1,879 research outputs found

    Benchmarking of a 1D Scrape-off layer code SOLF1D with SOLPS and its use in modelling long-legged divertors

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    A 1D code modelling SOL transport parallel to the magnetic field (SOLF1D) is benchmarked with 2D simulations of MAST-U SOL performed via the SOLPS code for two different collisionalities. Based on this comparison, SOLF1D is then used to model the effects of divertor leg stretching in 1D, in support of the planned Super-X divertor on MAST. The aim is to separate magnetic flux expansion from volumetric power losses due to recycling neutrals by stretching the divertor leg either vertically or radially.Comment: 31 pages, 17 figures. This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from i

    First principles of modelling the stabilization of microturbulence by fast ions

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    The observation that fast ions stabilize ion-temperature-gradient-driven microturbulence has profound implications for future fusion reactors. It is also important in optimizing the performance of present-day devices. In this work, we examine in detail the phenomenology of fast ion stabilization and present a reduced model which describes this effect. This model is derived from the high-energy limit of the gyrokinetic equation and extends the existing "dilution" model to account for nontrivial fast ion kinetics. Our model provides a physically-transparent explanation for the observed stabilization and makes several key qualitative predictions. Firstly, that different classes of fast ions, depending on their radial density or temperature variation, have different stabilizing properties. Secondly, that zonal flows are an important ingredient in this effect precisely because the fast ion zonal response is negligible. Finally, that in the limit of highly-energetic fast ions, their response approaches that of the "dilution" model; in particular, alpha particles are expected to have little, if any, stabilizing effect on plasma turbulence. We support these conclusions through detailed linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figures, 3 table

    A comparison between two adaptive numerical methods for edge plasma fluid modeling

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    Direct Gyrokinetic Comparison of Pedestal Transport in JET with Carbon and ITER-Like Walls

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    This paper compares the gyrokinetic instabilities and transport in two representative JET pedestals, one (pulse 78697) from the JET configuration with a carbon wall (C) and another (pulse 92432) from after the installation of JET's ITER-like Wall (ILW). The discharges were selected for a comparison of JET-ILW and JET-C discharges with good confinement at high current (3 MA, corresponding also to low ρ\rho_*) and retain the distinguishing features of JET-C and JET-ILW, notably, decreased pedestal top temperature for JET-ILW. A comparison of the profiles and heating power reveals a stark qualitative difference between the discharges: the JET-ILW pulse (92432) requires twice the heating power, at a gas rate of 1.9×1022e/s1.9 \times 10^{22}e/s, to sustain roughly half the temperature gradient of the JET-C pulse (78697), operated at zero gas rate. This points to heat transport as a central component of the dynamics limiting the JET-ILW pedestal and reinforces the following emerging JET-ILW pedestal transport paradigm, which is proposed for further examination by both theory and experiment. ILW conditions modify the density pedestal in ways that decrease the normalized pedestal density gradient a/Lna/L_n, often via an outward shift of the density pedestal. This is attributable to some combination of direct metal wall effects and the need for increased fueling to mitigate tungsten contamination. The modification to the density profile increases η=Ln/LT\eta = L_n/L_T , thereby producing more robust ion temperature gradient (ITG) and electron temperature gradient driven instability. The decreased pedestal gradients for JET-ILW (92432) also result in a strongly reduced E×BE \times B shear rate, further enhancing the ion scale turbulence. Collectively, these effects limit the pedestal temperature and demand more heating power to achieve good pedestal performance

    Growth and characterization of SiC epitaxial layers on Si- and C-face 4H SiC substrates by chemical-vapor deposition

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    High-quality Schottky junctions have been fabricated on n-type 4H SiC epitaxial layers grown by chemical-vapor deposition on C- and Si-face substrates in order to understand the effect of growth direction on the growth mechanism and formation of defects. Atomic force microscopy analysis showed dramatic differences between the surfaces of SiC epilayers grown on C and Si faces. There was a significant step bunching in the SiC grown on Si-face substrates. Current-voltage, capacitance-voltage, and deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements were carried out on the Schottky junctions to analyze the junction characteristics. The Schottky junctions on C-face SiC showed larger barrier heights than those on Si-face SiC, showing that each face has a different surface energy. The barrier heights of Ni Schottky junctions were found to be 1.97 and 1.54 eV for C-face and Si-face materials, respectively. However, the deep-level spectra obtained by DLTS were similar, regardless of the increased surface roughness of the Si-face 4H SiC

    Tests of Statistical Methods for Estimating Galaxy Luminosity Function and Applications to the Hubble Deep Field

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    We studied the statistical methods for the estimation of the luminosity function (LF) of galaxies. We focused on four nonparametric estimators: 1/Vmax1/V_{\rm max} estimator, maximum-likelihood estimator of Efstathiou et al. (1988), Cho{\l}oniewski's estimator, and improved Lynden-Bell's estimator. The performance of the 1/Vmax1/V_{\rm max} estimator has been recently questioned, especially for the faint-end estimation of the LF. We improved these estimators for the studies of the distant Universe, and examined their performances for various classes of functional forms by Monte Carlo simulations. We also applied these estimation methods to the mock 2dF redshift survey catalog prepared by Cole et al. (1998). We found that 1/Vmax1/V_{\rm max} estimator yields a completely unbiased result if there is no inhomogeneity, but is not robust against clusters or voids. This is consistent with the well-known results, and we did not confirm the bias trend of 1/Vmax1/V_{\rm max} estimator claimed by Willmer (1997) in the case of homogeneous sample. We also found that the other three maximum-likelihood type estimators are quite robust and give consistent results with each other. In practice we recommend Cho{\l}oniewski's estimator for two reasons: 1. it simultaneously provides the shape and normalization of the LF; 2. it is the fastest among these four estimators, because of the algorithmic simplicity. Then, we analyzed the photometric redshift data of the Hubble Deep Field prepared by Fern\'{a}ndez-Soto et al. (1999) using the above four methods. We also derived luminosity density ρL\rho_{\rm L} at BB- and II-band. Our BB-band estimation is roughly consistent with that of Sawicki, Lin, & Yee (1997), but a few times lower at 2.0<z<3.02.0 < z < 3.0. The evolution of ρL(I)\rho_{\rm L}(I) is found to be less prominent.Comment: To appear in ApJS July 2000 issue. 36 page

