Adsorption states of protium and deuterium in redeposited polymer hydrocarbon films from a T-10 tokamak

Free redeposited hydrocarbon films (flakes) with a high content of deuterium and hydrogen formed in the T-10 tokamak operating at the Russian Research Centre (RRC) “Kurchatov Institute” are studied using thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. According to the XRD data, the films contain scattering elements with dimensions of about 1 nm and weakly ordered structures. The TDS curves for D₂ (H₂) consisting of two groups of peaks at 450–800 and 900–1000 K turn out to be sufficiently similar to the spectra of nanographite obtained by milling graphite mechanically. Two main adsorption states with activation energies of ≈0.65 and ≈1.25 eV/N corresponding to hopping diffusion and resonance mechanisms, respectively, were discovered. The difference between the IR spectra of reddish-gold and dark-brown films is due to both a weaker degree of C-H hybridization of dark films and their disordered carbon network whose ends are connected to CD_2,3 fragments.     

Spectroscopy of homogeneous deuterated hydrocarbon films redeposited from a T-10 tokamak plasma discharge

Homogeneous deuterated hydrocarbon films redeposited from a deuterium plasma discharge inside the T-10 tokamak vacuum chamber are studied using photoluminescence methods; EXAFS, EPR, and IR spectroscopies; and temperature measurements. The photoluminescence excitation spectra of sp ³-sp ² nanostructures of tokamak films are compared with those of sp ² nanostructures of C60 fullerite films. The effect of defect states on photoluminescence and its temperature quenching is discussed. It is concluded that the model of temperature luminescence quenching for homogeneous deuterated tokamak films is similar to that for amorphous a-C:H films.     

Deuterium and Impurity Flux Measurements in the Boundary Plasma of T-10

Time resolved measurements of deuterium and impurity fluxes in the boundary layer of T-10 tokamak were carried out using carbon strips as deposition probes. Analysing these probes by RBS and ERD deuterium impact energies of 25–40 eV could be estimated from the saturation behaviour of deuterium in carbon. The high impurity concentration level and it's time behaviour give indications for local impurity producing sources playing an important role for the impurity transport in the near wall plasma.     

Pioneering experiments on atomic-beam-assisted generation of drag currents in the Globus-M spherical tokamak

Research data for drag currents in the Globus-M spherical tokamak are presented. The currents are generated by injecting atomic beams of hydrogen and deuterium. Experiments were carried out in the hydrogen and deuterium plasma of the tokamak. It has a divertor configuration with a lower X-point, a displacement along the larger radius from–1.0 to–2.5 cm, and a toroidal field of 0.4 T at a plasma current of 0.17–0.23 MA. The beam is injected into the tokamak in the equatorial plane tangentially to the magnetic axis of the plasma filament with an impact diameter of 32 cm. To provide a 28-keV 0.5-MW atomic beam with geometrical sizes of 4 × 20 cm (at a power level of 1/e), an IPM-2 ion source is used. The generation of noninductive currents is detected from a rise in the loop current and a simultaneous dip of the loop voltage. The injection of the hydrogen and deuterium atomic beams into the deuterium plasma results in a noticeable and reproducible dip of the loop voltage (up to 0.5 V). Using the ASTRA transport code, a model is constructed that allows rapid calculation of noninductive currents. Calculations performed for a specific discharge confirm that the model adequately describes the effect of drag current generation.     

Experimental study of cyclic action of plasma on tungsten

We report on experimental results on multiple action of hydrogen, deuterium, and helium plasmas produced by a plasma gun and the Globus-M tokamak on tungsten. The surface temperature in the course of irradiation is measured with a bichromatic pyrometer with a time resolution of ?1 μs. The morphology of the surface layer is investigated and X-ray structure analysis of tungsten exposed to multiple radiations by the plasma under various conditions is carried out. A slight decrease in the lattice parameter in the sample subjected to the maximal number of irradiation cycles is detected. It is shown that the morphology of the tungsten surface irradiated by the hydrogen plasma from the gun and by the deuterium plasma from the Globus-M tokamak changes (the structure becomes smoother). The characteristic depth of the layer in which impurities have been accumulated exceeds 0.5 μm. This depth was the largest for the sample exposed to 1000 shots from the gun and 2370 shots from the tokamak. It is shown that the helium jet from the plasma gun makes it possible to simulate the action of helium ions on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) diverter, producing a layer of submicrometer particles (bubbles).     

