Large Volume and Fast Response Gamma Ray Diagnostic in the Large Helical Device

A large volume and fast response gamma ray diagnostic based on the LaBr3(Ce) scintillator was installed to obtain the gamma ray spectrum in the Large Helical Device (LHD) for understanding energetic ion confinement. The advantages of the LaBr3(Ce) scintillator are relatively sensitive to gamma rays due to its relatively heavy weight density of 5.3 g/cc, high counting operation because of a relatively short pulse width of ∼100 ns, and relatively better energy resolution of ∼3%. The gamma ray diagnostic was installed at the outboard side of LHD. The radiation shielding for the LaBr3(Ce) detector was designed to avoid unwanted signals due to stray neutrons and gamma rays using the three-dimensional radiation transport calculation MCNP6. In-situ energy calibration of the LaBr3(Ce) detector was performed using 60Co and 137Cs gamma ray sources. We surveyed a neutron effect on the LaBr3(Ce) detector in an electron-cyclotron-heated deuterium plasma discharge. The pulse counting rate of LaBr3(Ce) detector under the total neutron emission rate of 2×1011 n/s was 110 kcps. Therefore, the LaBr3(Ce) detector is expected to be utilized in most of ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) discharges, where the total neutron emission rate of ∼1011 n/s. We plan to measure the gamma ray spectrum in deuterium ICRF discharges

Effect of discreteness and misalignment on magnetic field and charged particle confinement in CFQS quasi-axisymmetric stellarator

The Chinese first quasi-axisymmetric stellarator (CFQS), which will be the first quasi-axisymmetric (QA) stellarator in the world, is now under construction. The primary task of the CFQS project is to realize a QA configuration and to examine its physical properties. Based on this task, two important issues were investigated in this work in order to estimate the robustness of the CFQS design from a physical perspective. One was the toroidal field (TF) ripple due to the discreteness of modular coils (MCs) which could potentially degrade the charged particle confinement in the CFQS configuration. The other was a possible MC misalignment in the assembly that would affect the magnetic field and charged particle confinement in the CFQS. Moreover, since the stellarator symmetry might be broken by the MC misalignment, such a case was also investigated in this work. By performing a magnetic field line tracing and charged particle orbit tracing calculation, it was found that the TF ripple does not affect the confinement property significantly and the magnetohydrodynamics equilibrium was robust against possible MC misalignments. These results are helpful in defining the reasonable tolerance of assembly accuracy

Study on Fast Deuteron Diagnostics Method Using Fast 3He Visible Spectra in the Large Helical Device Deuterium Plasma

Fast ion diagnostic is one of the most crucial plasma diagnostics for nuclear fusion investigation. A new diagnostic method for fast ions has been proposed using visible spectra of 3He produced by a deuteron-deuteron reaction. This diagnostic method has a better energy resolution than methods using neutron/γ-ray and is superior to conventional spectroscopy in measuring high energy (MeV order) ions. This diagnostic method has been predicted using numerical analysis for ITER, but no verification experiments have been performed yet. In this study, we examined the measurability of this diagnostic method in the large helical device (LHD) deuterium plasma. Although very dependent on the measurement geometry and the spectrometer performance, it may be possible to measure the fast 3He visible spectrum

Identification of Magnetic Islands in Optimized Configuration

To aim at the realization of a helical fusion reactor, we study multi-objective optimization of coil shapes, which satisfy various requirements. In the magnetic field configuration created by these coils, several unfavorable examples are found: some of them have magnetic islands or doublet configurations. In order to automatically and quickly exclude such cases that hinder the optimization, we have developed a new method to detect unfavorable magnetic surfaces by using image recognition. Binarization and erosion are performed as preprocessing, and then blanks of magnetic islands and doublets are extracted as recognition targets. Consequently, we have developed a classifier with high performance. Using this trained classifier, we have shown that almost all cases with unfavorable magnetic surfaces in various magnetic configurations can be excluded in a short time and with high precision

Energy Dependence of the Line Ratio I(233.9 Å)/I(243.8 Å) in Fe xv Observed with an Electron Beam Ion Trap

