High-Power Ion Beam Characteristics of a Magnetic Multi-Pole Line-Cusp Ion Source for the HL-2A Tokomak

A circular magnetic multi-pole line-cusp ion source with a nominal 45 keV 25 A hydrogen ion beam is developed for the neutraJ beam injector of the HL-2A tokomak. At present, this bucket ion source can produce a 40 keV 20 A hydrogen ion beam for less than lOOms on a test bed, and a 35 ke V 13A ion beam for 300ms on the injector of the HL-2A tokomak. The 1/e half-width of the ion beam power profile is about 6.0 ± 0.2 em at the positionof 3.26m downstream from ion source, and the corresponding divergence degree is nearly 1.1. The optimum perveance matched conditions were obtained experimentally, and were in good agreement with the values from experiential equation of Uhlemann et al. The maximum of optimum perveance reached 2.2 × 10^-6 A/V^1.5 for 38 keV beam energy. An ion beam with above 60% H^＋ species fraction can be achieved, which was measured by Ha light Doppler shift spectroscopy. According to research results, a neutral beam with a total power of more than 0.6 MW was successfully injected into the plasma of the HL-2A Tokomak in 2008.     

Arc Power Limit and Distribution on the Large Negative Ion Source Based on JT-60 NNBI

The target of the large negative ion source based on neutral beam injection (N-NBI) is to produce neutral beam current of 22 A and beam power of 10 MW at 500 keV with duration time of 10 s. Since it was successfully operated in 1996, the 5.3 MW neutral beam power at 380 keV with duration time of 3 s has been achieved. In recent years improving and enhancing the beam power are going on. Several reasons such as plasma non-uniformity, higher beam density at the upper region in the beam profile,     

Beam Ion Transport from Neutron Emissivity Measurement in Deuterium Neutral Beam-Heated Deuterium Plasmas of the HL-2A Tokamak

An experiment at the HL-2A tokamak with a high-energy deuterium neutral beam （NB） injection （30 keV, about 0.6 MW） was performed. The emission of d-d fusion neutrons dominated by beam-plasmas reactions when the deuterium NB was injected into the deuterium target plasma was observed by means of a ^235U fission chamber. To obtain information on NB deposition and the slowing down of beam ions in HL-2A plasmas, a very short-pulse deuterium NB injection, or the so-called ＂blip＂ injection, was performed into MHD-quiescent Ohmic deuterium plasmas. Analysis of neutron decay following the NB ＂blip＂ injection indicates that tangentially injected beam ions are well confined, slowing down classically in the HL-2A. In contrast to the MHD-quiescent plasma, anomalous losses of beam ions were observed when tearing mode instabilities were present.     

A New Doppler Shift Spectroscopy for Measurement of Neutral Beam Profile

A new diagnostic based on Doppler shift is designed to measure the power profile of a hydrogen or deuterium neutral beam on the magnetic confined fusion machines. The interference filters and multi-channel photon detector array （PDA） are the main components of this diagnosis. The multi-channel PDA measures the line integrated Doppler Ha signal emitted by the neutral beam at one section in two directions. The local intensity of neutral beam can be obtained with the tomography technique. Compared to the conventional calorimeter diagnoses, this diagnosis can provide the beam profile without blocking the injection of neutral beam.     

Excitation of Electromagnetic Waves by an Electron Ring Beam in a Magnetized Plasma Waveguide

We study the resonant interactions between an electron ring beam and plasma waveguide modes,This is motivated by the research of radio emission in low solar corona.We consider a density-depleted duct(above an active region near a flare site)that may be treated as a magnetized plasma waveguide.The electromagnetic waves excited in the wveguide are classified into the so-called E-type and B-type waves.The results show that there are two unstable modes of B-type waves propagating parallel and anti-parallel to the direction of the electron beam.The effect of the finite radius and boundary conditions of the waveguide on the excitation of the electron beam.The effect of the finite radius and oundary conditions of the waveguide on the excitation of waveguide modes is important.For a given B-type mode,the smaller the radius R,the larger the temporal and spatial amplification important.For a given B-type mode.the smaller the radius R ,the larger the temporal and spatial amplification rate,we suggest that these excited waveguide modes could be one of the processes respondsible for the observed solar radio emission.     

Progress in Plasma Diagnostics and Physics Experiment

The development of eight new diagnostic systems and the improvement of the laser Thomson scattering system contributed to the experimental campaign on HL-2A in 2006. Besides, the accuracy and flexibility of the molecular beam injection （MBI） system was improved greatly by using the special driver and controller, it is more convenient for studies such as particle transport. In the field of plasma physics experiment, the features of 3-D GAM zonal flows were further studied and some signs of low frequency zonal flows were observed. In the ECRH experiments, the effects of ECRH on sawtooth activities and m/n= 1/1 mode were studied under different plasma discharge conditions. The effect of MBI during ECRH on plasma behavior, such as non-local heat transport, was also studied.     

