Panagiotis Tolias

Migration of tungsten dust in tokamaks: role of dust-wall collisions

The modelling of a controlled tungsten dust injection experiment in TEXTOR by the dust dynamics code MIGRAINe is reported. The code, in addition to the standard dust–plasma interaction processes, also encompasses major mechanical aspects of dust–surface collisions. The use of analytical expressions for the restitution coefficients as functions of the dust radius and impact velocity allows us to account for the sticking and rebound phenomena that define which parts of the dust size distribution can migrate efficiently. The experiment provided unambiguous evidence of long-distance dust migration; artificially introduced tungsten dust particles were collected 120° toroidally away from the injection point, but also a selectivity in the permissible size of transported grains was observed. The main experimental results are reproduced by modelling.

Dust–wall and dust–plasma interaction in the MIGRAINe code

The physical models implemented in the recently developed dust dynamics code MIGRAINe are described. A major update of the treatment of secondary electron emission, stemming from models adapted to typical scrape-off layer temperatures, is reported. Sputtering and plasma species backscattering are introduced from fits of available experimental data and their relative importance to dust charging and heating is assessed in fusion-relevant scenarios. Moreover, the description of collisions between dust particles and plasma-facing components, based on the approximation of elastic-perfectly plastic adhesive spheres, has been upgraded to take into account the effects of particle size and temperature.

Grain charging in an intermediately collisional plasma

The charges of μm-size particles in the quasineutral bulk plasma of a dc discharge are determined experimentally in a pressure range between 100 and 500 Pa, spanning the transition between the weakly collisional and highly collisional (hydrodynamic) regimes, where the ion mean free path drops below the plasma screening length. The charge is determined using the force balance condition from the measured particle drift velocities in stable particle flows. A simple interpolation formula for the ion flux to the grain in the transitional regime is shown to fit quite well the experimental results.

Dust remobilization in fusion plasmas under steady state conditions

The first combined experimental and theoretical studies of dust remobilization by plasma forces are reported. The main theoretical aspects of remobilization in fusion devices under steady state conditions are analyzed. In particular, the dominant role of adhesive forces is highlighted and generic remobilization conditions - direct lift-up, sliding, rolling - are formulated. A novel experimental technique is proposed, based on controlled adhesion of dust grains on tungsten samples combined with detailed mapping of the dust deposition profile prior and post plasma exposure. Proof-of-principle experiments in the TEXTOR tokamak and the EXTRAP-T2R reversed-field pinch are presented. The versatile environment of the linear device Pilot-PSI allowed for experiments with different magnetic field topologies and varying plasma conditions that were complemented with camera observations.

On electron backscattering from dust grains in fusion plasmas

Electron backscattering is identified as an important aspect of dust dynamics in fusion plasmas. Previously published experimental data on the backscattering of electrons with fusion relevant energies from solid targets are reviewed. Simple analytical expressions are proposed which, with a minimum number of parameters, can fit the experimental results with high accuracy. The contribution of electron backscattering to dust charging and heating is calculated. It is concluded that, especially for high-Z materials such as tungsten, electron backscattering leads to effective cooling of the grains, thus reducing the dust bulk temperature and enhancing dust lifetime and transport.

Interaction of adhered metallic dust with transient plasma heat loads

The first study of the interaction of metallic dust (tungsten, aluminum) adhered on tungsten substrates with transient plasma heat loads is presented. Experiments were carried out in the Pilot-PSI linear device with transient heat fluxes up to 550 MW m −2 and in the DIII-D divertor tokamak. The central role of the dust-substrate contact area in heat conduction is highlighted and confirmed by heat transfer simulations. The experiments provide evidence of the occurrence of wetting-induced coagulation, a novel growth mechanism where cluster melting accompanied by droplet wetting leads to the formation of larger grains. The physical processes behind this mechanism are elucidated. The remobilization activity of the newly formed dust and the survivability of tungsten dust on hot surfaces are documented and discussed in the light of implications for ITER.

Highly resolved measurements of dust motion in the sheath boundary of magnetized plasmas

Dust trajectories have been recorded with an unprecedented, under fusion-relevant plasma conditions, spatial resolution of 9 mu m/pixel in Pilot-PSI. The optical setup allowed the use of fast cameras as a basic microscope. It is demonstrated that such a resolution is essential for the correct interpretation of experiments on several aspects of dust-surface interactions. Highly resolved tungsten dust dynamics measurements are presented from dedicated experiments on dust collisions with plasma facing components, motion in the vicinity of castellated samples and remobilization from planar samples.

On secondary electron emission and its semi-empirical description

The description of secondary electron emission, as presented by plasma-material interaction fusion compendia, is demonstrated to be outdated both in its theoretical and experimental aspects. As a consequence, the recommended treatment leads to a strong overestimation of the secondary electron emission yields for tokamak relevant materials. Reliable experimental data-sets, in fusion energy ranges, are identified after a detailed review of a recently updated electron-solid interaction database and previously published experimental results. A novel semi-empirical approach is proposed for the description of the secondary electron emission yield. Application of the approach for a large number of solids reveals an unprecedented agreement with experimental data. The present results can serve as a reliable input for future quantitative investigations of the effect of secondary electron emission on various aspects of scrape-off-layer physics.

Regimes for experimental tests of kinetic effects in dust acoustic waves

The low frequency responses of a kinetic model of dusty plasma, taking into account the absorption of the plasma particles on the dust particles and fluctuations of dust charge, are evaluated numerically in order to identify realistic experimental parameter regimes where charging effects are dominant. A range of parameters in terms of dust number density and size as well as plasma densities, where significant differences with the multicomponent approach can be found, is proposed. General expressions for the imaginary parts of the low frequency responses are derived and numerical results for the damping rate in the corresponding ranges are provided to ensure that observations of dust-acoustic waves in those conditions are plausible.

Scattering of radiation in collisionless dusty plasmas

Scattering of electromagnetic waves in collisionless dusty plasmas is studied in the framework of a multi-component kinetic model. The investigation focuses on the spectral distribution of the scattered radiation. Pronounced dust signatures are identified in the coherent spectrum due to scattering from the shielding cloud around the dust grains, dust acoustic waves, and dust-ion acoustic waves. The magnitude and shape of the scattered signal near these spectral regions are determined with the aid of analytical expressions and its dependence on the dust parameters is investigated. The use of radiation scattering as a potential diagnostic tool for dust detection is discussed.