Lithium Beam Emission Spectroscopy Research Articles

Determination of the radial position of zero density for profile reflectometry on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reflectometry is a Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave monostatic system with the transmission lines similar to the ITER reflectometer design. One of the most significant and common problems for reflectometry to reconstruct the density profile is the determination of initialization, i.e. zero density position (R start), which could be determined by the extraordinary mode (X-mode) reflectometry. The main source of noise still comes from the wave scattering of plasmas despite the sweeping period of around 10 microseconds. It is found that to reduce the random noise of R start, averaging on 25 periods is the optimal solution. During the L-mode discharges with only lower hybrid wave (LHW) heating, R start would move outwards and its fluctuation and the high frequency components of turbulence around R start would be obviously increased when the 2.45 GHz system is switched on, while no obvious change is observed in the 4.6 GHz case. These phenomena are consistent with that 2.45 GHz LHW has less current drive ability than 4.6 GHz LHW on EAST. During ELMy H-mode, the peak of R start is consistent with Deuterium signal and the maximum displacement is about 3 cm. The comparison of density profiles from reflectometry and Lithium beam emission spectroscopy (Li-BES) suggests that setting the density at R start to (4 ± 2)× 1017 m-3 is much better than zero, while this value is somewhat empirical and closely related to the amplitude threshold for determining the first probing frequency corresponding to R start.

Non-linear free boundary simulations of the plasma response to resonant magnetic perturbations in ASDEX Upgrade plasmas

A promising method for the control of Edge Localized Modes (ELMs) in H-Mode tokamak plasmas is the application of Resonant Magnetic Perturbations (RMPs), where small helical field perturbations are introduced into the plasma via a set of external coils. While RMPs are used for suppression of ELMs in many present-day tokamaks, the mechanisms that lead to RMP-ELM control are still subject of debate.Here, we use the non-linear MHD code JOREK to investigate the penetration of the magnetic perturbation fields into ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) plasmas. We present an extension of the coupled JOREK-STARWALL code, that replaces the commonly used fixed boundary treatment with a free boundary treatment. Instead of prescribing the magnetic field at the boundary according to the vacuum field using Dirichlet boundary conditions, natural boundary conditions are applied, so that the magnetic field and plasma current density are evolving freely at the boundary. This allows a fully self-consistent development of the plasma response and the magnetic perturbation in the whole computational domain. The direct comparison of both approaches demonstrates that the artificial suppression of the plasma response with the fixed boundary treatment reduces the excitation of marginally stable modes. An overall larger perturbation is observed using the free boundary approach.The presented simulations are performed in realistic geometry with fully realistic plasma parameters and plasma flows based on reconstructions of experimental AUG equilibria. While the use of realistic plasma parameters makes the simulations particularly challenging, it also allows for quantitative comparisons to the experiment. When the RMP induced corrugation of the boundary is compared to electron density measurements from the lithium beam emission spectroscopy, only the free boundary approach shows excellent agreement with the experiment.

Experimental investigation of scrape-off layer blob high density transition in L-mode plasmas on EAST

Lithium Beam Emission Spectroscopy systems in the outer midplane and divertor Langmuir probe arrays embedded in the divertor target plates, are utilized to investigate the scrape-off layer (SOL) blob transition and its relation with divertor detachment on EAST. The blob transition in the near SOL is observed during the density ramp-up phase. When the plasma density, normalized to the Greenwald density limit, exceeds a threshold of f GW ∼ 0.5, the blob size and lifetime increases by 2 – 3 times, while the blob detection rate decreases by about 2 times. In addition, a weak density shoulder is observed in the near SOL region at the same density threshold. Further analysis indicates that the divertor detachment is highly correlated with the blob transition, and the density threshold of blob transition is consistent with that of the access to the outer divertor detachment. The potential physical mechanisms are discussed. These results could be useful for the understanding of plasma-wall interaction issues in future devices that will operate under a detached divertor and high density conditions (over the blob transition threshold).

