Rajiv Goswami

Trapped ion effect on shielding, current flow, and charging of a small object in a plasma

The problem of electrostatic shielding around a small spherical collector immersed in nonflowing plasma, and the related problem of electron and ion flow to the collector, date to the origins of plasma physics. Calculations have typically neglected collisions, on the grounds that the mean free path is long compared to the Debye length. However, it has long been suspected that negative-energy trapped ions, created by occasional collisions, could be important. This paper presents self-consistent analytic calculations of the density and distribution function of trapped and untrapped ions, the potential profile, the ion and electron current to the collector, and the floating potential and charge of the collector. Under typical conditions for dust grains immersed in a discharge plasma, trapped ions are found to dominate the shielding near the grain, substantially increase the ion current to the grain, and suppress the floating potential and grain charge, even when the mean free path is much greater than the Debye length.

One-dimensional model of detached plasmas in the scrape-off layer of a divertor tokamak

Numerical and analytical study of a detached divertor equilibrium is presented. The model uses one-dimensional equations for continuity, momentum and energy balance with radiation, ionization, charge-exchange, and recombination processes. A reasonably simple neutral model is also employed. Analytical calculation, using a simple five-region model for a case with negligible convective heat flux and constant sources/sinks, captures the essence of detailed numerical calculation for the same case. More general cases are handled numerically. The detachment is studied as a function of the ratio Q⊥/S⊥ [the ratio of power and particle volume source, coming from the core to the scrape-off layer (SOL) region]. For low values of Q⊥/S⊥ (detached state), at the midplane and at the target, the ion temperature (Ti) is almost equal to the electron temperature (Te). As this ratio increases (attached state), Ti is larger than Te at the midplane. However at the target, Te is found to be slightly larger than Ti. It is also ob...

Influence of plasma surface interactions on tokamak startup

The startup phase of a tokamak is a complex phenomenon involving burnthrough of the low-Z impurities and rampup of Ip, the plasma current. The design considerations of a tokamak are closely connected with the startup modeling. Plasma evolution is analysed using a zero-dimensional model. The particle and energy balance is considered of two subclasses of plasmas which are penetrable by neutral gas, together with another component, neutrals trapped in the wall. The first subclass includes plasmas being penetrated by slow neutrals of (∼few eV) temperature. The second includes plasmas being penetrated only by fast neutrals having a temperature comparable to that of the ions. The impact of impurities on energy balance is considered through their generation by ion induced desorption of adsorbed oxygen on the first wall and physical and chemical sputtering of carbon. The paper demonstrates self-consistently that the evolution of initial phase of the discharge is intimately linked to the condition of the plasma fa...

Numerical study of transition to supersonic flows in the edge plasma

The plasma scrape-off layer (SOL) in a tokamak is characterized by ion flow down a long narrow flux tube terminating on a solid surface. The ion flow velocity along a magnetic field line can be equal to or greater than sonic at the entrance of a Debye sheath or upstream in the presheath. This paper presents a numerical study of the transition between subsonic and supersonics flows. A quasineutral one-dimensional (1D) fluid code has been used for modeling of plasma transport in the SOL along magnetic field lines, both in steady state and under transient conditions. The model uses coupled equations for continuity, momentum, and energy balance with ionization, radiation, charge exchange, and recombination processes. The recycled neutrals are described in the diffusion approximation. Standard Bohm sheath criterion is used as boundary conditions at the material surface. Three conditions conducive for the generation of supersonic flows in SOL plasmas have been explored. It is found that in steady state high (at...

Radiative Alfvén condensation instability

The coupling of magnetic perturbations to the radiative condensation instability has been investigated. It is shown that drift-like perturbations can couple the shear Alfven waves to the radiative thermal mode and give rise to a radiative Alfven condensation instability.

Collisional and Nonlinear Effects on Grain Charge and Intergrain Force

In recent work we have shown that trapped ions, created by occasional collisions, typically dominate the plasma response to a stationary dust grain in non‐flowing plasma. A procedure is outlined for calculating the ion current to the grain, including trapped ions, and it is shown that the trapped ion current is typically larger than the OML ion current. The electrostatic interaction between two grains is also discussed. This problem is solved in context of OML theory, with no trapped ions included. The result is that the interaction is purely repulsive, and nonlinear terms due to the presence of two grains increase the repulsion as compared to the one‐grain potential. The two‐grain problem has not yet been solved with trapped ions, but the possibility of attractive electrostatic forces is discussed.

Effect of edge turbulence on threshold of multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge instability in tokamaks

The radiative condensation instability believed to be responsible for the occurrence of multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge (MARFE) in tokamaks has been investigated in the presence of a background turbulence of saturated drift resistive ballooning modes (DRBM). These modes are a natural source for edge fluctuations in tokamaks. For the m=1 MARFE, it has been shown that a modest level of DRBM turbulence can significantly lower the threshold radiation rate required for excitation of MARFEs, enhance its growth rate, and introduce a real part to the mode frequency. Some of these results are consistent with observations of onset of MARFEs in recent experiments on Joint European Torus (JET) [Proceedings of the 17th European Conference on Controlled Fusion and Plasma Heating, Amsterdam (European Physical Society, Petit-Lancy, 1990), Vol. 14b-1, p. 339] and Tokamak Experiment for Technology Oriented Research (TEXTOR) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 1549 (1993)].

Confinement time of electron plasma approaching magnetic pumping transport limit in small aspect ratio C-shaped torus

A long confinement time of electron plasma, approaching magnetic pumping transport limit, has been observed in SMARTEX-C (a small aspect ratio partial torus with Ro/a∼1.59). Investigations of the growth rate reveal that they are governed by instabilities like resistive wall destabilization, ion driven instabilities, and electron-neutral collisions. Successful confinement of electron plasmas exceeding >1×105 poloidal E→×B→ rotations lasting for nearly 2.1±0.1 s is achieved by suppressing these instabilities. The confinement time has been estimated in two ways: (a) from the frequency scaling of the linear diocotron mode launched from sections of the wall that are also used as capacitive probes and (b) by dumping the plasma onto a charge collector at different hold times.

An enhanced tokamak startup model

The startup of tokamaks has been examined in the past in varying degree of detail. This phase typically involves the burnthrough of impurities and the subsequent rampup of plasma current. A zero-dimensional (0D) model is most widely used where the time evolution of volume averaged quantities determines the detailed balance between the input and loss of particle and power. But, being a 0D setup, these studies do not take into consideration the co-evolution of plasma size and shape, and instead assume an unchanging minor and major radius. However, it is known that the plasma position and its minor radius can change appreciably as the plasma evolves in time to fill in the entire available volume. In this paper, an enhanced model for the tokamak startup is introduced, which for the first time takes into account the evolution of plasma geometry during this brief but highly dynamic period by including realistic one-dimensional (1D) effects within the broad 0D framework. In addition the effect of runaway electro...