Ernest J. Valeo

A tutorial on the basic principles of microwave reflectometry applied to fluctuation measurements in fusion plasmas

Microwave reflectometry is now routinely used for probing the structure of magnetohydrodynamic and turbulent fluctuations in fusion plasmas. Conditions specific to the core of tokamak plasmas, such as small amplitude of density irregularities and the uniformity of the background plasma, have enabled progress in the quantitative interpretation of reflectometer signals. In particular the extent of applicability of the one-dimensional (1-D) geometric optics description of the reflected field is investigated by direct comparison to 1-D full wave analysis. Significant advances in laboratory experiments are discussed which are paving the way toward a thorough understanding of this important measurement technique. Data are presented from the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor [R. Hawryluk, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 33, 1509 (1991)] identifying the validity of the geometric optics description of the scattered field and demonstrating the feasibility of imaging turbulent fluctuations in fusion scale devices.

Dynamic modelling of lower hybrid current drive

A dynamic computational model of lower hybrid current drive in the presence of an electric field is described and some results are given. Details of geometry, plasma profiles and circuit equations are treated carefully. Two dimensional velocity space effects are approximated in a one dimensional Fokker-Planck treatment. The model is unable to approximate experimental results in some cases characterized by low density, low current, high aspect ratio and a launched spectrum at high phase velocity relative to the thermal velocity. In other cases, qualitative agreement with measurements is found. A simple formula already in the literature appears to determine whether agreement of model and experiment will be good or poor. Application to an experimental discharge in which q(0) is raised above unity shows an appropriate time-scale. Computation of a planned effort for high beta suggests potential success

High Harmonic Fast Wave Heating Efficiency Enhancement and Current Drive at Longer Wavelength on the National Spherical Torus Experiment

High harmonic fast wave heating and current drive (CD) are being developed on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) [M. Ono et al., Nucl. Fusion 41, 1435 (2001)] for supporting startup and sustainment of the ST plasma. Considerable enhancement of the core heating efficiency (η) from 44% to 65% has been obtained for CD phasing of the antenna (strap-to-strap φ = -90o, kφ = -8 m-1) by increasing the magnetic field from 4.5 kG to 5.5 kG. This increase in efficiency is strongly correlated to moving the location of the onset density for perpendicular fast wave propagation (nonset ∝ ΒΦ× k|| 2/w) away from the antenna face and wall, and hence reducing the propagating surface wave fields. RF waves propagating close to the wall at lower BΦ and k|| can enhance power losses from both the parametric decay instability (PDI) and wave dissipation in sheaths and structures around the machine. The improved efficiency found here is attributed to a reduction in the latter, as PDI losses are little changed at the higher magnetic field. Under these conditions of higher coupling efficiency, initial measurements of localized CD effects have been made and compared with advanced RF code simulations

Lower hybrid current drive experiments on Alcator C-Mod: Comparison with theory and simulation

Lower hybrid (LH) current drive experiments have been carried out on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak [I. H. Hutchinson et al., Phys. Plasmas 1, 1511 (1994)] using a radio-frequency system at 4.6GHz. Up to 900kW of LH power has been coupled and driven LH currents have been inferred from magnetic measurements by extrapolating to zero loop voltage, yielding an efficiency of neILHR0∕PLH≈2.5±0.2×1019(A∕W∕m2). We have simulated the LH current drive in these discharges using the combined ray tracing/three-dimensional (r,v⊥,v∥) Fokker–Planck code GENRAY-CQL3D (R. W. Harvey and M. McCoy, in Proceedings of the IAEA Technical Committee Meeting on Simulation and Modeling of Thermonuclear Plasmas, Montreal, Canada, 1992) and found similar current drive efficiencies. The simulated profiles of current density from CQL3D, including both ohmic plus LH drive have been found to be in good agreement with the measured current density from a motional Stark effect diagnostic. Measurements of nonthermal x-ray emission confirm the pres...

Physics of spin-polarized plasmas

If the nuclear spins in a fusion reactor are oriented, or polarized, in an appropriate manner, then the nuclear reactions are modified in such a way as to enhance the performance of the reactor. The methods by which the spins can be polarized and the various difficulties connected with these methods are discussed. The processes by which the polarization can be lost owing to various physical processes in a confined plasma are assessed. The different polarization modes of the plasma ions are applicable to the different nuclear reactions, D–T, D–3He and D–D. The benefits for reactor performance of these modes are discussed. It is concluded that on the basis of current knowledge, the possibility of achieving polarized spin in a fusion plasma cannot be ruled out and that the physics of such plasmas is well worth pursuing both for its intrinsic interest and for its benefit to fusion. Further, detailed calculations of the modification of the D–T nuclear reaction produced by spin polarization are given, as well as calculations of the depolarization rates for physical processes in a confined plasma. Finally, a kinetic description of a polarized plasma is outlined which generalizes the normal kinetic description of a plasma.

