Plasma Transport Research Articles

SPH code development for X-pinch plasma simulation

We have developed the first smoothed particle hydrodynamics code for investigating X-pinch plasmas driven by pulsed power generators. To achieve the required code performance, we incorporated and discussed appropriate physics models capable of simulating the X-pinch phenomenon across various domains, encompassing equation of state, plasma transport, and radiation effects. The simulations were conducted in full three dimensions using our newly developed code, and we have compared and evaluated the results with experimental data obtained from the X-pinch device at Seoul National University. As a result, our simulations effectively captured the implosion behavior of X-pinch plasma, faithfully reproducing the four-step evolution process commonly observed in typical X-pinch configurations. Furthermore, it provided comprehensive spatiotemporal data on various plasma parameters, including density, temperature, velocity field, and radiated power. Notably, the electron temperature and density at the hot spot well agree with the experimental measurements, validating the accuracy and reliability of the developed simulation code. Additionally, the radiation data exhibited significantly improved accuracy compared to previous simulation results, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed radiation model, and it provides valuable insights into the X-pinch hot spot formation.

Research of turbulent transport due to dissipative trapped electron mode in tokamak plasmas

The purpose of this article is to study turbulent transport for laboratory plasmas in toroidal devices by gyrokinetic analyses. Linear analysis is performed to clarify the dominant mode for tokamak plasmas. The dissipative trapped electron mode (d-TEM) and the ion temperature gradient (ITG) mode are predicted using the Sugama collision model operator [Sugama et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 112503 (2009)]. Nonlinear gyrokinetic analysis is used to quantify turbulent transport. The nonlinear simulation results show the levels of particle and energy transport, where the d-TEM and ITG mode are unstable. The effect of zonal flows is studied by the linear and nonlinear simulation results. The results of the analysis are compared when two types of model collision operator, which are the Sugama and Lenard–Bernstein [Phys. Rev. 112, 1456 (1958)] collision model operators, are used. In this study, the simulation results using the Sugama collision operator show a stronger effect of the zonal flows on the turbulent transport than those using the Lenard–Bernstein collision operator, as predicted by the linear simulation result such as the zonal flow decay time.

Simulations of tokamak edge plasma turbulent fluctuations based on a minimal 3D model

A new simulation model for tokamak boundary plasma, SOLT3D, is implemented in the BOUT++ framework (Dudson et al 2009 Comput. Phys. Commun. 180 1467). The simulation model includes a set of dynamic equations describing collisional boundary plasma and neutral gas in the tokamak scrape-off layer and divertor region. The model is verified against standard linear plasma instabilities and available nonlinear results. For L-mode like conditions, SOLT3D reproduces characteristics of boundary plasma turbulent fluctuations that are similar to published experimental data, in terms of the amplitude and spatial dependence of the fluctuations. It also reproduces realistic plasma fluxes on material surfaces and expected Bohm-like effective radial transport. Plasma fluctuations inferred from the simulations imply inevitably a significant level of intrinsic ‘noise’ for axisymmetric tokamak plasma transport modeling, introducing errors on the order of unity. In particular, the toroidally averaged atomic rates below 5–10 eV are strongly modified by turbulent plasma fluctuations, which should significantly affect the standard axisymmetric modeling of the tokamak edge plasma and divertor.

Latitude Variation of the Post‐Sunset Plasma Density Enhancement During the Minor Geomagnetic Storm on 27 May 2021

AbstractIn this study, multiple instrumental observations including Global Navigation Satellite System total electron content (TEC), plasma drift velocity measured by Sanya (18.3°N, 109.6°E, dip latitude 12.6°N) Incoherent Scatter Radar (SYISR) and F2‐layer peak electron density (NmF2) and peak height (hmF2) from ionosonde and SYISR have been used to investigate ionospheric responses during a minor yet highly geo‐effective geomagnetic storm on 26–27 May 2021. Our findings revealed a significant time delay in the post‐sunset plasma density enhancement peak across different latitudes over East Asia, that is, the lower the geographic latitude, the earlier the peak appeared. The plasma density enhancement was accompanied by a decrease in hmF2 prior to NmF2 peak around sunset. The newly built SYISR measurements around sunset verified that the field‐aligned drift decreased the ionosphere with a notable time delay at latitude, beneficial to electron density enhancements at lower altitudes within the 16–30°N latitudinal band but a small TEC change. While at 30–50°N, it is possible that the competition between storm‐induced equatorward winds and downward field‐aligned drift depressed hmF2 decline and the buildup increased both NmF2 and TEC. The ICON observations suggested that the meridional wind during this minor storm event modulated the direction of plasma transport near sunset, playing a dominant role in post‐sunset plasma density enhancement from low to middle latitudes. These results provide fresh insight into the electrodynamic mechanisms of post‐sunset enhancements at middle and low latitudes over East Asia, and also enhance our understanding of the intricate behaviors within the ionosphere‐thermosphere system in response to a minor storm.

