The Frequency and Damping of Ion Acoustic Waves in Collisional and Collisionless Two-species Plasma

The dispersion properties of ion acoustic waves (IAW) are sensitive to the strength of ion-ion collisions in multi-species plasma in which the different species usually have differing charge-to-mass ratios. The modification of the frequency and damping of the fast and slow acoustic modes in a plasma composed of light (low Z) and heavy (high Z) ions is considered. In the fluid limit where the light ion scattering mean free path, {lambda}{sub th} is smaller than the acoustic wavelength, {lambda} = 2{pi}/k, the interspecies friction and heat flow carried by the light ions scattering from the heavy ions causes the damping. In the collisionless limit, k{lambda}{sub th} >> 1, Landau damping by the light ions provides the dissipation. In the intermediate regime when k{lambda}{sub th} {approx} 1, the damping is at least as large as the sum of the collisional and Landau damping

A microsphere-based short-wavelength recombination x-ray laser

We describe a scheme for obtaining very short wavelengths ({lambda} {similar to} 10{Angstrom}) in recombination lasers. The rapid cooling rates necessary to achieve population inversion during recombination are attained by adiabatic expansion of sub micron spheres. The lasing region is made up of many such spheres. The spheres are heated impulsively by a powerful picosecond laser. First, they ionize, then as they expand, they cool and recombine. We have calculated the optimum sphere size and initial temperature for maximum gain in the n = 3 to n = 2 transition of hydrogen-like ions of elements with atomic numbers, Z, between 10 and 30. Gain of about 10{sup 3}cm{sup {minus}1} is calculated in aluminum at 38.8{Angstrom}. Gain rapidly decreases with Z so that gain in titanium at 13.6{Angstrom} is about 40 cm{minus}1. We have calculated the required pump laser intensity and found it to be attainable with current lasers. The propagation of the pump through the gas'' of spheres is considered and the problems arising from pump scattering by the spheres are discussed

Fusion-reactor plasmas with polarized nuclei

Nuclear fusion rates can be enhanced or suppressed by polarization of the reacting nuclei. In a magnetic fusion reactor, the depolarization time is estimated to be longer than the reaction time

Propagation of ion beams through a tenuous magnetized plasma

When an ion beam is propagated through a plasma, the question of charge neutralization is critical to its propagation. We consider such a problem where the plasma is magnetized with magnetic field perpendicular to the beam. The plasma-number density and beam-number density are assumed comparable. We reduce the problem to a two-dimensional model, which we solve. The solution suggests that it should be possible to attain charge neutralization if the beam density is properly varied along itself

Full-wave Simulations of LH Wave Propagation in Toroidal Plasma with non-Maxwellian Electron Distributions

Abstract: The generation of energetic tails in the electron distribution function is intrinsic to lower-hybrid (LH) heating and current drive in weakly collisional magnetically confined plasma. The effects of these deformations on the RF deposition profile have previously been examined within the ray approximation. Recently, the calculation of full-wave propagation of LH waves in a thermal plasma has been accomplished using an adaptation of the TORIC code. Here, initial results are presented from TORIC simulations of LH propagation in a toroidal plasma with non-thermal electrons. The required efficient computation of the hot plasma dielectric tensor is accomplished using a technique previously demonstrated in full-wave simulations of ICRF propagation in plasma with non-thermal ions

Full-wave Simulations of ICRF Heating in Toroidal Plasma with Non-Maxwellian Distribution Functions in the FLR Limit

At the power levels required for signicant heating and current drive in magnetically-con ned toroidal plasma, modi cation of the particle distribution function from a Maxwellian shape is likely [T.H. Stix, Nucl. Fusion, 15:737 1975], with consequent changes in wave propagation and in the location and amount of absorption. In order to study these e ects computationally, the nite-Larmor-radius, full-wave, hot-plasma toroidal simulation code, TORIC [M. Brambilla. Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion, 41:1, 1999], has been extended to allow the prescription of arbitrary velocity distributions of the form ƒ (ν||, ν⊥, Ψ, θ). For H minority heating of a D-H plasma with anisotropic Maxwellian H distributions, the fractional H absorption varies signi cantly with changes in parallel temperature but is essentially independent of perpendicular temperature

Full-wave simulations of ICRF heating regimes in toroidal plasmas with non-Maxwellian distribution functions

At the power levels required for significant heating and current drive in magnetically-confined toroidal plasma, modification of the particle distribution function from a Maxwellian shape is likely [T. H. Stix, Nucl. Fusion, 15 737 (1975)], with consequent changes in wave propagation and in the location and amount of absorption. In order to study these effects computationally, both the finite-Larmor-radius and the high-harmonic fast wave (HHFW), versions of the full-wave, hot-plasma toroidal simulation code TORIC [M. Brambilla, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 41, 1 (1999) and M. Brambilla, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 44, 2423 (2002)], have been extended to allow the prescription of arbitrary velocity distributions of the form f(v||, v_perp, psi , theta). For hydrogen (H) minority heating of a deuterium (D) plasma with anisotropic Maxwellian H distributions, the fractional H absorption varies significantly with changes in parallel temperature but is essentially independent of perpendicular temperature. On the other hand, for HHFW regime with anisotropic Maxwellian fast ion distribution, the fractional beam ion absorption varies mainly with changes in the perpendicular temperature. The evaluation of the wave-field and power absorption, through the full wave solver, with the ion distribution function provided by either aMonte-Carlo particle and Fokker-Planck codes is also examined for Alcator C-Mod and NSTX plasmas. Non-Maxwellian effects generally tends to increase the absorption with respect to the equivalent Maxwellian distribution.readme and data file

Recent Improvements in Fast Wave Heating in NSTX

Recent improvements in high-harmonic fast wave (HHFW) core heating in NSTX are attributed to using lithium conditioning, and other wall conditioning techniques, to move the onset density for perpendicular fast wave propagation further from the antenna. This has resulted in the first observation of HHFW core electron heating in deuterium plasma at a launched toroidal wavenumber, kφ = -3 m-1, NSTX record core electron temperatures of 5 keV in helium and deuterium discharges and, for the first time, significant HHFW core electron heating of deuterium neutral-beam-fuelled H-mode plasmas. Also, kφ = -8 m-1 heating of the plasma startup and plasma current ramp-up has resulted in significant core electron heating, even at central electron densities as low as ~ 4x1018 m-3