Development of Data Acquisition Card Driver for ICRH System on EAST

Presented in this paper is the development of the driver for the data acquisition card with a peripheral component interconnection （PCI） local bus on the ion cyclotron range of frequency heating （1CRH） system. The driver is mainly aimed at the embedded VxWorks system （real-time operating system） which is widely used in various fields of real-time systems. An efficient way is employed to develop this driver, which will advance the real-time control of the ICRH system on the experimental advanced superconductor tokamak （EAST）. The driver is designed using the TORNADO integrated development environment （IDE）, and implemented in C plus language. The details include the hardware configuration, analogue/digital （A/D） and digital/analogue （D/A） conversion, input and output （I/O） operation of the driver to support over five cards. The data acquisition card can be manipulated in a low-level program and meet the requirements of A/D conversion and D/A outputs.     

Density and temperature of fermions and bosons from quantum fluctuations

A novel method to determine the density and temperature of a system constituted by fermions and/or bosons is proposed based on quantum fluctuations. For fermions system, the results in the limit where the reached temperature T is small and where there is no constraint for the reached temperature T compared to the Fermi energy ~f at a given density p are given, respectively. Quadrupole and multiplicity fluctuation relations are derived in terms of T/6f. We compared the two set results in the limit when Tis much smaller compared to Fermi energy Cf and they are consistent, as expected. The classical limit is also obtained for high temperatures and low densities. For bosons system, quadrupole and multiplicity fluctuations using Landau＇s theory of fluctuations near the critical point for a Bose-Einstein condensate （BEC） at a given density p are derived. As an example, we apply our approach to heavy ion collisions using the Constrained Molecular Dynamics model （CoMD） which includes the fermionic statistics. The multiplicity fluctuation quenching for fermions is found in the model and confirmed by experimental data. To reproduce the available experimental data better, we propose a modification of the collision term in the approach to include the possibility of ct-a collisions. The relevant Bose-Einstein factor in the collision term is properly taken into account. This approach increases the yields of bosons relative to fermions closer to data. Boson fluctuations become larger than one as expected.     

Simultaneous Oxidization of NOx and SO2 by a New Non-thermal Plasma Reactor Enhanced by Catalyst and Additive

The non-thermal plasma as one of the most promising technologies for removing NOx and SO2 has attrm~ted much attention. In this study, a new plasma reactor combined with catalyst and additive was developed to effectively oxidize and remove NOx and SO2 in the flue gas. The experimental results showed that TiO2 could improve the oxidation efficiency of SO2 in the case of applying plasma while having a negative effect on the oxidation process of NO and NOx. With the addition of NH3, the oxidation rates of NOx, NO and SO2 were slightly increased. However, the effect of adding NH3 on NOx oxidation was negative when the temperature was above 200℃.     

Role of Ion Beam Irradiation and Annealing Effect on the Deposition of AlON Nanolayers by Using Plasma Focus Device

AlON nanolayers are synthesized on Al substrate by the irradiation of energetic nitrogen ions using plasma focusing. Samples are exposed to multiple （5, 10, 15, 20 and 25） focus shots. Ion energy and ion number density range from 80 keV to 1.4 MeV and 5.6×10^19 m^- 3 to 1.3×10^19 m ^-3, respectively. Moreover, the effect of continuous annealing （473 K and 523 K） on an AlN surface layer synthesized with 25 focus shots is also examined. The main features of the X-ray diffraction （XRD） patterns with increasing focus shots are： （i） variation in the crystallinity of AlN along （111）, （200） and （311） planes, （ii） increasing average crystallite size of AlN （111） plane, and （iii） stress relaxation observed in AlN （111） and （200） planes. The crystallinity of AlN surface layer is comparatively better at 473 K annealing temperature. A broadened diffraction peak related to an aluminium oxide phase showing weak crystallinity is observed for 15 focus shots while non-bounded oxides are present in all other deposited layers. Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR） analysis confirm the presence of AlN and Al203 for the surface layer annealed at 473 K temperature. Raman analysis shows that the overlapping of AlN and Al2Oa results in the development of residual stresses. Scanning electron microscope （SEM） results demonstrate that the formation of rounded grains （range from 20 nm to 200 nm） and variations in their microstructures features depend on the increasing number of focus shots. Decomposition of larger clusters into smaller ones is observed.     

