Suppression of vertical instability in elongated current-carrying plasmas by applying stellarator rotational transform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ArchMiller, M. C.; Cianciosa, M. R.; Ennis, D. A.; Hanson, J. D.; Hartwell, G. J.; Hebert, J. D.; Herfindal, J. L.; Knowlton, S. F.; Ma, X.; Maurer, D. A.; Pandya, M. D.; Traverso, P.

2014-01-01

The passive stability of vertically elongated current-carrying toroidal plasmas has been investigated in the Compact Toroidal Hybrid, a stellarator/tokamak hybrid device. In this experiment, the fractional transform f, defined as the ratio of the imposed external rotational transform from stellarator coils to the total rotational transform, was varied from 0.04 to 0.50, and the elongation κ was varied from 1.4 to 2.2. Plasmas that were vertically unstable were evidenced by motion of the plasma in the vertical direction. Vertical drifts are measured with a set of poloidal field pickup coils. A three chord horizontally viewing interferometer and a soft X-ray diode array confirmed the drifts. Plasmas with low fractional transform and high elongation are the most susceptible to vertical instability, consistent with analytic predictions that the vertical mode in elongated plasmas can be stabilized by the poloidal field of a relatively weak stellarator equilibrium

Laboratory approaches of nuclear reactions involved in primordial and stellar nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rolfs, C.; California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena

1986-01-01

Laboratory-based studies of primordial and stellar nucleosynthesis are reviewed, with emphasis on the nuclear reactions induced by charged particles. The analytical approach used to investigate nuclear reactions associated with stellar reactions is described, as well as the experimental details and procedures used to investigate nuclear reactions induced by charged particles. The present knowledge of some of the key reactions involved in primordial nucleosynthesis is discussed, along with the progress and problems of nuclear reactions involved in the hydrogen and helium burning phases of a star. Finally, a description is given of new experimental techniques which might be useful for future experiments in the field of nuclear astrophysics. (U.K.)

Specific features of plasma equilibrium in closed mixed-type stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shafranov, V.D.; Mikhajlov, M.I.

1992-01-01

High values of rotational transformation (i/2π>1) are studied in terms of their usefulness for plasma equilibrium using stellarators with spatial magnetic axis and circular cross section of averaged magnetic surfaces. It is shown that, in contrast to a conventional stellarator with circular magnetic axis, where ultimate equilibrium pressure grows proportionally (i/2π) 2 equilibrium in lost in more complex stellarators consisting of heterogeneous sections as rotational transformation approaches, over period of the system, whole-number values. At the same time, in case when the transformation approaches a whole-number value of i/2π, short-circuit of secondary currents occurs within one of the periods of the system and ultimate equilibrium pressure value can exceed that in a conventional stellarator having the same length of the system and rotational transformation value

Impurity dynamics in stellarator W7-AS plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Igitkhanov, Yuri; Beidler, Craig D.; Burhenn, Reiner; Polunovsky, Eduard; Yamazaki, Kozo

2006-01-01

Numerical efforts to understand the neoclassical transport of impurities in stellarator plasmas have been undertaken. The new code solves the radial continuity equations for each ionization stage of the impurity ions for given background plasma profiles and magnetic configuration. An analytic description of the neoclassical transport coefficients based on numerical results from the DKES (Drift Kinetic Equation Solver) code and monoenergetic Monte-Carlo calculation (C.D. Beidler et al., EPS 1994), is here applied for impurity transport coefficients. The transition between the different charge states due to the ionization and recombination in balance equation is described by using the ADAS (Atomic Data and Analysis Structure) database. The impurity behavior in some typical discharges from W7-AS with moderate (NC) and improved energy confinement (HDH) has been considered. It is shown that the spatial distribution results from the competition between the radial electric field and the thermal force (which together produce a convective flux), and the diffusive term, which flattens the radial impurity distribution. The impurity ions are localized at the radial position where the convective flux goes through zero. It is also shown that for typical stellarator discharges there is no pronounced temperature screening effect as in tokamak plasmas. (author)

Magnetohydrodynamic theory of plasma equilibrium and stability in stellarators: Survey of results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shafranov, V.D.

1983-01-01

The main advantage of a stellarator is its capability of steady-state operation. It can be exploited as a reactor if stable plasma confinement can be achieved with #betta#approx.10%. Therefore, this limiting pressure value is a key factor in stellarator development. This paper contains a survey of current ideas on the magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium and stability properties of stellarators with sufficiently high pressure. Here, any system of nested toroidal magnetic surfaces generated by external currents is considered a stellarator. Systems produced by helical or equivalent windings, including torsatrons and heliotrons, will be called ordinary stellarators, in contrast to those with spatial axes. It is shown that adequate confinement can be achieved

Neutrino energy loss rate in a stellar plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esposito, S.; Mangano, G.; Miele, G.; Picardi, I.; Pisanti, O.

2003-01-01

We review the purely leptonic neutrino emission processes, contributing to the energy loss rate of the stellar plasma. We perform a complete analysis up to the first order in the electromagnetic coupling constant. In particular the radiative electromagnetic corrections, at order α, to the process e + e - →νν-bar at finite density and temperature have been computed. This process gives one of the main contributions to the cooling of stellar interior in the late stages of star evolution. As a result of the analysis we find that the corrections affect the energy loss rate, computed at tree level, by a factor (-4-1)% in the temperature and density region where the pair annihilation is the most efficient cooling mechanism

LLAMA: nuclear stellar properties of Swift-BAT AGN and matched inactive galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Ming-Yi; Davies, R. I.; Hicks, E. K. S.; Burtscher, L.; Contursi, A.; Genzel, R.; Koss, M.; Lutz, D.; Maciejewski, W.; Müller-Sánchez, F.; Orban de Xivry, G.; Ricci, C.; Riffel, R.; Riffel, R. A.; Rosario, D.; Schartmann, M.; Schnorr-Müller, A.; Shimizu, T.; Sternberg, A.; Sturm, E.; Storchi-Bergmann, T.; Tacconi, L.; Veilleux, S.

2018-02-01

In a complete sample of local 14-195 keV selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and inactive galaxies, matched by their host galaxy properties, we study the spatially resolved stellar kinematics and luminosity distributions at near-infrared wavelengths on scales of 10-150 pc, using SINFONI on the VLT. In this paper, we present the first half of the sample, which comprises 13 galaxies, eight AGNs and five inactive galaxies. The stellar velocity fields show a disc-like rotating pattern, for which the kinematic position angle is in agreement with the photometric position angle obtained from large scale images. For this set of galaxies, the stellar surface brightness of the inactive galaxy sample is generally comparable to the matched sample of AGN, but extends to lower surface brightness. After removal of the bulge contribution, we find a nuclear stellar light excess with an extended nuclear disc structure, which exhibits a size-luminosity relation. While we expect the excess luminosity to be associated with a dynamically cooler young stellar population, we do not typically see a matching drop in dispersion. This may be because these galaxies have pseudo-bulges in which the intrinsic dispersion increases towards the centre. And although the young stars may have an impact in the observed kinematics, their fraction is too small to dominate over the bulge and compensate the increase in dispersion at small radii, so no dispersion drop is seen. Finally, we find no evidence for a difference in the stellar kinematics and nuclear stellar luminosity excess between these active and inactive galaxies.

Electron heat transport in current carrying and currentless thermonuclear plasmas. Tokamaks and stellarators compared

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, M.

1996-01-01

In the first experiment the plasma current in the RTP tokamak is varied. Here the underlying idea was to check whether at a low plasma current, transport in the tokamak resembles transport in stellarators more than at higher currents. Secondly, experiments have been done to study the relation of the diffusivity χ to the temperature and its gradient in both W7-AS and RTP. In this case the underlying idea was to find the explanation for the phenomenon observed in both tokamaks and stellarators that the quality of the confinement degrades when more heating is applied. A possible explanation is that the diffusivity increases with the temperature or its gradient. Whereas in standard tokamak and stellarator experiments the temperature and its gradient are strongly correlated, a special capability of the plasma heating system of W7-AS and RTP can force them to decouple. (orig.)

Electron heat transport in current carrying and currentless thermonuclear plasmas. Tokamaks and stellarators compared

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peters, M

1996-01-16

In the first experiment the plasma current in the RTP tokamak is varied. Here the underlying idea was to check whether at a low plasma current, transport in the tokamak resembles transport in stellarators more than at higher currents. Secondly, experiments have been done to study the relation of the diffusivity {chi} to the temperature and its gradient in both W7-AS and RTP. In this case the underlying idea was to find the explanation for the phenomenon observed in both tokamaks and stellarators that the quality of the confinement degrades when more heating is applied. A possible explanation is that the diffusivity increases with the temperature or its gradient. Whereas in standard tokamak and stellarator experiments the temperature and its gradient are strongly correlated, a special capability of the plasma heating system of W7-AS and RTP can force them to decouple. (orig.).

On the theory of the electrical field and the plasma rotation in the stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coronado-Gallardo, M.

