Turbulent Heating Experiments in a Plasma Betatron

The various experiments carried out with the University of Saskatchewan plasma betatron are reviewed. The apparatus, having a major/minor radius of 19 cm/3 cm, a toroidal magnetic field B? ? 0.4 T and a heating field E? ? 12 kV/m, has been operated in different modes ? designated as betatron, tokamak and reversed - B?. The characteristics of the turbulently heated plasma and the physical processes occurring in each mode are discussed.     

Ion Heating in Dusty Plasma of Noble Gas Mixtures

Ion heating in dusty plasma of noble gas mixtures is studied by the observation of dust particles in stratified glow discharge. The particles and their formations can be used as a “contact‐free” probe of the ion flows. It is shown that under condition of experiments transition of dust particles into crystalline state in pure gases occur at much lower pressures in comparison to the case of gas mixtures. This observation is also supported by the evaluation of “effective” kinetic temperature of dust particles as defined from the velocity distribution function at the same set of discharge parameters. Absolute value of temperature of dust component in the mixture of helium and argon indicates important role of argon ionization process (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Effects of Lower-Hybrid Heating on the Hot Electrons in an Electron-Cyclotron-Resonance Plasma

Experiments were performed on an electron cyclotron resonance plasma in a dc magnetic mirror to determine the effects of lower hybrid resonance radiation on the anisotropy of the plasma. It was found that the anisotropy of the plasma hot electrons decreased, the flux of hot electrons escaping through the mirror throats decreased and the midplane wall bremsstrahlung rate slightly increased as lower hybrid resonance power was increased. This is explained by observing that cold plasma, expelled by the lower hybrid radiation, decreases the number of scattering centers in the midplane, which results in a deeper diamagnetic well for the hot electrons.     

Excitation of an Additional Region of Short-Wavelength Plasma Oscillations in Ionospheric Heating Experiments

We discuss transfer of plasma waves, excited by a powerful radio wave due to its scattering on artificial ionospheric irregularities, into an additional region of very short plasma oscillations polarized almost perpendicular to the magnetic field. Such a region can exist in the magnetized ionospheric plasma due to the strong spatial dispersion. We take into account the plasma-wave diffusion over the spectrum caused by multiple scattering on irregularities, as well as the nonlinear process of plasma-wave interaction due to induced scattering by ions. The latter process leads to the transfer of primary plasma waves into the additional region. The induced scattering is considered in the differential approximation valid for sufficiently smooth plasma-wave spectra. The numerical calculations are performed for a Maxwellian plasma in which suprathermal electrons are absent. It is shown that in this case, the additional region of plasma waves is excited if the pump frequency is close to but slightly less than the fourth electron gyroharmonic, so that the absorption of primarily excited plasma waves becomes sufficiently strong. Application of our calculations to the results of ionospheric experiments is discussed.     

Low Frequency Rf Heating with a Helical Coupler in a Hot Electron Plasma

A magnetic mirror (mirror ratio 2.38:1) containing ECRH generated hydrogen plasma, with a density of 5 x 1010 cm-3 with cold electron temperature of 11 eV, was used to study propagation of an artificially launched wave varying as ej(?t + m? - kz) at approximately the ion cyclotron frequency. The wave was transmitted between two similar internally placed helically wound antennas separated by 11 wavelengths. The coupling between them was enhanced by as much as 50 times in the presence of plasma. The m = 1 left-handed component was cut off when ? > ?ci. Electron temperatures could be increased by more than 2 times with the m = 1 mode, presumably due to ion heating. Little pump-out was observed.     