Demonstration of detuning and wavebreaking effects on Raman amplification efficiency in plasma

A plasma-based resonant backward Raman amplifier/compressor for high power amplification of short laser pulses might, under ideal conditions, convert as much as 90% of the pump energy to the seed pulse. While the theoretical highest possible efficiency of this scheme has not yet been achieved, larger efficiencies than ever before obtained experimentally (6.4%) are now being reported, and these efficiencies are accompanied by strong pulse compression. Based on these recent extensive experiments, it is now possible to deduce that the experimentally realized efficiency of the amplifier is likely constrained by two factors, namely the pump chirp and the plasma wavebreaking, and that these experimental observations may likely involve favorable compensation between the chirp of the laser and the density variation of the mediating plasma. Several methods for further improvement of the amplifier efficiency in current experiments are suggested.

Development of a nanosecond-laser-pumped Raman amplifier for short laser pulses in plasma

Progress on developing a plasma amplifier/compressor based on stimulated Raman scattering of nanosecond laser pulses is reported. Generation of a millijoule seed pulse at a wavelength that is redshifted relative to the pump beam has been achieved using an external Raman gas cell. By interacting the shifted picosecond seed pulse and the nanosecond pump pulse in a gas jet plasma at a density of ∼1019 cm−3, the upper limit of the pump intensity to avoid angular spray of the amplified seed has been determined. The Raman amplification has been studied as a function of the pump and seed intensities. Although the heating of plasma by the nanosecond pump pulse results in strong Landau damping of the plasma wave, an amplified pulse with an energy of up to 14 mJ has been demonstrated, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest output energy so far by Raman amplification in a plasma. One-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations indicate that the saturation of amplification is consistent with onset of partic...

A description of the full-particle-orbit-following SPIRAL code for simulating fast-ion experiments in tokamaks

The numerical methods used in the full particle-orbit following SPIRAL code are described and a number of physics studies performed with the code are presented to illustrate its capabilities. The SPIRAL code is a test-particle code and is a powerful numerical tool to interpret and plan fast-ion experiments in tokamaks. Gyro-orbit effects are important for fast ions in low-field machines such as NSTX and to a lesser extent in DIII-D. A number of physics studies are interlaced between the description of the code to illustrate its capabilities. Results on heat loads generated by a localized error-field on the DIII-D wall are compared with measurements. The enhanced Triton losses caused by the same localized error-field are calculated and compared with measured neutron signals. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) activity such as tearing modes and toroidicity-induced Alfven eigenmodes (TAEs) have a profound effect on the fast-ion content of tokamak plasmas and SPIRAL can calculate the effects of MHD activity on the confined and lost fast-ion population as illustrated for a burst of TAE activity in NSTX. The interaction between ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) heating and fast ions depends solely on the gyro-motion of the fast ions and is captured exactly in the SPIRAL code. A calculation of ICRF absorption on beam ions in ITER is presented. The effects of high harmonic fast wave heating on the beam-ion slowing-down distribution in NSTX is also studied.

Two-dimensional simulations of correlation reflectometry in fusion plasmas

A two-dimensional wave propagation code, developed specifically to simulate correlation reflectometry in large-scale fusion plasmas, is described. The code makes use of separate computational methods in the vacuum, underdense and reflection regions of the plasma in order to obtain the high computational efficiency necessary for correlation analysis. Simulations of TFTR plasma with internal transport barriers are presented and compared with one-dimensional full-wave simulations. It is shown that the two-dimensional simulations are remarkably similar to the results of the one-dimensional full-wave analysis for a wide range of turbulent correlation lengths. Implications for the interpretation of correlation reflectometer measurements in fusion plasma are discussed.

Inverse bremsstrahlung stabilization of noise in the generation of ultrashort intense pulses by backward Raman amplification

Inverse bremsstrahlung absorption of the pump laser beam in a backward Raman amplifier over the round-trip light transit time through the subcritical density plasma can more than double the electron temperature of the plasma and produce time-varying axial temperature gradients. The resulting increased Landau damping of the plasma wave and detuning of the resonance can act to stabilize the pump against unwanted amplification of Langmuir noise without disrupting nonlinear amplification of the femtosecond seed pulse. Because the heating rate increases with the charge state Z, only low-Z plasmas (hydrogen, helium, or helium–hydrogen mixtures) will maintain a low enough temperature for efficient operation.