1984-01-01

In the context of neoclassical transport theory, the macroscopic torque equations for several liquids in toroidal plasmas are used with general geometry. In order to examine plasma rotation and the electrical field in equilibrium and the effect of sources of particles and pulses, the continuity and pulse balance equations are dealt with. In order to use them on the WVII-A stellarator in the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, existing formulae are expanded and the viscosity tensor is calculated in the CGL form in the plateau range. General expressions for plasma speed, electrical field, plasma diffusion and current are obtained, in which the effect of the sources occurs explicitly. The theory is applied to the WVII-A stellarator, in which neutral particle injection represents one pulse source. (orig.) [de

Self-consistent modeling of radio-frequency plasma generation in stellarators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moiseenko, V. E., E-mail: moiseenk@ipp.kharkov.ua; Stadnik, Yu. S., E-mail: stadnikys@kipt.kharkov.ua [National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, National Science Center Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology (Ukraine); Lysoivan, A. I., E-mail: a.lyssoivan@fz-juelich.de [Royal Military Academy, EURATOM-Belgian State Association, Laboratory for Plasma Physics (Belgium); Korovin, V. B. [National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, National Science Center Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology (Ukraine)

2013-11-15

A self-consistent model of radio-frequency (RF) plasma generation in stellarators in the ion cyclotron frequency range is described. The model includes equations for the particle and energy balance and boundary conditions for Maxwell’s equations. The equation of charged particle balance takes into account the influx of particles due to ionization and their loss via diffusion and convection. The equation of electron energy balance takes into account the RF heating power source, as well as energy losses due to the excitation and electron-impact ionization of gas atoms, energy exchange via Coulomb collisions, and plasma heat conduction. The deposited RF power is calculated by solving the boundary problem for Maxwell’s equations. When describing the dissipation of the energy of the RF field, collisional absorption and Landau damping are taken into account. At each time step, Maxwell’s equations are solved for the current profiles of the plasma density and plasma temperature. The calculations are performed for a cylindrical plasma. The plasma is assumed to be axisymmetric and homogeneous along the plasma column. The system of balance equations is solved using the Crank-Nicholson scheme. Maxwell’s equations are solved in a one-dimensional approximation by using the Fourier transformation along the azimuthal and longitudinal coordinates. Results of simulations of RF plasma generation in the Uragan-2M stellarator by using a frame antenna operating at frequencies lower than the ion cyclotron frequency are presented. The calculations show that the slow wave generated by the antenna is efficiently absorbed at the periphery of the plasma column, due to which only a small fraction of the input power reaches the confinement region. As a result, the temperature on the axis of the plasma column remains low, whereas at the periphery it is substantially higher. This leads to strong absorption of the RF field at the periphery via the Landau mechanism.

The first operation of the superconducting optimized stellarator fusion device Wendelstein 7-X

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klinger, Thomas [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, Greifswald (Germany); Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universitaet, Greifswald (Germany)

2016-07-01

The confinement of a high-temperature plasma by a suitable magnetic field is the most promising path to master nuclear fusion of Deuterium and Tritium on the scale of a reasonable power station. The two leading confinement concepts are the tokamak and the stellarator. Different from a tokamak, the stellarator does not require a strong current in the plasma but generates the magnetic field by external coils only. This has significant advantages, e.g. better stability properties and inherent steady-state capability. But stellarators need optimization, since ad hoc chosen magnetic field geometries lead to insufficient confinement properties, unfavourable plasma equilibria, and loss of fast particles. Wendelstein 7-X is a large (plasma volume 30 m{sup 3}) stellarator device with shaped superconducting coils that were determined via pure physics optimization criteria. After 19 years of construction, Wendelstein 7-X has now started operation. This talk introduces into the stellarator concept as a candidate for a future fusion power plant, summarizes the optimization principles, and presents the first experimental results with Helium and Hydrogen high temperature plasmas. An outlook on the physics program and the main goals of the project is given, too.

Introduction to Nuclear Astrophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iliadis, Christian

2010-01-01

In the first lecture of this volume, we will present the basic fundamental ideas regarding nuclear processes occurring in stars. We start from stellar observations, will then elaborate on some important quantum-mechanical phenomena governing nuclear reactions, continue with how nuclear reactions proceed in a hot stellar plasma and, finally, we will provide an overview of stellar burning stages. At the end, the current knowledge regarding the origin of the elements is briefly summarized. This lecture is directed towards the student of nuclear astrophysics. Our intention is to present seemingly unrelated phenomena of nuclear physics and astrophysics in a coherent framework.

From stellar plasmas to laboratory plasmas: application to X and XUV opacity measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loisel, G.

2011-01-01

The general context of this thesis is the one of radiative properties of high energy density matter. Energy densities involved (>10 11 J/cm 3 ) implies that a large part of energy exchange goes through radiation-matter interactions. My studies deal with spectral opacity, a fundamental parameter for modelling stellar interiors and constitute a propitious observable to experimental tests of theoretical descriptions of hot and dense plasmas physics. Although the main application of my work is stellar plasmas it can be useful for plasma diagnostics in inertial confinement fusion. My work activities are centred on the experimental study of opacities of plasmas at local thermodynamic equilibrium for temperature conditions of a few tens eV (a few 100000 K) and a few mg/cm 3 in matter density. Plasmas are obtained in conditions as homogenous as possible using the radiative heating of a laser-irradiated cavity. Heating is provided through a laser beam of high energy (100-300 J) and with relatively long pulse duration of a few nanosecond. For such measurements we could benefit from the LULI lasers configuration coupling the nanosecond beam with a picosecond one used to perform on a short duration the measurement of the plasma transmission. The use of short pulse laser to produce a short time radiography beam was a first achievement for this kind of experience. In the spectral range of keV photons, absorbing transitions 2p-3d or 3d-4f of elements of moderate or high atomic number have been probed. They present absorption structures which shape results mainly of the competition between spin-orbit splitting and statistical broadening effects. It appeared that this competition depends strongly on the atomic number Z. Thus for similar plasma parameters we explored opacities of Iron, Nickel, Copper and Germanium (Z around 30) in a first series of measurement and the one of Barium, Samarium and Gadolinium (Z around 60) in a second campaign

Prospects for the creation of positron-electron plasmas in a non-neutral stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedersen, T Sunn; Boozer, A H; Dorland, W; Kremer, J P; Schmitt, R

2003-01-01

The prospects of creating positron-electron plasmas confined in a stellarator are discussed. A pure electron plasma would be created before the positrons are introduced, to facilitate efficient injection and a long confinement time of the positrons. Gyrokinetic simulations are presented suggesting that a positron-electron plasma may be stable to low-frequency microturbulence if operated well below the Brillouin limit, and transport may be neoclassical. If this is the case, significant positron-electron plasma densities can be reached with positron sources that exist today

Exploring nuclear reactions relevant to Stellar and Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis using High-Energy-Density plasmas at OMEGA and the NIF

Science.gov (United States)

Gatu Johnson, M.

2017-10-01

Thermonuclear reaction rates and nuclear processes have been explored traditionally by means of accelerator experiments, which are difficult to execute at conditions relevant to Stellar Nucleosynthesis (SN) and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN). High-Energy-Density (HED) plasmas closely mimic astrophysical environments and are an excellent complement to accelerator experiments in exploring SN and BBN-relevant nuclear reactions. To date, our work using HED plasmas at OMEGA and NIF has focused on the complementary 3He+3He, T+3He and T +T reactions. First studies of the T +T reaction indicated the significance of the 5He ground-state resonance in the T +T neutron spectrum. Subsequent T +T experiments showed that the strength of this resonance varies with center-of-mass (c-m) energy in the range of 16-50 keV, a variation that is not fundamentally understood. Studies of the 3He+3He and T+3He reactions have also been conducted at OMEGA at c-m energies of 165 keV and 80 keV, respectively, and the results revealed three things. First, a large cross section for the T+3He- γ branch can be ruled out as an explanation for the anomalously high abundance of 6Li in primordial material. Second, the results contrasted to theoretical modeling indicate that the mirror-symmetry assumption is not enough to capture the differences between T +T and 3He+3He reactions. Third, the elliptical spectrum assumed in the analysis of 3He+3He data obtained in accelerator experiments is incorrect. Preliminary data from recent experiments at the NIF exploring the 3He+3He reaction at c-m energies of 60 keV and 100 keV also indicate that the underlying physics changes with c-m energy. In this talk, we describe these findings and future directions for exploring light-ion reactions at OMEGA and the NIF. The work was supported in part by the US DOE, LLE, and LLNL.

Plasma diagnostics and physics in the W7-AS stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weller, A; Baldzuhn, J; Brakel, R; Burhenn, R; Erckmann, V; Feng, Y; Fiedler, S; Geiger, J; Giannone, L.; Grigull, P; Hartfuss, H J; Hirsch, M; Hofmann, J V; Kick, M; Konrad, C; Maassberg, H; Rust, N; Sardei, F [Association Euratom-Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, Garching (Germany); Suvorov, E V [Institute of Applied Physics, Nizhniy Novgorod (Russian Federation)

1997-03-01

A survey of experimental techniques and analysis tools used at the W7-AS stellarator for the investigation of the equilibrium, stability, transport and edge plasma is given, and examples for typical results are presented. In particular, the exploitation of boundary islands for use as an `island divertor` and for the establishment of a radiating island chain are important issues. (orig.) 14 refs.

Plasma diagnostics and physics in the W7-AS stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weller, A.; Baldzuhn, J.; Brakel, R.; Burhenn, R.; Erckmann, V.; Feng, Y.; Fiedler, S.; Geiger, J.; Giannone, L.; Grigull, P.; Hartfuss, H.J.; Hirsch, M.; Hofmann, J.V.; Kick, M.; Konrad, C.; Maassberg, H.; Rust, N.; Sardei, F.; Suvorov, E.V.

