Multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge along improved confinement mode in LHCD plasmas with graphite limiters on HT-7 tokamak

Multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge (MARFE) phenomena during lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) Experiments on the HT-7 superconducting tokamak are summarized in this paper. The best correlation has been found between the total input (ohmic + LHCD) power and the product of the edge line average density and Z _eff. Studies show that the critical density of MARFE onset is observed in the region of Z _eff ^1/2f_GW = 0.6-0.9, where , (here is the maximum line average electron density and n_GW is the Greenwald density). These MARFEs generally appear to have the same characteristics as high f_GW MARFEs and are positionally stable throughout the LHCD pulse. Improved confinement mode induced by a MARFE is observed, and it is maintained for about 65 ms. MARFE cools the plasma edge, and the electron density profile is observed to become more narrow and peaked.     

High-density operation in tokamaks

Conclusion  In this paper we have examined various aspects regarding high-density operation in tokamaks and in particular the density limit, the plasma detachment, the MARFE formation and the fuelling efficiency. As regarding the density limit, both experimental findings and theoretical model indicate that the plasma current and the total input power are relevant in limiting the edge density that can be sustained in a tokamak discharge: radiation losses and SOL momentum and energy conservation are the underlying mechanisms. In the latest divertor experiments, operating in the detached regime, the influence of the input power seems to vanish or even disappear. Edge phenomena such as plasma detachment, occurring beyond a density threshold that can be lowered by means of impurity injection, can lead to the almost complete exhausting of the heating power by radiation which is greatly helpful for the design of the divertor plates. The compatibility of H-mode operation with this regime is still under investigation. The MARFE phenomenon, sometimes precursor of a major disruption, is now understood in terms of a radiation induced thermal instability. Finally, experiments performed in order to investigate the fuelling efficiency of the gas puffing technique have shown that at high density this technique becomes rather inefficient, thus indicating that pellet injection still remains an essential requirement to fuel the reactor plasma. The drop of the fuelling efficiency of gas-puffing at high density can be accounted for by collision phenomena taking place in the SOL.     

Improved confinement due to open ergodic field lines imposed by the dynamic ergodic divertor in TEXTOR

The ergodization of the magnetic field lines imposed by the dynamic ergodic diverter (DED) in TEXTOR can lead both to confinement improvement and to confinement deterioration. The cases of substantial improvement are in resonant ways related to particular conditions in which magnetic flux tubes starting at the X points of induced islands are connected with the wall. This opening process is connected with a characteristic modification of the heat deposition pattern at the divertor target plate and leads to a substantial increase and steepening of the core plasma density and pressure. The improvement is tentatively attributed to a modification of the electric potential in the plasma carried by the open field lines. The confinement improvement bases on a spontaneous density built up due to the application of the DED and is primarily a particle confinement improvement.     

Turbulence investigations during ergodic divertor operation with induced 2/1 tearing mode

Within the last year of TEXTOR operation a major part of the experiments were dedicated to the interaction of the ergodized plasma edge, induced by the dynamic ergodic divertor (DED), with the core plasma. Systematic experiments are performed in the 3/1 configuration of the DED. Depending on , the DED generates a locked 2/1 mode in the plasma at a critical current in the DED coils. Different diagnostics were used to measure the plasma response in the core and edge. The investigations in this paper are focused on the measurement of density fluctuation and the analysis of the coherent-mode structure outside the q = 2 surface using O-mode poloidal correlation reflectometry. A reduction of the quasi-coherent mode amplitude and frequency is observed, caused by the 2/1 mode together with a decrease of the density scale length. Moreover, the deduced poloidal rotation velocity at the q = 3 surface changes from the electron to the ion diamagnetic drift direction with the onset of the 2/1 island. Also a reduction of the density fluctuations is observed as well as a decrease in the poloidal correlation length. From Ar-injection a delayed inward propagation of the emission maximum is observed for different Ar ionization stages when the 2/1 mode is generated.Similar experiments with a slowly rotating DED show that the steepened density gradients are spatially localized and confirm the hypothesis that the 2/1 mode is responsible for the observations.Presented at the Workshop Electric Fields Structures and Relaxation in Edge Plasmas, Nice, France, October 26–27, 2004.     