Plasma edge density fluctuation measurements via lithium beam emission spectroscopy on EAST

Accurate and stable measurements of edge density fluctuation with high spatio-temporal resolution have been achieved by the lithium beam emission spectroscopy (Li-BES) diagnostic on experimental and advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST). The new narrower band interference filter exhibits good ability to suppress background emission signal even under strong lithium coating of the tokamak. The raw data measured by channels at different spatial locations in avalanche photo diode camera with high chopping frequency show good consistency. Based on the detected experimental data, detailed information of density profile and fluctuation structures is obtained. A clear edge coherent mode in the auto-power spectrum is observed in pedestal region, which is regarded as the dominant factor for the strong pedestal density fluctuation amplitude. The cross-power spectrum analysis further excludes the additional effects of common-mode noises and non-local perturbation, demonstrating that the detected fluctuation is only caused by local density fluctuation. The normalized radial and poloidal wave-number spectra can specify the quantitative changes of radial wavenumber (k r) and poloidal wavenumber (k θ) during the pedestal density fluctuation phase. This new Li-BES system, which can provide more accurate experimental data, allows further studies of edge density fluctuation and complex transport process on EAST.

Identity of the JET M-mode and the ASDEX Upgrade I-phase phenomena

An H-mode plasma state free of edge-localized mode (ELM), close to the L-H transition with clear density and temperature pedestal has been observed both at the Joint European Torus (JET) and at the ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) tokamaks usually identified by a low frequency (LFO, 1–2 kHz), m = 1, n = 0 oscillation of the magnetics and the modulation of pedestal profiles. The regime at JET is referred to as M-mode while at AUG as intermediate phase or I-phase. This contribution aims at a comparative analysis of these phenomena in terms of the density and temperature pedestal properties, the magnetic oscillations and symmetries. Lithium beam emission spectroscopy (Li-BES) and reflectometer measurements at JET and AUG show that the M-mode and the I-phase modulates the plasma edge density. A high frequency oscillation of the magnetics and the density at the pedestal is also associated with both the M-mode and the I-phase, and its power is modulated with the LFO frequency. The power modulation happens simultaneously in every Mirnov coil signal where it can be detected. The bursts of the magnetic signals and the density at the pedestal region are followed by the flattening of the density profile, and by a radially outward propagating density pulse in the scrape-off layer (SOL). The analysis of the helium line ratio spectroscopy (He-BES) signals at AUG revealed that the electron temperature is modulated in phase with the density, thus the I-phase modulates the pressure profile gradient. This analysis gave opportunity to compare Li-BES and He-BES density profiles at different locations suggesting a toroidal and poloidal symmetry of the density modulation. The presented results indicate that the regimes, the AUG I-phase and the JET M-mode, exhibit similar characteristics, which leads to the conclusion that the regimes are likely the same.

Neural network approximated Bayesian inference of edge electron density profiles at JET

A neural network (NN) has been trained on the inference of the edge electron density profiles from measurements of the JET lithium beam emission spectroscopy (Li-BES) diagnostic. The novelty of the approach resides in the fact that the network has been trained to be a fast surrogate model of an existing Bayesian model of the diagnostic implemented within the Minerva framework. Previous work showed the very first application of this method to an x-ray imaging diagnostic at the W7-X experiment, and it was argued that the method was general enough that it may be applied to different physics systems. Here, we try to show that the claim made there is valid. What makes the approach general and versatile is the common definition of different models within the same framework. The network is tested on data measured during several different pulses and the predictions compared to the results obtained with the full model Bayesian inference. The NN analysis only requires tens of microseconds on a GPU compared to the tens of minutes long full inference. Finally, in relation to what was presented in the previous work, we demonstrate an improvement in the method of calculation of the network uncertainties, achieved by using a state-of-the-art deep learning technique based on a variational inference interpretation of the network training. The advantage of this calculation resides in the fact that it relies on fewer assumptions, and no extra computation time is required besides the conventional network evaluation time. This allows estimating the uncertainties also in real time applications.

