Fast Imaging Camera Research Articles

Mechanism of signal uncertainty generation for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Relatively large measurement uncertainty severely hindered wide application for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), therefore it is of great importance to understand the mechanism of signal uncertainty generation, including initiation and propagation. It has been found that the fluctuation of plasma morphology was the main reason for signal uncertainty. However, it still remains unclear what mechanism leads to laser-induced plasma morphology fluctuation. In the present work, we employed three fast-imaging cameras to capture three successive plasma images from a same laser-induced Titanium alloy plasma, which enables us to understand more clearly of the plasma evolution process especially for the early plasma evolution stage when plasma and surrounding gases interact drastically. Seen from the images, the plasma experienced an increasing morphological fluctuation as delay time increased, transforming from a “stable plasma” before the delay time of 100 ns to a “fluctuating plasma” after the delay time of 300 ns. Notably, the frontier part of plasma showed a significant downward motion from the delay time of 150 ns to 200 ns and crashed with the lower part of the plasma, making the plasma flatter and later even splitting the plasma into two parts, which was considered as a critical process for the transformation of “stable plasma” to “unstable plasma”. By calculating the correlation coefficient of plasma image pairs at successive delay times, it was found that the higher the similarity between two plasma at early stage, the more similar at later stage; this implied that the tiny plasma fluctuation earlier than the critical delay time (150–200 ns) was amplified, causing a large plasma fluctuation at the later stage as well as LIBS measurement uncertainty. The initiation of slight fluctuation was linked with Rayleigh-Taylor Instability (RTI) due to the drastic material interpenetration at the plasma-ambient gas interface at earlier stage (before 50 ns). That is, the uncertainty generation of LIBS was proposed as: plasma morphology fluctuation was inevitably trigged by RTI at the early stage and the tiny fluctuation was amplified by the back pressed downward process of plasma frontier material, leading to severe morphology fluctuation as well as LIBS signal uncertainty.

First speckle interferometric measurements of binary stars at the Observatorio Astrofísico Guillermo Haro

ABSTRACT In this paper, we present the first multiband speckle interferometric measurements of binary stars performed using the 2.1 m telescope of the Observatorio Astrofísico Guillermo Haro, Cananea, Sonora, México. We describe here FICCO: Fast Imaging Camera for Cananea Observatory, a new instrument developed to perform speckle observations from the Northern Hemisphere. We tested this new instrument with objects from the Washington Double Star Catalog, that were observed during three runs allocated in 2019. We report 480 astrometric measurements of 138 pairs, with angular separations ranging from 0.06 to 5.76 arcsec, including 347 measurements with separations smaller than 1 arcsec. We estimated a mean error in separation of 14 mas, 1.6° in position angle, and 0.45 mag for the magnitude difference. We confirmed 12 double stars discovered by Hipparcos. Finally, we present a correction to four previously published orbital solutions of visual binaries.

Integrated diagnostic and data analysis system of the C-2W advanced beam-driven field-reversed configuration plasma experiment.

The new C-2W experiment (also called Norman) at TAE Technologies, Inc. studies the evolution of field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas sustained by neutral beam injection. Data on the FRC plasma performance are provided by a comprehensive suite of diagnostics that includes over 700 magnetic sensors, four interferometer systems, multi-chord far-infrared polarimetry, two Thomson scattering systems, ten types of spectroscopic measurements, multiple fast imaging cameras with selectable atomic line filters, bolometry, reflectometry, neutral particle analyzers, and fusion product detectors. Most of these diagnostic systems are newly built using experience and data from the preceding C-2U experiment to guide the design process. A variety of commercial and custom acquisition electronics collect over 4000 raw signals from the C-2W diagnostics. These data are processed into physics results using a large-scale database of diagnostics metadata and analysis software, both built using open-source software tools.

Flow-induced motions of flexible filaments hanging in cross-flow

Experiments were carried out to study the dynamics of hanging cantilever flexible filaments in air cross-flow. Thirteen flexible filaments of 0.61 mm diameter and lengths from 20 mm to 60 mm were tested with wind speeds in the range of 1–15 m/s, corresponding to Reynolds numbers of 25 < Red < 610 and reduced velocities in the range of 5 < U∗ < 130. Two synchronized fast-imaging cameras were used to reconstruct the motion of the filaments in three dimensions, and a blend of linear and nonlinear time-series analysis techniques was used to analyze the observed dynamics. Long filaments show a rich dynamics as the wind speed is gradually increased, ranging from small amplitude vibration to large amplitude limit-cycle oscillation and to a more complex chaotic motion. However, short filaments only exhibit a small amplitude vibration-like motion throughout the range of wind speeds tested. Turbulent buffeting is identified as the main source of excitation responsible for the observed filaments dynamics. The results highlight the importance of the filament damping ratio, which is modulated by the filament length, as a controlling parameter for the dynamics of flexible filaments in cross flow, in addition to the flow velocity. The Scruton number for these tests correspond to 31 < Sc < 86.