Methods for reconstructing equilibrium plasma configurations in the Globus-M spherical tokamak

A magnetic diagnostics allowing one to reliably reconstruct equilibrium plasma configurations in a tokamak over a wide range of operating parameters is developed. The accuracy of determining the geometrical parameters and thermal energy of the tokamak plasma is analyzed in detail. The experimental data obtained in the Globus-M tokamak are processed the with help of the EFIT code. The influence of the plasma configuration on the intensity of the main impurity lines is investigated.     

HT-7质能分辨电荷交换中性粒子分析

一台新的10道电荷交换中性粒子能谱仪已用于HT-7托卡马克装置等离子体测量.它具有磁场和电场，且在能量0.2—50keV范围进行了标定.新的能谱仪对于电荷交换粒子测量既能质量分辨，又可能量分析，还能提供空间多点扫描.在欧姆加热氘放电期间，进行了较大角度范围内的径向扫描离子温度测量，得到了HT-7托卡马克离子温度的时间和空间分布. 关键词：     

Experimental study of isotope scaling of ion thermal transport

The wide divergence between most theoretical predictions of isotopic mass scaling of transport and tokamak experimental results motivated a basic physics experiment in the Columbia Linear Machine [R. Scarmozzino, A. K. Sen, and G. A. Navratil, Phys. Rev. Lett. 57, 1729 (1986)]]. The experiments on ion thermal conductivity due to ion temperature gradient-driven slab modes are performed using two different gases: hydrogen and deuterium. The results indicate inverse dependence of ion thermal conductivity on the isotope mass close to K(radially) approximately A(-0.5)(i). This is similar to the tokamak results, but in stark contradiction to most present theoretical models.     

Fractal structure of films deposited in a tokamak

The surface of amorphous films deposited in the T-10 tokamak was studied in a scanning tunnel microscope. The surface relief on a scale from 10 nm to 100 μm showed a stochastic surface topography and revealed a hierarchy of grains. The observed variety of irregular structures of the films was studied within the framework of the concept of scale invariance using the methods of fractal geometry and statistical physics. The experimental probability density distribution functions of the surface height variations are close in shape to the Cauchy distribution. The stochastic surface topography of the films is characterized by a Hurst parameter of H = 0.68–0.85, which is evidence of a nontrivial self-similarity of the film structure. The fractal character and porous structure of deposited irregular films must be considered as an important issue related to the accumulation of tritium in the ITER project. The process of film growth on the surface of tokamak components exposed to plasma has been treated within the framework of the general concept of inhomogeneous surface growth. A strong turbulence of the edge plasma in tokamaks can give rise to fluctuations in the incident flux of particles, which leads to the growth of fractal films with grain dimensions ranging from nano-to micrometer scale. The shape of the surface of some films found in the T-10 tokamak has been interpreted using a model of diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA). The growth of films according to the discrete DLA model was simulated using statistics of fluctuations observed in a turbulent edge plasma of the T-10 tokamak. The modified DLA model reproduces well the main features of the surface of some films deposited in tokamaks.     

A measurement of deuterium neutrals by the balmer-series in the STP-2 high beta screw pinch tokamak

The neutral particle density of a deuterium plasma in the STP-2 screw pinch tokamak has been determined spectroscopically. The particle density for the ground state of deuterium is calculated from the rate equations for population density of the excited levels with principal quantum numbers 3 and 4; both of the population densities were obtained from intensities of the Balmer alpha and beta lines, and the rate coefficients for electronic collision were estimated from the electron density (10¹⁴/cm³) and temperature (10 eV) measured by laser scattering. We find that the neutral density is approx. 2 × 10¹²/cm³ at the center of the plasma and 2 × 10¹⁴/cm³ on the periphery. The time history of the neutral deuterium density is consistent with the observed increase in plasma density.     

