Feasibility of applying the lower cut-off frequency for the density radial coverage extension in EAST reflectometry measurement

The extraordinary mode (X-mode) lower cut-off frequency is proposed for use in the reflectometry diagnostic on ITER for the electron density profile measurement, which is a trade-off between extreme plasma parameters and the accessible probing frequency. In contemporary experiments, the lower cut-off frequency can be identified at the probing frequency below the electron cyclotron frequency (fce) under certain plasma conditions. We provide here, for the first time, the experimental validation of the use of the lower cut-off frequency for the density profiles via the reflectometry measurement on EAST. The corresponding group delay of the lower cut-off frequency evolves continuously with the upper one, revealing a reasonable radial coverage extension of reflectometry measurement toward the plasma core. It is concluded that the lower cut-off frequency can be used as a supplement to the upper one in the density profile inversion process, which is of particular interest in the high magnetic field and/or density discharge to extend the radial coverage of reflectometry measurement.     

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.     

Q-Band X-Mode Reflectometry and Density Profile Reconstruction

By installing an X-mode polarized Q-band(32-56 GHz) reflectometry at the low field side on EAST,the zero density cutoff layer was determined and the edge density profile was measured in normally operating plasmas.A Monte Carlo procedure has been developed to analyze the density profiles by considering the error of time delay measured by reflectometry.By combining this Q-band and previously developed V- and W-band reflectometries,the density profiles from edge to core can be measured in most EAST experiments.The line integrated densities deduced from density profiles measured by reflectometry are consistent with those directly measured by a horizontal interferometer.The density pedestal measured by reflectometry shows a clear crash during an ELM(edge localized mode) event,after which the pedestal gradually increases and recovers in 10 ms and then remains little changed up to the next ELM.     

Experimental study of core and edge fluctuations by reflectometry on EAST tokamak

An eight-channel poloidal correlation reflectometer(PCR) with O-mode polarization has been installed in the EAST tokamak to measure the fluctuations from core to edge. The PCR launches eight different frequency microwaves(20.4, 24.8, 33, 40, 42.4, 48, 52.6, 57.2 GHz) into the plasma from the low field side and two poloidally separated antennae are used to receive the reflected waves. As a result, the diagnostic can measure fluctuations in eight(radial)× two(poloidal) spatial positions. The diagnostic has been applied to study the core and edge pedestal fluctuations during an inter-ELM phase in H-mode plasma. This inter-ELM phase can be divided into two stages. In the first stage, a low frequency(50 k Hz) broadband fluctuation dominates in the pedestal gradient region. In the second stage, this fluctuation is strongly suppressed and quasi-coherent fluctuations(QCFs) appear. The QCF's amplitude increases with the pedestal density gradient, implying density gradient driven instabilities. But the core fluctuations inside the pedestal show no evident changes during the inter-ELM phase.     

Effects of discharge parameters on the micro-hollow cathode sustained glow discharge

The effects of parameters such as pressure, first anode radius, and the cavity diameter on the micro-hollow cathode sustained glow discharge are investigated by using a two-dimensional self-consistent fluid model in pure argon. The results indicate that the three parameters influence the discharge in the regions inside and outside of the cavity. Under a fixed voltage on each electrode, a larger volume of high density plasma can be produced in the region between the first and the second anodes by selecting the appropriate pressure, the higher first anode, and the appropriate cavity diameter. As the pressure increases, the electron density inside the hollow cathode, the high density plasma volume between the first anode and second anodes, and the radial electric field in the cathode cavity initially increase and subsequently decrease. As the cavity diameter increases, the high-density plasma volume between the first and second anodes initially increases and subsequently decreases; whereas the electron density inside the hollow cathode decreases. As the first anode radius increases, the electron density increases both inside and outside of the cavity. Moreover, the increase of the electron density is more obvious in the microcathode sustained region than in the micro cavity region. The results reveal that the discharge inside the cavity interacts with that outside the cavity. The strong hollow cathode effect and the high-density plasma inside the cavity favor the formation of a sustained discharge between the first anode and the second anodes. Results also show that the radial boundary conditions exert a considerably weaker influence on the discharge except for a little change in the region close to the radial boundary.     

