Spectroscopic studies of the interaction of a high-power plasma stream with a solid on the GOL-3 facility

Abstract

Experiments involving irradiation of carbon targets with a hot electron plasma stream performed on the GOL-3 facility were aimed at the simulation of the effect of hot plasma of a thermonuclear reactor on plasma collectors in regimes close to those expected in the ITER. In these experiments, the emphasis was on the study of the surface-erosion processes exposed to the plasma stream. The graphite evaporation and chemical-erosion processes were studied with absolutely calibrated spectroscopic systems of the visible region. Spectroscopic experiments yielded data on the flow of carbon atoms from the surface of a plasma collector and on the contribution of chemical erosion to the surface-damage process. The obtained values are compared with the results of direct measurements of the erosion depth and the results of numerical calculations.