Mode-Coupling Analysis of Parametric Decay Instability in Magnetized Plasmas

In this paper, derived from Maxwell and fluid equations of plasmas, unified nonlinear wave equations are used to describe the parametric decay instability （PDI） in magnetized plasmas, and in view of mode-coupling, we can obtain all the possible PDI channels. By solving the nonlinear equations with a mode-coupling method, we obtain the growth rate of the PDI, of which all of the three waves are ordinary mode （O-mode） or extraordinary mode （X-mode） wave. Under the dipole approximation, an explicit formula of the growth rate of the X-mode and the condition of the equilibrium density scale are obtained. According to the existence conditions of three X-mode waves, this kind of instability might exist in ECRH with the second harmonic X-mode wave.     

Optimized analysis of ionospheric amplitude modulated heating parameters for excitation of very/extremely low frequency radiations

It is now well known that amplitude modulated (AM) high frequency (HF) radio wave transmissions into the ionosphere can be used to generate very/extremely low frequency (VLF/ ELF) radio waves using the so-called ‘electrojet antenna’. Duty cycle and heating frequency are analyzed and discussed with the lower-ionosphere modulated heating model, so as to improve the radiation efficiency of VLF/ELF waves in AM ionospheric heating experiments. Based on numerical simulation, the ranges of parametric selectivity in optimal duty cycle and heating frequency ( fHF) are derived. The International Reference Ionosphere 2015 (IRI-2015) model and two-parameter model are used to predict background electron density profiles, and optimized ranges of duty cycle for different density profiles are analyzed and compared. The influences of wave polarizations on optimal duty cycle are also discussed. It is shown that intensity of the VLF/ELF equivalent radiation source (M) firstly rises and then falls with the increase of duty cycle. When using the IRI model, M peaks at a duty cycle of 50%, optimally ranging from 40% −70%. For the two-parameter model case, an optimal duty cycle is 40% and the optimized ranges vary from 30%−60%. Heating with an X-mode polarization is more efficient than with the O-mode case in VLF/ELF wave generation. Nevertheless, an optimal duty cycle is almost independent of HF wave polarizations. To obtain better VLF/ELF generation, optional fHF may be 0.8−0.9 times of foE for the O-mode heating and 0.75−0.85 times for the X-mode polarization case. Finally, the variations of these two parameters in different latitudes are discussed.     

Microwave-assisted pre-ionization experiments on GLAST-Ⅲ

GLAss Spherical Tokamak(GLAST-Ⅲ) is a spherical tokamak with an insulating vacuum vessel that has a unique single-passage capability for incident microwaves.In this work,electron cyclotron resonance heating(ECRH)-assisted plasma pre-ionization in GLAST-Ⅲ is explored for three radio-frequency(RF) polarizations(the O-,X-,and M-modes) at different toroidal-field(TF) strengths and filled gas pressures.The optimum hydrogen pressure is identified for efficient plasma pre-ionization.A comparison of the plasma pre-ionizations initiated by the O-,X-,and M-modes shows prominent differences in the breakdown time,location,and wave absorption.In the case of O-mode polarization,microwave absorption occurs for a relatively shorter duration,resulting in a bell-shaped electron-temperature(T_e) temporal profile.Microwave absorption is dominant in the case of the X-mode,leading to a broader T_e temporal profile.The M-mode discharge contains features of both the X-and O-modes.Efficient plasma pre-ionization is achieved in the X-mode polarization for the intermediate TF strengths(with a central toroidal magnetic field B_0=0.075 T).Traces of the electron-number density show a similar tendency,as revealed by T_e.These results suggest that the X-mode is the best candidate for efficient plasma pre-ionization at low filled gas pressures(~10~(-2) Pa) in small tokamaks.     

