Gyrokinetic GENE simulations of DIII-D near-edge L-mode plasmas

We present gyrokinetic simulations with the GENE code addressing the near-edge region of an L-mode plasma in the DIII-D tokamak. At radial position $\rho=0.80$, simulations with the ion temperature gradient increased by $40\%$ above the nominal value give electron and ion heat fluxes that are in simultaneous agreement with the experiment. This gradient increase is consistent with the combined statistical and systematic uncertainty $\sigma$ of the Charge Exchange Recombination Spectroscopy (CER) measurements at the $1.6 \sigma$ level. Multi-scale simulations are carried out with realistic mass ratio and geometry for the first time in the near-edge. These multi-scale simulations suggest that the highly unstable ion temperature gradient (ITG) modes of the flux-matched ion-scale simulations suppress electron-scale transport, such that ion-scale simulations are sufficient at this location. At radial position $\rho=0.90$, nonlinear simulations show a hybrid state of ITG and trapped electron modes~(TEMs), which was not expected from linear simulations. The nonlinear simulations reproduce the total experimental heat flux with the inclusion of $\mathbf{E} \times \mathbf{B}$ shear effects and an increase in the electron temperature gradient by $\sim 23\%$. This gradient increase is compatible with the combined statistical and systematic uncertainty of the Thomson scattering data at the $1.3 \sigma$ level. These results are consistent with previous findings that gyrokinetic simulations are able to reproduce the experimental heat fluxes by varying input parameters close to their experimental uncertainties, pushing the validation frontier closer to the edge region.Comment: 14 pages, 17 figures, published in Physics of Plasma

Computational fluid dynamics analysis of a wire-feed, high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) thermal spray torch

The fluid and particle dynamics of a High-Velocity Oxygen-Fuel Thermal Spray torch are analyzed using computational and experimental techniques. Three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) results are presented for a curved aircap used for coating interior surfaces such as engine cylinder bores. The device analyzed is similar to the Metco Diamond Jet Rotating Wire (DJRW) torch. The feed gases are injected through an axisymmetric nozzle into the curved aircap. Premixed propylene and oxygen are introduced from an annulus in the nozzle, while cooling air is injected between the nozzle and the interior wall of the aircap. The combustion process is modeled using a single-step finite-rate chemistry model with a total of 9 gas species which includes dissociation of combustion products. A continually-fed steel wire passes through the center of the nozzle and melting occurs at a conical tip near the exit of the aircap. Wire melting is simulated computationally by injecting liquid steel particles into the flow field near the tip of the wire. Experimental particle velocity measurements during wire feed were also taken using a Laser Two-Focus (L2F) velocimeter system. Flow fields inside and outside the aircap are presented and particle velocity predictions are compared with experimental measurements outside of the aircap

Particle Velocity and Deposition Efficiency in the Cold Spray Process

Copper powder was sprayed by the cold-gas dynamic method. In-flight particle velocities were measured with a laser-two-focus system as a function of process parameters such as gas temperature, gas pressure, and powder feed rate. Particle velocities were uniform in a relatively large volume within the plume and agreed with theoretical predictions. The presence of the substrate was found to have no significant effect on particle velocities. Cold-spray deposition efficiencies were measured on aluminum substrates as a function of particle velocity and incident angle of the plume. Deposition efficiencies of up to 95% were achieved. The critical velocity for deposition was determined to be about 640 meters per second. This work investigates both the in-flight characteristics of copper particles in a supersonic cold-spray plume and the build-up of the subsequent coating on aluminum substrates. Velocities were found to be relatively constant within a large volume of the plume. Particle counts dropped off sharply away from the central axis. The presence of a substrate was found to have no effect on the velocity of the particles. A substantial mass-loading effect on the particle velocity was observed; particle velocities begin to drop as the mass ratio of powder to gas flow rates exceeds 3%. The measured variation of velocity with gas pressure and pre-heat temperature was in fairly good agreement with theoretical predictions. Helium may be used as the driving gas instead of air in order to achieve higher particle velocities for a given temperature and pressure. Coating deposition efficiencies were found to increase with particle velocity and decrease with gun- substrate angle. There did not appear to be any dependence of the deposition efficiency on coating thickness. A critical velocity for deposition of about 640 mk appears to fit the data well. The cold-spray technique shows promise as a method for the deposition of materials which are thermally sensitive or may experience rapid oxidation under typical thermal spray conditions. High deposition efficiencies are achievable for certain coating-substrate conditions. Work remains to determine the material and microstructural properties which govern the coating process

