter is significantly reduced in front of the target due to electron and ion cooling resulting from ionization and dissociation of H2 molecules, and charge exchange/elastic collisions. Under the conditions of investigation, the losses due to molecule activated recombination are dominant compared with 3-body recombination of atomic ions.