First Charge Exchange Recombination Spectroscopy Diagnostic in HL-2A Tokamak

Spatially resolved measurements of ion temperature are crucial for understanding plasma dynamics. A charge exchange recombination spectroscopy diagnostic system based on a heating neutral beam is installed on the HL- 2A tokamak. An optical collection system is designed in accordance with the actual geometry of HL-2A and the CVI 529.2nm （n = 8 → 7） charge-exchange recombination line. Preliminary measurements show that the CX signals have enough signal-to-noise ratio （SNR）. The ion temperature and its profiles are obtained through this svstem for the first time.     

Observation of Multiple Broadband Alfvénic Chirping Modes in HL-2A NBI Plasmas

Multiple broadband Alfvenic chirping modes(CMs),with frequencies in the wide range of f～35-150 kHz and chirping down rapidly,are found in HL-2A neutral beam injection plasmas,and the CMs can even coexist.The frequency chirping down process can be completed within～1 ms,and the frequency shift can reach 30-50 kHz.The CMs propagate in ion diamagnetic drift directions poloidally.The toroidal mode number is confirmed to be n=1,2,3 and 4 for the f～35-65,55-90,70-120 and 100-150 kHz CMs,respectively.The CMs are more like to be energetic-particle continuum modes(EPMs),since the modes almost locate on the Alfven continuum.     

Time-and-space resolved measurements of the emission uniformity of carbon fibre cathode in high-current pulsed discharge

The remaining challenges, confronting high-power microwave (HPM) sources and pulsed power generators, stimulate the developments of robust relativistic electron beam sources. This paper presents a carbon fibre cathode which is tested in a single pulsed power generator. The distribution and the development of cathode plasma are observed by time-and-space resolved diagnostics, and the uniformity of electron beam density is checked by taking x-ray images. A quasistationary behaviour of cathode plasma expansion is observed. It is found that the uniformity of the extracted electron beam is satisfactory in spite of individual plasma jets on the cathode surface. These results show that carbon fibre cathodes can provide a positive prospect for developing a high-quality electron beam.     

Dynamics of laser beams in inhomogeneous electron positron ion plasmas

Nonlinear interaction of laser and electron–positron–ion plasmas is investigated by invoking the variational principle and numerical simulation, in terms of a nonlinear Schr o¨dinger equation with inhomogeneities effect. It is shown that the plasma inhomogeneity has great influence on the laser beam dynamics. The laser beam can be self-trapped, focused, or defocused depending on the inhomogeneity character. The linearly decreasing axial plasma density makes the laser beam defocus, while the linearly increasing axial plasma density results in self-trapping of the beam. The self-focusing of the trapped beam is found in a high-density region. For the Gaussian types of density distribution, the beam field submits nonlinearly oscillating regime. The results provide an efficient way to manipulate the dynamics of laser beam propagating in plasma.     

Experimental results of helicon source

Helicon plasma sources are known as efficient generators of uniform and high density plasma. A helicon plasma source was developed for the investigation of plasma stripping and plasma lenses at the Institute of Modern Physics, CAS. In this paper, the characteristics of helicon plasma have been studied by using a Langmuir four-probe and a high plasma density up to 3.9× 10^13/cm^3 has been achieved with the Nagoya type III antenna. In the experiment, several important phenomena were found： （1） for a given magnetic induction intensity, the plasma density became greater with the increase of RF power; （2） helicon mode appeared at RF power between 300 W and 400 W; （3） the plasma density gradually tended to saturation as the RF power increased to the higher power; （4） a higher plasma density can be obtained by a good match between the RF power and the magnetic field distribution. The key issue is how to optimize the matching between the RF power and the magnetic field. Moreover, some tests on the extraction of ion beams were performed, and preliminary results are given. The problems which existed in the helicon ion source will be discussed and the increase in beam density will be expected by extraction system optimum.     

Compound sawtooth in EAST LHCD plasma:An experimental study

A compound sawtooth with an incomplete relaxation was observed in EAST’s lower hybrid current drive(LHCD)plasma. The sub-crash phase of the compound sawtooth corresponds to a longer-lasting and slower-growing 1/1 mode.Based on the two-dimensional(2D) SXR tomography, the time-dependent 2D image of a compound sawtooth crash is obtained. The island produced during a resistive internal kink mode is observed in the all crash phases of the compound sawtooth. The destabilization of 1/1 long-lasting saturated 1/1 mode is related to the current driven by the LHCD near the q = 1 surface.     

Landau damping in a bounded magnetized plasma column

The damping decrement of Landau damping and the effect of thermal velocity on the frequency spectrum of a propagating wave in a bounded plasma column are investigated.The magnetized plasma column partially filling a cylindrical metallic tube is considered to be collisionless and non-degenerate.The Landau damping is due to the thermal motion of charge carriers and appears whenever the phase velocity of the plasma waves exceeds the thermal velocity of carriers.The analysis is based on a self-consistent kinetic theory and the solutions of the wave equation in a cylindrical plasma waveguide are presented using Vlasov and Maxwell equations.The hybrid mode dispersion equation for the cylindrical plasma waveguide is obtained through the application of appropriate boundary conditions to the plasma-vacuum interface.The dependence of Landau damping on plasma parameters and the effects of the metallic tube boundary on the dispersion characteristics of plasma and waveguide modes are investigated in detail through numerical calculations.     