Validation of the edge density profiles from the ICRF antenna reflectometer on ASDEX Upgrade

A new multichannel X-mode reflectometer diagnostic (RIC) was recently installed in ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) to provide the electron density profiles in front of an ion cyclotron range of frequencies antenna. The diagnostic was designed to measure density profiles up to 2 × 1019 m−3 in the typical 1.5–2.7 T magnetic fields of AUG. Profiles can be measured every 25 μs simultaneously in 3 different poloidal positions. The main objective of this work is to assess the measurement capabilities of the RIC diagnostic for the scrape-off layer density profiles. RIC density profiles are compared to radial profiles from lithium beam emission spectroscopy and Thomson scattering over a wide variety of plasma conditions. Although a good agreement between the different diagnostics is generally found at low discharge densities, RIC measurements often show steeper profiles at high discharge densities, particularly at low outer wall clearance. In addition, the location of the start of X-mode upper cutoff reflection is determined as well as the plasma density at the first cutoff layer.

An experimental investigation of blob behaviors in lower hybrid wave dominant heating scenarios on EAST

Systematic measurements on scrape-off layer (SOL) blob behaviors have been performed by lithium beam emission spectroscopy on EAST in lower hybrid wave (LHW) heating dominant low confinement (L-mode) discharges. With the application of LHW, blob fluctuation amplitude and associated blob radial transport flux are profoundly suppressed. The reductions of the blob amplitude and transport flux are concomitant with the increase of SOL poloidal velocity and Er×B flow shear. Meanwhile, the blob eddy is strongly tilted and the radial correlation length is reduced. All the measurements point toward the important influences of the LHW induced Doppler shift effect and Er×B flow shear on the suppression of blobs and low frequency turbulence.

Characterization of edge and scrape-off layer fluctuations using the fast Li-BES system on COMPASS

Recently the Lithium-Beam Emission Spectroscopy (Li-BES) system on COMPASS has reached its full diagnostic power in terms of routine automatic operation in any kind of plasma scenarios and it is normally used as a standard tool for reconstruction of ultra fast density profiles in the edge region of COMPASS plasmas. The purpose of this study is to investigate the advantages and limitations of the COMPASS Li-BES system in characterizing plasma electron density fluctuations. We show how the atomic physics of plasma-beam interactions can affect the interpretation of the measurement at different radial positions and for different electron density profiles. We also demonstrate the usability of generalized sequential probability ratio test for automatic event detection. Using non-perturbative diagnostic, we verify the validity of the stochastic Garcia-model for scrape-off layer filaments and accompanying holes (density deficits).

Measurement of edge electron density profile with lithium beam emission spectroscopy (Li-BES) diagnostic on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST)

Lithium Beam Emission Spectroscopy (Li-BES) diagnostic has been developed on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), aiming at providing the edge electron density profile and density fluctuation. This system has been upgraded to 32 × 4 (radial × poloidal) channels since the 2016 campaign with a radial observation range of about 30 cm at the midplane on the low field side. The spatial resolution of Li-BES diagnostic is about 1 cm. The whole optical system of Li-BES diagnostic has been shifted 9 cm away from the tokamak axis perpendicular to the flange at horizontal D-port on EAST since the 2017 campaign. It’s confirmed that transmissivities of Avalanche PhotoDiode (APD) channels in the edge region are improved by comparing the relative light intensity calibration factors of the same row of APD channels before and after the shift. Spatial calibration and relative light intensity calibration of this system have been performed. Based on Schweinzer’s algorithm [J. Schweinzer et al., Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 34, 1173 (1992)], the edge electron density profile is reconstructed and shown to be consistent with those provided by other diagnostics on EAST. The electron density profile evolution during the plasma current ramp-down process is observed with Li-BES diagnostic in both SOL region and pedestal region. With an injected Li-beam under the high frequency chopping control, the temporal resolution of the reconstructed electron density profile can be up to 10 μs, which reveals temporal behaviors of fast transient events on EAST, such as the L-H transition and ELM crashes.

