Ion Cyclotron Resonance Frequency Research Articles

A stationary long-pulse ELM-absent H-mode regime in EAST

A stationary edge-localized mode (ELM)-absent H-mode regime, with an electrostatic edge coherent mode (ECM) which resides in the pedestal region, has been achieved in the EAST tokamak recently. This regime allows the operation of a nearly fully noninductive long pulse (>15 s), exhibiting a relatively high pedestal and good global energy confinement with near 1.2, and excellent impurity control. Furthermore, this regime is mostly obtained with a 4.6 GHz lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) or counter-current neutral beam injection (NBI), plus electron cyclotron resonance heating, and an extensive lithium wall coating. This stationary ELM-absent H-mode regime transits to a stationary small ELM H-mode regime, and upon additional heating power from the 2.45 GHz LHCD, an ion cyclotron resonant frequency or co-current NBI is applied (under 4.6 GHz LHCD heating background). A slight change of the plasma configuration also makes the small ELMs reappear. The experimental observations suggest that a long-pulse ELM-absent regime can be induced by the ECM, which exhibits strong electrostatic fluctuations and may provide a channel for continuous particle (especially impurities) and heat exhaust across the pedestal. The ECM exists in the collisionality of = 2.5–4 and the pressure gradient = = 100–200 (kPa), which is in good agreement with the previous simulation of GYRO. This ELM-absent H-mode regime with ECM may offer a suitable candidate for high-performance, steady-state H-mode operation in future fusion reactors.

Ion cyclotron resonance heating system in the RT-1 magnetospheric plasma

We have developed an ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating system for the Ring Trap 1 (RT-1) magnetospheric device. We excite slow waves from the polar region of the dipole magnetic field. The target helium plasma is produced by electron cyclotron heating. The electrons comprise high-temperature (>10 keV) and low-temperature (<100 eV) components with both typically exhibiting densities of the same order of magnitude. The ICRF heating causes an increase in the ion temperatures and toroidal flow velocities in the core plasma region. We observe appreciable temperature differences between the different ion species (main He+ and impurity C2+), suggesting a strong influence of the charge-exchange loss, which caused the bulk ions to remain relatively cold (~20 eV) compared to the impurity ions (~40 eV). By developing an electro-optical measurement system, we have measured the local wave electric field in the plasma.

Helical water wires

ABSTRACTA helitetrahedral model has been proposed to help explain reports of low-frequency oscillations in pure water following electromagnetic excitation at the hydronium ion cyclotron resonance frequency. The Lorentz force and the intrinsic structure constrain the motion of the H3O+ ion so that it enjoys a unique form of proton-hopping, one whose path is helical. This model may also explain the numerous previously observed cyclotron resonance (ICR) biological couplings for cations other than hydronium by merely substituting hydrogen-bonded versions of these for hydronium in the tetrahedral structure. Thus the effectiveness of resonance stimulation in biological systems is explained in terms of the enhanced conductivity and reduced scattering associated with proton-hopping. It is further shown that the addition of charge-balancing hydroxyl ions act to enable oscillatory electric dipole moments that propagate along the helical axis, giving rise to weak power (≈ femtoWatts) radiation patterns. It is conceivable that the radiation associated with this process may play a role in the interactions at the interface between water and living matter.

High-Power Fast-Response Ferrite Tuner for ICRF Impedance Matching in EAST

Ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating is one of the traditional auxiliary heating methods adopted in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The radio-frequency (rf) source consisting of eight transmitters has been fabricated since 2012 and has a working frequency of 24 to 70 MHz. It has a maximum total power of ∼12 MW. However, the power injection into plasma has been restricted by the variable antenna load, which is sensitive to the scrape-off-layer boundary condition and the gradient distribution of plasma density. Triple liquid stub tuners, which have been employed for ICRF impedance matching, cannot cope with such rapid variations because of the low response speed. In previous research, a 300-kW ferrite tuner (FT) was developed and tested, but it was not good enough to meet the requirements of real-time impedance matching. Research on a high-power fast-response FT with maximum power of 1.5 MW was carried out to achieve real-time tuning to trace the load variations of the antenna. The design parameters of the FT were determined according to the experimental data of the antenna load in EAST. The ferrite material, rf circuit, and magnet system of the FT were discussed to satisfy the design goals. The test results showed good performance of response time, differential phase shift, and insertion loss, which was extremely significant for the high-power, real-time operation of an impedance matching network based on FTs.

