Kinetic modelling of runaway electron avalanches in tokamak plasmas

Runaway electrons (REs) can be generated in tokamak plasmas if the accelerating force from the toroidal electric field exceeds the collisional drag force due to Coulomb collisions with the background plasma. In ITER, disruptions are expected to generate REs mainly through knock-on collisions, where enough momentum can be transferred from existing runaways to slow electrons to transport the latter beyond a critical momentum, setting off an avalanche of REs. Since knock-on runaways are usually scattered off with a significant perpendicular component of the momentum with respect to the local magnetic field direction, these particles are highly magnetized. Consequently, the momentum dynamics require a full 3-D kinetic description, since these electrons are highly sensitive to the magnetic non-uniformity of a toroidal configuration. A bounce-averaged knock-on source term is derived. The generation of REs from the combined effect of Dreicer mechanism and knock-on collision process is studied with the code LUKE, a solver of the 3-D linearized bounce-averaged relativistic electron Fokker-Planck equation, through the calculation of the response of the electron distribution function to a constant parallel electric field. This work shows that the avalanche effect can be important even in non-disruptive scenarios. RE formation through knock-on collisions is found to be strongly reduced when taking place off the magnetic axis, since trapped electrons cannot contribute to the RE population. The relative importance of the avalanche mechanism is investigated as a function of the key parameters for RE formation; the plasma temperature and the electric field strength. In agreement with theoretical predictions, the simulations show that in low temperature and E-field knock-on collisions are the dominant source of REs and can play a significant role for RE generation, including in non-disruptive scenarios.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figure

The Role of Attention in a Joint-Action Effect

The most common explanation for joint-action effects has been the action co-representation account in which observation of another's action is represented within one's own action system. However, recent evidence has shown that the most prominent of these joint-action effects (i.e., the Social Simon effect), can occur when no co-actor is present. In the current work we examined whether another joint-action phenomenon (a movement congruency effect) can be induced when a participant performs their part of the task with a different effector to that of their co-actor and when a co-actor's action is replaced by an attention-capturing luminance signal. Contrary to what is predicted by the action co-representation account, results show that the basic movement congruency effect occurred in both situations. These findings challenge the action co-representation account of this particular effect and suggest instead that it is driven by bottom-up mechanisms

With peppermints you’re not my prince: Aroma modulates self-other integration

Recent studies showed that self-other integration, as indexed by the joint Simon effect (JSE), can be modulated by biasing participants towards particular (integrative vs. exclusive) cognitive-control states. Interestingly, there is evidence suggesting that such control states can be induced by particular odors: stimulating odors (e.g., peppermint aroma) seem to induce a more focused, exclusive state; relaxing odors (e.g., lavender aroma) are thought to induce a broader, more integrative state. In the present study, we tested the possible impact of peppermint and lavender aromas on self-other integration. Pairs of participants performed the joint Simon task in an either peppermint- or lavender-scented testing room. Results showed that both aromas modulated the size of the JSE, although they had a dissociable effect on reaction times (RTs) and percentage of errors (PEs). Whilst the JSE in RTs was found to be less pronounced in the peppermint group, compared to the lavender and no-aroma groups, the JSE in PEs was significantly more pronounced in the lavender group, compared to the peppermint and no-aroma group. These results are consistent with the emerging literature suggesting that the degree of self-other integration does not reflect a trait but a particular cognitive state, which can be biased towards excluding or integrating the other in one’s self-representation

The virtual co-actor: The Social Simon effect does not rely on online feedback from the other

The social Simon effect (SSE) occurs if two participants share a Simon task by making a Go/No-Go response to one of two stimulus features. If the two participants perform this version of the Simon task together, a Simon effect occurs (i.e., performance is better with spatial stimulus–response correspondence), but no effect is observed if participants perform the task separately. The SSE has been attributed to the automatic co-representation of the co-actor's actions, which suggests that it relies on online information about the other's actions. To test this implication, we investigated whether the SSE varies with the presence and amount of online action-related feedback from the other person. Experiment 1 replicated the SSE with auditory stimuli. Experiment 2, in which participants were blindfolded, demonstrated that visual feedback from the other's actions is not necessary for the SSE to occur. Experiment 3 replicated Experiment 2 with a regular and a soundless keyboard. A comparable SSE was obtained in both conditions, suggesting that even auditory online input from the other's actions is not necessary. Taken together, our data suggest that the SSE does not rely on online information about the co-actor's actions but that a priori offline information about another actor's presence is sufficient to generate the effect

The joint flanker effect: sharing tasks with real and imagined co-actors

Contains fulltext : 99810.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)The Eriksen flanker task (Eriksen and Eriksen in Percept Psychophys 16:143-149, 1974) was distributed among pairs of participants to investigate whether individuals take into account a co-actor's S-R mapping even when coordination is not required. Participants responded to target letters (Experiment 1) or colors (Experiment 2) surrounded by distractors. When performing their part of the task next to another person performing the complementary part of the task, participants responded more slowly to stimuli containing flankers that were potential targets for their co-actor (incompatible trials), compared to stimuli containing identical, compatible, or neutral flankers. This joint Flanker effect also occurred when participants merely believed to be performing the task with a co-actor (Experiment 3). Furthermore, Experiment 4 demonstrated that people form shared task representations only when they perceive their co-actor as intentionally controlling her actions. These findings substantiate and generalize earlier results on shared task representations and advance our understanding of the basic mechanisms subserving joint action