Design of a variable frequency comb reflectometer system for the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

Comb reflectometers offer the advantage of measuring several radial positions in plasma simultaneously. This allows for the investigation of fast timescales during L-H transitions,I-phases, I-mode bursts, transients during heat wave propagation, etc. A drawback of many present-day systems is that they use a fixed frequency difference between the probing frequencies. Hence, although the central probing frequency can be varied, the probing frequency difference is usually fixed. The new design presented in this work uses an advanced microwave generation and detection scheme, which allows for arbitrary probing frequencies and probing frequency separations.     

Application of the Magnetic Surface Based PARK-Matrix Method in the HCOOH Laser Interferometry System on HL-2A

A new electron density profile reconstruction procedure based on the PARK-matrix method has been firstly exploited for the multi-chord formic acid(HCOOH, λ=432.5 μm) laser interferometry system on the HL-2A tokamak. According to the geometric coordinates of the magnetic surfaces reconstructed by the CF(current fitting) code and the assumption that the electron density between two adjacent magnetic surfaces is a constant, the local electron density is calculated layer by layer, and the electron density profile n_e(Z) can be determined, as well as the density profile n_e(R). The simulation result indicates that the error of the PARK-matrix method is acceptable for the four-chord HCOOH laser interferometer. In the applications, it shows that the reconstructed electron density profile agrees well with the microwave reflectometry measurement,and the sawtooth reversion radius is consistent with that deduced from the soft X-ray signals.Meanwhile, the electron density profiles with electron cyclotron resonance heating(ECRH) and supersonic molecular beam injection(SMBI) are also reconstructed and analyzed.     

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.     

The dynamics of a nanosecond gas discharge development with an extended slot cathode in argon

The article presents the results of an experimental study and numerical modelling for the formation and development dynamics of a high-voltage transverse nanosecond discharge generated by a slot cathode in an argon medium at a pressure range of 1–10 Torr. Numerical modelling was carried out under similar experimental conditions for the processes of formation and propagation of ionisation waves, electron density distribution, excited atom and average electron energy in the discharge gap, including the cavity inside the cathode. At a pressure of p = 1 Torr, a classical version of a high-voltage discharge is demonstrated to take place with no penetration of the plasma into the cathode cavity and no observed hollow cathode effect. An increase in gas pressure to 5 Torr leads to a penetration of plasma into the cathode cavity with the formation of a cathodic potential drop (CPD) region. Electrons emitted from the side surfaces of the cavity pass through the CPD region without collisions, oscillate inside the cathode cavity; the hollow cathode effect is fully manifested. At р = 10 Torr, the modelling results qualitatively coincide with the results at р = 5 Torr; in this case, however, hardly any accelerated electrons are observed in the gap between the electrodes, due to their energetic relaxation both inside the cathode cavity and when exiting from it. In both cases, the plasma structure formed at the exit of the cathode cavity involves a concentration of charged particles an order of magnitude higher than that in the rest of the gap, leading to a self-limiting discharge current effect. The results of the numerical modelling are in good agreement with experimental data.     

Analysis of anomalous transport based on radial fractional diffusion equation

Anomalous transport in magnetically confined plasmas is investigated by radial fractional transport equations. It is shown that for fractional transport models, hollow density profiles are formed and uphill transports can be observed regardless of whether the fractional diffusion coefficients (FDCs) are radially dependent or not. When a radially dependent FDC ${D}_{\alpha }\left(r\right)\lt 1$ is imposed, compared with the case under ${D}_{\alpha }\left(r\right)=1.0,$ it is observed that the position of the peak of the density profile is closer to the core. Further, it is found that when FDCs at the positions of source injections increase, the peak values of density profiles decrease. The non-local effect becomes significant as the order of fractional derivative $\alpha \to 1$ and causes the uphill transport. However, as $\alpha \to 2,$ the fractional diffusion model returns to the standard model governed by Fick's law.     