Simulation of Electron-Beam Generating Plasma at Atmospheric Pressure

As electron-beam generating plasma is widely applied, the software tool EGS4 （Electron-Gamma Shower） was used to simulate the transmission and energy deposition of electron-beam in air. The simulation results indicated that the range of the electron-beam was inversely proportional to the gas pressure in a wide range of gas pressure, and the electron-beam of 200 keV could generate a plasma with a density 10^11 cm^-3 in air of latm. In addition, the energy distribution of the beam-electron and plasma density profile produced by the beam were achieved.     

Effect of Cold Plasma Treatment on Seed Germination and Growth of Wheat简

This study investigated the effect of cold helium plasma treatment on seed germina- tion, growth and yield of wheat. The effects of different power of cold plasma on the germination of treated wheat seeds were studied. We found that the treatment of 80 W could significantly improve seed germination potential （6.0%） and germination rate （6.7%） compared to the control group. Field experiments were carried out for wheat seeds treated with 80 W cold plasma. Com- pared with the control, plant height （20.3%）, root length （9.0%） and fresh weight （21.8%） were improved significantly at seedling stage. At booting stage, plant height, root length, fresh weight, stem diameter, leaf area and leaf thickness of the treated plant were respectively increased by 21.8%, 11.0%, 7.0%, 9.0%, 13.0% and 25.5%. At the same time, the chlorophyll content （9.8%）, nitrogen （10.0%） and moisture content （10.0%） were higher than those of the control, indicating that cold plasma treatment could promote the growth of wheat. The yield of treated wheat was 7.55 t-ha-1, 5.89% more than that of the control. Therefore, our results show that cold plasma has important application prospects for increasing wheat yield.     

Mechanical Properties of Thermoplastic Polyurethanes Laminated Glass Treated by Acid Etching Combined with Cold Plasma

To overcome the problem of interlaminar delamination of thermoplastic polyurethane laminated glass, silicate glass was etched with hydrofluoric acid and thermoplastic polyurethane was then treated with cold plasma. Compared with the untreated samples, the interlaminar shear strength of acid etching samples, cold plasma-treated samples and acid etching combined with cold plasma-treated samples increased by 97%, 84% and 341%, respectively. Acid etching combined with cold plasma-treated samples exhibited a higher flexural strength and strain as compared with the untreated samples. The impact energy of acid etching samples, cold plasmatreated samples and acid etching combined with cold plasma-treated samples increased by 8.7%, 8.1% and 11.6%, respectively, in comparison with the untreated samples. FT-IR analysis showed that a large number of -C-O, CO N and CO O C groups appeared on the surface of cold plasma-treated thermoplastic polyurethane, which resulted in the formation of hydrogen bonds. SEM results showed that some pittings formed on the surface of the silicate glass treated by acid etching, which resulted in the formation of a three-dimensional interface structure between tile silicate glass and polyurethane. Hydrogen bonds combined with the three-dimensional interface between silicate glass and polyurethanes co-improved the mechanical properties of thermoplastic polyurethanes laminated glass.     

Study of Atmospheric Pressure Abnormal Glow Discharge

Atmospheric pressure abnormal glow discharge （APAGD） was carried out simply with a transformer of 1 ： 500 driven by a alternating current with a frequency of 50 Hz. Typical stable discharge parameters, namely voltage of 400 V to 850 V and current of 60 mA to 110 mA were measured by oscillograph. Simulation of the discharge process suggested that the stable discharge was supported by the impedance from the secondary coil of the transformer, which offered a negative feedback to prevent the discharge from turning into an arc. An interpretation was given for the oscillogram of the sinuous discharge current and square voltage. Furthermore, the electron temperature and electron density averaged in the discharge channel of APAGD were estimated.     