Self‐organization of plasma edge turbulence in interaction with recycling neutrals

AbstractExperimental results from several tokamaks suggest a strong impact of divertor density regimes on turbulent transport in the edge plasma. Reciprocally, the change in transverse transport and SOL width affects the access to density regimes, making it a fundamental topic for heat exhaust issue. Such phenomenology is highly nonlinear and can only be approached quantitatively using numerical simulations treating turbulence and neutrals recycling physics self‐consistently. In this study, the SOLEDGE3X edge multi‐fluid code is used to investigate the mutual interaction between edge plasma turbulence and neutrals recycling. A fluid neutrals model based on the assumption of a charge‐exchange‐dominated plasma‐neutral interaction has been implemented. Two simulations in circular geometry are compared: one without neutrals, where the particle flux is driven by a constant in flux from the core region, and the other one with neutrals recycling included in which the particle input to the system is self‐consistently injected by a gas puff from the midplane. The presence of the neutrals triggers three types of perturbations on the plasma: a local and non‐axisymmetric one driven by the gas puff, a global perturbation affecting both profiles and turbulence properties in the whole domain, and a local one in the vicinity of the limiter where recycling occurs. The largest effect of the inclusion of self‐consistent neutrals recycling is a large‐scale reorganization of the plasma profiles and turbulence properties due to the dissociation of particle and energy fluxes. These effects are expected to be more important at higher densities regimes or in diverted configuration.

Drifts effect on the divertor W leakage mechanisms under different dissipative divertor conditions of EAST

A new drift module has been developed in the DIVIMP code, enabling two-dimensional simulations of tungsten (W) transport in the edge plasma with full drifts included. By using the SOLPS-DIVIMP code package, the impact of drifts on W transport and screening has been investigated for various levels of dissipative divertor conditions and different divertor geometric configurations in EAST. Simulation results reveal that E⃗×B⃗ drifts can enhance the W leakage by more than one order of magnitude. Under the favorable Bt direction, W erosion mainly occurs on the outer divertor target, making the W leakage from the outer divertor region the dominator. A leakage path from the near-scrape-off layer (SOL) region is revealed by the modeling results. In the leakage path, both the ion temperature gradient force and the reversed poloidal E⃗×B⃗ drift are pointing upstream. With the radial E⃗×B⃗ drift pushing W ions from the well-screened far-SOL region to the near-SOL region, the leakage from the near-SOL region becomes significant. As the divertor condition varies from the low-recycling regime to the deep detachment regime, the decrease of the ion temperature gradient velocity and poloidal E⃗×B⃗ drift velocity narrows the width of the near-SOL leakage tunnel and thus enhances W screening. While under the unfavorable Bt , W erosion and leakage from the inner divertor target matters, the leakage mechanism especially the leakage path from the near-SOL region is similar as the favorable Bt cases. Furthermore, the effect of different divertor geometries on the W screening has been investigated. The configuration with the outer strike point (OSP) on the horizontal divertor plate is proved to narrow the near-SOL leakage tunnel, and thus the unreversed poloidal E⃗×B⃗ drift pointing to the divertor target dominates and helps to enhance the divertor W screening. For the same D 2 puffing rate, the W leakage ability of cases with the OSP on the horizontal target can be more than 10 times weaker than the cases with the OSP on the vertical target, especially when the divertor is detached.

Effect of hyper-resistivity on ballooning modes with resonant magnetic perturbations

The impact of hyper-resistivity on non-ideal ballooning modes (BMs) is studied in the presence of resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) through considering the hyper-resistivity, resistivity and diamagnetic effect in the BM model with an equilibrium distorted by RMP, which is stable for ideal BMs. Similar to the resistivity, the hyper-resistivity is also destabilizing for the BMs, but RMPs make the mode spectrum of the BMs destabilized by the hyper-resistivity move towards the low toroidal mode number side on the flux surface with a safety factor slightly larger than the RMP resonance safety factor, where the growth rates of the BMs destabilized by the resistivity decrease due to RMP. When both the hyper-resistivity and the resistivity are considered, there is a sort of competitive relationship between them in determining the properties of BMs. If either of the hyper-resistivity term and the resistivity term is much larger than the other one, the instability of BMs is mainly determined by the larger one, and the effect of the smaller one is masked. The destabilizing mechanisms of the hyper-resistivity and the resistivity on BMs are similar, namely, the diffusion and dissipation of current and magnetic field weaken the stabilizing effect of magnetic field line bending. The research results may be important for understanding the enhancement of plasma transport and the mechanism of small edge localized mode (ELM) during ELM control with RMP.