HL—1装置等离子体轫致辐射径向分布的测量

采用经钨带灯标准光源标定的多道石英光纤光学系统,测量了HL-1装置等离子体可见光波段轫致辐射功率的径向分布。测得的有效离子电荷数Z_(eff)的径向分布在中心处有最大值。放电过程中电子密度的增大使Z_(eff)降低。不同放电条件下的实验结果表明,用脉冲送气提高电子密度,可使中心弦平均Z_(eff)显著降低,而等离子体电流I_p的增大使Z_(eff)上升。在若干次放电中观测到了MARFE现象。     

Forced magnetic reconnection and field penetration of an externally applied rotating helical magnetic field in the TEXTOR tokamak

The magnetic field penetration process into a magnetized plasma is of basic interest both for plasma physics and astrophysics. In this context special measurements on the field penetration and field amplification are performed by a Hall probe on the dynamic ergodic divertor (DED) on the TEXTOR tokamak and the data are interpreted by a two-fluid plasma model. It is observed that the growth of the forced magnetic reconnection by the rotating DED field is accompanied by a change of the plasma fluid rotation. The differential rotation frequency between the DED field and the plasma plays an important role in the process of the excitation of tearing modes. The momentum input from the rotating DED field to the plasma is interpreted by both a ponderomotive force at the rational surface and a radial electric field modified by an edge ergodization.     

HL—1装置碳化和采用抽气孔栏时的可见辐射观测

本文描述了HL-1装置器壁碳化和采用抽气孔栏时,氢及杂质通量的变化情况;利用多道可见辐射的时空分布测量,得到了MARFE放电,在产生MARFE时,辐射热也相应增强。     

HL-1装置利用光纤传送边界层H_α和杂质辐射的时空分布测量

本文介绍了光纤使用三年来的简单情况;叙述了用氦、氢换气实验的再循环效果;分析了边界层氢和轻、重杂质的时空分布及变化情况;得到了等离子体放电时产生DP和MARFE辐射的时空分布立体图。     

Influence of the static Dynamic Ergodic Divertor on edge turbulence properties in TEXTOR

Systematic measurements on the edge turbulence and turbulent transport have been made by Langmuir probe arrays on TEXTOR under various static Dynamic Ergodic Divertor (DED) configurations. Common features are observed. With the DED, in the ergodic zone the local turbulent flux reverses sign from radially outwards to inwards. The turbulence properties are profoundly modified by energy redistribution in frequency spectra and suppression of large scale eddies. The fluctuation poloidal phase velocity changes direction from electron to ion diamagnetic drift, consistent with the observed reversal of the Er x B flow. In the laminar region, the turbulence is found to react to an observed reduced flow shear.     

Factorization of correlation functions and the replica limit of the Toda lattice equation

Exact microscopic spectral correlation functions are derived by means of the replica limit of the Toda lattice equation. We consider both Hermitian and non-Hermitian theories in the Wigner–Dyson universality class (class A) and in the chiral universality class (class AIII). In the Hermitian case we rederive two-point correlation functions for class A and class AIII as well as several one-point correlation functions in class AIII. In the non-Hermitian case the average spectral density of non-Hermitian complex random matrices in the weak non-Hermiticity limit is obtained directly from the replica limit of the Toda lattice equation. In the case of class A, this result describes the spectral density of a disordered system in a constant imaginary vector potential (the Hatano–Nelson model) which is known from earlier work. New results are obtained for the average spectral density in the weak non-Hermiticity limit of a quenched chiral random matrix model at non-zero chemical potential. These results apply to the ergodic or ϵ domain of the quenched QCD partition function at non-zero chemical potential. Our results have been checked against numerical results obtained from a large ensemble of random matrices. The spectral density obtained is different from the result derived by Akemann for a closely related model, which is given by the leading order asymptotic expansion of our result. In all cases, the replica limit of the Toda lattice equation explains the factorization of spectral one- and two-point functions into a product of a bosonic (non-compact integral) and a fermionic (compact integral) partition function. We conclude that the fermionic partition functions, the bosonic partition functions and the supersymmetric partition function are all part of a single integrable hierarchy. This is the reason that it is possible to obtain the supersymmetric partition function, and its derivatives, from the replica limit of the Toda lattice equation.     

