Direct determination of the electron energy confinement time of a tokamak plasma

A method of determining the electron energy confinement time τ_E is presented which does not require the absolute electron temperatures and densities, or their spatial profiles. A short heating pulse is applied to the plasma; the subsequent decay of electron temperature yields τ_E.     

ITER数据库和HL-1M装置等离子体约束特性

ITER数据库是全世界聚变专家通过多年的努力,建立起来的一个旨在研究各种等离子体行为的数据库,并由此得到了一系列的定标律。在介绍了ITER约束数据库的构成和相应的能量约柬定标律之后,介绍了HL-1M托卡马克的数据特点,给出了欧姆加热条件下利用回归分析方法得到的能量约束幂指数定标律,最后对结果进行了分析和讨论。     

First results of movable limiter experiments and its effects on the tokamak plasma confinement

Limiters play a number of roles in the tokamak operation. It serves primarily to protect the wall from the plasma when there are disruptions, runaway electrons, or other instabilities and also the limiters localize the plasma–surface interaction. In this research, we presented the first results of movable limiter experiments and its effects on the tokamak plasma confinement. For this purpose, we designed, constructed, and installed a movable localized poloidal limiter, and then measured the effects of limiter position on the time intervals of plasma parameters such as plasma density, temperature, and energy confinement time. The results of effects of the movable limiter experiments on plasma confinement.     

Effect of unstable MHD modes on the confinement of a stellarator plasma

The results of an experimental study of the influence of unstable MHD modes on plasma confinement in an L-2M stellarator are presented. The spectral and statistical characteristics of turbulent plasma simultaneously at both the edge and center of the plasma are investigated. It is shown that at constant power of electron-cyclotron heating of the plasma the energy content of the plasma depends strongly on the strength of the externally applied vertical magnetic field used to adjust the position of the plasma column. Appreciable degradation of plasma confinement is observed for values of the vertical field such that ideal MHD modes become unstable in the greater part of the plasma column. This in turn is due to the formation of a magnetic configuration with a magnetic “hump.” At the same time, in the edge plasma the instability of resistive-balloon modes grows, and turbulent particle transport increases. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 69, No. 6, 407–412 (25 March 1999)     

On the method of Fisher and Bekefi for measuring the confinement time of a tokamak plasma

The method of Fisher and Bekefi for measuring the electron energy confinement time is analysed using perturbation techniques. It is found that the accuracy of the method depends strongly on the experimental conditions.     

High frequency fast magnetoacoustic modes in the plasma core

Fast magnetoacoustic modes (FMM) [known also as compressional Alfvén eigenmodes (CAE) and magnetosonic modes] with frequencies exceeding or equal the ion gyrofrequency are considered. It is shown that edge-localized FMM, which presumably are responsible for the superthermal ion cyclotron emission (ICE) observed in many experiments on tokamaks and stellarators, represent a particular case of these modes. In general, FMMs with frequencies above/about the ion gyrofrequency have different radial locations and structures. They can extend over a large part of the plasma cross section and even can have maximum amplitudes at the magnetic axis. Modes with the same frequency and the same poloidal mode number are multiple, having different radial structures. These results are obtained in the approximation of cylindrical plasma with one-ion species.     

Intense geodesic acousticlike modes driven by suprathermal ions in a tokamak plasma

Intense axisymmetric oscillations driven by suprathermal ions injected in the direction counter to the toroidal plasma current are observed in the DIII-D tokamak. The modes appear at nearly half the ideal geodesic acoustic mode frequency, in plasmas with comparable electron and ion temperatures and elevated magnetic safety factor (q_{min}>or=2). Strong bursting and frequency chirping are observed, concomitant with large (10%-15%) drops in the neutron emission. Large electron density fluctuations (n[over ]_{e}/n_{e} approximately 1.5%) are observed with no detectable electron temperature fluctuations, confirming a dominant compressional contribution to the pressure perturbation as predicted by kinetic theory. The observed mode frequency is consistent with a recent theoretical prediction for the energetic-particle-driven geodesic acoustic mode.     

Nonlinear evolution of q=1 triple tearing modes in a tokamak plasma

In magnetic configurations with two or three q=1 (with q being the safety factor) resonant surfaces in a tokamak plasma, resistive magnetohydrodynamic modes with poloidal mode numbers m much larger than 1 are found to be linearly unstable. It is found that these high-m double or triple tearing modes significantly enhance through nonlinear interactions the growth of the m=1 mode. This may account for the sudden onset of the internal resistive kink, i.e., the fast sawtooth trigger. Based on the subsequent reconnection dynamics that can proceed without formation of the m=1 islands, it is proposed that high-m triple tearing modes are a possible mechanism for precursor-free partial collapses during sawtooth oscillations.     

