Layer Of Large Helical Device Research Articles

EUV/VUV Spectroscopy for the Study of Carbon Impurity Transport in Hydrogen and Deuterium Plasmas in the Edge Stochastic Magnetic Field Layer of Large Helical Device

The ergodic layer in the Large Helical Device (LHD) consists of stochastic magnetic fields exhibiting a three-dimensional structure that is intrinsically formed by helical coils. Spectroscopic diagnostics was employed in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) wavelength ranges to investigate emission lines of carbon impurities in both hydrogen (H) and deuterium (D) plasmas, aiming to elucidate the impact of distinct bulk ions on impurity generation and transport in the edge plasmas of the LHD. The emission intensity of carbon CIII, CIV, CV, and CVI lines is significantly higher in the D plasma compared to the H plasma, indicating a greater sputtering rate of carbon materials in the D plasma, resulting in a higher quantity of carbon impurities originating from the divertor plates. A Doppler profile measurement of the second order of CIV line emission (1548.20 × 2 Å) was attempted using a 3 m normal-incidence VUV spectrometer in the edge plasma at a horizontally elongated plasma position. The flow velocity reaches its maximum value close to the outermost region of the ergodic layer, and the observed flow direction aligns with the friction force in the parallel momentum balance. The flow velocity increases with the electron density in H plasmas, suggesting that the friction force becomes more dominant in the force balance at higher density regimes. This leads to an increase in the impurity flow, which can contribute to the impurity screening. In contrast, the flow velocity in the D plasma is smaller than that in the H plasma. The difference in flow values between D and H plasmas, when the friction force term dominates in the momentum balance, could be attributed to the mass dependence of the thermal velocity of the bulk ions.

Observation of carbon impurity flow in the edge stochastic magnetic field layer of Large Helical Device and its impact on the edge impurity control

The parallel flow of carbon impurity in a thick stochastic magnetic field layer called the ‘ergodic layer’ located at the edge plasma of the Large Helical Device (LHD) is studied by space-resolved vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) spectroscopy, using a 3 m normal incidence spectrometer. A full vertical profile of C3+ impurity flow is evaluated from the Doppler shift of the second order of CIV line emission (2 × 1548.20 Å) at a horizontally-elongated plasma position of LHD. The carbon flow at the top and bottom edges in the ergodic layer has the same direction toward the outboard side along the major radius direction. The observed flow quantitatively agrees with the simulation results calculated with a 3D simulation code, EMC3-EIRENE. It experimentally verifies the validity of edge parallel flow driving the impurity screening.

Effect of impurity source locations on up-down asymmetry in impurity distributions in the ergodic layer of large helical device

A space-resolved spectroscopy using a 3m normal incidence vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) spectrometer was developed to measure the VUV emission profiles in wavelength range of 300–3200Å from impurities in the edge plasmas in Large Helical Device (LHD). The edge plasma of the LHD is characterized by stochastic magnetic fields with three-dimensional structure intrinsically formed by helical coils called the “ergodic layer”. The VUV spectroscopy has revealed that intensity profiles of the impurity emission from the ergodic layer have strong up-down asymmetries, namely, the emission intensities are quite different between top and bottom plasma edges. Observations of the up-down asymmetries are summarized on the following impurity line emissions: (1) CII 1335.71Å (2s-2p), CIII 977.02Å (2s-2p), and CIV 1548.20Å (2s-2p) from intrinsic carbon impurity ions sputtered from the carbon divertor plates, (2) NeVII 465.22Å (2s-2p), NeVIII 770.41Å (2s-2p), ArVII 585.75Å (3s-3p), and ArVIII 700.24Å (3s-3p) from Ne or Ar ions introduced in plasmas by gas puffing, and (3) WVI 639.68Å (5d-6p) from W ions introduced in plasmas by pellet injection.

Space-resolved visible spectroscopy for two-dimensional measurement of hydrogen and impurity emission spectra and of plasma flow in the edge stochastic layer of LHD.

A space-resolved visible spectrometer system has been developed for two-dimensional (2D) distribution measurements of hydrogen and impurity emission spectra and of plasma flow in the edge stochastic layer of Large Helical Device (LHD). Astigmatism of the spectrometer has been suppressed by introducing additional toroidal and spherical mirrors. A good focal image at the exit slit is realized in a wide wavelength range (75 nm) as well as in a wide slit height direction (26 mm) with a 300 grooves/mm grating. The capability of the spectrometer optical system for the 2D measurement and further possible improvements are discussed in detail. An optical fiber array of 130 channels with a lens unit is used to spatially resolve the edge plasma into different magnetic field structure components: divertor strike points, divertor legs, X-point of the legs, the stochastic layer, and the last closed flux surface. With a 300 grooves/mm grating, the 2D distributions of several hydrogen and impurity line emissions are simultaneously obtained with absolute intensities. A clear correlation is obtained between the magnetic field structure and the emission intensity. With a 2400 grooves/mm grating with a good spectral resolution (0.03 nm/pixel), the 2D distributions of impurity flow velocity are obtained from the Doppler shift measurement. The wavelength position is accurately calibrated by investigating the wavelength dispersion as well as by correcting a mechanical error of the optical setting in the spectrometer. The uncertainty in the velocity is reduced to less than 10% of a typical impurity velocity ∼104 m/s. A temporal change in the flow directions is observed at different spatial locations in divertor detachment plasma.

Effect of neutral hydrogen on edge impurity behavior in stochastic magnetic field layer of Large Helical Device

Two-dimensional (2-D) distribution of impurity line emissions has been measured with 2-D extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectroscopy in Large Helical Device (LHD) for studying the edge impurity transport in stochastic magnetic field layer with three-dimensional (3-D) structure. The impurity behavior in the vicinity of two X-points at inboard and outboard sides of the toroidal plasma can be separately examined with the 2-D measurement. As a result, it is found that the carbon location changes from inboard to outboard X-points when the plasma axis is shifted from Rax=3.6m to 3.75m. A 3-D simulation with EMC3-EIRENE code agrees with the result at Rax=3.75m but disagreed with the result at Rax=3.60m. The discrepancy between the measurement and simulation at Rax=3.60m is considerably reduced when an effect of neutral hydrogen localized in the inboard side is taken into account, which can modify the density gradient and friction force along the magnetic field.

Particle transport measurements in the LHD stochastic magnetic boundary plasma using Mach probes and ion sensitive probe

Spatial profiles of the plasma flow, electron temperature (Te) and ion temperature (Ti) in the stochastic magnetic boundary layer of Large Helical Device (LHD) has been studied by simultaneous measurements using a movable multiple functions probe, which consists of Mach probes and an ion sensitive probe. The tendency of the measured spatial profiles of Te and Ti is similar to the three-dimensional simulation. The results of ion saturation current (Isat) measurement of the upstream and downstream probes indicate that the plasma flow direction is reversed in the stochastic magnetic boundary layer. Isat observations obtained deep inside of the boundary layer contradict the simulation result, even though the existence of flow reversal in the LHD stochastic magnetic boundary layer was qualitatively confirmed.