Tailoring tokamak error fields to control plasma instabilities and transport

A tokamak relies on the axisymmetric magnetic fields to confine fusion plasmas and aims to deliver sustainable and clean energy. However, misalignments arise inevitably in the tokamak construction, leading to small asymmetries in the magnetic field known as error fields (EFs). The EFs have been a major concern in the tokamak approaches because small EFs, even less than 0.1%, can drive a plasma disruption. Meanwhile, the EFs in the tokamak can be favorably used for controlling plasma instabilities, such as edge-localized modes (ELMs). Here we show an optimization that tailors the EFs to maintain an edge 3D response for ELM control with a minimized core 3D response to avoid plasma disruption and unnecessary confinement degradation. We design and demonstrate such an edge-localized 3D response in the KSTAR facility, benefiting from its unique flexibility to change many degrees of freedom in the 3D coil space for the various fusion plasma regimes. This favorable control of the tokamak EF represents a notable advance for designing intrinsically 3D tokamaks to optimize stability and confinement for next-step fusion reactors.

Handling Nanoparticle Content in Nanocomposite Thin Films Deposited by Misty Plasma Processes through Controlled Flash Boiling Atomization.

Misty plasma processes based on colloidal solutions sprayed into low-pressure plasmas have recently shown great potential for multifunctional thin film deposition. In such processes, nanoparticle accumulation in ring-shaped structures remains the main obstacle to the synthesis of high-quality coatings containing abundant, small-scale, and evenly dispersed nanoparticles. These local buildups appear after a colloidal droplet evaporates from a substrate. Accordingly, controlling the droplets' size in the spray is of key importance to ensure a uniform nanoparticle content in the plasma-deposited nanocomposite film. In this work, it is shown that the use of more volatile solvents produces finer droplets on the substrate, thereby improving nanoparticle dispersion in the matrix. A one-dimensional evaporation model is further developed and used to show that, contrary to what one might expect, this result cannot be attributed to faster evaporation during droplet transport in the low-pressure plasma. Instead, a so-called "flash" boiling atomization mechanism is discussed to support the experimental findings.

Multi-scale gyrokinetic simulations of JT-60U L-mode plasma: reduction of the ion scale energy loss due to the nonlinear coupling with the electron scale turbulence

We investigate the effect of the electron temperature gradient (ETG) driven turbulence on the energy transport in JT-60U L-mode plasma by means of the multi-scale gyrokinetic simulation. In the core region at r/a=0.5 , the instability in the ion scale is driven by the ion temperature gradient (ITG), meanwhile strong unstable ETG modes are found in the electron scale. The nonlinear multi-scale gyrokinetic simulation shows that ETG modes are stabilized in the nonlinear phase and the energy transport in the multi-scale simulation is similar to that obtained in the ion scale ITG simulation. In an outer region at r/a=0.6 , the ion scale instability changes to be the trapped electron mode (TEM). The multi-scale simulation shows that both the ion and the electron energy flux are reduced by ∼30% compared to those obtained in the single scale TEM simulation. Interestingly, the electron energy flux is close to the experimental value after this reduction. From the data analyses, we find that ETG turbulence damps the energy of TEM modes through the ion scale/electron scale coupling and the electron scale/electron scale coupling, and can be modeled as a turbulent diffusion of TEM modes. These results suggest that the single ion scale simulation seems to be still valid in the inner region with r/a<0.5 . However, in the outer region it is necessary to include the ETG modes in the gyrokinetic simulations to explain the energy transport in this L-mode plasma. This is the first result showing that ETG turbulence can reduce the electron energy loss via the cross-scale interaction in a real tokamak equilibrium profile.