A new measurement of the neutron detection efficiency for the NaI Crystal Ball detector

We report on a measurement of the neutron detection efficiency in NaI crystals in the Crystal Ball detector obtained from a study of single p0 photoproduction on deuterium using the tagged photon beam at the Mainz Microtron. The results were obtained up to a neutron energy of 400 MeV. They are compared to previous measurements made more than 15 years ago at the pion beam at the BNL AGS

Microtearding mode study in NSTX using machine learning enhanced reduced model

This article presents a survey of NSTX cases to study the microtearing mode (MTM) stabilities using the newly developed global reduced model for Slab-Like Microtearing modes (SLiM). A trained neutral network version of SLiM enables rapid assessment (0.05s/mode) of MTM with $98\%$ accuracy providing an opportunity for systemic equilibrium reconstructions based on the matching of experimentally observed frequency bands and SLiM prediction across a wide range of parameters. Such a method finds some success in the NSTX discharges, the frequency observed in the experiment matches with what SLiM predicted. Based on the experience with SLiM analysis, a workflow to estimate the potential MTM frequency for a quick assessment based on experimental observation has been established

Determination of the scalar polarizabilities of the proton using beam asymmetry Σ3\Sigma_{3} in Compton scattering

The scalar dipole polarizabilities, $\alpha_{E1}$ and $\beta_{M1}$, are fundamental properties related to the internal dynamics of the nucleon. The currently accepted values of the proton polarizabilities were determined by fitting to unpolarized proton Compton scattering cross section data. The measurement of the beam asymmetry $\Sigma_{3}$ in a certain kinematical range provides an alternative approach to the extraction of the scalar polarizabilities. At the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) the beam asymmetry was measured for Compton scattering below pion photoproduction threshold for the first time. The results are compared with model calculations and the influence of the experimental data on the extraction of the scalar polarizabilities is determined.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Measurement of pi^0 photoproduction on the proton at MAMI C

Differential cross sections for the gamma p -> pi^0 p reaction have been measured with the A2 tagged-photon facilities at the Mainz Microtron, MAMI C, up to the center-of-mass energy W=1.9 GeV. The new results, obtained with a fine energy and angular binning, increase the existing quantity of pi^0 photoproduction data by ~47%. Owing to the unprecedented statistical accuracy and the full angular coverage, the results are sensitive to high partial-wave amplitudes. This is demonstrated by the decomposition of the differential cross sections in terms of Legendre polynomials and by further comparison to model predictions. A new solution of the SAID partial-wave analysis obtained after adding the new data into the fit is presented.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, 1 tabl

Helicity-dependent cross sections and double-polarization observable E in η photoproduction from quasifree protons and neutrons

Precise helicity-dependent cross sections and the double-polarization observable E were measured for η photoproduction from quasifree protons and neutrons bound in the deuteron. The η → 2γ and η → 3π0 → 6γ decay modes were used to optimize the statistical quality of the data and to estimate systematic uncertainties. The measurement used the A2 detector setup at the tagged photon beam of the electron accelerator MAMI in Mainz. A longitudinally polarized deuterated butanol target was used in combination with a circularly polarized photon beam from bremsstrahlung of a longitudinally polarized electron beam. The reaction products were detected with the electromagnetic calorimeters Crystal Ball and TAPS, which covered 98% of the full solid angle. The results show that the narrow structure observed earlier in the unpolarized excitation function of η photoproduction off the neutron appears only in reactions with antiparallel photon and nucleon spin (σ1/2). It is absent for reactions with parallel spin orientation (σ3/2) and thus very probably related to partial waves with total spin 1/2. The behavior of the angular distributions of the helicity-dependent cross sections was analyzed by fitting them with Legendre polynomials. The results are in good agreement with a model from the Bonn-Gatchina group, which uses an interference of P11 and S11 partial waves to explain the narrow structure