Akihiro Kuwahata

Intermittent magnetic reconnection in TS-3 merging experiment

Ejection of current sheet with plasma mass causes impulsive and intermittent magnetic reconnection in the TS-3 spherical tokamak (ST) merging experiment. Under high guide toroidal field, the sheet resistivity is almost classical due to the sheet thickness much longer than the ion gyroradius. Large inflow flux and low current-sheet resistivity result in flux and plasma pileup followed by rapid growth of the current sheet. When the pileup exceeds a critical limit, the sheet is ejected mechanically from the squeezed X-point area. The reconnection (outflow) speed is slow during the flux/plasma pileup and is fast during the ejection, suggesting that intermittent reconnection similar to the solar flare increases the averaged reconnection speed. These transient effects enable the merging tokamaks to have the fast reconnection as well as the high-power reconnection heating, even when their current-sheet resistivity is low under high guide field.

A LABORATORY EXPERIMENT OF MAGNETIC RECONNECTION: OUTFLOWS, HEATING, AND WAVES IN CHROMOSPHERIC JETS

Hinode observations have revealed intermittent recurrent plasma ejections/jets in the chromosphere. These are interpreted as a result of non-perfectly anti-parallel magnetic reconnection, i.e. component reconnection, between a twisted magnetic flux tube and the pre-existing coronal/chromospheric magnetic field, though the fundamental physics of component reconnection is unrevealed. In this paper, we experimentally reproduced the magnetic configuration and investigated the dynamics of plasma ejections, heating and wave generation triggered by component reconnection in the chromosphere. We set plasma parameters as in the chromosphere (density 10^14 cm^-3, temperature 5-10 eV, i.e. (5-10)x10^4 K, and reconnection magnetic field 200 G) using argon plasma. Our experiment shows bi-directional outflows with the speed of 5 km/s at maximum, ion heating in the downstream area over 30 eV and magnetic fluctuations mainly at 5-10 us period. We succeeded in qualitatively reproducing chromospheric jets, but quantitatively we still have some differences between observations and experiments such as jet velocity, total energy and wave frequency. Some of them can be explained by the scale gap between solar and laboratory plasma, while the others probably by the difference of microscopy and macroscopy, collisionality and the degree of ionization, which have not been achieved in our experiment.

Excitation and propagation of electromagnetic fluctuations with ion-cyclotron range of frequency in magnetic reconnection laboratory experiment

Large-amplitude electromagnetic fluctuations of ion-cyclotron-frequency range are detected in a laboratory experiment inside the diffusion region of a magnetic reconnection with a guide field. The fluctuations have properties similar to kinetic Alfven waves propagating obliquely to the guide field. Temporary enhancement of the reconnection rate is observed during the occurrence of the fluctuations, suggesting a relationship between the modification in the local magnetic structure given by these fluctuations and the intermittent fast magnetic reconnection.

Two-dimensional ion temperature measurement by application of tomographic reconstruction to Doppler spectroscopy

A novel 2D ion temperature measurement for toroidal plasmas has been developed by use of cost-effective discrete tomography reconstruction of 2D ion Doppler spectroscopy composed of a polychromator with an ICCD camera and optical fibres. The 2D projection of the line spectrum collected by 35 (7 × 5) optical fibres is transformed into the r–z profile of the local spectrum by means of the Abel inversion at each wavelength and finally into the 2D (r–z) profile of the ion temperature. Numerical tests of its algorithm indicate that the reconstruction error for a peaked temperature profile is smaller than 15% if the chord-integrated signals have noise smaller than 5%. This system successfully measured the peaked ion temperature profile of a torus plasma on the r–z plane under the condition of negligibly small plasma flow.

A magnetic probe equipped with small-tip permanent magnet for sentinel lymph node biopsy

We previously developed a magnetic probe equipped with a ring-shaped permanent magnet for detecting magnetic nanoparticle tracer accumulating in the sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). The magnetic probe enables us to identify SLNs objectively, without the risk of radiation exposure, unlike the conventional technique using dye and radioisotope. A technical challenge of the probe is to reduce the tip diameter of magnet to identify smaller SLNs. In this study, we optimized the size of smaller-tip magnet based on numerical analyses using the finite element method and evaluated the expected sensitivity. According to the analysis results, the optimum tip diameter and length of convex-shaped magnet were 16 mm and 12 mm, respectively. The experimental results showed that the sensitivity of the probe with smaller-tip magnet was comparable to the previous one. We successfully developed a smaller tip magnet, maintaining the sensitivity to magnetic nanoparticles. The proposed probe will be capable of identifying the locati...