3D particle-in-cell modeling of Langmuir probe effective collecting area in magnetized plasma

Langmuir probes are a widespread tool for measurement of important plasma parameters such as electron temperature Te, plasma electron density ne, ion saturation current Isat and the floating potential Vfl, which are obtained from a fit to the current–voltage (I–V) characteristic of the probe. In magnetized plasmas, the measurements can be affected by sheath expansion due to large negative bias voltages, which is addressed by the introduction of a fourth parameter to the fitting function correcting the values of all measured quantities. In order to derive the plasma density from Isat, the understanding of probe ion collection is needed. In magnetized plasmas, the collecting area may not correspond to the real geometrical probe surface due to ion finite Larmor effects and so the derivation of Isat (and hence n) can be rather complicated. In this work, the influence of magnetic fields on the probe effective collecting area is studied by the means of fully 3D3V particle-in-cell model SPICE3. A parameter scan based on properties of scrape-off layer plasmas at COMPASS tokamak as well as a particular probe pin used on a horizontal reciprocating manipulator is performed. The results reveal that the presence of the probe head has a substantial effect on the outcome of the measurement as it forms a magnetic presheath at the probe location. An approximate formula for addressing the change of effective collecting area is presented and the data from the simulations are compared to measurements of COMPASS reciprocating probes and lithium beam emission spectroscopy.

Ultrafast two-dimensional lithium beam emission spectroscopy diagnostic on the EAST tokamak.

A diagnostic instrument is described for the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) for the measurement of the edge plasma electron density profile and plasma turbulence properties. An accelerated neutral lithium beam is injected into the tokamak and the Doppler shifted 670.8 nm light emission of the Li2p-2s transition is detected. A novel compact setup is used, where the beam injection and observation take place from the same equatorial diagnostic port and radial-poloidal resolution is achieved with microsecond time resolution. The observation direction is optimized in order to achieve a sufficient Doppler shift of the beam light to be able to separate from the strong edge lithium line emission on this lithium coated device. A 250 kHz beam chopping technique is also demonstrated for the removal of background light. First results show the capability of measuring turbulence and its poloidal flow velocity in the scrape-off layer and edge region and the resolution of details of transient phenomena like edge localized modes with few microsecond time resolution.

Publisher's Note: "Sub-millisecond electron density profile measurement at the JET tokamak with the fast lithium beam emission spectroscopy system" [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 89, 043509 (2018)

Publisher's Note: "Sub-millisecond electron density profile measurement at the JET tokamak with the fast lithium beam emission spectroscopy system" [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 89, 043509 (2018)

Sub-millisecond electron density profile measurement at the JET tokamak with the fast lithium beam emission spectroscopy system.

Diagnostic alkali atom (e.g., lithium) beams are routinely used to diagnose magnetically confined plasmas, namely, to measure the plasma electron density profile in the edge and the scrape off layer region. A light splitting optics system was installed into the observation system of the lithium beam emission spectroscopy diagnostic at the Joint European Torus (JET) tokamak, which allows simultaneous measurement of the beam light emission with a spectrometer and a fast avalanche photodiode (APD) camera. The spectrometer measurement allows density profile reconstruction with ∼10 ms time resolution, absolute position calculation from the Doppler shift, spectral background subtraction as well as relative intensity calibration of the channels for each discharge. The APD system is capable of measuring light intensities on the microsecond time scale. However ∼100 μs integration is needed to have an acceptable signal to noise ratio due to moderate light levels. Fast modulation of the beam up to 30 kHz is implemented which allows background subtraction on the 100 μs time scale. The measurement covers the 0.9 < ρpol < 1.1 range with 6-10 mm optical resolution at the measurement location which translates to 3-5 mm radial resolution at the midplane due to flux expansion. An automated routine has been developed which performs the background subtraction, the relative calibration, and the comprehensive error calculation, runs a Bayesian density reconstruction code, and loads results to the JET database. The paper demonstrates the capability of the APD system by analyzing fast phenomena like pellet injection and edge localized modes.