Reaction mechanisms in massive nuclei collisions and perspectives for synthesis of heavier superheavy elements

We discuss a hardship in synthesis of heaviest super heavy elements in massive nuclei reactions due to the hindrance to complete fusion of reacting nuclei caused on the onset of quasifission process which strongly competes with complete fusion and due to the strong increase of fission yields along the de-excitation cascade of the compound nucleus in comparison with the evaporation residue formation. The hindrance to formation of compound nucleus and evaporation residue is determined by the characteristic of the entrance channel.     

Development of a 4 MV Laser-Triggered Multi-Stage Switch

A 22-stage 4 MV laser-triggered multistage multi-channel switch （LTS） was designed according to the hypothesis that the well-proportioned electrical field distribution is helpful in reducing the jitter of delay. Field distribution in the switch section is regulated by a metal field regulation ring and several gradient rings. In order to reduce the jitter further, a SFB/N2 mixture is chosen as the switching medium. The generalized standard deviation of the self-breakdown voltage and the deviation of the average value from the prediction is less than 4.4% and 13% respectively. Linearity of the self-breakdown voltage is better than 0.95. Triggered by a laser pulse of 35 mJ/3 ns, the delay is about 26 ns at a working voltage of 85±3% USB （Self-breakdown Voltage）. Maximum deviation of delay is less than =t=2.5 ns. Jitter is less than 1.5 ns. The delay and jitter decrease with the increase in the working ratio （the ratio of working voltage to USB）, pressure or voltage.     

Characterization of PEG-Like Macromolecular Coatings on Plasma Modified NiTi Alloy

A poly（ethylene glycol） （PEG-like） coating was developed to improve the biocom- patibility of Nickel-Titanium （NiTi） alloy implants. The PEG-like macromolecular coatings were deposited on NiTi substrates at a room temperature of 298 K through a ECR （electron-cyclotron resonance） cold-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method using tetraglyme （CH3-O- （CH2-CH2-O）4-CH3） as a precursor. A power supply with a frequency of 2.45 GHz was applied to ignite the plasma with Ar（argon） used as the carrier gas. Based on the atomic force microscopy （AFM） studies, a thin smooth coating on NiTi substrates with highly amorphous functional groups on the modified NiTi surfaces were mainly the same accumulated stoichiometric ratio of C and O with PEG. The vitro studies showed that platelet-rich plasma （PRP） adsorption on the modified NiTi alloy surface was significantly reduced. This study indicated that plasma surface modification changes the surface components of NiTi alloy and subsequently improves its biocompatibility.     

Second Discharge Characteristics of Aluminum Wire Electrical Explosion Under Various Argon Pressures

Electrical wire explosion is a promising method for the preparation of metal nanopowder, but the properties of metal nanopowder are affected by the second discharge process of electrical wire explosion. The second discharge characteristics of aluminum wire electrical ex- plosion under variant argon pressures were studied in a RLC discharge circuit. The results show that the curve of the second discharge voltages versus the pressure presents a U-shape. To clarify the roles of aluminum vapor and argon in the process of the second discharge, a spectrograph and a high speed framing camera were used to study the radiation spectrum and spatial distribution of the electrical explosion plasma. It is observed that argon participates in the second discharge process under low pressure. A discharge channel develops along the surface of the aluminum vapor. Under higher pressure, a second discharge takes place in the aluminum vapor and the discharge channel is inside the aluminum vapor.     

