114 research outputs found
The coupling of stimulated Raman and Brillouin scattering in a plasma
The observation of an anti-Stokes satellite in the spectrum of light backscattered from a CO2 laser plasma is reported. Its origin is found to be Thomson scattering of the incident light from a counterpropagating mode-coupled plasma wave. The parent electron and ion waves in the mode-coupling process were driven by stimulated Raman and Brillouin backscattering. The parent and daughter plasma waves were detected by ruby laser Thomson scattering. A computer simulation modeling the experiment shows further cascading of the Stokes backscattered light to lower frequencies, apparently a result of its rescattering from another, higher phase velocity, counterpropagating coupled mode. Comparisons with theoretical predictions are presented
Recommended from our members
The role of the neutral beam fueling profile in the performance of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor and other tokamak plasmas
Scalings for the stored energy and neutron yield, determined from experimental data are applied to both deuterium-only and deuterium-tritium plasmas in different neutral beam heated operational domains in Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor. The domain of the data considered includes the Supershot, High poloidal beta, Low-mode, and limiter High-mode operational regimes, as well as discharges with a reversed magnetic shear configuration. The new important parameter in the present scaling is the peakedness of the heating beam fueling profile shape. Ion energy confinement and neutron production are relatively insensitive to other plasma parameters compared to the beam fueling peakedness parameter and the heating beam power when considering plasmas that are stable to magnetohydrodynamic modes. However, the stored energy of the electrons is independent of the beam fueling peakedness. The implication of the scalings based on this parameter is related to theoretical transport models such as radial electric field shear and Ion Temperature Gradient marginality models. Similar physics interpretation is provided for beam heated discharges on other major tokamaks
Recommended from our members
High performance deuterium-tritium plasmas in TFTR
Plasmas composed of nominally equal concentrations of deuterium and tritium (DT) have been created in TFTR with the goals of producing significant levels of fusion power and of examining the effects of DT fusion alpha particles. Conditioning of the limiter by the injection of lithium pellets has led to an approximate doubling of the energy confinement time, {tau}{sub E}, in supershot plasmas at high plasma current (I{sub p} {le} 2.5 MA) and high heating power (P{sub b} {le} 33 MW). Operation with DT typically results in an additional 20% increase in {tau}{sub E}. In the high poloidal beta, advanced tokamak regime in TFTR, confinement enhancement H {triple_bond} {tau}{sub E}/{tau}{sub E ITER-89P} > 4 has been obtained in a limiter H-mode configuration at moderate plasma current I{sub p} = 0.85 {minus} 1.5 MA. By peaking the plasma current profile, {beta}{sub N dia} {triple_bond} 10{sup 8} aB{sub 0}/I{sub p} = 3 has been obtained in these plasmas, exceeding the {beta}{sub N} limit for TFTR plasmas with lower internal inductance, l{sub i}. Confinement of alpha particles appears to be classical and losses due to collective effects have not been observed. While small fluctuations in fusion product loss were observed during ELMs, no large loss was detected in DT plasmas
Recommended from our members
The Roles of Electric Field Shear and Shafranov Shift in Sustaining High Confinement in Enhanced Reversed Shear Plasmas on the Tftr Tokamak
The relaxation of core transport barriers in TFTR Enhanced Reversed Shear plasmas has been studied by varying the radial electric field using different applied torques from neutral beam injection. Transport rates and fluctuations remain low over a wide range of radial electric field shear, but increase when the local E x B shearing rates are driven below a threshold comparable to the fastest linear growth rates of the dominant instabilities. Shafranov-shift-induced stabilization alone is not able to sustain enhanced confinement
Recommended from our members
Local Transport Barrier Formation and Relaxation in Reverse-Shear Plasmas on the TFTR Tokamak
The roles of turbulence stabilization by sheared E x B flow and Shafranov-shift gradients are examined for TFTR. Enhanced Reverse-Shear plasmas. Both effects in combination provide the basis of a positive-feedback model that predicts reinforced turbulence suppression with increasing pressure gradient. Local fluctuation behavior at the onset of ERS confinement is consistent with this framework. The power required for transitions into the ERS regime are lower when high power neutral beams are applied earlier in the current profile evolution, consistent with the suggestion that both effects play a role. Separation of the roles of E x B and Shafranov shift effects was performed by varying the E x B shear through changes in the toroidal velocity with nearly-steady-state pressure profiles. Transport and fluctuation levels increase only when E x B shearing rates are driven below a critical value that is comparable to the fastest linear growth rates of the dominant instabilities. While a turbulence suppression criterion that involves the ratio of shearing to linear growth rates is in accord with many of these results, the existence of hidden dependencies of the criterion is suggested in experiments where the toroidal field was varied. The forward transition into the ERS regime has also been examined in strongly rotating plasmas. The power threshold is higher with unidirectional injection than with balanced injection