Modeling and Simulation of Vacuum Arc Plasma Transport Properties Under the Influence of Anode Melting Pool

Modeling and Simulation of Vacuum Arc Plasma Transport Properties Under the Influence of Anode Melting Pool

Characteristics of the SOL ion-to-electron temperature ratio on the J-TEXT tokamak with different plasma configurations

Accurate measurement of the average plasma parameters in the edge region, including the temperature and density of electrons and ions, is critical for understanding the characteristics of the scrape-off layer (SOL) and divertor plasma transport in magnetically confined fusion research. On the J-TEXT tokamak, a multi-channel retarding field analyzer (RFA) probe has been developed to study average plasma parameters in the edge region under various poloidal divertor and island divertor configurations. The edge radial profile of the ion-to-electron temperature ratio, τ i/e, has been determined, which gradually decreases as the SOL ion self-collisionality, , increases. This is broadly consistent with what has been observed previously from various tokamak experiments. However, the comparison of experimental results under different configurations shows that in the poloidal divertor configuration, even under the same , τ i/e in the SOL region becomes smaller as the distance from the X-point to the target plate increases. In the island divertor configuration, τ i/e near the O-point is higher than that near the X-point at the same , and both are higher than those in the limiter configuration. These results suggest that the magnetic configuration plays a critical role in the energy distributions between electrons and ions at the plasma boundary.

Effect of ion stress on properties of magnetized plasma sheath

In the plasma sheath, there is a significant gradient in ion velocity, resulting in strong stress on ions treated as a fluid. This aspect has often been neglected in previous sheath studies. This study is based on the Braginskii plasma transport theory and establishes a 1D3V sheath fluid model that takes into account the ion stress effect. Under the assumption that ions undergo both electric and diamagnetic drift in the presheath region, self-consistent boundary conditions, including the ion Bohm velocity, are derived based on the property of the Sagdeev pseudopotential. Furthermore, assuming that the electron velocity at the wall follows a truncated Maxwell distribution, the wall floating potential is calculated, leading to a more accurate sheath thickness estimation. The results show that ion stress significantly reduces the sheath thickness, enhances ion Bohm velocity, wall floating potential, and ion flux at the wall. It hinders the acceleration of ions within the sheath, leading to notable alterations in the particle density profiles within the sheath. Further research indicates that in ion stress, bulk viscous stress has the greatest impact on sheath properties.

Unveiling the molecular interaction of hepatitis B virus inhibitor, entecavir with human serum albumin through computational, microscopic and spectroscopic approaches

Molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and multi-spectroscopic techniques were selected to unveil the molecular association between the hepatitis B virus (HBV) inhibitor, entecavir (ETR), and the major blood plasma transporter, human serum albumin (HSA). The entire docking and simulation analyses recognized ETR binding to subdomain IIA (Site I) of HSA through hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic and van der Waals forces while maintaining the complex’s stability throughout the 100 ns. A gradual lessening in the Stern-Volmer quenching constant ( K sv ) with rising temperatures registered ETR-induced quenching of HBV fluorescence as static quenching, thus advising complexation between ETR and HSA. The further advocation of this conclusion was seen from a larger value of the biomolecular quenching rate constant (( kq ) > 1010 M−1s−1), changes in the spectra (UV-Vis absorption) of HSA following ETR inclusion and ETR-induced swelling of HSA in the AFM results. The ETR appeared to bind to HSA with moderate affinity ( K a = 1.87 − 1.19 × 10 4 M−1) at 290, 300 and 310 K. Significant alterations in the protein’s secondary and tertiary structures, including changes in the protein’s Tyr/Trp microenvironment, were also detected by circular dichroism and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra when the protein was bound to ETR. The findings of the drug displacement study backed the docking results of Site I as ETR's preferred binding site in HSA. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Quantum effects on dynamic structure factors in dense magnetized plasmas

We extend the classical magnetohydrodynamics formalism to include nonlocal quantum behavior via the phenomenological Bohm potential. We then solve the quantum magnetohydrodynamics equations to obtain a new analytical form of the dynamic structure factor (DSF), a fundamental quantity linking theory and experiments. Our results show that the three-peak structure—one central Rayleigh peak and two Brillouin peaks—of the DSF arising from quantum hydrodynamic fluctuations becomes (in general) a five-peak structure—one central Rayleigh peak and two pairs of peaks associated with fast and slow magnetosonic waves. The Bohm contribution influences the positions and characteristics (height, width, and intensity) of the peaks by introducing three significant modifications: (i) an increase in effective thermal pressure, (ii) a reduction in the adiabatic index, and (iii) an enhancement of effective thermal diffusivity. The multiple DSF peaks enable concurrent measurements of diverse plasma properties, transport coefficients, and thermodynamic parameters in magnetized dense plasmas. The potential for experimental validation of our theory looms large, particularly through future experiments conducted at state-of-the-art laser facilities. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

