On the mechanisms governing gas penetration into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection

A new 1D radial fluid code, IMAGINE, is used to simulate the penetration of gas into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection (MGI). The main result is that the gas is in general strongly braked as it reaches the plasma, due to mechanisms related to charge exchange and (to a smaller extent) recombination. As a result, only a fraction of the gas penetrates into the plasma. Also, a shock wave is created in the gas which propagates away from the plasma, braking and compressing the incoming gas. Simulation results are quantitatively consistent, at least in terms of orders of magnitude, with experimental data for a D 2 MGI into a JET Ohmic plasma. Simulations of MGI into the background plasma surrounding a runaway electron beam show that if the background electron density is too high, the gas may not penetrate, suggesting a possible explanation for the recent results of Reux et al in JET (2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 093013)

Evidence for spherical-oblate shape coexistence in 87Tc^{87}\mathrm{Tc}

International audienceExcited states in the neutron-deficient nucleus 87Tc have been studied via the fusion-evaporation reaction 54Fe(36Ar,2n1p)87Tc at 115 MeV beam energy. The AGATA γ-ray spectrometer coupled to the DIAMANT, NEDA, and Neutron Wall detector arrays for light-particle detection was used to measure the prompt coincidence of γ rays and light particles. Six transitions from the deexcitation of excited states belonging to a new band in 87Tc were identified by comparing γ-ray intensities in the spectra gated under different reaction channel selection conditions. The constructed level structure was compared with the shell model and total Routhian surface calculations. The results indicate that the new band structure in 87Tc is built on a spherical configuration, which is different from that assigned to the previously identified oblate yrast rotational band

Evidence for enhanced neutron-proton correlations from the level structure of the N=Z+1N=Z+1 nucleus 4387Tc44_{43}^{87}\mathrm{Tc}_{44}

International audienceThe low-lying excited states in the neutron-deficient $N=Z+1$ nucleus $^{87}_{43}$Tc$_{44}$ have been studied via the fusion-evaporation reaction $^{54}$Fe $(^{36}Ar, 2n1p)$ $^{87}$Tc at the Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL), France. The AGATA spectrometer was used in conjunction with the auxiliary NEDA, Neutron Wall, and DIAMANT detector arrays to measure coincident prompt γ rays, neutrons, and charged particles emitted in the reaction. A level scheme of $^{87}$Tc from the $(9/2^+_{g.s})$ state to the $(33/2^+_1$) state was established based on six mutually coincident γ-ray transitions. The constructed level structure exhibits a rotational behavior with a sharp backbending at $ℏω ≈ 0.50$ MeV. A decrease in alignment frequency and increase in alignment sharpness in the odd-mass isotonic chains around $N=44$ is proposed as an effect of the enhanced isoscalar neutron-proton interactions in odd-mass nuclei when approaching the $N=Z$ line

Overview of the JET results

Since the installation of an ITER-like wall, the JET programme has focused on the consolidation of ITER design choices and the preparation for ITER operation, with a specific emphasis given to the bulk tungsten melt experiment, which has been crucial for the final decision on the material choice for the day-one tungsten divertor in ITER. Integrated scenarios have been progressed with the re-establishment of long-pulse, high-confinement H-modes by optimizing the magnetic configuration and the use of ICRH to avoid tungsten impurity accumulation. Stationary discharges with detached divertor conditions and small edge localized modes have been demonstrated by nitrogen seeding. The differences in confinement and pedestal behaviour before and after the ITER-like wall installation have been better characterized towards the development of high fusion yield scenarios in DT. Post-mortem analyses of the plasma-facing components have confirmed the previously reported low fuel retention obtained by gas balance and shown that the pattern of deposition within the divertor has changed significantly with respect to the JET carbon wall campaigns due to the absence of thermally activated chemical erosion of beryllium in contrast to carbon. Transport to remote areas is almost absent and two orders of magnitude less material is found in the divertor