1997-01-01

A survey of experimental techniques and analysis tools used at the W7-AS stellarator for the investigation of the equilibrium, stability, transport and edge plasma is given, and examples for typical results are presented. In particular, the exploitation of boundary islands for use as an 'island divertor' and for the establishment of a radiating island chain are important issues. (orig.)

Research in nuclear astrophysics: stellar collapse and supernovae. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burrows, A.; Lattimer, J.M.; Yahil, A.

1986-01-01

The interaction between nuclear theory and some outstanding problems in astrophysics is examined. The chief emphasis of our program is on stellar collapse, supernovae and neutron star formation. Central to these topics are the parallel development of both an equation of state of hot, dense matter and a novel type of hydrodynamical code. The LLPR compressible liquid drop model is the basis of the former. We are refining it to include both curvature corrections to the surface energy nuclear force parameters which are in better agreement with recently determined experimental quantities. Our study of the equation of state has the added bonus that our results can be used to analyze intermediate energy heavy ion collisions, which, in turn, may illuminate the nucleon-nucleon force. The hydrodynamical code includes a fast, but accurate, approximation to the complete LLPR equation of state. We model not only the stellar collapse leading up to a supernova, but also the quasi-static deleptonization and cooling stages of the nascent neutron star. Our detailed studies of the role of neutrinos in stellar collapse and neutron star formation concentrate on their detectability and signatures. Complementary studies include modelling both mass accretion in the nuclei of galaxies and investigating both galaxy clustering and the large scale structure of the universe. These studies are intended to shed light on the early history of the universe, in which both nuclear and elementary particle physics play a crucial role

Major results from the first plasma campaign of the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator.

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Wolf, R.C.; Preinhaelter, Josef; Urban, Jakub; Zajac, Jaromír

2017-01-01

Roč. 57, č. 10 (2017), č. článku 102020. ISSN 0029-5515 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 633053 - EUROfusion Institutional support: RVO:61389021 Keywords : plasma * stellarator * technology * diagnostics * data acquisition * Wendelstein 7-X * electron cyclotron heating * electron Bernstein wave Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics OBOR OECD: Fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics) Impact factor: 3.307, year: 2016 http://iopscience.iop.org/10.1088/1741-4326/aa770d

Stationary neoclassical profiles of plasma parameters in stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danilkin, I.S.; Mineev, A.B.

1991-01-01

Peculiarities of neoclassical model of heat and particle transfer, occuring by calculations of plasma stationary profile parameters in stellarators are considered. The main peculiarity out of all consists in ineadequate compatibility with real physical conditions on the boundary, requiring application of supplementary 'anomalous' transfer or special (but technically possible) adjustment of particle and heat sources to achieve solution in form of 'correct' monotonically sloping profile. It is stated, that neoclassical theory does not provide for well-known ambiguity of solutions for ambipolar electrical field by search of monotonous stationary profiles supported by outside sources

The structure of the nuclear stellar cluster of the Milky Way

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoedel, Rainer; Eckart, Andreas

2006-01-01

The structure of the nuclear stellar cluster of the Milky Way is of particular interest because it is the densest stellar cluster in our Galaxy, where the theoretical prediction of the formation of a stellar cusp around the central supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) can be examined. We present high-resolution adaptive optics observations with multiple intermediate band liters of the inner ∼20'' around Sgr A*. From the images, stellar number counts and a detailed map of the interstellar extinction toward the central 0.5 pc of the Milky Way were determined. The extinction map is consistent with a putative southwest-northeast aligned outfbw from the central arcseconds. An azimuthally averaged, crowding and extinction corrected stellar density profle presents clear evidence for the existence of a stellar cusp around Sgr A*. We show that the profle of the surface brightness density is dominated by the brightest stars in the central arcseconds and is different from the shape of the stellar cluster as inferred from the number counts. Several density peaks found in the cluster may indicate clumping, possibly related to the last epoch of star formation in the Galactic Center. There is evidence for a common proper motion of the stars in one of these clumps

SCR-1: Design and construction of a small modular stellarator for magnetic confinement of plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barillas, L; Vargas, V I; Alpizar, A; Asenjo, J; Carranza, J M; Cerdas, F; Gutiérrez, R; Monge, J I; Mora, J; Morera, J; Peraza, H; Rojas, C; Rozen, D; Saenz, F; Sánchez, G; Sandoval, M; Trimiño, H; Umaña, J; Villegas, L F; Queral, V

2014-01-01

This paper describes briefly the design and construction of a small modular stellarator for magnetic confinement of plasma, called Stellarator of Costa Rica 1, or SCR-1; developed by the Plasma Physics Group of the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, PlasmaTEC. The SCR-1 is based on the small Spanish stellarator UST 1 , created by the engineer Vicente Queral. The SCR-1 will employ stainless steel torus-shaped vacuum vessel with a major radius of 460.33 mm and a cross section radius of 110.25 mm. A typical SCR-1 plasma will have an average radius 42.2 mm and a volume of 8 liters (0.01 m 3 ), and an aspect ratio of 5.7. The magnetic resonant field will be 0.0878 T, and a period of 2 (m=2) with a rotational transform of 0.3. The magnetic field will be provided by 12 modular coils, with 8 turns each, with an electrical current of 8704 A per coil (1088 A per turn of each coil). This current will be fed by a bank of cell batteries. The plasma will be heated by ECRH with magnetrons of a total power of 5 kW, in the first harmonic at 2.45 GHz. The expected electron temperature and density are 15 eV and 10 17 m −3 respectively with an estimated confinement time of 7.30 x 10 −4 ms. The initial diagnostics on the SCR-1 will consist of a Langmuir probe, a heterodyne microwave interferometer, and a field mapping system. The first plasma of the SCR-1 is expected at the end of 2011.

Recent results of studies of plasma fluctuations in stellarators by microwave scattering technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skvortsova, N.N.; Batanov, G.M.; Kolik, L.V.; Petrov, A.E.; Pshenichnikov, A.A.; Sarksyan, K.A.; Kharchev, N.K.; Khol'nov, Yu.V.; Kubo, S.; Sanchez, J.

2005-01-01

Microwave scattering diagnostics are described that allow direct measurements of the turbulent processes in a high-temperature plasma of magnetic confinement systems. Plasma density fluctuations in the heating region of the L-2M stellarator were measured from microwave scattering at the fundamental and the second harmonics of the heating gyrotron radiation. In the TJ-II stellarator, a separate 2-mm microwave source was used to produce a probing beam; the measurements were performed at the middle of the plasma radius. Plasma density fluctuations in the axial (heating) region of the LHD stellarator were measured from microwave scattering at the fundamental harmonic of the heating gyrotron radiation. Characteristic features of fluctuations, common for all three devices, are revealed with the methods of statistical and spectral analysis. These features are the wide frequency Fourier and wavelet spectra, autocorrelation functions with slowly decreasing tails, and non-Gaussian probability distributions of the magnitudes and the increments of the magnitude of fluctuations. The drift-dissipative instability and the instability driven by trapped electrons are examined as possible sources of turbulence in a high-temperature plasma. Observations showed the high level of coherence between turbulent fluctuations in the central region and at the edge of the plasma in L-2M. It is shown in L-2M that the relative intensity of the second harmonic of gyrotron radiation on the axis of a microwave beam after quasi-optical filtering in a four-mirror quasi-optical transmission line is about -50 dB of the total radiation intensity. Spatiotemporal structures in plasma density fluctuations were observed in the central region of the plasma column. The correlation time between the structures was found to be on the order of 1 ms. It is shown that, the spectrum of the signal from the second-harmonic scattering extends to higher frequencies in comparison with that from the fundamental

Stellarator Research Opportunities: A report of the National Stellarator Coordinating Committee

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gates, David A. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Anderson, David [University of Wisconsin-Madison

2017-06-01

This document is the product of a stellarator community workshop, organized by the National Stellarator Coordinating Committee and referred to as Stellcon, that was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts in February 2016, hosted by MIT. The workshop was widely advertised, and was attended by 40 scientists from 12 different institutions including national labs, universities and private industry, as well as a representative from the Department of Energy. The final section of this document describes areas of community wide consensus that were developed as a result of the discussions held at that workshop. Areas where further study would be helpful to generate a consensus path forward for the US stellarator program are also discussed. The program outlined in this document is directly responsive to many of the strategic priorities of FES as articulated in “Fusion Energy Sciences: A Ten-Year Perspective (2015-2025)” [2]. The natural disruption immunity of the stellarator directly addresses “Elimination of transient events that can be deleterious to toroidal fusion plasma confinement devices” an area of critical importance for the U.S. fusion energy sciences enterprise over the next decade. Another critical area of research “Strengthening our partnerships with international research facilities,” is being significantly advanced on the W7-X stellarator in Germany and serves as a test-bed for development of successful international collaboration on ITER. This report also outlines how materials science as it relates to plasma and fusion sciences, another critical research area, can be carried out effectively in a stellarator. Additionally, significant advances along two of the Research Directions outlined in the report; “Burning Plasma Science: Foundations - Next-generation research capabilities”, and “Burning Plasma Science: Long pulse - Sustainment of Long-Pulse Plasma Equilibria” are proposed.