Microwave-assisted pre-ionization experiments on GLAST-III

GLAss Spherical Tokamak (GLAST-III) is a spherical tokamak with an insulating vacuum vessel that has a unique single-passage capability for incident microwaves. In this work, electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH)-assisted plasma pre-ionization in GLAST-III is explored for three radio-frequency (RF) polarizations (the O-, X-, and M-modes) at different toroidal-field (TF) strengths and filled gas pressures. The optimum hydrogen pressure is identified for efficient plasma pre-ionization. A comparison of the plasma pre-ionizations initiated by the O-, X-, and M-modes shows prominent differences in the breakdown time, location, and wave absorption. In the case of O-mode polarization, microwave absorption occurs for a relatively shorter duration, resulting in a bell-shaped electron-temperature $\left({T}_{{\rm{e}}}\right)$ temporal profile. Microwave absorption is dominant in the case of the X-mode, leading to a broader ${T}_{{\rm{e}}}$ temporal profile. The M-mode discharge contains features of both the X- and O-modes. Efficient plasma pre-ionization is achieved in the X-mode polarization for the intermediate TF strengths (with a central toroidal magnetic field ${B}_{{\rm{0}}}=0.075\,{\rm{{\rm T}}}$). Traces of the electron-number density show a similar tendency, as revealed by ${T}_{{\rm{e}}}.$ These results suggest that the X-mode is the best candidate for efficient plasma pre-ionization at low filled gas pressures $\left(\sim {{\rm{10}}}^{-2}\,{\rm{Pa}}\right)$ in small tokamaks.     

Investigation of nonlinear effects in Doppler reflectometry using full-wave synthetic diagnostics

In this work, Doppler reflectometry(DR) and radial correlation DR(RCDR) nonlinear scattering effects are studied using full-wave modeling with a set of representative FT-2 tokamak turbulence as inputs. Narrowing of the RCDR correlation function and widening of the DR poloidal wavenumber spectrum are demonstrated. An effect on the dependence of the DR signal frequency shift on the probing wavenumber is found, namely, this dependence ‘linearizing' in the nonlinear scattering regime. Nonlinear effects are shown to be weaker for O-mode probing than for X-mode probing, while a faster transition to nonlinear regime is demonstrated for RCDR compared to DR in both probing scenarios.     

High Density Plasma Heating by EC-Waves Injected from the High-Field Side for Mode Conversion to Electron Bernstein Waves in LHD

To realize an excitation of electron Bernstein waves (EBW) via mode conversion from X-mode waves injected from the high magnetic field side (HFS), new inner-vessel mirrors were installed close to a helical coil in the large helical device (LHD). 77 GHz electron cyclotron (EC) wave beams injected from an existing EC-wave injection system toward the new mirror are reflected on the mirror so that the beams are injected to plasmas from HFS. Evident increases in the electron temperature at the plasma core region and the plasma stored energy were observed by the HFS beam injection to the plasmas with the line-average electron density of 7.5×10 19 m 3 , which is slightly higher than the plasma cut-off density of 77 GHz EC-waves, 7.35×10 19 m 3 . The heating efficiency evaluated from the changes in the time derivative of the plasma stored energy reached ～70%. Although so far it is not clear which is the main cause of the heating effect, the mode-converted EBW or the X-mode wave itself injected from the HFS, an effective heating of high-density plasma over the plasma cut-off of EC-wave was successfully demonstrated.     

Simulation of Stimulated Raman Scattering

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) with ordinary (O-mode) wave at phase space (x, v) is investigated. For this purpose Vlasov equation is solved with one simulation method. Evolution of distribution function for an early time and a later time is presented. Initial distribution function has Gaussian shape, that is important in plasma heating, but as the time passed, this function due to the perturbation extends over space and velocity. In this situation, the behavior of distribution function has an important role in instability rate. Then instability rate for SRS is obtained and these results are showed in some special times and special cells. Density fluctuations affect instability rate and there is no remarkable damping at early times. At later times instability rate reduces sensitively which is in accordance to electron plasma wave damping and then heating the electrons. Also with increase in frequency of the incident wave, the instability rate due to saturation decreases sensitively.     

Study of the O-mode in a relativistic degenerate electron plasma

Using the linearized relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell equations,a generalized expression for the plasma conductivity tensor is derived.The dispersion relation for the O-mode in a relativistic degenerate electron plasma is investigated by employing the Fermi-Dirac distribution function.The propagation characteristics of the O-mode (cut offs,resonances,propagation regimes,harmonic structure) are examined by using specific values of the density and the magnetic field that correspond to different relativistic dense environments.Further,it is observed that due to the relativistic effects the cut off and the resonance points are shifted to low frequency values,as a result the propagation regime is reduced.The dispersion relations for the non-relativistic and the ultra-relativistic limits are also presented.     