Nanoscale gap filling for phase change material by pulsed deposition and inductively coupled plasma etching

The gap filling of phase change material has become a critical module in the fabrication process of phase change random access memory (PCRAM) as the device continues to scale down to 45 nm and below. However, conventional physical vapor deposition process cannot meet the nanoscale gap fill requirement anymore. In this study, we found that the pulsed deposition followed by inductively coupled plasma etching process showed distinctly better gap filling capability and scalability than single-step deposition process. The gap filling mechanism of the deposit–etch–deposit (DED) process was briefly discussed. The film redeposition during etching step was the key ingredient of gap filling improvement. We achieved void free gap filling of phase change material on the 30 nm via with aspect ratio of 1:1 by two-cycle DED process. The results provided a rather comprehensive insight into the mechanism of DED process and proposed a potential gap filling solution for 45 nm and below technology nodes for PCRAM.     

Spectral properties of linear chain with one-point dynamical disorder

We have investigated the one-dimensional model of an exciton moving along a (finite or semi-infinite) chain of sites with the local energy at one specific site being randomly modulated. The modulation is described by the Markoff stochastic process and we do not invoke the white-noise assumption. For this model, we give an approximation-free calculation of the density of states, the projected density of states and the optical absorption spectrum. The exact solution is found for a broad family of stochastic processes which bridges (and includes) the dichotomic process and the Gaussian one. The results are discussed in various physical limits such as whitenoise limit, weak-perturbation limit and weak-tunneling limit. Particularly, in the slow-modulation (or static) limit, our model represents a chain with a static distribution of energy at the distinguished impurity site and the spectral characteristics reveal a nontrivial dependence on the width of this energy distribution.     

Properties of the Tokamak Edge Plasma

A short review of some features of the edge plasma in limiter tokamaks is given. The limits of the simple 1-D SOL model and the relation between the core plasma are discussed. MARFE phenomena and detached plasma are closely connected with the particle and energy balance of the SOL. Their occurrence is based on the relation of plasma parameters of the edge plasma to those of the core. Important problems of plasma wall interactions are the detection of the impurity sources and sinks and the study of the impurity transport and shielding. The non-uniform character of plasma wall interactions and their dependence on the discharge performance still renders difficult any theoretical forecast of impurity distribution and transport and calls for better diagnostics.     

BCS wave-function approach to the BEC-BCS crossover of exciton-polariton condensates

The crossover between low and high density regimes of exciton-polariton condensates is examined using a BCS wave-function approach. Our approach is an extension of the BEC-BCS crossover theory for excitons, but includes a cavity photon field. The approach can describe both the low density limit, where the system can be described as a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of exciton-polaritons, and the high density limit, where the system enters a photon-dominated regime. In contrast to the exciton BEC-BCS crossover where the system approaches an electron-hole plasma, the polariton high density limit has strongly correlated electron-hole pairs. At intermediate densities, there is a regime with BCS-like properties, with a peak at nonzero momentum of the singlet pair function. We calculate the expected photoluminescence and give several experimental signatures of the crossover.     

