Edge plasma modeling of limiter surfaces in a Tokamak divertor configuration

During the startup phase of a tokamak the plasma configuration may evolve from a limiter to a divertor configuration. Some of the particle and heat flux from the core will be deposited on material surfaces near the separatrix instead of the divertor plates. Examples of such surfaces include the center-post in most tokamaks, baffles near the x-point that create closed divertors, and outboard limiter surfaces. Two-dimensional edge plasma models for tokamak divertor configurations typically give detailed information about the particle and heat fluxes on the divertor plates, but yield little or no information about fluxes on these other localized surfaces near the core plasma. To realistically model the startup phase of a tokamak it is necessary to compute the plasma interaction with both limiter and divertor surfaces. The UEDGE code [l] has been modified to include these limiter surfaces. In this report we present simulation results for an idealized ITER [2] startup configuration with variations in the limiter penetration depth and surface shape

Progress on coupling UEDGE and Monte-Carlo simulation codes

Our objective is to develop an accurate self-consistent model for plasma and neutral sin the edge of tokamak devices such as DIII-D and ITER. The tow-dimensional fluid model in the UEDGE code has been used successfully for simulating a wide range of experimental plasma conditions. However, when the neutral mean free path exceeds the gradient scale length of the background plasma, the validity of the diffusive and inertial fluid models in UEDGE is questionable. In the long mean free path regime, neutrals can be accurately and efficiently described by a Monte Carlo neutrals model. Coupling of the fluid plasma model in UEDGE with a Monte Carlo neutrals model should improve the accuracy of our edge plasma simulations. The results described here used the EIRENE Monte Carlo neutrals code, but since information is passed to and from the UEDGE plasma code via formatted test files, any similar neutrals code such as DEGAS2 or NIMBUS could, in principle, be used

Models and applications of the UEDGE code

The transport of particles and energy from the core of a tokamak to nearby material surfaces is an important problem for understanding present experiments and for designing reactor-grade devices. A number of fluid transport codes have been developed to model the plasma in the edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) regions. This report will focus on recent model improvements and illustrative results from the UEDGE code. Some geometric and mesh considerations are introduced, followed by a general description of the plasma and neutral fluid models. A few comments on computational issues are given and then two important applications are illustrated concerning benchmarking and the ITER radiative divertor. Finally, we report on some recent work to improve the models in UEDGE by coupling to a Monte Carlo neutrals code and by utilizing an adaptive grid

Soundness-preserving refinements of service compositions

Soundness is one of the well-studied properties of processes; it denotes that a final state can be reached from every state that is reachable from the initial state. Soundness-preserving refinements are important for enabling the compositional design of systems. In this paper we concentrate on refinements of service compositions. We model service compositions using Petri nets, and consider specific pairs of places that belong to different services. Starting from a sound service composition, we show how to check whether such a pair of places can be refined by another sound service composition, so that soundness is preserved through the refinement

A habituation account of change detection in same/different judgments

We investigated the basis of change detection in a short-term priming task. In two experiments, participants were asked to indicate whether or not a target word was the same as a previously presented cue. Data from an experiment measuring magnetoencephalography failed to find different patterns for “same” and “different” responses, consistent with the claim that both arise from a common neural source, with response magnitude defining the difference between immediate novelty versus familiarity. In a behavioral experiment, we tested and confirmed the predictions of a habituation account of these judgments by comparing conditions in which the target, the cue, or neither was primed by its presentation in the previous trial. As predicted, cue-primed trials had faster response times, and target-primed trials had slower response times relative to the neither-primed baseline. These results were obtained irrespective of response repetition and stimulus–response contingencies. The behavioral and brain activity data support the view that detection of change drives performance in these tasks and that the underlying mechanism is neuronal habituation

Task-specific modulation of memory for object features in natural scenes

The influence of visual tasks on short and long-term memory for visual features was investigated using a change-detection paradigm. Subjects completed 2 tasks: (a) describing objects in natural images, reporting a specific property of each object when a crosshair appeared above it, and (b) viewing a modified version of each scene, and detecting which of the previously described objects had changed. When tested over short delays (seconds), no task effects were found. Over longer delays (minutes) we found the describing task influenced what types of changes were detected in a variety of explicit and incidental memory experiments. Furthermore, we found surprisingly high performance in the incidental memory experiment, suggesting that simple tasks are sufficient to instill long-lasting visual memories

Perception of Shadows in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Background: Cast shadows in visual scenes can have profound effects on visual perception. Much as they are informative, they also constitute noise as they are salient features of the visual scene potentially interfering with the processing of other features. Here we asked i) whether individuals with autism can exploit the information conveyed by cast shadows; ii) whether they are especially sensitive to noise aspects of shadows. Methodology/Principal Findings: Twenty high-functioning children with autism and twenty typically developing children were asked to recognize familiar objects while the presence, position, and shape of the cast shadow were systematically manipulated. Analysis of vocal reaction time revealed that whereas typically developing children used information from cast shadows to improve object recognition, in autistic children the presence of cast shadows—either congruent or incongruent—interfered with object recognition. Critically, vocal reaction times were faster when the object was presented without a cast shadow. Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that shadow-processing mechanisms are abnormal in autism. As a result, processing shadows becomes costly and cast shadows interfere rather than help object recognition

A review of rapid serial visual presentation-based brain-computer interfaces

International audienceRapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) combined with the detection of event related brain responses facilitates the selection of relevant information contained in a stream of images presented rapidly to a human. Event related potentials (ERPs) measured non-invasively with electroencephalography (EEG) can be associated with infrequent targets amongst a stream of images. Human-machine symbiosis may be augmented by enabling human interaction with a computer, without overt movement, and/or enable optimization of image/information sorting processes involving humans. Features of the human visual system impact on the success of the RSVP paradigm, but pre-attentive processing supports the identification of target information post presentation of the information by assessing the co-occurrence or time-locked EEG potentials. This paper presents a comprehensive review and evaluation of the limited but significant literature on research in RSVP-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Applications that use RSVP-based BCIs are categorized based on display mode and protocol design, whilst a range of factors influencing ERP evocation and detection are analyzed. Guidelines for using the RSVP-based BCI paradigms are recommended, with a view to further standardizing methods and enhancing the inter-relatability of experimental design to support future research and the use of RSVP-based BCIs in practice