Effects of density gradients and fluctuations at the plasma edge on ECEI measurements at ASDEX Upgrade

Electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) provides measurements of electron temperature (Te) and its fluctuations (δTe). However, when measuring at the plasma edge, in the steep gradient region, radiation transport effects must be taken into account. It is shown that due to these effects, the scrape-off layer region is not accessible to the ECEI measurements in steady state conditions and that the signal is dominated by the shine-through emission. Transient effects, such as filaments, can change the radiation transport locally, but cannot be distinguished from the shine-through. Local density measurements are essential for the correct interpretation of the electron cyclotron emission, since the density fluctuations influence the temperature measurements at the plasma edge. As an example, a low frequency 8 kHz mode, which causes 10%–15% fluctuations in the signal level of the ECEI, is analysed. The same mode has been measured with the lithium beam emission spectroscopy density diagnostic, and is very well correlated in time with high frequency magnetic fluctuations. With radiation transport modelling of the electron cyclotron radiation in the ECEI geometry, it is shown that the density contributes significantly to the radiation temperature (Trad) and the experimental observations have shown the amplitude modulation in both density and temperature measurements. The poloidal velocity of the low frequency mode measured by the ECEI is 3 km s–1. The calculated velocity of the high frequency mode measured with the magnetic pick-up coils is about 25 km s–1. Velocities are compared with the E × B background flow velocity and possible explanations for the origin of the low frequency mode are discussed.

Feasibility study on the JT-60SA tokamak beam emission spectroscopy diagnostics

The JT-60SA superconducting tokamak is proposed to be equipped with a Lithium Beam Emission Spectroscopy (LiBES) and Deuterium Beam Emission Spectroscopy (DBES) diagnostic systems. The purpose of the LiBES system is scrape-off layer (SOL) and plasma edge density profile measurements and density fluctuation measurements in the SOL and outer edge regions, whereas the DBES system on a heating beam would have the capacity of density fluctuation measurements in the edge and the core regions, as well. Considerations for an optimal LiBES system require sufficient plasma penetration beyond the separatrix and a reasonable amount of emission collected by the optical system, while an optimal DBES system mostly requires adequate spatial resolution and a sufficient Doppler shift to enable discrimination of beam emission from emission of the background plasma. Various concepts and geometries of the LiBES system for JT-60SA are analysed in detail, and a potential DBES observation geometry is characterized.

Bayesian electron density inference from JET lithium beam emission spectra using Gaussian processes

A Bayesian model to infer edge electron density profiles is developed for the JET lithium beam emission spectroscopy (Li-BES) system, measuring Li I (2p-2s) line radiation using 26 channels with ∼1 cm spatial resolution and ms temporal resolution. The density profile is modelled using a Gaussian process prior, and the uncertainty of the density profile is calculated by a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) scheme. From the spectra measured by the transmission grating spectrometer, the Li I line intensities are extracted, and modelled as a function of the plasma density by a multi-state model which describes the relevant processes between neutral lithium beam atoms and plasma particles. The spectral model fully takes into account interference filter and instrument effects, that are separately estimated, again using Gaussian processes. The line intensities are inferred based on a spectral model consistent with the measured spectra within their uncertainties, which includes photon statistics and electronic noise. Our newly developed method to infer JET edge electron density profiles has the following advantages in comparison to the conventional method: (i) providing full posterior distributions of edge density profiles, including their associated uncertainties, (ii) the available radial range for density profiles is increased to the full observation range (∼26 cm), (iii) an assumption of monotonic electron density profile is not necessary, (iv) the absolute calibration factor of the diagnostic system is automatically estimated overcoming the limitation of the conventional technique and allowing us to infer the electron density profiles for all pulses without preprocessing the data or an additional boundary condition, and (v) since the full spectrum is modelled, the procedure of modulating the beam to measure the background signal is only necessary for the case of overlapping of the Li I line with impurity lines.