Preliminary design of a laser accelerator beam line

A compact laser plasma accelerator(CLAPA) is being built at Peking University, which is based on an RPA-PSA mechanism or other acceleration mechanisms. The beam produced by this laser accelerator has the characteristics of short duration, high pulse current, large divergence angle, and wide energy spectrum. The beam cannot be produced by a normal ion source and accelerator. The space charge field in the initial is very strong.According to the beam parameters from preparatory experiments and theoretical simulations, a compact beam line is preliminarily designed. The beam line mainly consists of common transport elements to deliver proton beam with the energy of 1–50 MeV, energy spread of 0–±1% and current of 0–108 proton per pulse to satisfy the requirement of different experiments. The simulation result of a 15 MeV proton beam with an energy spread of ±1%, current of 400 m A, and final spot radius of 9 mm is presented in this paper.     

The influence of a self-focused laser beam on the stimulated Raman scattering process in collisional plasma

The influence of a self-focused beam on the stimulated Raman scattering(SRS) process in collisional plasma is explored. Here, collisional nonlinearity arises as a result of non-uniform heating, thereby causing carrier redistribution. The plasma density profile gets modified in a perpendicular direction to the main beam axis. This modified plasma density profile greatly affects the pump wave, electron plasma wave(EPW) and back-scattered wave. The well-known paraxial theory and Wentzel–Kramers–Bri...     

Development of the Fast Ionization Gauge in a Strong Magnetic Field

The neutral gas pressure near plasma or divertor plates are very important for the plasma-wall interaction, which determines the operating mode of divertor and confining performances of plasma in tokamaks. A fast ionization gauge (fast gauge) is designed for this purpose in the HL-2A tokamak.     

Development of the Technique for Fabricating Submicron Moire Gratings on Metal Materials Using Focused Ion Beam Milling

A focused gallium ion （Ga＋） beam is used to fabricate micro/submicron spacing gratings on the surface of porous NiTi shape memory alloy （SMA ）. The crossing type of gratings with double-frequency （25001/mm and 50001/mm） using the focused ion beam （FIB） milling are successfully produced in a combination mode or superposition mode. Based on the double-frequency gratings, high-quality scanning electron microscopy （SEM） Moird patterns are obtained to study the micro-scale deformation of porous NiTi SMA. The grating fabrication technique is discussed in detail. The experimental results verify the feasibility of fabricating high frequency grating on metal surface using FIB milling.     

Influence of a centered dielectric tube on inductively coupled plasma source: Chamber structures and plasma characteristics

A high-density RF ion source is an essential part of a neutral beam injector. In this study, the authors attempt to retrofit an original regular RF ion source reactor by inserting a thin dielectric tube through the symmetric axis of the discharge chamber. With the aid of this inner tube, the reactor is capable of generating a radial magnetic field instead of the original transverse magnetic field, which solves the E × B drift problem in the current RF ion source structure. To study the disturbance of the dielectric tube, a fluid model is introduced to study the plasma parameters with or without the internal dielectric tube, based on the inductively coupled plasma(ICP) reactor. The simulation results show that while introducing the internal dielectric tube into the ICP reactor, both the plasma density and plasma potential have minor influence during the discharge process, and there is good uniformity at the extraction region. The influence of the control parameters reveals that the plasma densities at the extraction region decrease first and subsequently slow down while enhancing the diffusion region.     

The first results of divertor discharge and supersonic molecular beam injection on the HL-2A tokamak

HL-2A tokamak is the first tokamak with divertors in China. The plasma boundary and the position of the striking point on the target plates of the HL-2A closed divertor were simulated by the current filament code and they were in agreement with the diagnostic results in the divertor. Supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI) system was first installed and tested on the HL-2A tokamak in 2004. In the present experiment low pressure SMBI fuelling on the HL-2A closed divertor was carried out. The experimental results indicate that the divertor was operated in the `linear regime' and during the period of SMB pulse injection into the HL-2A plasma the power density convected at the target plate surfaces was 0.4 times of that before or after the beam injection. It is a useful fuelling method for decreasing the heat load on the neutralizer plates of the divertor.     

Numerical Simulation Multicomponent Ion Beam Transport form ECR Ion Source

In order to simulate the transport of multi-components ion beam extracted from an ECR ion source, we have developed a multi-charged ion beam transport program named MCIBS 1.0. The program is dedicated to numerical simulation of the behavior of highly-charged ion beam and optimization of beam optics in transport lines and is realized on a PC with Windows user interface of Microsoft Visual Basic. Among all the ions with different charge states in the beam, the exchanges of electrons between highly charged ions and low charged ions or neutral,atoms of residual gas are taken into account by using classical Molecular Over-barrier Model and Monte Carlo method. An advanced Windows graphical interface makes it; comfortable and friendly for the user to operate in an interactive mode. The present program is used for the numerical calculation and optimization of beam optics in a transport line consisting of various magnetic elements, such as dipole magnet, quadrupole and so on. It is possible to simultaneously simulate 200,000 particles, in a transport line of 340 m at most, and show every particle orbit. Beam cross section graphics and emittance phase pictures can be also shown at any position in the transport line.