Stellarator Research Opportunities: A Report of the National Stellarator Coordinating Committee

Science.gov (United States)

Gates, D. A.; Anderson, D.; Anderson, S.; Zarnstorff, M.; Spong, D. A.; Weitzner, H.; Neilson, G. H.; Ruzic, D.; Andruczyk, D.; Harris, J. H.; Mynick, H.; Hegna, C. C.; Schmitz, O.; Talmadge, J. N.; Curreli, D.; Maurer, D.; Boozer, A. H.; Knowlton, S.; Allain, J. P.; Ennis, D.; Wurden, G.; Reiman, A.; Lore, J. D.; Landreman, M.; Freidberg, J. P.; Hudson, S. R.; Porkolab, M.; Demers, D.; Terry, J.; Edlund, E.; Lazerson, S. A.; Pablant, N.; Fonck, R.; Volpe, F.; Canik, J.; Granetz, R.; Ware, A.; Hanson, J. D.; Kumar, S.; Deng, C.; Likin, K.; Cerfon, A.; Ram, A.; Hassam, A.; Prager, S.; Paz-Soldan, C.; Pueschel, M. J.; Joseph, I.; Glasser, A. H.

2018-02-01

This document is the product of a stellarator community workshop, organized by the National Stellarator Coordinating Committee and referred to as Stellcon, that was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts in February 2016, hosted by MIT. The workshop was widely advertised, and was attended by 40 scientists from 12 different institutions including national labs, universities and private industry, as well as a representative from the Department of Energy. The final section of this document describes areas of community wide consensus that were developed as a result of the discussions held at that workshop. Areas where further study would be helpful to generate a consensus path forward for the US stellarator program are also discussed. The program outlined in this document is directly responsive to many of the strategic priorities of FES as articulated in "Fusion Energy Sciences: A Ten-Year Perspective (2015-2025)" [1]. The natural disruption immunity of the stellarator directly addresses "Elimination of transient events that can be deleterious to toroidal fusion plasma confinement devices" an area of critical importance for the US fusion energy sciences enterprise over the next decade. Another critical area of research "Strengthening our partnerships with international research facilities," is being significantly advanced on the W7-X stellarator in Germany and serves as a test-bed for development of successful international collaboration on ITER. This report also outlines how materials science as it relates to plasma and fusion sciences, another critical research area, can be carried out effectively in a stellarator. Additionally, significant advances along two of the Research Directions outlined in the report; "Burning Plasma Science: Foundations - Next-generation research capabilities", and "Burning Plasma Science: Long pulse - Sustainment of Long-Pulse Plasma Equilibria" are proposed.

Confinement of Stellarator plasmas with neutral beam and RF heating in W VII-A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grieger, G.; Cattanei, G.; Dorst, D.

1986-01-01

WENDELSTEIN VII-A has been operated for ten years. It is a low-shear, high-aspect-ratio device. The confinement properties have been thoroughly studied for both ohmically heated and net-current free plasmas. For the latter case, NBI- and ECF-maintained plasmas were of particular importance. It was found that under optimized conditions the core of high-pressure, net-current free plasmas is mainly governed by collisional effects. The experiment will now be shut down for upgrading it into the Advanced Stellarator WEDNDELSTEIN VII-AS. (author)

Research in nuclear astrophysics: stellar collapse and supernovae. Progress report and renewal proposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lattimer, J.M.; Yahil, A.

1982-01-01

The interaction between nuclear theory and the problem of stellar collapse and supernovae is examined. Experimentally determined nuclear parameters (compressibility, symmetry energies, level densities) are being used to determine a finite temperature equation of state. Detailed studies of shock propagation, neutrino transport and electron capture in stellar collapse are continued. The long-term evolution of collapsed stars (hot proto-neutron stars) is extended to find characteristic signatures of the neutrino spectrum, important for the experiments that can detect extraterrestrial neutrinos. A novel, conservative hydrodynamical code is used to alleviate the requirement of using artificial viscosity to follow shocks. This is coupled with a new, fast numerical scheme for the equation of state

Plasma nuclear fusion method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazaki, Shunpei; Miyanaga, Shoji; Wakaizumi, Kazuhiro; Takemura, Yasuhiko.

1990-01-01

Nuclear fusion reactions are attained by plasma gas phase reactions using magnetic fields and microwaves, and the degree of the reactions is controlled. That is, deuterium (D 2 ) is introduced into a plasma container by utilizing the resonance of microwaves capable of generating plasmas at high density higher by more than 10 - 10 3 times as compared with the high frequency and magnetic fields, and an electric energy is applied to convert gaseous D 2 into plasmas and nuclear fusion is conducted. Further, the deuterium ions in the plasmas are attracted to a surface of a material causing nuclear fusion under a negatively biased electric field from the outside (typically represented by Pd or Ti). Then, deuterium nuclei (d) or deuterium ions collide to the surface of the cathode on the side of palladium to conduct nuclear reaction at the surface or the inside (vicinity) thereof. However, a DC bias is applied as an external bias with the side of the palladium being negative. The cold nuclear fusion was demonstrated by placing a neutron counter in the vicinity of the container and confirming neutrons generated there. (I.S.)

Conditioning of TJ-II Stellarator during the ECRH Plasmas Period; Acondicionamiento del Stellarator TJ-II durante la Etapa de Plasmas ECRH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tafalla, D.; Tabares, F.L.

2001-07-01

The TJ-II stellarator has been conditioned by glow discharge (GD) during the first campaigns of operation, working only with ECR heating and all metal walls. The application of a He GD during the overnight period before the operation has been required in order to obtain reproducible discharges. However, the density control of the ECRH discharges was not possible because of the He implanted on the wall during GS. An short Ar GD({<=}30 min) applied before the operation allows desorbes part of the implanted He. By applying this procedure (HeGD+ArGD), reproducible and density controlled plasmas have been achieved in H{sub 2} and He. (Author) 20 refs.

Compact stellarator coils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pomphrey, N.; Berry, L.A.; Boozer, A.H.

2001-01-01

Experimental devices to study the physics of high-beta (β>∼4%), low aspect ratio (A<∼4.5) stellarator plasmas require coils that will produce plasmas satisfying a set of physics goals, provide experimental flexibility, and be practical to construct. In the course of designing a flexible coil set for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment, we have made several innovations that may be useful in future stellarator design efforts. These include: the use of Singular Value Decomposition methods for obtaining families of smooth current potentials on distant coil winding surfaces from which low current density solutions may be identified; the use of a Control Matrix Method for identifying which few of the many detailed elements of the stellarator boundary must be targeted if a coil set is to provide fields to control the essential physics of the plasma; the use of Genetic Algorithms for choosing an optimal set of discrete coils from a continuum of potential contours; the evaluation of alternate coil topologies for balancing the tradeoff between physics objective and engineering constraints; the development of a new coil optimization code for designing modular coils, and the identification of a 'natural' basis for describing current sheet distributions. (author)

Research in nuclear astrophysics: stellar collapse and supernovae. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burrows, A.; Lattimer, J.M.; Yahil, A.

1984-01-01

The interaction between nuclear theory and some outstanding problems in astrophysics is examined. The chief emphasis of our program is on stellar collapse, supernovae and neutron star formation. Central to these topics are the parallel development of the equation of state of hot, dense matter and a novel type of hydrodynamical code. The LLPR compressible liquid drop model forms the basis for the former, and we propose to further refine it by including curvature corrections to the surface energy and by considering other nuclear force parameters which are in better agreement with experimentally determined quantities. The development of the equation of state has another bonus - it can be used to analyze intermediate energy heavy ion collisions, which, in turn, may illuminate the nucleon-nucleon force. The hydrodynamical code includes detailed neutrino transport and a fast, but accurate, approximation to the complete LLPR equation of state, which is necessary for numerical use. We propose to model not only the stellar collapse leading up to a supernova, but also the quasi-static deleptonization and cooling stages of the nascent neutron star. Our detailed studies of the role of neutrinos in stellar collapse and neutron star formation concentrate on their detectability and signatures - after all, neutrinos are the only direct method of observationally checking supernova theory. Complementary studies include modelling both mass accretion in the nuclei of galaxies (which is probably responsible for the quasar phenomenon) and investigations of galaxy clustering and the large scale structure of the universe

Stationary neoclassical profiles of plasma parameters in stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danilkin, I.S.; Mineev, A.B.

1991-01-01

The properties of the neoclassical model of heat and particle transport are considered in connection with calculations of stationary profiles of the plasma parameters in stellarators. The most important feature is the poor agreement with real physical conditions of the boundary, which imposes the necessity of invoking either an additional anomalous transport or a special (although technically possible) consistency between the particle and heat sources in order to obtain a solution in the form of a correct monotonically decreasing profile. In search for monotonic stationary profiles maintained by external sources, it is ascertained that the neoclassical theory does not give rise to the well-known multivalued solutions for the ambipolar electric field

Overview of recent results from non-neutral plasmas in the CNT stellarator

Science.gov (United States)

Pedersen, T. Sunn; Boozer, A. H.; Brenner, P. W.; Durand de Gevigney, B.; Hahn, M. S.; Sarasola, X.; Senter, A.