Recommended from our members
Toroidal Alfvén Eigenmodes in TFTR Deuterium-Tritium Plasmas
Purely alpha-particle-driven Toroidal Alfvén Eigenmodes (TAEs) with toroidal mode numbers n=1-6 have been observed in Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) plasmas on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor [D.J. Grove and D.M. Meade, Nucl. Fusion 25, 1167 (1985)]. The appearance of mode activity following termination of neutral beam injection in plasmas with q(0)>1 is generally consistent with theoretical predictions of TAE stability [G.Y. Fu et al., Phys. Plasmas 3, 4036 (1996]. Internal reflectometer measurements of TAE activity is compared with theoretical calculations of the radial mode structure. Core localization of the modes to the region of reduced central magnetic shear is confirmed, however the mode structure can deviate significantly from theoretical estimates. The peak measured TAE amplitude of delta n/n~10(superscript -4) at r/a~0.3-0.4 corresponds to delta B/B~10-5, while dB/B~10(superscript -8) is measured at the plasma edge. Enhanced alpha particle loss associated with TAE activity has not been observed
Recommended from our members
Neoclassical Simulations of Fusion Alpha Particles in Pellet Charge Exchange Experiments on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor
Neoclassical simulations of alpha particle density profiles in high fusion power plasmas on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [Phys. Plasmas 5 (1998) 1577] are found to be in good agreement with measurements of the alpha distribution function made with a sensitive active neutral particle diagnostic. The calculations are carried out in Hamiltonian magnetic coordinates with a fast, particle-following Monte Carlo code which includes the neoclassical transport processes, a recent first-principles model for stochastic ripple loss and collisional effects. New global loss and confinement domain calculations allow an estimate of the actual alpha particle densities measured with the pellet charge exchange diagnostic
Recommended from our members
Calculations of alpha particle loss for reversed magnetic shear in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor
Hamiltonian coordinate, guiding center code calculations of the toroidal field ripple loss of alpha particles from a reversed shear plasma predict both total alpha losses and ripple diffusion losses to be greater than those from a comparable non-reversed magnetic shear plasma in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [Fusion Technol. 21, 1324 (1992)]. High central q is found to increase alpha ripple losses as well as first orbit losses of alphas in the reversed shear simulations. A simple ripple loss model, benchmarked against the guiding center code, is found to work satisfactorily in transport analysis modelling of reversed and monotonic shear scenarios. Alpha ripple transport on TFTR affects ions within r/a=0.5, not at the plasma edge. The entire plasma is above threshold for stochastic ripple loss of alpha particles at birth energy in the reversed shear case simulated, so that all trapped 3.5 MeV alphas are lost stochastically or through prompt losses. The 40% alpha particle loss predictions for TFTR suggest that reduction of toroidal field ripple will be a critical issue in the design of a reversed shear fusion reactor
Recommended from our members
Local tests of parallel electrical resistivity in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor
The motional Stark effect (MSE) polarimeter measures the local magnetic field pitch angle, proportional to the ratio of the poloidal to toroidal magnetic fields, in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). The authors have used the polarimeter to measure the temporal evolution of the local value of the magnetic field pitch angle during large changes in the current profile such as during a current ramp or discharge initiation. The measured evolution is compared to the evolution predicted by classical and neoclassical resistivity models. The neoclassical resistivity model is a better predictor of the local pitch angle temporal evolution than the classical model
Calculations of alpha particle loss for reversed magnetic shear in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor
Hamiltonian coordinate, guiding center code calculations of the toroidal field ripple loss of alpha particles from a reversed shear plasma predict both total alpha losses and ripple diffusion losses to be greater than those from a comparable non-reversed magnetic shear plasma in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [Fusion Technol. 21, 1324 (1992)]. High central q is found to increase alpha ripple losses as well as first orbit losses of alphas in the reversed shear simulations. A simple ripple loss model, benchmarked against the guiding center code, is found to work satisfactorily in transport analysis modelling of reversed and monotonic shear scenarios. Alpha ripple transport on TFTR affects ions within r/a=0.5, not at the plasma edge. The entire plasma is above threshold for stochastic ripple loss of alpha particles at birth energy in the reversed shear case simulated, so that all trapped 3.5 MeV alphas are lost stochastically or through prompt losses. The 40% alpha particle loss predictions for TFTR suggest that reduction of toroidal field ripple will be a critical issue in the design of a reversed shear fusion reactor
- …