Conductivities in Hot Aluminium Plasma

We perform model calculations for the electrical and thermal conductivity of aluminium plasma within the generalized linear response method of Zubarev for temperatures of (5–25) eV and densities of (0.01–10) g/cm³. The composition in the expanded plasma region is determined by considering higher ionization states up to 5+ and solving the respective system of coupled mass action laws. Besides this chemical picture, a generalized Thomas‐Fermi model is applied to calculate the equation of state and the average charge state of the ions for densities near and above solid state density. Interactions between the various species are treated on T matrix level. Numerical results for the electrical and thermal conductivity of aluminium plasma are compared with experimental data and, for high densities, also with results of a Born approximation with respect to a weak electron‐ion pseudopotential.     

Energy Confinement Dynamics and Soft X-Ray Spectra in Experiments on ECR Plasma Heating in the L-2M Stellarator at Heating Powers to 1 MW

Bulletin of the Lebedev Physics Institute - The shape of soft X-ray spectra and energy confinement dynamics is studied in experiments on central ECR heating with a power to 1 MW using the L-2M...     

Electron Cyclotron Heating Experiments in Tokamaks and Stellarators

This paper reviews the application of high-frequency microwave radiation to plasma heating near the electron cyclotron frequency in tokamaks and stellarators. Successful plasma heating by microwave power has been demonstrated in numerous experiments. Predicted future technological developments and current theoretical understanding suggest that a vigorous program in plasma heating will continue to yield promising results.     

平面刻槽离子阱的热噪声引起的离子加热研究

研究了和平面刻槽离子阱中的电压热涨落噪声引起的离子加热和离子加热的直接计算模型,给出了离子加热的加热尺度,并利用有限元分析方法计算了当刻槽宽度和射频电极宽度比例α发生变化时加热尺度的变化。同时,还利用涨落耗散原理计算了控制电极的阻抗热涨落对离子产生的加热效应,并给出了x和y方向电场涨落的谱密度表达式,通过计算给出了较好的α值。     

Non-Uniformity of Ion Implantation in Direct-Current Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation

A particle-in-cell simulation is developed to study dc plasma immersion ion implantation. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the voltage applied to the target on the ion path, and the ion flux distribution on the target surface. It is found that the potential near the aperture within the plasma region is not the plasma potential, and is impacted by the voltage applied to the implanted target. A curved equipotential contour expands into the plasma region through the aperture and the extent of the expansion depends on the voltage. Ions accelerated by the electric field in the sheath form a beam shape and a flux distribution on the target surface, which are strongly dependent on the applied voltage. The results of the simulations demonstrate the formation mechanism of the grid-shadow effect, which is in agreement with the result observed experimentally.     

Hot Ion Production in a Modified Penning Discharge

Ions with Maxwellian energy distributions and kinetic temperatures up to seven keV have been observed in a modified Penning discharge. Investigation of the plasma revealed two distinct spoke-like concentrations of charge, consisting respectively of ions and electrons, rotating with different velocities in the sheath between the plasma and the anode ring. Theoretical expressions are derived for the frequency of the ion and electron spoke rotation, for the ion kinetic temperature resulting from the ion spoke velocity, and for the ion heating efficiency. An extensive series of experimental measurements were made to check these theoretical expressions, and approximate agreement was obtained. It is shown that the ion kinetic temperature in the modified Penning discharge scales according to the relation Vi ~ Vani1/4/B1/2 where Va is the applied anode voltage, ni is the ion density in the sheath, and B is the magnetic field strength. The observed data demonstrate that the ion heating efficiency can be as high as several tens of percent.     

Ion Plasma Wave Wakefield Accelerators

The possibility of using space-charge waves on an ion beam or column as a wakefield accelerator is discussed. The primary advantages of using ion plasma waves over electron plasma waves are that the kinetic energy and fall-time requirements on the driving beam are reduced. One disadvantage in using a lower plasma frequency is that a larger current is required to achieve the same accelerating gradient. The basic aspects of wakefield accelerators are reviewed and this concept is analyzed in this context. Particle-in-cell simulations show that wakefields utilizing ion waves, although more complicated than plasma wakefields, can produce acceleration.     