2009-11-01

An overview of recent results from the Columbia Non-neutral Torus (CNT) will be given. CNT is a stellarator dedicated to studies of non-neutral and electron-positron plasmas [1]. CNT operates with a surplus of electrons -- most of the time with only a trace amount of ions (ni/ne Kremer et al., PRL 97, (2006) 095003 [3] P. W. Brenner et al., this poster session [4] Q. R. Marksteiner et al., PRL 100 (2008) 065002 [5] X. Sarasola Martin et al., this poster session [6] M. S. Hahn et al., Phys. Plasmas 16 (2009) 022105

The impact of boundary plasma conditions on the plasma performance of the Wendelstein 7-AS stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grigull, P; Behrisch, R; Brakel, R; Burhenn, R; Elsner, A; Hacker, H; Hartfuss, H J; Herre, G; Hildebrandt, D; Jaenicke, R; Kisslinger, J; Maassberg, H; Mahn, C; Niedermeyer, H; Pech, P; Renner, H; Ringler, H; Rau, F; Roth, J; Sardei, F; Schneider, U; Wagner, F; Weller, A; Wobig, H; Wolff, H [Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Plasmaphysik, Garching (Germany); W7-AS Team; NBI Team; ECRH Group

1992-12-01

In the modular advanced stellarator W7-AS, the plasma performance and the main characteristics of the plasma-wall interaction are strongly affected by the three-dimensional edge topology. Both limiter- and separatrix-dominated configurations are possible. TiC and bulk-boronized limiter materials have been used. The impurity behaviour and the accessible plasma parameter ranges are compared for different limiter and wall conditions. With limiters, optimum plasma performance in currentless ECRF- or NBI-heated discharges was achieved with bulk-boronized graphite limiter material and boronized walls. Solid target sputter boronization, however, was found to be ineffective in comparison with boronization by He/B[sub 2]H[sub 6] glow discharge. For separatrix-dominated discharges, conditioning by wall coating has short-term effects only. Enhanced, localized plasma outflow to the wall due to islands at the boundary quickly erodes the layers. The possibility to develop a divertor concept is discussed. Basic properties of the plasma edge as derived from Langmuir probes and limiter calorimetry are described. Modeling is complicated by three-dimensionality. In a first approach, a 1D edge transport model on the basis of distinct flux bundles is applied. (orig.).

A new quasi-stationary, very high density plasma regime on the W7-AS stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaenicke, R; Baeumel, S; Baldzuhn, J; Brakel, R; Burhenn, R; Ehmler, H; Endler, M; Erckmann, V; Feng, Y; Gadelmeier, F; Geiger, J; Giannone, L; Grigull, P; Hartfuss, H J; Hartmann, D; Hildebrandt, D; Hirsch, M; Holzhauer, E; Kick, M; Kisslinger, J; Klinger, T; Klose, S; Knauer, J; Koenig, R; Kuehner, G; Laqua, H; Maassberg, H; McCormick, K; Narayanan, R; Niedermeyer, H; Pasch, E; Ruhs, N; Rust, N; Saffert, J; Sardei, F; Schneider, F; Schubert, M; Speth, E; Wagner, F; Weller, A; Wenzel, U; Werner, A; Wuersching, E

2002-01-01

Stellarators have the intrinsic property of steady state operation. However, on present-day stellarators the pulse length is usually not only limited due to technical reasons, but also by physical problems. Lack of density control and a subsequent radiation collapse terminate the discharges quite often at high densities. To improve the control of the plasma-wall interaction, the island divertor concept was developed for optimized stellarators. To test this divertor concept on W7-AS, all limiters were removed and replaced by ten divertor modules. In subsequent divertor experiments a promising new plasma operational regime has been discovered which is termed 'high density H-mode' (HDH-mode). During the transition into that regime a clear reduction of ELM-like events and turbulent fluctuations is observed. The HDH-mode combines good energy confinement with very low impurity confinement resulting in low core radiation, but high edge-localized radiation. Consequently, stationary discharges at densities of typically 2x10 20 m -3 can be performed within the accessible pulse length of about 1 s. At densities above 3x10 20 m -3 a controlled transition from attached to partially detached plasmas is observed. The still edge-localized radiation reaches 90% of the heating power so that the power load onto the divertor target plates is further reduced. At a lower toroidal field of 0.9 T average β-values could be raised from earlier 2% to more than 3% in magnetic field configurations with rather smooth flux surfaces at the plasma boundary. The recently obtained results render excellent prospects for W7-X, the larger superconducting successor experiment of W7-AS

Density Dependence of Particle Transport in ECH Plasmas of the TJ-II Stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vargas, V. I.; Lopez-Bruna, D.; Guasp, J.; Herranz, J.; Estrada, T.; Medina, F.; Ochando, M.A.; Velasco, J.L.; Reynolds, J.M.; Ferreira, J.A.; Tafalla, D.; Castejon, F.; Salas, A.

2009-05-21

We present the experimental dependence of particle transport on average density in electron cyclotron heated (ECH) hydrogen plasmas of the TJ-II stellarator. The results are based on: (I) electron density and temperature data from Thomson Scattering and reflectometry diagnostics; (II) a transport model that reproduces the particle density profiles in steady state; and (III) Eirene, a code for neutrals transport that calculates the particle source in the plasma from the particle confinement time and the appropriate geometry of the machine/plasma. After estimating an effective particle diffusivity and the particle confinement time, a threshold density separating qualitatively and quantitatively different plasma transport regimes is found. The poor confinement times found below the threshold are coincident with the presence of ECH-induced fast electron losses and a positive radial electric field all over the plasma. (Author) 40 refs.

Sheared flow amplification by vacuum magnetic islands in stellarator plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, L.; Carreras, B. A.; Lynch, V. E.; Pedrosa, M. A.; Hidalgo, C.

2001-01-01

There is some experimental evidence that the E x B flows have radial structure that may be linked to rational surfaces. This flow structure may result from a self-organization process involving nonlinear flow amplification through Reynolds stress and fluctuation reduction by sheared flows. In stellarators, a large contribution to the Reynolds stress comes from the coupling of the magnetic field component of a vacuum field island with a plasma instability. In this process, the self-organization principle seems to be marginal stability for the fluctuations driving the flow

Experimental Confirmation of Stable, Small-Debye-Length, Pure-Electron-Plasma Equilibria in a Stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kremer, J. P.; Pedersen, T. Sunn; Lefrancois, R. G.; Marksteiner, Q.

2006-01-01

The creation of the first small-Debye length, low temperature pure electron plasmas in a stellarator is reported. A confinement time of 20 ms has been measured. The long confinement time implies the existence of macroscopically stable equilibria and that the single particle orbits are well confined despite the lack of quasisymmetry in the device, the Columbia non-neutral torus. This confirms the beneficial confinement effects of strong electric fields and the resulting rapid ExB rotation of the electrons. The particle confinement time is presently limited by the presence of bulk insulating materials in the plasma, rather than any intrinsic plasma transport processes. A nearly flat temperature profile is seen in the inner part of the plasma

Experimental confirmation of stable, small-debye-length, pure-electron-plasma equilibria in a stellarator.

Science.gov (United States)

Kremer, J P; Pedersen, T Sunn; Lefrancois, R G; Marksteiner, Q

2006-09-01

The creation of the first small-Debye length, low temperature pure electron plasmas in a stellarator is reported. A confinement time of 20 ms has been measured. The long confinement time implies the existence of macroscopically stable equilibria and that the single particle orbits are well confined despite the lack of quasisymmetry in the device, the Columbia non-neutral torus. This confirms the beneficial confinement effects of strong electric fields and the resulting rapid E x B rotation of the electrons. The particle confinement time is presently limited by the presence of bulk insulating materials in the plasma, rather than any intrinsic plasma transport processes. A nearly flat temperature profile is seen in the inner part of the plasma.

Interaction of Ambipolar Plasma Flow with Magnetic Islands in a Quasi-axisymmetric Stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiman, A.; Zarnstorff, M.; Mikkelsen, D.; Owen, L.; Mynick, H.; Hudson, S.; Monticello, D.

2004-01-01

A reference equilibrium for the U.S. National Compact Stellarator Experiment is predicted to be sufficiently close to quasi-symmetry to allow the plasma to flow in the toroidal direction with little viscous damping, yet to have sufficiently large deviations from quasi-symmetry that nonambipolarity significantly affects the physics of the shielding of resonant magnetic perturbations by plasma flow. The unperturbed velocity profile is modified by the presence of an ambipolar potential, which broadens the profile and improves the shielding near the plasma edge. In the presence of a resonant magnetic field perturbation, nonambipolar transport produces a radial current, and the resulting jxB force resists departures from the ambipolar velocity and enhances the shielding

Interaction of ambipolar plasma flow with magnetic islands in a quasi-axisymmetric stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiman, A.; Zarnstorff, M.; Mikkelsen, D.; Mynick, H.; Hudson, S.; Monticello, D.; Owen, L.

2005-01-01

A reference equilibrium for the US National Compact Stellarator Experiment is predicted to be sufficiently close to quasi-symmetry to allow the plasma to flow in the toroidal direction with little viscous damping, yet to have sufficiently large deviations from quasi-symmetry that nonambipolarity significantly affects the physics of the shielding of resonant magnetic perturbations by plasma flow. The unperturbed velocity profile is modified by the presence of an ambipolar potential, which broadens the profile and improves the shielding near the plasma edge. In the presence of a resonant magnetic field perturbation, nonambipolar transport produces a radial current, and the resulting jxB force resists departures from the ambipolar velocity and enhances the shielding. (author)

PANDORA, a new facility for interdisciplinary in-plasma physics

Science.gov (United States)

Mascali, D.; Musumarra, A.; Leone, F.; Romano, F. P.; Galatà, A.; Gammino, S.; Massimi, C.