Design of Q-band FMCW reflectometry for electron density profile measurement on the Joint TEXT tokamak

The Q-band(33-50 GHz) fast sweep frequency modulated continuous wave(FMCW)reflectometry has been recently developed for electron density profile measurement on the Joint TEXT tokamak.It operates in ordinary mode(O-mode) with a 20 μs sweeping period,covering the density range from 1 × 10~(19) m~(-3) to 3 × 10~(19) m~(-3).On the bench test,a Yttrium Iron Garnet(YIG) filter is used for the dynamic calibration of the voltage controlled oscillator(VCO) to obtain a linear frequency sweep.Besides,the use of a power combiner helps to improve the sideband suppression level of the single side-band modulator(SSBM).The reconstructed density profiles are presented,which demonstrate the capability of the reflectometry.     

Development of an ultrasonic inspection system using array transducers

A new ultrasonic inspection system was developed to obtain ultrasonic images of defects. This system adopts an electronic beam control method using array transducers. The beam control modes are a compound scanning mode and a linear scanning mode. Both modes are performed by timing control of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception at each transducer element.In the focal beam, the refraction of the ultrasonic wave at the boundary between water and metal in immersion testing is utilized to improve the lateral resolution of the ultrasonic beam. In steel, the improvement is a maximum of 25% for focal lengths from 5 to 35 mm as compared to lateral resolution not utilizing refraction.This system successfully imaged two side drilled holes in a steel block.     

Investigation of the poloidal spectral resolution of O-mode reflectometry with two-dimensional full-wave modeling

Both the plasma poloidal curvature and the curvature of the probing wave-front play an important role for the spectral resolution of microwave reflectometry. The propagation of electromagnetic waves in a cylindrical plasma with a refractive index monotonically decreasing towards its center leads to elongation of the wave-front (i.e. an increase of the radius of curvature near the axis of radiation). Such a phase-front alteration can result in a major modification of the reflectometry response regarding on high k_θ fluctuations. At the same time, the curvature of the cutoff surface in cylindrical plasma is always less than the curvature of the cutoff density for an O-mode wave. For specific geometry of the TEXTOR tokamak we perform numerical two-dimensional full-wave reflectometry synthesizing. The response from poloidaly rotating coherent density perturbation was analyzed on the variety of the plasma cutoff curvature and density scale length, which affects the incident wave-front curvature. The simulations are shown that the increase of the incident wave front curvature extends the spectral resolution of conventional reflectometer with gain antennas. On the other hand, the effect from the cutoff curvature is found to be much weaker as compare to the wave-front effect.     

斜激波与物质界面相互作用的数值模拟

利用多介质PPM方法研究了斜激波与物质交界面的相互作用。采用与体积分数耦合的Euler方程组作为计算模型,用双波近似来求解一般刚性气体状态方程Riemann问题,通过体积分数的计算来获得界面的位置,在整个流场采用统一的高阶PPM格式进行计算。文中对斜激波与不同物质界面相互作用进行了数值模拟,并给出了交界面上由于斜压效应产生的涡列的演化过程,特别是强斜激波与不同物质界面的相互作用情况。     

A remotely steered millimetre wave launcher for electron cyclotron heating and current drive on ITER

High-power millimetre wave beams employed on ITER for heating and current drive at the 170 GHz electron cyclotron resonance frequency require agile steering and tight focusing of the beams to suppress neoclassical tearing modes. This paper presents experimental validation of the remote steering (RS) concept of the ITER upper port millimetre wave beam launcher. Remote steering at the entrance of the upper port launcher rather than at the plasma side offers advantages in reliability and maintenance of the mechanically vulnerable steering system. A one-to-one scale mock-up consisting of a transmission line, mitre bends, remote steering unit, vacuum window, square corrugated waveguide and front mirror simulates the ITER launcher design configuration. Validation is based on low-power heterodyne measurements of the complex amplitude and phase distribution of the steered Gaussian beam. High-power (400 kW) short pulse (10 ms) operation under vacuum, diagnosed by calorimetry and thermography of the near- and far-field beam patterns, confirms high-power operation, but shows increased power loss attributed to deteriorating input beam quality compared with low-power operation. Polarization measurements show little variation with steering, which is important for effective current drive requiring elliptical polarization for O-mode excitation. Results show that a RS range of up to −12° to +12° can be achieved with acceptable beam quality. These measurements confirm the back-up design of the ITER ECRH&CD launcher with future application for DEMO.     