Plasmon Mechanism of Overdense Plasma Heating

This paper attempts to introduce an effective mechanism of plasma heating of an overdense plasma layer. This mechanism is directly related to the phenomena of anomalous transparency of an overdense plasma layer. High temperature is achieved due to the resonant excitation of the coupled surface waves on both sides of the plasma layer. The dissipative energy of the collisional effects appears as an effective heating source in this mechanism. The solutions of the heat equation under the resonant situations are obtained in the steady and unsteady states conditions. The main factors, affecting the considered plasma heating mechanism, are also discussed. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Kinetic Current-Convective Instability in Hot Electron Plasma

The kinetic current-convective instability excited in a hot electron plasma, i.e. for T_e ? T_i, is investigated in the linear stage. Density and temperature of plasma components have gradients along the x-direction. In the absence of longitudinal current (u = 0) and homogeneous temperature the instability is also excited with maximum growth rate much exceeding that obtained in the case of u ≠ 0. Gradual increasing of the ion temperature over that of the electrons and a large density gradient leads to reduce the instability in the linear stage.     

Antenna Q Monitoring for Pulsed RF Heating Experiments

Low frequency wave heating experiments conducted on pulsed plasmas are often faced with the task of measuring low antenna resistance. This paper describes a method for monitoring the antenna-plasma Q during a plasma discharge. Knowledge of Q measured at low power can be helpful in the design of a high power antenna and its associated matching network. The concept of an effective Q is introduced and its importance in suppressing harmonics is noted. Q scans for a low frequency Alfvén wave heating experiment conducted on the PRETEXT tokamak are shown. Detailed circuitry of this diagnostic is included.     

On the Possibility of Strong Anomalous Absorption of Microwaves in Experiments on Electron Cyclotron Plasma Heating at the Second Resonance Harmonic

JETP Letters - It has been shown that more than two thirds of the pumping power can be transmitted to the upper hybrid waves localized near the local maximum of the plasma density as a result of...     

NMR Experiments on Ion Permeation in Irradiated Model Membranes

In aqueous solutions of sonicated egg-lecithin vesicles (5 weight-%) the ¹H-NMR parameters line width, area, and chemical shift of the signal of the (CH₃)₃N⁺ group were determined in dependence on the dose of gamma radiation (0 … 12 kGy). The application of curopium ions made it possible, by means of a line shape analysis, to calculate these parameters for the inside as well as for the outside lipid layer.

With increasing ⁶⁰Co-radiation dose the line widths increase linearly. The line width for the outside lipid layer increases significantly more rapidly than for the inside layer. This fact allows us to conclude that there exists a preferred radiation damage of the outside lipid layer. The asymmetry may he a consequence of an indirect radiation action mediated by the radicals of the water radiolysis.

From the temporal change of the NMR parameters information can be obtained about the radiation action on transport processes in the vesicles. Beginning at a threshold value (approx. 5 kGy) the permeation of the En^{+ ++} ions to the (CH₃)₃N⁺ head groups previously not accessible increases significantly.     

Hot Electron Ring Formation in ECR Heated Plasma

Energetic particles can be .generated by electron cyclotron resonant heating (ECRH) in tokamak plasma, forming electron ring. The bounce frequency is taken into account in resonance condition. The electron energy is limited by detaching of the adjacent overlapped islands. An analytical criterion for transition is obtained. The critical potential obtained is in good agreement with numerical calculation. Experiment for observing the trapped energetic electrons is suggested.     

Measurement of Heating Rates in a Microscopic Surface-Electrode Ion Trap

We report measurement of heating rates of ~(40)Ca~+ ions confined in our home-made microscopic surface-electrode trap by a Doppler recooling method. The ions are trapped with approximately 800 μm above the surface, and are subjected to heating due to various noises in the trap. There are 3-5 ions involved to measure the heating rates precisely and efficiently. We show the heating rates in variance with the number and the position of the ions as well as the radio-frequency power, which are helpful for understanding the trap imperfection.