Bayesian modelling of the emission spectrum of the Joint European Torus Lithium Beam Emission Spectroscopy system.

A Bayesian model of the emission spectrum of the JET lithium beam has been developed to infer the intensity of the Li I (2p-2s) line radiation and associated uncertainties. The detected spectrum for each channel of the lithium beam emission spectroscopy system is here modelled by a single Li line modified by an instrumental function, Bremsstrahlung background, instrumental offset, and interference filter curve. Both the instrumental function and the interference filter curve are modelled with non-parametric Gaussian processes. All free parameters of the model, the intensities of the Li line, Bremsstrahlung background, and instrumental offset, are inferred using Bayesian probability theory with a Gaussian likelihood for photon statistics and electronic background noise. The prior distributions of the free parameters are chosen as Gaussians. Given these assumptions, the intensity of the Li line and corresponding uncertainties are analytically available using a Bayesian linear inversion technique. The proposed approach makes it possible to extract the intensity of Li line without doing a separate background subtraction through modulation of the Li beam.

A detailed comparison of antenna impedance measurements on ASDEX Upgrade with the ion cyclotron range of frequencies antenna code TOPICA

New antenna diagnostics on the ASDEX Upgrade, in the form of voltage and current probe pairs on the feeding lines of each ion cyclotron range of frequencies antenna, close to the input ports, have made it possible to study in detail the behavior of the ASDEX Upgrade two-strap antenna under changing loading conditions, and compare these measurements with the results of simulations using the TOPICA code. The present work extends previous studies by using the input impedance (more precisely, the complex voltage reflection coefficient ) on each antenna port for comparison, instead of the more commonly used loading resistance or coupled power. The electron density profiles used for the simulation were reconstructed from the deuterium-carbon-nitrogen interferometer and lithium beam emission spectroscopy measurements, edge-localized mode-synchronized and averaged over time intervals from 10 to 200 ms depending on the case; 112 cases were compared from seven ASDEX Upgrade discharges with widely different plasma parameters and two operating frequencies (30 and 36.5 MHz). Very good agreement in was found with the measurements on antenna 3 (<3% averaged over a shot), and good agreement was found with antennas 1 and 2 (<10%); the code reproduced the correct trend in loading resistance in a significant majority of cases, although the discrepancies in the absolute values were rather high (up to ∼50%) due to high reflection. Sources of discrepancy are discussed.

Combined hydrogen and lithium beam emission spectroscopy observation system for Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research.

A novel beam emission spectroscopy observation system was designed, built, and installed onto the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research tokamak. The system is designed in a way to be capable of measuring beam emission either from a heating deuterium or from a diagnostic lithium beam. The two beams have somewhat complementary capabilities: edge density profile and turbulence measurement with the lithium beam and two dimensional turbulence measurement with the heating beam. Two detectors can be used in parallel: a CMOS camera provides overview of the scene and lithium beam light intensity distribution at maximum few hundred Hz frame rate, while a 4 × 16 pixel avalanche photo-diode (APD) camera gives 500 kHz bandwidth data from a 4 cm × 16 cm region. The optics use direct imaging through lenses and mirrors from the observation window to the detectors, thus avoid the use of costly and inflexible fiber guides. Remotely controlled mechanisms allow adjustment of the APD camera's measurement location on a shot-to-shot basis, while temperature stabilized filter holders provide selection of either the Doppler shifted deuterium alpha or lithium resonance line. The capabilities of the system are illustrated by measurements of basic plasma turbulence properties.