    The Luminosity Function of Galaxies in SDSS Commissioning Data

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    During commissioning observations, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has produced one of the largest existing galaxy redshift samples selected from CCD images. Using 11,275 galaxies complete to r^* = 17.6 over 140 square degrees, we compute the luminosity function of galaxies in the r^* band over a range -23 < M < -16 (for h=1). The result is well-described by a Schechter function with parameters phi_* = 0.0146 +/- 0.0012 h^3 Mpc^{-3}, M_* = -20.83 +/- 0.03, and alpha = -1.20 +/- 0.03. The implied luminosity density in r^* is j = (2.6 +/- 0.3) x 10^8 h L_sun Mpc^{-3}. The surface brightness selection threshold has a negligible impact for M < -18. We measure the luminosity function in the u^*, g^*, i^*, and z^* bands as well; the slope at low luminosities ranges from alpha=-1.35 to alpha=-1.2. We measure the bivariate distribution of r^* luminosity with half-light surface brightness, intrinsic color, and morphology. High surface brightness, red, highly concentrated galaxies are on average more luminous than low surface brightness, blue, less concentrated galaxies. If we synthesize results for R-band or b_j-band using the Petrosian magnitudes with which the SDSS measures galaxy fluxes, we obtain luminosity densities 2.0 times that found by the Las Campanas Redshift Survey in R and 1.4 times that found by the Two-degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey in b_j. We are able to reproduce the luminosity functions obtained by these surveys if we also mimic their isophotal limits for defining galaxy magnitudes, which are shallower and more redshift dependent than the Petrosian magnitudes used by the SDSS. (Abridged)Comment: 49 pages, including 23 figures, accepted by AJ; some minor textual changes, plus an important change in comparison to LCR

    Approximate analytic expressions using Stokes model for tokamak polarimetry and their range of validity

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    The analysis of the polarimetry measurements has the aim of validating models (De Marco and Segre 1972 Plasma Phys. 14 245), with a careful attention to the clarification of their limits of application. In this paper a new approximation method is introduced, the so-called special constant Omega direction (SCOD), which gives an analytical solution to the polarimetry exact Stokes model equations. The available approximate solutions (including SCOD) of the polarimetry propagation equations are presented, compared and their application limits determined, using a reference tokamak configuration, which is a simplified equilibrium for a circular tokamak. The SCOD approximation is compared successfully to the Stokes model in the context also of equilibria evaluated for two JET discharges. The approximation methods are analytical or very simple mathematical expressions which can also be used in equilibrium codes for their optimization

    A power-balance model of the density limit in fusion plasmas: application to the L-mode tokamak

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    A power-balance model, with radiation losses from impurities and neutrals, gives a unified description of the density limit (DL) of the stellarator, the L-mode tokamak, and the reversed field pinch (RFP). The model predicts a Sudo-like scaling for the stellarator, a Greenwald- like scaling, alpha I-p(8/9), for the RFP and the ohmic tokamak, a mixed scaling, alpha (PIp4/9)-I-4/9, for the additionally heated L-mode tokamak. In a previous paper (Zanca et al 2017 Nucl. Fusion 57 056010) the model was compared with ohmic tokamak, RFP and stellarator experiments. Here, we address the issue of the DL dependence on heating power in the L-mode tokamak. Experimental data from high-density disrupted L-mode discharges performed at JET, as well as in other machines, arc taken as a term of comparison. The model fits the observed maximum densities better than the pure Greenwald limit

    Stopping power dependence of nitrogen sputtering yields in copper nitride films under swift-ion irradiation: Exciton model approach

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    Nitrogen sputtering yields as high as 104 atoms/ion, are obtained by irradiating N-rich-Cu3N films (N concentration: 33 ± 2 at.%) with Cu ions at energies in the range 10?42 MeV. The kinetics of N sputtering as a function of ion fluence is determined at several energies (stopping powers) for films deposited on both, glass and silicon substrates. The kinetic curves show that the amount of nitrogen release strongly increases with rising irradiation fluence up to reaching a saturation level at a low remaining nitrogen fraction (5?10%), in which no further nitrogen reduction is observed. The sputtering rate for nitrogen depletion is found to be independent of the substrate and to linearly increase with electronic stopping power (Se). A stopping power (Sth) threshold of ?3.5 keV/nm for nitrogen depletion has been estimated from extrapolation of the data. Experimental kinetic data have been analyzed within a bulk molecular recombination model. The microscopic mechanisms of the nitrogen depletion process are discussed in terms of a non-radiative exciton decay model. In particular, the estimated threshold is related to a minimum exciton density which is required to achieve efficient sputtering rates
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