2017-07-01

PANDORA, Plasmas for Astrophysics, Nuclear Decays Observation and Radiation for Archaeometry, is planned as a new facility based on a state-of-the-art plasma trap confining energetic plasma for performing interdisciplinary research in the fields of Nuclear Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Plasma Physics and Applications in Material Science and Archaeometry: the plasmas become the environment for measuring, for the first time, nuclear decay rates in stellar-like condition (such as 7Be decay and beta-decay involved in s-process nucleosynthesis), especially as a function of the ionization state of the plasma ions. These studies will give important contributions for addressing several astrophysical issues in both stellar and primordial nucleosynthesis environment ( e.g., determination of solar neutrino flux and 7Li Cosmological Problem), moreover the confined energetic plasma will be a unique light source for high-performance stellar spectroscopy measurements in the visible, UV and X-ray domains, offering advancements in observational astronomy. As to magnetic fields, the experimental validation of theoretical first- and second-order Landé factors will drive the layout of next-generation polarimetric units for the high-resolution spectrograph of the future giant telescopes. In PANDORA new plasma heating methods will be explored, that will push forward the ion beam output, in terms of extracted intensity and charge states. More, advanced and optimized injection methods of ions in an ECR plasma will be experimented, with the aim to optimize its capture efficiency. This will be applied to the ECR-based Charge Breeding technique, that will improve the performances of the SPES ISOL-facility at Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro-INFN. Finally, PANDORA will be suitable for energy conversion, making the plasma a source of high-intensity electromagnetic radiation, for applications in material science and archaeometry.

PANDORA, a new facility for interdisciplinary in-plasma physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mascali, D.; Gammino, S. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania (Italy); Musumarra, A. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania (Italy); University of Catania, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Catania (Italy); Leone, F. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania (Italy); University of Catania, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Catania (Italy); INAF-OACT, Catania (Italy); Romano, F.P. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania (Italy); CNR-IBAM, Catania (Italy); Galata, A. [INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Legnaro (Italy); Massimi, C. [University of Bologna, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bologna (Italy); INFN-Bologna, Bologna (Italy)

2017-07-15

PANDORA, Plasmas for Astrophysics, Nuclear Decays Observation and Radiation for Archaeometry, is planned as a new facility based on a state-of-the-art plasma trap confining energetic plasma for performing interdisciplinary research in the fields of Nuclear Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Plasma Physics and Applications in Material Science and Archaeometry: the plasmas become the environment for measuring, for the first time, nuclear decay rates in stellar-like condition (such as {sup 7}Be decay and beta-decay involved in s-process nucleosynthesis), especially as a function of the ionization state of the plasma ions. These studies will give important contributions for addressing several astrophysical issues in both stellar and primordial nucleosynthesis environment (e.g., determination of solar neutrino flux and {sup 7}Li Cosmological Problem), moreover the confined energetic plasma will be a unique light source for high-performance stellar spectroscopy measurements in the visible, UV and X-ray domains, offering advancements in observational astronomy. As to magnetic fields, the experimental validation of theoretical first- and second-order Lande factors will drive the layout of next-generation polarimetric units for the high-resolution spectrograph of the future giant telescopes. In PANDORA new plasma heating methods will be explored, that will push forward the ion beam output, in terms of extracted intensity and charge states. More, advanced and optimized injection methods of ions in an ECR plasma will be experimented, with the aim to optimize its capture efficiency. This will be applied to the ECR-based Charge Breeding technique, that will improve the performances of the SPES ISOL-facility at Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro-INFN. Finally, PANDORA will be suitable for energy conversion, making the plasma a source of high-intensity electromagnetic radiation, for applications in material science and archaeometry. (orig.)

An engineering approach to the design and construction of a small modular stellarator for magnetic confinement of plasma. SCR-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barillas, Laura; Vargas, V. Iván; Alpízar, Asdrúval

2011-01-01

This paper briefly describes the design and construction of Stellarator of Costa Rica 1 (SCR-1) from an engineering perspective. SCR-1 is a small modular Stellarator for magnetic confinement of plasma developed by the Plasma Physics Group of the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (ITCR). The SCR-1 is based on the small Spanish Stellarator UST 1 (Ultra Small Torus 1), created by engineer Vicente Queral. Some of the characteristics of the SCR-1 are the following: it will be a 2-field period modular stellarator with an aspect ratio ≈ 6; low shear configuration with core and edge rotational transform equal to 0.32 and 0.28; it will employ stainless steel torus-shaped vacuum vessel which will hold a plasma with an average radius a ≈ 42.2 mm, a volume of 8 liters (0.008 m 3 ), and major radius R = 238 mm. This plasma will be confined by a magnetic field (B ≈ 90 mT) given by 12 modular coils with 12 turns each, carrying a current of 725 A per turn providing a total toroidal field (TF) current of 8.7 kA-turn per coil. The coils will be supplied by a bank of cell batteries of 120 V. Typical length of the plasma pulse will be between 4 s to 10 s. The plasma heating will be achieved by electron cyclotron radio-frequency (ECH) from two magnetrons providing a total power of 5 kW, at a frequency of 2.45 GHz corresponding to the first harmonic (B 0 = 87.8 mT). The expected electron temperature and density are 15 eV and 7x10 16 m -3 respectively. The initial diagnostics on the SCR-1 will consist of a Langmuir probe with a displacement system, a heterodyne microwave interferometer (frequency of 28 GHz, corresponding to a wavelength of λ = 10.71 mm). The first plasma of the SCR-1 is expected at the beginning of 2012. (author)

On impurity handling in high performance stellarator/heliotron plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burhenn, R.; Feng, Y.; Ida, K.

2008-10-01

The Large Helical Device (LHD) and Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X, under construction) are experiments specially designed to demonstrate long pulse (quasi steady-state) operation, which is an intrinsic property of Stellarators and Heliotrons. Significant progress was made in establishment of high performance plasmas. A crucial point is the increasing impurity confinement towards high density as observed at several machines (TJ-II, W7-AS, LHD) which can lead to impurity accumulation and early pulse termination by radiation collapse at high density. In addition, theoretical predictions for non-axisymmetric configurations prognosticate the absence of impurity screening by ion temperature gradients in standard ion root plasmas. Nevertheless, scenarios were found where impurity accumulation was successfully avoided in LHD and/or W7-AS by the onset of drag forces in the high density and low temperature scrape-off-layer, the generation of magnetic islands at the plasma boundary and to a certain degree also by ELMs, flushing out impurities and reducing the net-impurity influx into the core. Additionally, a reduction of impurity core confinement was observed in the W7-AS High Density H-mode (HDH) regime and by application of sufficient ECRH heating power. The exploration of such purification mechanisms is a demanding task for successful steady-state operation. The impurity transport at the plasma edge/SOL was identified to play a major role for the global impurity behaviour in addition to the core confinement. (author)

Comparative studies of stellarator and tokamak transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stroth, U; Burhenn, R; Geiger, J; Giannone, L.; Hartfuss, H J; Kuehner, G; Ledl, L; Simmet, E E; Walter, H [Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Plasmaphysik, IPP-Euratom Association, Garching (Germany); ECRH Team; W7-AS Team

1997-09-01

Transport properties in the W7-AS stellarator and in tokamaks are compared. The parameter dependences and the absolute values of the energy confinement time are similar. Indications are found that the density dependence, which is usually observed in stellarator confinement, can vanish above a critical density. The density dependence in stellarators seems to be similar to that in the linear ohmic confinement regime, which, in small tokamaks, extends to high density values, too. Because of the similarity in the gross confinement properties, transport in stellarators and tokamaks should not be dominated by the parameters which are very different in the two concepts, i.e. magnetic shear, major rational values of the rotational transform and plasma current. A difference in confinement is that there exists evidence for pinches in the particle and, possibly, energy transport channels in tokamaks whereas in stellarators no pinches have been observed, so far. In order to study the effect of plasma current and toroidal electric fields, stellarator discharges were carried out with an increasing amount of plasma current. From these experiments, no clear evidence of a connection of pinches with these parameters is found. The transient response in W7-AS plasmas can be described in terms of a non-local model. As in tokamaks, also cold pulse experiments in W7-AS indicate the importance of non-local transport. (author). 8 refs, 5 figs.

Plasma physics and nuclear fusion research

CERN Document Server

Gill, Richard D

1981-01-01

Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion Research covers the theoretical and experimental aspects of plasma physics and nuclear fusion. The book starts by providing an overview and survey of plasma physics; the theory of the electrodynamics of deformable media and magnetohydrodynamics; and the particle orbit theory. The text also describes the plasma waves; the kinetic theory; the transport theory; and the MHD stability theory. Advanced theories such as microinstabilities, plasma turbulence, anomalous transport theory, and nonlinear laser plasma interaction theory are also considered. The book furthe

Heavy impurity collection at the plasma edge of the stellarator W VII A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schou, J.

1981-12-01

The presence of impurities at the plasma edge of the Wendelstein VII-A stellarator was studied by means of carbon probes that were exposed to up to 200 plasma discharges in helium. The probes were subsequently analysed with 1 MeV 4 He + Rutherford Backscattering. The average impurity deposition for Ti, Mo and wall components (Fe, Cr, Ni) was 2-4 x 10 12 atoms/cm 2 , 6 x 10 10 atoms/cm 2 and 1 x 10 11 atoms/cm 2 per discharge, respectively. With the exception of Ti this impurity deposition is more than one order of magnitude smaller than the corresponding results from comparable tokamaks. (orig.)