Preliminary Study of the Magnetic Perturbation Effects on the Edge Density Profiles and Fluctuations Using Reflectometers on EAST

The resonant magnetic perturbation(RMP) coils have been successfully designed and installed on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST).Using the reflectometer systems,the density profile and the density fluctuations during magnetic perturbations(MPs) phase have been investigated.During the experiments,two different cases are studied separately:steady MPs and rotating MPs.In both cases,a strongly density pump-out has been observed.In the steady MPs cases,an enhancement of the low frequency(60 kHz)density fluctuations in H-mode phase has been observed.The plasma density boundary out-shifts~ 5%caused by the MPs.The pedestal density gradient is reduced by 50%,while the radial location nearly stays unchanged.In the rotating MPs,the line-averaged density,the D_α emission at the divertor region and the spectrum of the density fluctuations are modulated.The results suggest that the low frequency(60 kHz) density fluctuations may contribute to the strong density pump-out.     

Experimental observation of reverse- sheared Alfvén eigenmodes (RSAEs) in ELMy H-mode plasma on the EAST tokamak

Reverse-sheared Alfvén eigenmodes (RSAEs) have been observed by using an interferometer and ECE diagnostics in NBI heated ELMy H-mode plasma on EAST tokamak. A typical feature of these modes is a fast frequency sweeping upward from ∼80 kHz to ∼110 kHz in hundred milliseconds during which the plasma temperature, density and rotation keeps no change. Only core channels of the interferometer can observe these modes, implying a core localized mode. The ECE measurement further showed that these modes located at about ρ=0.37–0.46, just around the position of q_min with ρ∼0.4. These core localized modes are very weak in the magnetic fluctuations measured by mirnov probes mounted at the machine vacuum vessel. A multiple frequency fluctuation component, seemingly the so-called ‘grand cascades’, was also clearly observed on the ECE signal at ρ=0.46. During the phase, a transient internal transport barrier (ITB) in ion temperature and toroidal rotation was observed and the ITB foot was just close to the position of q_min . A modulation of RSAE frequency by ELM event was observed and this modulation could be attributed to rotation decrease orq_min increase due to ELM. Further study of these modes in EAST can provide valuable constraints for the q profile measurement and will be important for the long pulse operation.     

Reconstruction of the Density Profile for the EAST Tokamak Based on Polarimeter/Interferometer and Microwave Reflectometer Systems

A plasma density profile reconstruction procedure based on the Park matrix method has been developed for both circular and elongated plasma configuration on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST).This method incorporates the line integrated electron density measured by the HCN interferometer and polarimeter/interferometer(POINT) system,the equilibrium fit(EFIT) based on magnetic measurements and the edge electron density profile provided by the microwave reflectometer.It is shown that when the magnetic flux surfaces are slightly corrected,the fitting error is less than 5% in comparison with the measurement data.     

Fullwave Doppler reflectometry simulations for density turbulence spectra in ASDEX Upgrade using GENE and IPF-FD3D

Doppler reflectometry is an important microwave diagnostic for turbulent fusion plasmas.A microwave beam is scattered off density fluctuations, with wavenumbers according to incident frequency and relative direction. This way, a density fluctuation spectrum is measured. However,the correspondence between fluctuation power and scattered microwave power is strongly nonlinear. Studying these processes numerically therefore requires fullwave simulations(IPF-FD3 D), with density fluctuations supplied by a separate plasma turbulence code(GENE).Earlier such attempts suffered from the low number of data points in the ‘interesting' part of the spectrum, where a power law had to be fitted to 4 or 5 points. This has been overcome with recent simulations, which now show a much better agreement with experimental data.     