Observations of compound sawteeth in ion cyclotron resonant heating plasma using ECE imaging on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

The spatial and temporal evolutions of compound sawteeth were directly observed using 2D electron cyclotron emission imaging on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak. The compound sawtooth consists of partial and full collapses. After partial collapse, the hot core survives as only a small amount of heat disperses outwards, whereas in the following full collapse a large amount of heat is released and the hot core dissipates. The presence of two q = 1 surfaces was not observed. Instead, the compound sawtooth occurs mainly at the beginning of an ion cyclotron resonant frequency heating pulse and during the L-H transition phase, which may be related to heat transport suppression caused by a decrease in electron heat diffusivity.

Ion cyclotron wave coupling in the magnetized plasma edge of tokamaks: impact of a finite, inhomogeneous density inside the antenna box

Most present ion cyclotron resonant frequency (ICRF) heating codes and antenna codes assume the antenna sitting in a vacuum region and consider the fast wave only, which implicitly performs an abrupt density transition from vacuum to above lower hybrid (LH) resonance. The impact of the appearance of the LH resonance is entirely overlooked in their simulations. We studied the impact of densities that decay continuously inside the antenna box on near field patterns and power coupling. A new full wave code based on the COMSOL Finite Element Solver has been developed to investigate this topic. It is shown that: up to the memory limits of the adopted workstation, the local RF field pattern in low-density regions below the LH resonance changes with the grid size. Interestingly and importantly, however, the total coupled toroidal spectrum is almost independent on the mesh size and is weakly affected by the presence of the density profile inside the antenna box in dipole toroidal strap phasing. This suggests one can drop out this density for coupling studies to speed up the computation. Simulation also shows that varying the density gradient in the fast wave evanescence region has no significant effect on wave coupling.

Optimization of ICRH for core impurity control in JET-ILW

Ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating has been an essential component in the development of high power H-mode scenarios in the Jet European Torus ITER-like wall (JET-ILW). The ICRF performance was improved by enhancing the antenna-plasma coupling with dedicated main chamber gas injection, including the preliminary minimization of RF-induced plasma-wall interactions, while the RF heating scenarios where optimized for core impurity screening in terms of the ion cyclotron resonance position and the minority hydrogen concentration. The impact of ICRF heating on core impurity content in a variety of 2.5 MA JET-ILW H-mode plasmas will be presented, and the steps that were taken for optimizing ICRF heating in these experiments will be reviewed.

Design of the 1.5 MW, 30-96 MHz ultra-wideband 3 dB high power hybrid coupler for Ion Cyclotron Resonance Frequency (ICRF) heating in fusion grade reactor.

Design and developmental procedure of strip-line based 1.5 MW, 30-96 MHz, ultra-wideband high power 3 dB hybrid coupler has been presented and its applicability in ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) in tokamak is discussed. For the high power handling capability, spacing between conductors and ground need to very high. Hence other structural parameters like strip-width, strip thickness coupling gap, and junction also become large which can be gone upto optimum limit where various constrains like fabrication tolerance, discontinuities, and excitation of higher TE and TM modes become prominent and significantly deteriorates the desired parameters of the coupled lines system. In designed hybrid coupler, two 8.34 dB coupled lines are connected in tandem to get desired coupling of 3 dB and air is used as dielectric. The spacing between ground and conductors are taken as 0.164 m for 1.5 MW power handling capability. To have the desired spacing, each of 8.34 dB segments are designed with inner dimension of 3.6 × 1.0 × 40 cm where constraints have been significantly realized, compensated, and applied in designing of 1.5 MW hybrid coupler and presented in paper.