Abstracts of 7th Ukrainian conference on controlled nuclear fusion and plasma physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

This conference discussed the main directions of plasma physics development in Ukraine. The experimental and theoretical research on stellarators and theoretical results of physical processes in tokamak plasma studied. The investigation of spherical tokamaks were plasma physics began

Compact stellarators as reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyon, J.F.; Valanju, P.; Zarnstorff, M.C.; Hirshman, S.; Spong, D.A.; Strickler, D.; Williamson, D.E.; Ware, A.

2001-01-01

Two types of compact stellarators are examined as reactors: two- and three-field-period (M=2 and 3) quasi-axisymmetric devices with volume-average =4-5% and M=2 and 3 quasi-poloidal devices with =10-15%. These low-aspect-ratio stellarator-tokamak hybrids differ from conventional stellarators in their use of the plasma-generated bootstrap current to supplement the poloidal field from external coils. Using the ARIES-AT model with B max =12T on the coils gives Compact Stellarator reactors with R=7.3-8.2m, a factor of 2-3 smaller R than other stellarator reactors for the same assumptions, and neutron wall loadings up to 3.7MWm -2 . (author)

Wisconsin torsatron/stellarator program, FY 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shohet, J.L.; Anderson, D.T.; Anderson, F.S.B.; Talmadge, J.N.

1988-07-01

This proposal documents recent activities within the University of Wisconsin-Madison Torsatron/Stellarator Laboratory and presents plans for future research activities for a three year period. Research efforts have focused on fundamental stellarator physics issues through experimental investigations on the Interchangeable Module Stellarator (IMS) and the Proto-Cleo Stellarator. Theoretical activities and studies of new configurations are being undertaken to support and broaden the experimental program. Experimental research at the Torsatron Stellarator Laboratory has been primarily concerned with effects induced through electron-cyclotron resonant frequency plasma production and heating in the IMS device. Plasma electric fields have been shown to play a major role in particle transport and confinement in IMS. ECRF heating at 6 kG has produced electron tail populations in agreement with Monte-Carlo models. Electric and magnetic fields have been shown to alter the particle flows to the IMS modular divertors. 48 refs

Targeted Optimization of Quasi-Symmetric Stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegna, Chris C.; Talmadge, J. N.

2016-01-01

The proposed research focuses on targeted areas of plasma physics dedicated to improving the stellarator concept. Research was pursued in the technical areas of edge/divertor physics in 3D configurations, magnetic island physics in stellarators, the role of 3D shaping on microinstabilities and turbulent transport and energetic ion confinement in stellarators.

Targeted Optimization of Quasi-Symmetric Stellarators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hegna, Chris C. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Dept. of Engineering Physics; Anderson, D. T. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Talmadge, J. N. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

2016-10-06

The proposed research focuses on targeted areas of plasma physics dedicated to improving the stellarator concept. Research was pursued in the technical areas of edge/divertor physics in 3D configurations, magnetic island physics in stellarators, the role of 3D shaping on microinstabilities and turbulent transport and energetic ion confinement in stellarators.

Analytical modeling of equilibrium of strongly anisotropic plasma in tokamaks and stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lepikhin, N. D.; Pustovitov, V. D.

2013-01-01

Theoretical analysis of equilibrium of anisotropic plasma in tokamaks and stellarators is presented. The anisotropy is assumed strong, which includes the cases with essentially nonuniform distributions of plasma pressure on magnetic surfaces. Such distributions can arise at neutral beam injection or at ion cyclotron resonance heating. Then the known generalizations of the standard theory of plasma equilibrium that treat p ‖ and p ⊥ (parallel and perpendicular plasma pressures) as almost constant on magnetic surfaces are not applicable anymore. Explicit analytical prescriptions of the profiles of p ‖ and p ⊥ are proposed that allow modeling of the anisotropic plasma equilibrium even with large ratios of p ‖ /p ⊥ or p ⊥ /p ‖ . A method for deriving the equation for the Shafranov shift is proposed that does not require introduction of the flux coordinates and calculation of the metric tensor. It is shown that for p ⊥ with nonuniformity described by a single poloidal harmonic, the equation for the Shafranov shift coincides with a known one derived earlier for almost constant p ⊥ on a magnetic surface. This does not happen in the other more complex case

Conditioning of TJ-II Stellarator during the ECRH Plasmas Period

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tafalla, D.; Tabares, F. L.

2001-01-01

The TJ-II stellarator has been conditioned by glow discharge (GD) during the first campaigns of operation, working only with ECR heating and all metal walls. The application of a He GD during the overnight period before the operation has been required in order to obtain reproducible discharges. However, the density control of the ECRH discharges was not possible because of the He implanted on the wall during GS. An short Ar GD(≤30 min) applied before the operation allows desorbes part of the implanted He. By applying this procedure (HeGD+ArGD), reproducible and density controlled plasmas have been achieved in H 2 and He. (Author) 20 refs

Edge and Plasma -Wall Interaction Diagnostics in the TJ-II Stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tabares, F. L.; Tafalla, D.; Branas, B.; Hidalgo, A.; Garcia-Cortes, I.; Lopez-Fraguas, A.; Ortiz, P.

2003-07-01

The operation of the TJ-II stellarator, carried out under ECR heating conditions until now, the plasma edge parameters and those processes has been identified. Therefore, an important , has implieda careful control of partied e sources and the associated plasma-wall interaction processes. A clear coupling between the plasma edge parameters and those processes has been identified. Therefore, an important effort has been devoted to the development of dedicated diagnostics in both fields. Remarkable success has been attained in the development of atomic-beam based edge diagnostics, namely, thermal Li and supersonic He beams. In particular, fast (up to 200 Hz) sampling of temperature and density profiles has been made possible thorough an upgraded version of the pulsed, supersonic He beam diagnostic. In this paper, whorl devoted to the upgrading of these techniques is described. Also, preliminary experiments oriented to the validation of the collisional radiative models use din the beam-based diagnostic interpretaron as well as simulations of Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) studies of level populations of electronically excited He atoms are shown. (Author) 17 refs.

Edge and Plasma-Wall Interaction Diagnostics in the TJ-II Stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tabares, F.L.; Tafalla, D.; Branas, B.; Hidalgo, A.; Garcia-Cortes, I.; Lopez-Fraguas, A.; Ortiz, P.

2003-01-01

The operation of the TJ-II stellarator, carried out under ECR heating conditions until now, the plasma edge parameters and those processes has been identified. Therefore, an important, has implied a careful control of partied e sources and the associated plasma-wall interaction processes. A clear coupling between the plasma edge parameters and those processes has been identified. Therefore, an important effort has been devoted to the development of dedicated diagnostics in both fields. Remarkable success has been attained in the development of atomic-beam based edge diagnostics, namely, thermal Li and supersonic He beams. In particular, fast (up to 200 Hz) sampling of temperature and density profiles has been made possible thorough an upgraded version of the pulsed, supersonic He beam diagnostic. In this paper, whorl devoted to the upgrading of these techniques is described. Also, preliminary experiments oriented to the validation of the collisional radiative models used in the beam-based diagnostic interpretaron as well as simulations of Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) studies of level populations of electronically excited He atoms are shown. (Author) 17 refs

Degradation of energy confinement or degradation of plasma-heating. What is the main definite process for Plasma transport in stellarator?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fedynin, O.I.; Andryuklina, E.D.

1995-01-01

The analysis of plasma energy balance in stellarators and tokamaks depends on the different assumptions made and may give different and even contradictory results. When assuming full power absorption by thermal plasmas, paradoxical results can be obtained: degradation of the energy confinement time with heating power as well as degradation of plasma thermal conductivity in very short times (t<< tau:E) during power modulation experiments are deduced. On the other hand, assuming that plasma transport characteristics do not change while pain plasma parameters (density and temperature, their gradients, etc.) are kept constant, leads to conclude that heating efficiency is not unity and that it depends on both, plasma parameters and heating power. In this case no contradiction is found when analyzing plasma energy balances. In this paper the results of ECRH experiments on L-2M will be presented. The experiments were aimed to try to answer this important question. Analyses of the fast processes occurring during the switch off phase of the ECR heating, modulation of the heating power, and specific plasma decay phase, have lead to the conclusion that plasma transport characteristics remaining unchanged during fast variations of the heating power is the correct assumption. 2 refs

Low edge safety factor operation and passive disruption avoidance in current carrying plasmas by the addition of stellarator rotational transform

Science.gov (United States)

Pandya, M. D.; ArchMiller, M. C.; Cianciosa, M. R.; Ennis, D. A.; Hanson, J. D.; Hartwell, G. J.; Hebert, J. D.; Herfindal, J. L.; Knowlton, S. F.; Ma, X.; Massidda, S.; Maurer, D. A.; Roberds, N. A.; Traverso, P. J.

2015-11-01

Low edge safety factor operation at a value less than two ( q (a )=1 /ι̷tot(a )routine on the Compact Toroidal Hybrid device with the addition of sufficient external rotational transform. Presently, the operational space of this current carrying stellarator extends down to q (a )=1.2 without significant n = 1 kink mode activity after the initial plasma current rise phase of the discharge. The disruption dynamics of these low edge safety factor plasmas depend upon the fraction of helical field rotational transform from external stellarator coils to that generated by the plasma current. We observe that with approximately 10% of the total rotational transform supplied by the stellarator coils, low edge q disruptions are passively suppressed and avoided even though q(a) disrupt, the instability precursors measured and implicated as the cause are internal tearing modes with poloidal, m, and toroidal, n, helical mode numbers of m /n =3 /2 and 4/3 observed on external magnetic sensors and m /n =1 /1 activity observed on core soft x-ray emissivity measurements. Even though the edge safety factor passes through and becomes much less than q(a) disruption phenomenology observed.