Three-dimensional sensitivity mapping of a handheld magnetic probe for sentinel lymph node biopsy

An experimental apparatus for three-dimensional sensitivity mapping of a handheld magnetic probe with a permanent magnet and a Hall sensor was developed. To optimize the shapes and sizes of the magnets, the sensitivity mappings of two types of magnets, column- and cone-type magnets, were evaluated by the experimental apparatus. The longitudinal sensitivities of column and cone types are 8 and 9 mm, respectively, for 5 μL of magnetic nanoparticles. The measured longitudinal sensitivities agree well with the sensitivities calculated by the finite element method. Furthermore, the maximum lateral resolutions of column and cone types are 4.1 and 3.7 mm, respectively. In terms of the directionality, the sensitivities of column and cone types of the angle of 90° with respect to the probe axis fall approximately to 72% and 50% at 6 mm distance from the probe head, indicating that the cone type has high directionality due to its sharp shape. The measurement of sensitivity mapping revealed that the characteristics ...

Excitation of electrostatic waves in the electron cyclotron frequency range during magnetic reconnection in laboratory overdense plasmas

We report the observation of electromagnetic radiation at high harmonics of the electron cyclotron frequency that was considered to be converted from electrostatic waves called electron Bernstein waves (EBWs) during magnetic reconnection in laboratory overdense plasmas. The excitation of EBWs was attributed to the thermalization of electrons accelerated by the reconnection electric field around the X-point. The radiative process discussed here is an acceptable explanation for observed radio waves pulsation associated with major flares.

Development of effective power supply using electric double layer capacitor for static magnetic field coils in fusion plasma experiments

A cost-effective power supply for static magnetic field coils used in fusion plasma experiments has been developed by application of an electric double layer capacitor (EDLC). A prototype EDLC power supply system was constructed in the form of a series LCR circuit. Coil current of 100 A with flat-top longer than 1 s was successfully supplied to an equilibrium field coil of a fusion plasma experimental apparatus by a single EDLC module with capacitance of 30 F. The present EDLC power supply has revealed sufficient performance for plasma confinement experiments whose discharge duration times are an order of several seconds.

Handheld magnetic probe with permanent magnet and Hall sensor for identifying sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer patients

The newly developed radioisotope-free technique based on magnetic nanoparticle detection using a magnetic probe is a promising method for sentinel lymph node biopsy. In this study, a novel handheld magnetic probe with a permanent magnet and magnetic sensor is developed to detect the sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer patients. An outstanding feature of the probe is the precise positioning of the sensor at the magnetic null point of the magnet, leading to highly sensitive measurements unaffected by the strong ambient magnetic fields of the magnet. Numerical and experimental results show that the longitudinal detection length is approximately 10 mm, for 140 μg of iron. Clinical tests were performed, for the first time, using magnetic and blue dye tracers—without radioisotopes—in breast cancer patients to demonstrate the performance of the probe. The nodes were identified through transcutaneous and ex-vivo measurements, and the iron accumulation in the nodes was quantitatively revealed. These results show that the handheld magnetic probe is useful in sentinel lymph node biopsy and that magnetic techniques are widely being accepted as future standard methods in medical institutions lacking nuclear medicine facilities.

Combined use of fluorescence with a magnetic tracer and dilution effect upon sentinel node localization in a murine model

Background Sentinel node biopsy using radioisotope and blue dye remains a gold standard for axillary staging in breast cancer patients with low axillary burden. However, limitations in the use of radioisotopes have resulted in emergence of novel techniques. This is the first in vivo study to assess the feasibility of combining the two most common novel techniques of using a magnetic tracer and indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence. Materials and methods A total of 48 mice were divided into eight groups. Groups 1 and 2, the co-localization groups, received an injection of magnetic tracers (Resovist® and Sienna+®, respectively) and ICG fluorescence; distilled water was used as the solvent of ICG. Groups 3 and 4, the diluted injection groups, received an injection of magnetic tracers (Resovist and Sienna+, respectively) and saline for dilution. Groups 5, 6, and 7, the control groups, received magnetic tracer (Resovist, Sienna+) and ICG alone, respectively. Fluorescent intensity assessment and iron quantification of excised popliteal lymph nodes were performed. Group 1′, a co-localization group, received an injection of magnetic tracers (Resovist) and ICG′ fluorescence: saline was used as the solvent for ICG. Results Lymphatic uptake of all tracers was confined to the popliteal nodes only, with co-localization confirmed in all cases and no significant difference in fluorescent intensity or iron content of ex vivo nodes between the groups (except for Group 1′). There was no impact of dilution on the iron content in the diluted Sienna+ group, but it significantly enhanced Resovist uptake (P=0.005). In addition, there was a significant difference in iron content (P=0.003) in Group 1′. Conclusion The combination of a magnetic tracer (Resovist or Sienna+) and ICG fluorescence is feasible for sentinel node biopsy and will potentially allow for precise transcutaneous node identification, in addition to accurate intraoperative assessment. This radioisotope-free “combined technique” warrants further assessment within a clinical trial.