A linear radio frequency plasma reactor for potential and current mapping in a magnetized plasma.

Langmuir probe measurements in front of high power ion cyclotron resonant frequency antennas are not possible or simply too noisy to be analyzed properly. A linear experiment is a radio frequency (RF) magnetized plasma discharge reactor designed to probe the rectified potential in front of such antennas but at low power level (1 kW) to next improve antenna design and mitigate sheath effects. The maximum magnetic field is 0.1 T, and the RF amplifier can work between 10 kHz and 250 MHz allowing ion cyclotron resonances for argon or helium. The first measurements with no magnetic field are presented here, especially 2D potential maps extracted from the RF compensated probe measurements yield ni ≈ 10(15) m(-3) and Te ≈ 2 eV for RF power lower than 100 W. Series resonances in the chamber are highlighted and allow to deduce the plasma parameters from a simple equivalent impedance model of the plasma in helium gas. Next studies will be focused on magnetized plasmas and especially magnetized RF sheaths.

Status of R&D activity for ITER ICRF power source system

India is in-charge for the procurement of ITER Ion Cyclotron Resonance Frequency (ICRF) sources (1 Prototype+8 series units) along with auxiliary power supplies and Local Control Unit. As there is no unique amplifier chain able to meet the output power specifications as per ITER requirement (2.5MW per source at 35–65MHz/CW/VSWR 2.0), two parallel three-stage amplifier chains along with a combiner circuit on the output side is considered. This kind of RF source will be unique in terms of its stringent specifications and building a first of its kind is always a challenge. An R&D phase has been initiated for establishing the technology considering single amplifier chain experimentation (1.5MW/35–65MHz/3600s/VSWR 2.0) prior to Prototype and series production. This paper presents the status of R&D activity to resolve technological challenges involved and various infrastructures developed at ITER-India lab to support such operation.

On resonant ICRF absorption in three-ion component plasmas: a new promising tool for fast ion generation

We report on a very efficient ion-cyclotron-resonance-frequency (ICRF) absorption scheme (Z)–Y–X, which hinges on the presence of three ion species residing in the plasma. A mode conversion (cutoff-resonance) layer is well known to appear in two-ion species plasmas. If the location of the L-cutoff in Y–X plasmas, which can be controlled by varying the Y : X density ratio, almost coincides with the fundamental cyclotron resonance of the third ion species Z (resonant absorber), the latter—albeit present only in trace quantities—is shown to absorb almost all the incoming RF power. A quantitative criterion for the resonant Y : X plasma composition is derived and a few numerical examples are given. Since the absorbed power per resonant particle is much larger than for any other ICRF scheme, the here discussed scenarios are particularly promising for fast particle generation. Their possible application as a source of high-energy ions for the stellarator W7-X and to mimic alpha particles during the non-activated phase of ITER tokamak is briefly discussed.

Potential of ion cyclotron resonance frequency current drive via fast waves in DEMO

For the continuous operation of future tokamak-reactors like DEMO, non-inductively driven toroidal plasma current is needed. Bootstrap current, due to the pressure gradient, and current driven by auxiliary heating systems are currently considered as the two main options. This paper addresses the current drive (CD) potential of the ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating system in DEMO-like plasmas. Fast wave CD scenarios are evaluated for both the standard midplane launch and an alternative case of exciting the waves from the top of the machine. Optimal ICRF frequencies and parallel wave numbers are identified to maximize the CD efficiency. Limitations of the high frequency ICRF CD operation are discussed. A simplified analytical method to estimate the fast wave CD efficiency is presented, complemented with the discussion of its dependencies on plasma parameters. The calculated CD efficiency for the ICRF system is shown to be similar to those for the negative neutral beam injection and electron cyclotron resonance heating.