Negative refraction in a rotational plasma metamaterial

The features of negative refraction are investigated by using a rotational plasma metamaterial. It is assumed that the plasma metamaterial is composed of plasma and dielectric material periodically. The analytical results show that the plasma density, plasma filling factor, and rotation angle significantly changed the properties of negative refraction. Interestingly, the plasma metamaterial without exhibiting negative refraction effect will show negative refraction when rotating the optical axis of the metamaterial, while the range of incident angle for negative refraction will be reduced or even disappear for the plasma metamaterial exhibiting negative refraction effect when rotating the optical axis. Moreover, the full-angle negative refraction can be obtained by specific rotation angle and plasma density. The effects of plasma density, plasma filling factor and the rotation angle on the properties of THE negative refraction effect are also explored and discussed in detail.     

Monitoring the filling level of the rpv using stationary emus-probes

The determination of the filling level and the initiation of growth of bubbles in vessels and pipes containing fluids is an essential component of monitoring during operation.The ultrasonic pulse-echo-method is a measuring procedure suited for this purpose and applicable from the outside. Piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers can be used in principle at a temperature of 300°C, but in practice these transducers are not preferred because of the expense and inconvenience in coupling them to the vessel wall.These problems are solved using lectro agnetic- ltrasonic-(EMUS-)transducers. Due to physical reasons a longitudinal wave is generated in the fluid by the refraction of a shear wave in the vessel-wall. The filling level is measured in a pitch and catch-technique by a mirror reflection of the longitudinal wave at a construction element inside the vessel. This paper reports on laboratory investigations concerning the applicability of the technique and first experiences with an EMUS-prototype system installed in a nuclear power plant.     

Development of the W-band density profile and fluctuation reflectometer on EAST

A X-mode polarized W-band reflectometer for plasma density profile and fluctuation measurement is designed and installed on EAST. In measuring the density profile, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is used as the source, allowing a high temporal resolution measurement. The density profile in a plasma with high magnetic field (3.0 T) has been measured by combination of V- and W-band reflectometers. For fluctuation measurements, a frequency synthesizer is used instead of the VCO as a microwave source. The core density fluctuations during sawtooth activity are measured and analyzed.     

折射型X射线组合透镜研制进展

折射型X射线聚焦组合透镜(XCRLs)是一种利用折射效应对X射线聚焦成像的新型光学元件.本文从制作材料和结构设计两方面,系统介绍了目前X射线折射聚焦组合透镜在国内外的发展状况及其主要的应用领域.     

A Michelson Interferometer for Electron Cyclotron Emission Measurements on EAST

A Michelson interferometer, on loan from EFDA-JET(Culham, United Kingdom)has recently been commissioned on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak(EAST,ASIPP, Hefei, China). Following a successful in-situ absolute calibration the instrument is able to measure the electron cyclotron emission(ECE) spectrum, from 80 GHz to 350 GHz in extraordinary mode(X-mode) polarization, with high accuracy. This allows the independent determination of the electron temperature profile from observation of the second harmonic ECE and the possible identification of non-Maxwellian features by comparing higher harmonic emission with numerical simulations. The in-situ calibration results are presented together with the initial measured temperature profiles. These measurements are then discussed and compared with other independent temperature profile measurements. This paper also describes the main hardware features of the diagnostic and the associated commissioning test results.     

平面激光诱导荧光技术在液膜厚度波动实验研究中的应用

针对传统接触式测量方法探头干扰液膜流动特性导致测量精度难以提高以及传统光学测量方法中光线折射作用限制其应用范围的问题,提出利用平面激光诱导荧光技术测量膜厚的新方法,并对该技术的测试原理、实现方式进行了详细的介绍。通过对沿流向不同位置液膜厚度的实时测量,研究了液膜波动的时序特征及纵向演化规律。结果表明,液膜厚度的概率密度分布的特征差异可作为诊断液膜波动特性的判据。     

Electron Temperature Measurement in IR-T1 Tokamak by ECE Diagnostic

A suitable instrument for electron temperature measurement in Tokamak is electron cyclotron emission diagnostic. We used a heterodyne radiometer in Iran-Tokamak-1 (IR-T1) to measure this parameter. This 5 channel system works in K _α-band and has a very fast response time and good resolution frequency for IR-T1 tokamak. This receiver was used outside the Tokamak, perpendicular to B _t, and with second harmonic of X-mode, variation of electron temperature was measured.