低杂波电流驱动的数值模拟

通过求解二维FokkerPlanck方程,得到了HT7托卡马克低杂波驱动电流随时间的演化关系及其空间分布,理论值与实验结果基本符合,为HT7托卡马克实验提供了理论依据.通过解电流扩散方程,考虑了快电子的径向扩散效应对驱动电流的影响 关键词： 低杂波电流驱动 数值模拟 径向扩散     

EPR and photoluminescence spectra of smooth CD<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> films from T-10 tokamak: The effect of iron impurity

The electron and spin structure of thick smooth hydrocarbon CD _x films (“flakes”) with a high relative deuterium concentration of x ~ 0.5, redeposited from deuterium plasma discharge onto the walls of the vacuum chamber of the T-10 tokamak and containing ~1 at % of 3d-metal impurities due to erosion of the chamber walls, are studied using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and photoluminescence (PL). The resulting spectra are compared for the first time to the EPR and photoluminescence spectra of polymer (soft) a-C:H(D) films (H(D)/C ~ 0.5), which are considered model analogues of smooth CD _x films. A certain similarity of the CD _x films with a-C:H films was found in the electronic structure of the valence band. At the same time, the differences in the EPR and photoluminescence spectra were observed due to the presence of 3d-metal impurities in the CD _x samples, contributing to the conversion of sp ³ → sp ² in the formation of films in the tokamak and upon heating and thermal desorption. An impurity of, presumably, 3d metals was detected for the first time by EPR in the a-C:H films in an amount of approximately 0.2 ppm, related to the evaporation of graphite.     

Precise atomic scale studies of material sputtering by light-ion gases in the prethreshold energy region

The basis and prospects of a new original technique of determining the yields of the sputtering of conductive materials and subatomic films on their surface by light ion gases in the prethreshold energy region (from 10 to 500 eV) are discussed. This information is of great importance both for science and applications. The technique is based on special modes of field ion microscopy and includes the cleaning of specimens by field-induced desorption and evaporation, and subsequent operations with the atomically clean and atomically smooth surface in a wide temperature range from cryogenic temperatures. The technique enables one to identify single surface vacancies, that is, to directly count single sputtered atoms. The original results obtained with the developed technique are briefly reviewed. The energy thresholds of sputtering and the energy dependences of the sputtering yields in the prethreshold energy region are presented and analyzed for beryllium, tungsten, tungsten oxide, mixed tungsten-carbon layers, three carbon materials, and subatomic carbon films on the surface of certain metals bombarded by hydrogen, deuterium, and/or helium ions.     

Experimental measurements of the compressibility, temperature, and light absorption in dense shock-compressed gaseous deuterium

Experimental data on the shock compression, temperature, and absorptivity of gaseous deuterium with an initial density close to its value in the liquid state were obtained on a spherical explosion shock-wave generator in a pressure range of 80–90 GPa. The obtained results are compared with the existing experimental and theoretical data.     

Study of microimpurities and charge states in homogeneous hydrocarbon films (Redeposited from a T-10 tokamak deuterium plasma discharge) using XRF analysis, IR spectroscopy, EPR, and I-V characteristics

Microimpurities and charge states of homogeneous deuterated hydrocarbon films redeposited from a T-10 tokamak deuterium plasma discharge are studied spectroscopically using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), infrared (IR) spectroscopy; current-voltage (I-V) charachteristics are also measured. Twelve microimpurities (mainly, those of transition metals Fe, Mo, Cr, Ni, Ti, etc., with relative concentrations of 50–7000 ppm) have been discovered. The resulting broad EPR (9.9 GHz, 6000 G) line with g-factors of g = 2.053–2.093 and g = 4.3 assigned to paramagnetic impurities confirms their presence. The presence of different charge states on two sides of the film (one facing the plasma and another facing the vacuum-chamber wall) and the difference in the IR spectra of these states are established. This can be explained by the process of film formation under the influence of the tokamak plasma.     