Impact of localized gas injection on ICRF coupling and SOL parameters in JET-ILW H-mode plasmas

Recent JET-ILW [1,2] experiments reiterated the importance of tuning the plasma fuelling in order to optimize ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating in high power H-mode discharges. By fuelling the plasma from gas injection modules (GIMs) located in the mid-plane and on the top of the machine instead of adopting the more standardly used divertor GIMs, a considerable increase of the ICRF antenna coupling resistances was achieved with moderate gas injection rates (<1.5×1022e/s). This effect is explained by an increase of the scrape-off-layer density in front of the antennas when mid-plane and top fuelling is used. By distributing the gas injection to optimize the coupling of all ICRF antenna arrays simultaneously, a substantial increase in the ICRF power capability and reliability was attained. Although similar core/pedestal plasma properties were observed for the different injection cases, the experiments indicate that the RF-induced impurity sources are reduced when switching from divertor to main chamber gas injection.

Measurement and analysis of Zeff in EAST tokamak

Effective ion charge (Zeff) is an important parameter in fusion research and can be used to quantify impurity levels. Investigation into Zeff helps us to understand the impurity generation and transport mechanisms in order to find an effective way to control impurity levels. This key parameter Zeff is measured by the visible bremsstrahlung diagnostic in the EAST tokamak. In this report, Zeff and impurity behavior in siliconization and lithium coating experiments have been investigated. Comparisons of averaged Zeff and Zeff profiles have been made between L-mode and H-mode discharges. It is found that the dependence of Zeff on averaged electron density complies with the hyperbolic scaling. Finally, Zeff behavior in auxiliary heating experiments is analyzed in detail. The relationship between Zeff and external power injected into plasma in lower hybrid wave and ion cyclotron resonance frequency heating has been summarized and analyzed.

Observation of Electron Energy Pinch in HT-7 ICRF Heated Plasmas

Inward energy transport (pinch phenomenon) in the electron channel is observed in HT-7 plasmas using off-axis ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating. Experimental results and power balance transport analysis by TRANSP code are presented in this article. With the aids of GLF23 and Chang-Hinton transport models, which predict energy diffusivity in experimental conditions, the estimated electron pinch velocity is obtained by experimental data and is found reasonably comparable to the results in the previous study, such as Song on Tore Supra. Density scanning shows that the energy convective velocity in the electron channel has a close relation to density scale length, which is qualitatively in agreement with Wang's theoretical prediction. The parametric dependence of electron energy convective velocity on plasma current is still ambiguous and is worthy of future research on EAST.

Ion cyclotron resonance frequency heating in JET during initial operations with the ITER-like wall

In 2011/12, JET started operation with its new ITER-Like Wall (ILW) made of a tungsten (W) divertor and a beryllium (Be) main chamber wall. The impact of the new wall materials on the JET Ion Cyclotron Resonance Frequency (ICRF) operation is assessed and some important properties of JET plasmas heated with ICRF are highlighted. A ∼ 20% reduction of the antenna coupling resistance is observed with the ILW as compared with the JET carbon (JET-C) wall. Heat-fluxes on the protecting limiters close the antennas, quantified using Infra-Red thermography (maximum 4.5 MW/m2 in current drive phasing), are within the wall power load handling capabilities. A simple RF sheath rectification model using the antenna near-fields calculated with the TOPICA code can reproduce the heat-flux pattern around the antennas. ICRF heating results in larger tungsten and nickel (Ni) contents in the plasma and in a larger core radiation when compared to Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) heating. The location of the tungsten ICRF specific source could not be identified but some experimental observations indicate that main-chamber W components could be an important impurity source: for example, the divertor W influx deduced from spectroscopy is comparable when using RF or NBI at same power and comparable divertor conditions, and Be evaporation in the main chamber results in a strong reduction of the impurity level. In L-mode plasmas, the ICRF specific high-Z impurity content decreased when operating at higher plasma density and when increasing the hydrogen concentration from 5% to 15%. Despite the higher plasma bulk radiation, ICRF exhibited overall good plasma heating performance; the power is typically deposited at the plasma centre while the radiation is mainly from the outer part of the plasma bulk. Application of ICRF heating in H-mode plasmas has started, and the beneficial effect of ICRF central electron heating to prevent W accumulation in the plasma core has been observed.

