Plasma exposure of different tungsten grades with plasma accelerators under ITER-relevant conditions

This paper presents the results of tungsten irradiation experiments performed with three plasma facilities: the QSPA Kh-50 quasi-steady-state plasma accelerator, the PPA pulsed plasma gun and the magneto-plasma compressor. Targets made of different kinds of tungsten (sintered, rolled and deformed) were irradiated with powerful plasma streams at heat fluxes relevant to edge-localized modes in ITER. The irradiated targets were analyzed and two different meshes of cracks were identified. It has been shown that the major cracks do not depend on the tungsten grade. This has been attributed to ductile-to-brittle transition effects. Meshes of inter-granular micro-cracks were detected for energy loads above the melting threshold and these were probably caused by the re-solidification process. The blister-like and cellular-like structures were observed on sample surfaces exposed to helium and hydrogen plasmas

Photoluminescent properties of single crystal diamond microneedles

Single crystal needle-like diamonds shaped as rectangular pyramids were produced by combination of chemical vapor deposition and selective oxidation with dimensions and geometrical characteristics depending on the deposition process parameters. Photoluminescence spectra and their dependencies on wavelength of excitation radiation reveal presence of nitrogen- and silicon-vacancy color centers in the diamond crystallites. Photoluminescence spectra, intensity mapping, and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy indicate that silicon-vacancy centers are concentrated at the crystallites apex while nitrogen-vacancy centers are distributed over the whole crystallite. Dependence of the photoluminescence on excitation radiation intensity demonstrates saturation and allows estimation of the color centers density. The combination of structural parameters, geometry and photoluminescent characteristics are prospective for advantageous applications of these diamond crystallites in quantum information processing and optical sensing.Authors are grateful for financial support from Russian Federation President Program for young scientist: Grant# МК-9230.2016.2 (for EAO and FTT) and Grant# MK-5860.2016.2 (for KGK).Peer reviewe