SPINS-IND: Pellet injector for fuelling of magnetically confined fusion systems.

Using a Gifford-McMahon cycle cryocooler based refrigeration system, a single barrel hydrogen pellet injection (SPINS-IND) system is indigenously developed at Institute for Plasma Research, India. The injector is based on a pipe gun concept, where a pellet formed in situ in the gun barrel is accelerated to high speed using high pressure light propellant gas. The pellet size is decided by considering the Greenwald density limit and its speed is decided by considering a neutral gas shielding model based scaling law. The pellet shape is cylindrical of dimension (1.6 mm ℓ × 1.8 mm φ). For pellet ejection and acceleration, a fast opening valve of short opening duration is installed at the breech of the barrel. A three-stage differential pumping system is used to restrict the flow of the propellant gas into the plasma vacuum vessel. Diagnostic systems such as light gate and fast imaging camera (240 000 frames/s) are employed to measure the pellet speed and size, respectively. A trigger circuit and a programmable logic controller based integrated control system developed on LabVIEW enables to control the pellet injector remotely. Using helium as a propellant gas, the pellet speed is varied in the range 650 m/s-800 m/s. The reliability of pellet formation and ejection is found to be more than 95%. This paper describes the details of SPINS-IND and its test results.

Diagnostic suite of the C-2U advanced beam-driven field-reversed configuration plasma experiment.

The C-2U experiment at Tri Alpha Energy studies the evolution of field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas sustained by neutral beam injection. Data on the FRC plasma performance are provided by a comprehensive suite of diagnostics that includes magnetic sensors, interferometry, Thomson scattering, spectroscopy, bolometry, reflectometry, neutral particle analyzers, and fusion product detectors. While many of these diagnostic systems were inherited from the preceding experiment C-2, C-2U has a variety of new and upgraded diagnostic systems: multi-chord far-infrared polarimetry, multiple fast imaging cameras with selectable atomic line filters, proton detector arrays, and 100 channel bolometer units capable of observing multiple regions of the spectrum simultaneously. In addition, extensive ongoing work focuses on advanced methods of measuring separatrix shape and plasma current profile that will facilitate equilibrium reconstruction and active control of the FRC plasma.

Contribution of Tore Supra in preparation of ITER

Tore Supra routinely addresses the physics and technology of very long-duration plasma discharges, thus bringing precious information on critical issues of long pulse operation of ITER. A new ITER relevant lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) launcher has allowed coupling to the plasma a power level of 2.7 MW for 78 s, corresponding to a power density close to the design value foreseen for an ITER LHCD system. In accordance with the expectations, long distance (10 cm) power coupling has been obtained. Successive stationary states of the plasma current profile have been controlled in real-time featuring (i) control of sawteeth with varying plasma parameters, (ii) obtaining and sustaining a ‘hot core’ plasma regime, (iii) recovery from a voluntarily triggered deleterious magnetohydrodynamic regime. The scrape-off layer (SOL) parameters and power deposition have been documented during L-mode ramp-up phase, a crucial point for ITER before the X-point formation. Disruption mitigation studies have been conducted with massive gas injection, evidencing the difference between He and Ar and the possible role of the q = 2 surface in limiting the gas penetration. ICRF assisted wall conditioning in the presence of magnetic field has been investigated, culminating in the demonstration that this conditioning scheme allows one to recover normal operation after disruptions. The effect of the magnetic field ripple on the intrinsic plasma rotation has been studied, showing the competition between turbulent transport processes and ripple toroidal friction. During dedicated dimensionless experiments, the effect of varying the collisionality on turbulence wavenumber spectra has been documented, giving new insight into the turbulence mechanism. Turbulence measurements have also allowed quantitatively comparing experimental results with predictions by 5D gyrokinetic codes: numerical results simultaneously match the magnitude of effective heat diffusivity, rms values of density fluctuations and wavenumber spectra. A clear correlation between electron temperature gradient and impurity transport in the very core of the plasma has been observed, strongly suggesting the existence of a threshold above which transport is dominated by turbulent electron modes. Dynamics of edge turbulent fluctuations has been studied by correlating data from fast imaging cameras and Langmuir probes, yielding a coherent picture of transport processes involved in the SOL.Corrections were made to this article on 6 January 2012. Some of the letters in the text were missing.