We present the energy dependence of the intensity ratio between the 3s3p3P2—3s3d3D3 transition at 233.9 Å and the 3s3p1P1—3s3d1D2 transition at 243.8 Å in Fe xv studied with an electron beam ion trap over an energy range that spans resonance excitation regions. Clear resonance structures are observed in the electron energy range of 400–600 eV. The energy dependence obtained in the experiment is compared with a collisional-radiative model calculation, including resonance excitations, and overall agreement is found. It is shown that the ratio strongly reflects the population of the 3s3p3P2 metastable state, which is the lower state of the 233.9 Å transition

Verdet constant dispersion of magnesium fluoride for deep-ultraviolet and vacuum-ultraviolet Faraday rotators

The Verdet constant dispersion in magnesium fluoride (MgF2) crystals was evaluated over a wavelength range of 190–300 nm. The Verdet constant was found to be 38.7 rad/(T·m) at a wavelength of 193 nm. These results were fitted using the diamagnetic dispersion model and the classical Becquerel formula. The fitted results can be used for the designing of suitable Faraday rotators at various wavelengths. These results indicate the possibility of using MgF2 as Faraday rotators not only in deep-ultraviolet regions, but also in vacuum-ultraviolet regions owing to its large bandgap

Study of the intermittent plasma structure around the divertor simulation experimental module in GAMMA 10/PDX

We have investigated the generation region of intermittent plasma structures, which could be due to the blob-like cross field transport around the divertor simulation experimental module (D-module) in the tandem mirror device GAMMA 10/PDX. A positive skewness of the ion saturation current was clearly seen when the electrode of the movable probe was located at the radial edge and just in front of the entrance limiter of the D-module. Fourier analysis and conditional averaging clarified that positive spikes intermittently appeared in the same region. This is the first indication that the phenomenon producing the high-density isolated plasma structures occurred in the upstream of the D-module. A negative skewness was also found, and large amplitude fluctuation was detected between regions showing positive and negative skewness. Furthermore, this and light emission fluctuations become stronger during the transient state from attached to detached state on the V-shaped target

New Q and V-band ECE radiometer for low magnetic field operation on LHD

To meet the demand for information on electron temperature fluctuations in low magnetic field experiments in the Large Helical Device (LHD), a new ECE radiometer covering the Q and V bands has been installed. Combination mirrors are installed in the vacuum vessel to focus the beam and efficiently propagate the radiated electron cyclotron waves. Notch filters are used to eliminate stray light from the gyrotron, and a 32-channel heterodyne radiometer is constructed using a filter bank system. As a result, oscillations of electron temperature and both electromagnetic and electrostatic fluctuations were successfully observed

Prompt core confinement improvement across the L–H transition in DIII-D: Profile stiffness, turbulence dynamics, and isotope effect

We elaborate on the nature of the prompt core confinement improvement observed at the L–H transition in DIII-D, which is a long-standing issue unsolved for more than two decades and can impact future fusion reactor performance. Dynamic transport analysis suggests the essential role of the profile stiffness for understanding the mechanism of the prompt core confinement improvement. Beam emission spectroscopy shows that transport reduction at the core cannot be explained only by the ion scale turbulence density fluctuation suppression. Properties of nonlocal confinement improvement across the L–H transition are experimentally assessed in hydrogen (H) and deuterium (D) plasmas. Prompt core confinement improvement is found to be more rapid in the lighter hydrogen isotope

Active Control of Alfvén Eigenmodes by Externally Applied 3D Magnetic Perturbations

The suppression and excitation of Alfvén eigenmodes have been experimentally obtained, for the first time, by means of externally applied 3D perturbative fields with different spatial spectra in a tokamak plasma. The applied perturbation causes an internal fast-ion redistribution that modifies the phase-space gradients responsible for driving the modes, determining, ultimately their existence. Hybrid kinetic-magnetohydrodynamic simulations reveal an edge resonant transport layer activated by the 3D perturbative field as the responsible mechanism for the fast-ion redistribution. The results presented here may help to control fast-ion driven Alfvénic instabilities in future burning plasmas with a significant fusion born alpha particle population