Synergy of anomalous transport and radiation in the density limit

The critical plasma density n(cr) above which the edge anomalous transport in tokamaks is dominated by drift resistive ballooning instability is found analytically. In this transport regime, the drastic increase of particle losses and drop of the edge temperature provoke a strong increase in impurity radiation, and thermal equilibrium does not exist if the density is ramped up above the ultimate limit n(max). Because of the nonlinear character of impurity radiation, this density limit n(max) is very close to n(cr) and practically does not change with the ion effective charge. The importance of the synergy between the anomalous transport and impurity radiation for the density limit phenomenon is confirmed by the results of numerical simulations.     

Edge operational regimes in tokamaks

Edge operational regimes in tokamaks are described using mostly experimental results of ASDEX Upgrade. Emphasis is put on high confinement mode (H-mode) at medium and high densities up to the density limit. Implications for the physics of H-mode and the density limit are discussed.     

Beyond the Chandrasekhar limit: Structure and formation of compact stars

The concept of limiting mass, introduced by Chandrasekhar in case of white dwarfs, plays an important role in the formation and stability of compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes. Like white dwarfs, neutron stars have their own mass limit, and a compact configuration would progress from one family to the next, more dense one once a mass limit is crossed. The mass limit of neutron stars depends on the nature of nuclear forces at very high density, which has so far not been determined conclusively. This article reviews how observational determinations of the properties of neutron stars are starting to impose significant constraints on the state of matter at high density.     

Electrostatistics of counter-ions at and between planar charged walls: From Poisson-Boltzmann to the strong-coupling theory

The Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) approach gives asymptotically exact counter-ion density profiles around macroscopic charged objects and forces between macroscopic charged objects in the weak-coupling limit of low counter-ion valency, low surface-charge density, and high temperature. In this paper we derive, using field-theoretic methods, a theory which becomes exact in the opposite limit of strong coupling (SC). Formally, it corresponds to a standard virial expansion. Long-range divergences render the virial expansion intractable for homogeneous bulk systems, giving rise to non-analyticities in the low-density expansion of the free-energy density of electrolyte solutions. We demonstrate that for the case of inhomogeneous density distribution functions at macroscopic charged bodies these divergences are renormalizable by a systematic expansion in powers of the fugacity. For a single planar charged wall, we obtain the counter-ion density profile in the SC limit, which decays exponentially, in contrast to the PB result, which predicts algebraic decay, and in agreement with previously published numerical results. Similarly and highly charged plates in the presence of multivalent counter-ions attract each other in the SC limit and form electrostatically bound states, in contrast to the PB limit, where the interaction is always repulsive. By considering next-leading corrections to both the PB and SC theories, we estimate the range of validity for both theories.     

基于光谱密度的差分吸收光谱法气体测量系统的校准研究

差分吸收光谱法(DOAS)是基于朗伯比尔定律的光谱法测量气体的重要方法,按此原理建立的测量系统是测量痕量气体的主要方法。用于测量痕量气体的DOAS系统的关键是其检出限的校准,传统的方法是使用标准气体进行校准。但是由于标准气体自身的量值确定问题,在ppb甚至ppt级的不确定度大于10%,而一般的ppt级的DOAS测量系统本身的不确定度也会高于标准气体,导致传统方法失效。提出一种基于光谱密度的DOAS系统校准方法,利用朗伯比尔定律将DOAS系统的检出限和光谱密度建立关系。由于光谱密度作为光学量值可以测量到10-6甚至更高,所以通过该方法可以实现DOAS系统在ppb乃至ppt级的校准。本方法需要根据待校准的测量系统光学结构的基本参数计算其总的标准光学密度值,然后把标准光学密度片放入测量系统光程中,测得其光学密度值,根据前后两次光学密度计算测量系统的测量偏差,进而分析计算测量系统的标准不确定度和标定的扩展不确定度,所得到的标定的扩展不确定度即为测量系统的检出限。该方法完全基于光学测量,不需引入标准气体评估,基于光学密度的精密测量和测量系统光学结构的装调误差,实现测量系统在较小不确定度水平上的标定,提高检出限标定的精度。本方法在开放光程式的DOAS系统上进行了实验验证。