The investigation of quasi coherent mode on EAST using Doppler reflectometry

An electrostatic Quasi coherent mode has been observed in density fluctuations and perpendicular velocity fluctuations with the frequency range of 3–80 k Hz on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak using multi-channel Doppler reflectometry. It appears in the edge localized mode(ELM)-free period after L-H transition or in the inter-ELM period. The mode rotates almost together with the plasma with the poloidal wave number around 0.6cm~(-1) and its frequency chirps with plasma poloidal velocity. The mode can exist in a large radial coverage(ρ?=?0.75–0.98), and peaks near the top of pedestal, suggesting that it might be excited in the steep gradient pedestal region, and spread into the core area.     

Development of atomic beam probe for tokamaks

The concept and development of a new detection method for light alkali ions stemming from diagnostic beams installed on medium size tokamak is described. The method allows us the simultaneous measurement of plasma density fluctuations and fast variations in poloidal magnetic field, therefore one can infer the fast changes in edge plasma current. The concept has been worked out and the whole design process has been done at Wigner RCP. The test detector with appropriate mechanics and electronics is already installed on COMPASS tokamak. General ion trajectory calculation code (ABPIons) has also been developed. Detailed calculations show the possibility of reconstruction of edge plasma current density profile changes with high temporal resolution, and the possibility of density profile reconstruction with better spatial resolution compared to standard Li-BES measurement, this is important for pedestal studies.     

Measurement of Density Profile with Step—Swept Microwave Reflectometry

A one-channel microwave reflectometer is used to measure the electron density profile in a low-density plasma experiment (ne < 0.27 × 10~19 m-3) sustained by 2.45 GHz lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) on TRIAM-IM. In order to remove the effect of phase runaway phenomena, a step-like frequency-sweeping way is used and a special phase analysis technique is introduced. The density profile is reconstructed in TRIAM-IM with the swept frequency ranged from 6 GHz to 15 GHz. The corresponding cutoff density is from (0.045 ~ 0.28) × 10~19 m-3 in the ordinary polarization mode. The results are in good agreement with the measurements from a multi-channel 2 mm-wavelength interferometer.     

Impact of core electron temperature on current profile broadening with radio-frequency wave heating and current drive in EAST

In recent EAST experiments, current profile broadening characterized by reduced internal inductance has been achieved by utilizing radio-frequency current drives (RFCD). In contrast to previous density scan experiments, which showed an outward shift of the current density profile of lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) in higher plasma density, the core electron temperature (Te(0)) is found to affect the LHCD current profile as well. According to equilibrium reconstruction, a significant increase in on-axis safety factor (q0) from 2.05 to 3.41 is observed by careful arrangement of RFCD. Simulations using ray-tracing code GENRAY and Fokker–Planck code CQL3D have been performed to thoroughly analyze the LHCD current profile, revealing the sensitivity of the LHCD current profile to Te(0). The LHCD current density tends to accumulate in the plasma core with higher current drive efficiency benefiting from higher Te(0). With a lower Te(0), the LHCD current profile broadens due to off-axis deposition of power density. The sensitivity of the power deposition and current profile of LHCD to Te(0) provides a promising way to effectively optimize current profile via control of the core electron temperature.     

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.     

托卡马克超声分子束注入加料的进展

超声分子束注入作为一种新的托卡马克加料方法由作者在1992年首次提出并于当年在中国环流器一号(HL-1)装置演示成功,随后相继应用于中国环流器新一号(HL-1M)和中国科学院超导托卡马克HT-7装置。超声分子束注入等离子体呈现出电子密度峰化和温度中空分布的特征;等离子体流极向旋转速度提高,边缘扰动被抑制,等离子体能量约束得到改善。加料效率较常规脉冲送气提高一倍,而滞留器壁的粒子大为减少。近期开展的高气压氢超分子束注入实验,在束流中发现团簇流,可注入等离子体中心区域。多脉冲分子束注入形成电子密度的阶跃上升,如同冰弹丸注入效果。近年来该项技术已陆续应用于国外大型托卡马克和仿星器,是核聚变装置稳态运行的一种有效的加料方法。