Impact of minority concentration on fundamental (H)D ICRF heating performance in JET-ILW

ITER will start its operation with non-activated hydrogen and helium plasmas at a reduced magnetic field of B0 = 2.65 T. In hydrogen plasmas, the two ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating schemes available for central plasma heating (fundamental H majority and 2nd harmonic 3He minority ICRF heating) are likely to suffer from relatively low RF wave absorption, as suggested by numerical modelling and confirmed by previous JET experiments conducted in conditions similar to those expected in ITER's initial phase. With 4He plasmas, the commonly adopted fundamental H minority heating scheme will be used and its performance is expected to be much better. However, one important question that remains to be answered is whether increased levels of hydrogen (due to e.g. H pellet injection) jeopardize the high performance usually observed with this heating scheme, in particular in a full-metal environment. Recent JET experiments performed with the ITER-like wall shed some light onto this question and the main results concerning ICRF heating performance in L-mode discharges are summarized here.

Design and development of ultra-wideband 3 dB hybrid coupler for Ion cyclotron resonance frequency heating in tokamak.

Design and development of a high power ultra-wideband, 3 dB tandem hybrid coupler is presented and its application in ICRF heating of the tokamak is discussed. In order to achieve the desired frequency band of 38-112 MHz and 200 kW power handling capability, the 3 dB hybrid coupler is developed using two 3-element 8.34 ± 0.2 dB coupled lines sections in tandem. In multi-element coupled lines, junctions are employed for the joining of coupled elements that produce the undesirable reactance called junction discontinuity effect. The effect becomes prominent in the high power multi-element coupled lines for high frequency (HF) and very high frequency(VHF) applications because of larger structural dimensions. Junction discontinuity effect significantly deteriorates coupling and output performance from the theoretical predictions. For the analysis of junction discontinuity effect and its compensation, a theoretical approach has been developed and generalized for n-element coupled lines section. The theory has been applied in the development of the 3 dB hybrid coupler. The fabricated hybrid coupler has been experimentally characterized using vector network analyzer and obtained results are found in good agreement with developed theory.

Observation of a quasi-coherent high-frequency electromagnetic mode at the pedestal region in EAST RF-dominant H-modes

A quasi-coherent high-frequency mode (HFM), with frequency ∼300 kHz, has been observed in EAST H-modes obtained by lower hybrid current drive or combined heating of lower hybrid wave and ion cyclotron resonance frequency wave after lithium wall conditioning. The HFM with an initial growing phase in frequency and amplitude appears both following L–H transition and between edge-localized modes at a relatively high-collisionality . Detailed analysis from edge Langmuir probe has revealed that the HFM propagates in the electron diamagnetic direction in both the lab frame and the plasma frame. The decorrelation rate of HFM is smaller than the maximum E × B shearing rate at the steep gradient region by an order of magnitude. Furthermore, the growth, saturation and oscillations of HFM, including both frequency and amplitude, are strongly correlated with the evolution of pressure gradient. Thus, the limit-cycle-like oscillations between the amplitude and the frequency of HFM may play an important role in the formation and saturation of pedestal. During the saturation phase of pedestal pressure gradient, the HFM, sometimes accompanied by a mid-frequency (∼80 kHz) quasi-coherent mode, drives strong cross-field transport resulting in small crashes of pressure gradient and finally limits the pressure gradient.

Ion–Cyclotron Resonance Frequency Interval Dependence on the O VI Ion Number Density in the North Polar Coronal Hole 1.5R–3R Region

The frequency intervals in which O VI ions get in resonance with ion–cyclotron waves are calculated using the kinetic model, for the latest six values found in literature on O VI ion number densities in the 1.5R–3R region of the NPCH. It is found that the common resonance interval is 1.5 kHz to 3 kHz. The R-variations of wave numbers necessary for the above calculations are evaluated numerically, solving the cubic dispersion relation with the dielectric response derived from the quasi-linear Vlasov equation for the left-circularly polarized ion-cyclotron waves.