A hybrid plasma model for Cr thin film deposition by deep oscillation magnetron sputtering

A time-dependent hybrid plasma model composed of a zero-dimensional global model and a two-dimensional fluid model is proposed for simulation of plasma chemistry and transportation of plasma during Cr thin film deposition by deep oscillation magnetron sputtering (DOMS). The global model deals with plasma reactions in the ionization region near the target with discharge voltage and current waveforms as inputs. The temporal plasma characteristics calculated by the global model are utilized as a boundary condition for the two-dimensional fluid model to simulate high-density plasma transportation in the diffusion region through the entire macropulse period. The full momentum equation taking inertia force into consideration is applied for ion momentum conservation in the fluid model instead of using the drift-diffusion approximation, which ensures validity of the simulation for low-pressure plasmas. The deposition flux as well as the kinetic and potential energy fluxes transferred to the growing films are calculated by the hybrid model. Microstructure evolution of the DOMS deposited Cr thin films from zone I to zone T is attributed to the growing kinetic and potential energies as the charging voltage increases according to the structure zone diagram. The deposition rate loss in DOMS is explained by the back attraction effect, sputtering yield effect, and densification of the films.

Improvement of core heat transport in NBI plasmas of heliotron J using high-intensity gas puffing

Controlling the heat transport profile is important for high performance in magnetically confined fusion plasmas. In this study, improved electron heat transport was achieved in neutral beam injection plasmas by applying high-intensity gas puffing (HIGP) on a stellarator/heliotron device called Heliotron J. Compared with conventional gas puffing (GP) fueling discharge, a higher and more peaked electron temperature profile was obtained, and the core ion temperature was slightly higher but similarly shaped. Using similar parameters, the electron density profile for HIGP remained similar and differed from the hollow density profile observed in electron cyclotron heating-eIBT plasma. Transport analysis using the FIT3D and TR-snap codes showed a clear reduction in the effective electron heat transport coefficient in the plasma core region. However, more detailed experiments are required to understand the mechanisms underlying this improvement fully.

Simulation of the impact of particle recycling on the plasma in MPS‐LD device based on the BOUT++ LPD module

AbstractA linear plasma device (LPD) module has been developed under the BOUT++ framework to simulate plasma transport in the MPS‐LD. However, previously, the LPD module used a simplistic neutral particle model that only includes particle density and velocity, which prevents the full understanding of the plasma‐neutrals interactions. In this work, we further optimize the neutral model by using a more complete neutral fluid model containing the continuity equation, momentum equation, and energy equation. The reactions such as charge exchange, excitation, and radiation collisions are included. Since the neutral particle source is mainly provided by particle recycling from the target, a particle recycling model is employed, which includes both fast reflection and slow thermal release. The upgraded LPD module is applied to simulate the argon (Ar) discharge experiment of MPS‐LD, and the benchmark against experiment measurement and SOLPS‐ITER simulation results are presented. Good agreements are obtained, showing the validation of the upgraded module. After that, the impact of particle recycling on Ar plasma is investigated. It is found that a higher recycling coefficient (R) promotes the achievement of high‐density plasma at the target. The recycled Ar atoms change target plasma pressure as well as plasma‐neutral collisions, which both contribute to plasma momentum loss, thus promoting the rollover of ion flux to the target.

Plasma density distribution and its perturbation by probes in axially symmetrical plasma

An analysis of plasma density distributions at arbitrary ion–atom collisionality for one-dimensional axially symmetrical cylindrical and annular plasmas is presented. Perturbations of plasma densities caused by a cylindrical probe are studied for arbitrary ion–atom collisionality. Analytical expressions for the plasma characteristics near the probe for low collisionality have been obtained. The plasma was modeled by the hydrodynamic neutral plasma equations, taking into account ionization, ion inertia, and a non-linear ion frictional force, which dominates the plasma transport at low gas pressures. Significant plasma density depletion around the probe has been observed for a wide range of ion–atom collisionality. The presented results predict underestimation of plasma density obtained from the classical Langmuir probe procedure and should provide a better understanding of electrostatic, magnetic, and microwave probes inserted into plasmas at low gas pressure.

Resistive drift wave turbulence and anomalous transport of multi-species plasma

Anomalous transport of multi-species plasma is considered with the generalized Hasegawa–Wakatani model. It is shown that the transport of all plasma species is described by fractional diffusion equations with the same effective diffusion coefficient. Strongly enhanced perturbations of heavy impurity density are found in long-living plasma flow vortices.