Adsorption behavior of uranyl ions onto amino-type adsorbents prepared by radiation-induced graft copolymerization

Amino-type adsorbents(ATAs) were prepared by radiation-induced graft copolymerization of 4-hydroxybutyl acry late glycidyl ether(HB) onto a polyethylene-coated polypropylene(PE/PP) duplex fiber of a non-woven fabric,and modified with different amines of ethylenediamine(EDA),diethylenetriamine(DETA),triethylenetetramine(TETA) and diethylamine(DEA).The adsorption behavior of uranyl ions onto the ATAs was studied in batch experiments.The effects of the contact time,initial concentration of the ions,temperature,and pH value.The salinity were investigated along with the adsorption kinetics and the adsorption isotherms.The kinetic experimental data followed the pseudo second-order kinetic model,and the adsorption isotherms correlated well with the Langmuir model.The ATAs showed good efficiency in adsorbing uranyl ions,with the best saturation adsorption capacity being 64.26 mg g~(-1) for ATA-DETA within 120 min.The temperature dependence of ATADETA was quite abnormal and the quickest behavior was obtained at 25 ℃.ATAs showed good adsorption capacity over a wide pH range of 4.0-8.5,and HCl could be used in the elution process.Salinity of the solution had great effect on the adsorption capacity,3.5%salinity resulted in a 55%loss of capacity from ATA-DETA.The selectivity of ATA-DETA showed an order of:UO_2~(2+)≈Fe~(3+) Zn~(2+) VO_3~- Co~(2+) Ni~(2+).     

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of CrN Films Deposited by Inductively Coupled Plasma Enhanced Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

CrN films have been synthesized on Si（100） wafer by inductively coupled plasma （ICP）-enhanced radio frequency （RF） magnetron sputtering. The effects of ICP power on microstructure, crystal orientation, nanohardness and stress of the CrN films have been investigated. With the increase of ICP power, the current density at substrate increases and the films exhibit denser structure, while the DC self-bias of target and the deposition rate of films decrease. The films change from crystal structure to amorphous structure with the increase of ICP power. The measured nanohardness and the compressive stress of films reach the topmost at ICP power of 150 W and 200 W, respectively. The mechanical properties of films show strong dependence on the crystalline structure and the density influenced by the ICP power.     

Low Temperature Nitriding of 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel Using RF-ICP Method: the Role of Ion Beam Flux Density

The significant role of ion beam flux during nitriding 304 austenitic stainless steel has been investigated by using a radio frequency inductively-coupled plasma reactor into which a sample with negative bias voltage was inserted. A milliammeter is used to detect tile current of ions which collide with the sample and optical emission spectroscopy is used to discern the reactive species included in the nitrogen plasma. The nitriding efficiency is indicated by X-ray diffraction and the microhardness test. The reported data reveal that the ion beam flux density as well as the deposition pressure, bias voltage and time can strongly affect the nitriding of stainless steel via tile expanded multiphase microstructure inside the nitrided layer. The increase in the density of ion flux results in an ascent in the intensity of the expanded peak and a simultaneous decline in the intensity of the 3＇ austenite peak. The evolution trend of ion beam flux density is described as a function of tile operating pressure and the bias voltage. The maxinmm ion flux density has been achieved at 10 Pa pressure and 500 V bias voltage. A reasonable nitriding region has been, consequently, suggested after comparing this work with previously reported results.     

Effect of Implantation Machine Parameters on N^＋ ion Implantation for Upland Cotton（Gossypium hirsutum L.）Pollen

Effect of parameters of ion implantation machine, including ion energy, total dose, dose rate, impulse energy and implantation interval on the pollen grains of upland cotton implanted with nitrogen ion beam were studied. The best parameters were screened out. The results also showed that the vacuum condition before the nitrogen ion implantation does not affect the pollen viability.     