Holographic image projection using fractional Fourier transformation

A new method of image projection based on fractional Fourier transformation is presented. This method can project an image at any distance after a lens plane. We use a modified Gerschberg–Saxton (GS) iteration algorithm to compute a phase-only hologram. The amplitude distributions both on the hologram plane and image plane are restricted while allowing their phase distributions to drift into an optimum value. The quality of the image projected by fractional Fourier hologram is close to the image projected by Fourier hologram. The RMS error between the projected image and the constrained image is computed in our experiment. A comparison in flexibility of the two projection methods is also discussed.     

HL-2Aװ�õ�Լ�����ƺͱ߽羻���빦�ʷ���

在HL-2A装置孔栏位形放电的等离子体实验中,电子回旋辅助加热期间观察到了等离子体约束改善的现象,并对等离子体从低约束模式(L模)向约束改善模式转换时的等离子体线平均电子密度、等离子体储能、分界面内辐射功率、能量约束时间、Hα辐射等进行了研究。同时,分析了电子密度和等离子体辐射功率的空间分布随时间的演化。对改善约束的相关功率(辅助加热、欧姆加热功率和损失功率)进行了分析,并研究了等离子体约束改善转换时的边界净输入功率(阈值)与电子线平均密度和环向磁场的关系。     

HL-2A装置的约束改善和边界净输入功率分析

在HL-2A装置孔栏位形放电的等离子体实验中,电子回旋辅助加热期间观察到了等离子体约束改善的现象,并对等离子体从低约束模式(L模)向约束改善模式转换时的等离子体线平均电子密度、等离子体储能、分界面内辐射功率、能量约束时间、H_α辐射等进行了研究。同时,分析了电子密度和等离子体辐射功率的空间分布随时间的演化。对改善约束的相关功率(辅助加热、欧姆加热功率和损失功率)进行了分析,并研究了等离子体约束改善转换时的边界净输入功率(阈值)与电子线平均密度和环向磁场的关系。     

Color image encoding using fractional Fourier transformation associated with wavelet transformation

Color image encoding and decoding using fractional Fourier transformation (FRFT) associated with wavelet transformation (WT) are proposed in this paper, which is calculated using discrete fractional Fourier transformation and discrete wavelet transformation. A new method for color image encoding and decoding is given. Some examples of computer simulation results are proposed and verified.     

HL-lM装置杂质粒子输运与约束特性

在HL-lM装置上利用激光吹气技术,在等离子体边缘瞬态注入少量Al杂质粒子,通过对真空紫外光谱和软X射线区的杂质辐射测量,分别研究了欧姆等离子体和低杂波电流驱动等离子体两种情况下,Al杂质粒子输运与约束特性。结果表明：在欧姆等离子体和低杂波电流驱动等离子体两种情况下,等离子体中心区,在没有MHD锯齿震荡和有MHD锯齿震荡非锯齿破裂期间,杂质粒子输运基本上受新经典规律支配;在有MHD锯齿震荡锯齿破裂期间,杂质粒子输运受MHD不稳定性支配,但其时间很短(通常小于300μs),所以在这种情况下,杂质粒子输运的平均效应比新经典值稍大。而约束区杂质粒子输运则比新经典的值大很多,是反常的。在一定条件下低混杂波电流驱动可以改善等离子体粒子约束。     

On confinement characteristics of the newly developed sawtooth-free plasmas in KSTAR tokamak

Development of advanced scenarios, an important experimental goal of the Korea superconducting tokamak advanced research (KSTAR) project, has just begun. The safety factor (q) profile is a key to achieve these advanced scenarios. Particularly the hybrid scenario, one of the advanced scenarios, can be established generally with low magnetic shear (s) at the center with central q-value above unity so to avoid sawtooth instability. This q-profile was successfully produced using early divertor formation during a plasma current ramp-up phase in KSTAR. Auxiliary heating was also employed during the current ramp-up phase to delay the inductive current diffusion to the center of the plasma. In addition to the early divertor formation method, the target q-profile was attempted to be achieved by modifying the plasma current waveform using the so-called, ‘current-overshoot’ method and the timing of L-mode to H-mode transition. In this work, the confinement characteristics of these sawtooth-free regimes are investigated. The global energy confinement time is calculated and compared with that of conventional H-modes in KSTAR. The confinement enhancement factor reveals that the newly developed discharges are not improved over H-modes contrary to results of other tokamaks. To investigate the reason, transport modeling is performed self-consistently with an integrated simulation package incorporating plasma equilibrium, transport, and heating and current drive. The current ramp-up phase is simulated and impact of early divertor formation, current-overshoot, and early L–H transition on the target q-profile and s/q profile is addressed. The s/q profile is found to be not improved in these discharges compared with hybrid scenarios reported in other tokamaks. Based on these results, future experimental directions are addressed to access the hybrid regimes in KSTAR.