On the formation mechanisms of the diffuse atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in CVD processes of thin silica-like films

Pathways of formation and temporal evolution of the diffuse dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure were experimentally studied in this work by means of optical (fast imaging camera) and electrical diagnostics. The chosen model system is relevant for applications of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of thin silica-like film on the polymeric substrate, from cost-efficient gas mixtures of Ar/N2/O2/hexamethyldisiloxane. It was found that the discharge can gradually experience the phases of homogeneous low current Townsend-like mode, local Townsend to glow transition and expanding high current density (∼0.7 A cm−2) glow-like mode. While the glow-like current spot occupies momentarily only a small part of the electrode area, its expanding behavior provides uniform treatment of the whole substrate surface. Alternatively, it was observed that a visually uniform discharge can be formed by the numerous microdischarges overlapping over the large electrode area.

The origin of convective structures in the scrape-off layer of linear magnetic fusion devices investigated by fast imaging

A fast imaging camera is used to unveil the spatio-temporal properties of radially convective events in the CSDX linear plasma device [M. J. Burin et al., Phys. Plasmas, 12, 052320 (2005)]. The exposure time is set to 1μs and the time between frames to 10μs. The time series from a Langmuir probe and from a pixel in the 50000-frame movie are compared and cross-correlated. Excellent agreement between the two diagnostics is found for spatial scales greater than 2.5mm. The fluctuations inside the main plasma column are found to change between different poloidal mode numbers as a function of time. Accordingly, the power spectra determined in these linear devices reflect the sum over these modes. Outside the main plasma column, avaloids are observed to remain attached to the main plasma, hence their behavior does not become independent of the dynamics inside the main plasma column. Avaloid properties, assessed from imaging, agree with Langmuir probes done on various devices, except that the radial length is found to be much larger than previously determined because the blob-shape assumption is not valid. The link between fluctuations inside and outside the main plasma column indicates that the nonlinear evolution of the m=1 poloidal mode number is responsible for the creation of avaloids.

The poloidal distribution of type-III edge localized modes in the Mega-Ampère spherical tokamak (MAST)

This article describes the poloidal plasma particle distribution of type-III edge localized modes (ELMs) in the Mega-Ampère spherical tokamak [R.-J. Akers et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 3919 (2002)]. A fast imaging camera with 10μs exposure time is used to record the Dα light coming from the entire poloidal cross section. Furthermore, three sets of probes, triggered at the same time, acquired at 1MHz, and located at different poloidal, radial, and toroidal locations in the tokamak are used. ELMs are observed to affect the Dα emission throughout the low-field scrape-off layer; on the high-field side, however, this effect is found to be small. The results obtained by imaging agree with the pointwise measurements using Langmuir probes. The radial propagation is shown to occur at a speed of 250m∕s, whereas the toroidal convection from the top to the bottom of the plasma is shown to be consistent with a transport at the local sound speed. Strong correlation amplitudes are reported among the probes that are poloidally and toroidally separated by several meters. The study of the cross-correlation coefficients as a function of the frequency indicates that this correlation is caused by the low-frequency component of the signal and that the high-frequency part is not correlated. Consequently, the filamentary structures are interpreted as caused by the onset of turbulence during an ELM and do not constitute the ELM itself.

The poloidal distribution of turbulent fluctuations in the Mega-Ampère Spherical Tokamak

Recently, it was shown that intermittency observed in magnetic fusion devices is caused by large-scales events with high radial velocity reaching about 1∕10th of the sound speed (called avaloids or blobs) [G. Antar et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87 065001 (2001)]. In the present paper, the poloidal distribution of turbulence is investigated on the Mega-Ampère Spherical Tokamak [A. Sykes et al., Phys. Plasmas 8 2101 (2001)]. To achieve our goal, target probes that span the divertor strike points are used and one reciprocating probe at the midplane. Moreover, a fast imaging camera that can reach 10μs exposure time looks tangentially at the plasma allowing us to view a poloidal cut of the plasma. The two diagnostics allow us to have a rather accurate description of the particle transport in the poloidal plane for L-mode discharges. Turbulence properties at the low-field midplane scrape-off layer are discussed and compared to other poloidal positions. On the low-field target divertor plates, avaloids bursty signature is not detected but still intermittency is observed far from the strike point. This is a consequence of the field line expansion which transforms a structure localized in the poloidal plane into a structure which expands over several tens of centimeters at the divertor target plates. Around the X point and in the high-field side, however, different phenomena enter into play suppressing the onset of convective transport generation. No signs of intermittency are observed in these regions. Accordingly, like “normal” turbulence, the onset of convective transport is affected by the local magnetic curvature and shear.

Visualization of Intermittent Blobby Plasma Transport in Attached and Detached Plasmas of the NAGDIS-II

We investigated the intermittent convective plasma transport in a attached and/or detached plasma condition of the linear divertor plasma simulator, NAGDIS-II. Images taken by a fast-imaging camera clearly show that in attached plasmas, blobs are peeled off the bulk plasma, and propagate outward with an azimuthal motion. In detached plasmas, plasma turbulence observed near the plasma recombining region drives strong intermittent radial plasma transport, which could broaden the radial density profile.