A practical image reconstruction and processing method for symmetrically off-center detector CBCT system

CBCT scanners have been widely used in angiography, radiotherapy guidance, mammography and oral maxillofacial imaging. To cut detector size, reduce manufacturing costs and radiation dose while keeping a reasonable FOV, the flat panel detector can be placed off-center horizontally. This scanning configuration extends the FOV effectively. However, each projection is transversely truncated, bringing errors and artifacts in reconstruction. In this paper, a simple but practical method is proposed for this scanning geometry based on truncation compensation and the modified FDK algorithm. Numerical simulations with jaw phantom were conducted to evaluate the accuracy and practicability of the proposed method. A novel CBCT system for maxillofacial imaging is used for clinical test, which is equipped with an off-center small size flat panel detector. Results show that reconstruction accuracy is acceptable for clinical use, and the image quality appears sufficient for specific diagnostic requirements. It provides a novel solution for clinical CBCT system, in order to reduce radiation dose and manufacturing cost.     

The Design and Test of a Be Window for the ITER Radial X-Ray Camera

Beryllium(Be) window is a key component of the ITER radial X-ray camera(RXC).The Be window presented in this paper has a mechanical clamping structure, the thickness of the Be foil is 80 μm, and the X-ray threshold of the 80 μm Be foil is 1.24 keV. A honeycomb support is designed and applied to strengthen the Be foil to prevent it from breakage when it is exposed to1 atm perssure. Based on analysis results, the hole diameter of the support is chosen as 4 mm. A metal seal is used to isolate the vacuum on two sides of the Be window, the hollow metal sealing ring ensures the He leakage rate of the Be window being lower than 6×10-10Pa·m3·s-1. Baking(240°C, 2 h) and vibration(3.3 Hz, 2 h) tests are carried out and the feasibility of the Be window's sealant in these situations is tested. The Be window has good stability that can save maintenance cost as well as enhancing the safety of the RXC.     

Competition between fusion-evaporation and multifragmentation in central collisions in 58Ni＋4SCa at 25A MeV

The experimental data concerning the 58Ni＋48Ca reaction at Elab（Ni）=25A MeV, collected by using the CHIMERA 4n device, have been analyzed in order to investigate the competition among different reaction mechanisms for central collisions in the Fermi energy domain. As a main criterion for centrality selection we have chosen the flow angle （Snow） method, making an event-by-event analysis that considers the shape of events, as it is determined by the eigenvectors of the experimental kinetic-energy tensor. For the selected central events （8~ow〉60~） some global variables, good to characterize the pattern of central collisions have been constructed. The main features of the reaction products were explored by using different constraints on some of the relevant observables, like mass and velocity distributions and their correlations. Much emphasis was devoted, for central collisions, to the competition between fusion-evaporation processes with subsequent identification of a heavy residue and a possible multifragmentation mechanism of a well defined （if any） transient nuclear system. Dynamical evolution of the system and pre-equilibrium emission were taken into account by simulating the reactions in the framework of transport theories. Different approaches have been envisaged （dynamical stochastic BNV calculations ＋ sequential SIMON code, QMD, CoMD, etc.）. Preliminary comparison of the experimental data with BNV calculations shows reasonable agreement with the assumption of sequential multifragmentation emission in the mass region of IMFs close to the heavy residues. Possible deviations from sequential processes were found for those IMFs in the region of masses intermediate between the mass of heavy residues and the mass of light IMFs. Further simulations are in progress. The experimental analysis will be enriched also by information obtained inspecting the IMF-IMF correlation function, in order to elucidated the nature of space-time decay property of the emitting source associated with events having the largest IMF multiplicity.     

Study on the Property Evolution of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jets in Helium简

Nowadays atmospheric pressure plasma jets （APPJs） are being widely applied to many fields and have received growing interests from cold plasma community. A helium APPJ with co-axial double ring electrode configuration is driven by an AC high voltage power with an adjustable frequency of 1-60 kHz. Experiments are conducted for acquiring the electrical and optical properties of APPJ, including the discharge mode, current peak＇s phase and APPJ＇s length, etc. Moreover, the actions of Penning effect on APPJ are discussed by adding impurity nitrogen into highly pure helium. The results may contribute to further research and aPPlications of APPJs.