Interpretation of toroidal current and loop voltage temporal evolution during RF-current drive experiment on the T-7 tokamak

A simple analytical model is developed and solved to describe time evolution of the loop voltage and toroidal current when RF and inductive current drive take place simultaneously. A relation for the real value of the RF driven current has been obtained under these conditions. Comparison with experimental data from T-7 tokamak allows to estimate the role of the skin effect during RF current drive.The authors would like to thank A. Ya. Kislov for the basic data on the T-7 tokamak transformer. They are also indebted to V. V. Parail and G.V. Pereverzev for many clarifying discussions.     

HT-7上氘等离子体放电时中子注量的测量与分析

利用三氟化硼（BF₃） 和氦三（3He）正比计数管组成的快速时间分辨中子注量探测系统,对HT-7超导托卡马克上氘等离子体放电时光中子和聚变中子的产生机理进行研究.结合γ射线、硬X射线等相关诊断的实验结果,分析了纯欧姆放电和低杂波辅助加热放电时,中子注量信号随时间演化的典型特征.结果表明：HT-7在投入大功率低杂波辅助加热等离子体放电时,能够产生数量可观的氘-氘（D-D）聚变中子. 关键词： 中子注量 聚变中子 光中子 托卡马克     

Field electron emission in graphite-like films

Results of investigation of carbon films deposited with the use of gas-phase chemical reactions in the plasma of a dc discharge are presented. Films obtained at different parameters of the deposition process varied widely in their structure and phase composition, from polycrystalline diamond to graphite-like material. Comparative study of the structure and phase composition of the films using Raman spectroscopy, cathodoluminescence, electron microscopy, and diffractometry, as well as the obtained field electron emission characteristics, have shown that the threshold value of the electric field strength for electron emission decreases with a decrease in the size of diamond crystallites and growth of the fraction of non-diamond carbon. The lowest threshold fields (less than 1.5 V/μm) are obtained for films consisting mainly of graphite-like material. A model based on the experimental data is proposed, which explains the mechanism of field electron emission in carbon materials.     

液氘状态方程实验数据测量

在神光Ⅱ高功率激光装置上建立了液氘状态方程实验研究系统, 在80 min内实现控温范围12–300 K可调、控温精度±0.03 K、机械震动 ≤20 μm的实验控制精度; 通过镀膜窗口质量筛选和靶体清洁工作解决了低温下窗口材料残余反射率高的难题, 获得了信噪比较好的实验图像; 利用神光II第九路输出3ω (351 nm)、3 ns、1000 J的能力, 采用阻抗匹配方法, 配合任意反射面速度干涉仪诊断系统, 在国内首次获得液氘在约60 GPa压力下的冲击绝热线实验数据, 数据与国外同压力区间数据符合较好, 为下阶段约100 GPa压力范围液氘状态方程的实验研究奠定了基础.     

Ignition curves for deuterium/helium-3 fuel in spherical tokamak reactor

In this paper, ignition curve for deuterium /helium-3 fusion reaction is studied. Four fusion reactions are considered. Zero-dimensional model for the power balance equation has been used. The closed ignition curves for ρ=constant (ratio of particle to energy confinement time) have been derived. The results of our calculations show that ignited equilibria for deuterium /helium-3 fuel in a spherical tokamak is only possible for ρ= 5.5 and 6. Then, by using the energy confinement scaling and parameters of the spherical tokamak reactor, the plasma stability limits have been obtained in n_e, T plane and, to determine the thermal instability of plasma, the time-dependent transport equations have been solved.