Determination of Plasma Screening Effects for Thermonuclear Reactions in Laser-generated Plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Yuanbin; Pálffy, Adriana, E-mail: yuanbin.wu@mpi-hd.mpg.de, E-mail: Palffy@mpi-hd.mpg.de [Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)

2017-03-20

Due to screening effects, nuclear reactions in astrophysical plasmas may behave differently than in the laboratory. The possibility to determine the magnitude of these screening effects in colliding laser-generated plasmas is investigated theoretically, having as a starting point a proposed experimental setup with two laser beams at the Extreme Light Infrastructure facility. A laser pulse interacting with a solid target produces a plasma through the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration scheme, and this rapidly streaming plasma (ion flow) impacts a secondary plasma created by the interaction of a second laser pulse on a gas jet target. We model this scenario here and calculate the reaction events for the astrophysically relevant reaction {sup 13}C({sup 4}He, n ){sup 16}O. We find that it should be experimentally possible to determine the plasma screening enhancement factor for fusion reactions by detecting the difference in reaction events between two scenarios of ion flow interacting with the plasma target and a simple gas target. This provides a way to evaluate nuclear reaction cross-sections in stellar environments and can significantly advance the field of nuclear astrophysics.

Experimental and neoclassical electron heat transport in the LMFP regime for the stellarators W7-A, L-2, and W7-AS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maassberg, H.; Burhenn, R.; Gasparino, U.; Kuehner, G.; Ringler, H.; Dyabilin, K.S.

1993-01-01

The electron energy balance is analyzed for equivalent low-density electron cyclotron resonance heated (ECRH) discharges with highly peaked central power deposition in the stellarators W7-A [Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 28, 43 (1986)], L-2 [Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, Berchtesgaden, 1976 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1977), Vol. 2, p. 115] and W7-AS [Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, Baltimore, 1982 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1983), Vol. 3, p. 141]. Within the long mean-free path (LMFP) collisionality regime in stellarators, the neoclassical electron heat diffusivity χ e can overcome the ''anomalous'' one. The neoclassical transport coefficients are calculated by the DKES code (Drift Kinetic Equation Solver) [Phys. Fluids 29, 2951 (1986); Phys. Fluids B 1, 563 (1989)] for these configurations, and the particle and energy fluxes are estimated based on measured density and temperature profiles

A mean field theory for the cold quark gluon plasma applied to stellar structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fogaca, D. A.; Navarra, F. S.; Franzon, B. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidade de Sao Paulo Rua do Matao, Travessa R, 187, 05508-090 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Horvath, J. E. [Instituto de Astronomia, Geofisica e Ciencias Atmosfericas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Rua do Matao, 1226, 05508-090, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2013-03-25

An equation of state based on a mean-field approximation of QCD is used to describe the cold quark gluon plasma and also to study the structure of compact stars. We obtain stellar masses compatible with the pulsar PSR J1614-2230 that was determined to have a mass of (1.97 {+-} 0.04 M{sub Circled-Dot-Operator }), and the corresponding radius around 10-11 km.

Plasma Mass Filters For Nuclear Waste Reprocessing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fetterman, Abraham J.; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2011-01-01

Practical disposal of nuclear waste requires high-throughput separation techniques. The most dangerous part of nuclear waste is the fission product, which contains the most active and mobile radioisotopes and produces most of the heat. We suggest that the fission products could be separated as a group from nuclear waste using plasma mass filters. Plasmabased processes are well suited to separating nuclear waste, because mass rather than chemical properties are used for separation. A single plasma stage can replace several stages of chemical separation, producing separate streams of bulk elements, fission products, and actinoids. The plasma mass filters may have lower cost and produce less auxiliary waste than chemical processing plants. Three rotating plasma configurations are considered that act as mass filters: the plasma centrifuge, the Ohkawa filter, and the asymmetric centrifugal trap.

Joint conference of 17th international Toki conference on physics of flows and turbulence in plasmas and 16th international stellarator/heliotron workshop 2007. Proceedings (2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The Joint Conference of 16th International Stellarator/Heliotron Workshop (ISHW) and 17th International Toki Conference (ITC) was held in Toki (Japan) October 15-19 2007 and organized by the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS). More than 200 experts in stellarator/heliotron research from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Ukraine and the United States of America gathered at the conference. The International Advisory committee chaired by O. Motojima, the International Program Committee (IPC) chaired by C. Hidalgo and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) chaired by H. Yamada have played the leading role in the elaboration of the scientific programme of the joint conference. This series of Stellarator Workshops is organized biennially in the framework of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Implementing Agreement on the Stellarator Concept. NIFS has organized the ITC as an annual meeting for fusion related sciences since its establishment in 1989. The IPC arranged 2 plenary talks, 1 review talk, 2 tutorial talks, 23 invited talks in addition to 201 contributed presentations. The driving force behind magnetically confined fusion research is the design of magnetic traps to confine high temperature plasmas of deuterium and tritium in reactor relevant conditions (i.e. to produce self-sustaining fusion reactions to release useful energy). Although next step magnetic confinement devices, such as ITER, will be based on the tokamak idea, it is not clear that a unique magnetic configuration will be the answer to the various possible applications of fusion energy and hence other magnetic confinement concepts should be explored. The stellarator is an alternative magnetic confinement concept, with the specific advantages of an intrinsically steady state magnetic field an disruption free operation. The 3D magnetic field geometry in stellarators needs an elaborate optimization to guarantee confinement properties which meet the basic

Joint conference of 17th international Toki conference on physics of flows and turbulence in plasmas and 16th international stellarator/heliotron workshop 2007. Proceedings (1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The Joint Conference of 16th International Stellarator/Heliotron Workshop (ISHW) and 17th International Toki Conference (ITC) was held in Toki (Japan) October 15-19 2007 and organized by the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS). More than 200 experts in stellarator/heliotron research from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Ukraine and the United States of America gathered at the conference. The International Advisory committee chaired by O. Motojima, the International Program Committee (IPC) chaired by C. Hidalgo and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) chaired by H. Yamada have played the leading role in the elaboration of the scientific programme of the joint conference. This series of Stellarator Workshops is organized biennially in the framework of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Implementing Agreement on the Stellarator Concept. NIFS has organized the ITC as an annual meeting for fusion related sciences since its establishment in 1989. The IPC arranged 2 plenary talks, 1 review talk, 2 tutorial talks, 23 invited talks in addition to 201 contributed presentations. The driving force behind magnetically confined fusion research is the design of magnetic traps to confine high temperature plasmas of deuterium and tritium in reactor relevant conditions (i.e. to produce self-sustaining fusion reactions to release useful energy). Although next step magnetic confinement devices, such as ITER, will be based on the tokamak idea, it is not clear that a unique magnetic configuration will be the answer to the various possible applications of fusion energy and hence other magnetic confinement concepts should be explored. The stellarator is an alternative magnetic confinement concept, with the specific advantages of an intrinsically steady state magnetic field an disruption free operation. The 3D magnetic field geometry in stellarators needs an elaborate optimization to guarantee confinement properties which meet the basic

Double-helix stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moroz, P.E.

1997-09-01

A new stellarator configuration, the Double-Helix Stellarator (DHS), is introduced. This novel configuration features a double-helix center post as the only helical element of the stellarator coil system. The DHS configuration has many unique characteristics. One of them is the extreme low plasma aspect ratio, A ∼ 1--1.2. Other advantages include a high enclosed volume, appreciable rotational transform, and a possibility of extreme-high-β MHD equilibria. Moreover, the DHS features improved transport characteristics caused by the absence of the magnetic field ripple on the outboard of the torus. Compactness, simplicity and modularity of the coil system add to the DHS advantages for fusion applications

Operational conditions and characteristics of ELM-events during H-mode plasmas in the stellarator W7-AS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirsch, M.; Grigull, P.; Wobig, H.; Kisslinger, J.; McCormick, K.; Anton, M.; Baldzuhn, J.; Fiedler, S.; Fuchs, Ch.; Geiger, J.; Giannone, L.; Hartfuss, H.-J.; Holzhauer, E.; Hirsch, M.; Jaenicke, R.; Kick, M.; Maassberg, H.; Wagner, F.; Weller, A.

2000-01-01

H-mode operation in the low-shear stellarator W7-AS is achieved for specific plasma edge topologies characterized by three 'operational windows' of the edge rotational transform. An explanation for this strong influence of the magnetic configuration could be the increase of viscous damping if rational surfaces and thus island structures occur within the relevant plasma edge layer, thereby impeding the development of an edge transport barrier. Prior to the final transition to a quiescent state, the plasma edge passes a rich phenomenology of dynamic behaviour such as dithering and ELMs. Plasma edge parameters indicate that a quiescent H-mode occurs if a certain edge pressure is achieved. (author)

Contribution IFJ PAN to the construction of the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator (2008 - 2009)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blocki, J.; Hajduk, L.; Kotula, J.; Stodulski, M.; Sulek, Z.

2010-05-01

The Wendelstein 7-X stellarator is now being assembled at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physic (IPP), Greifswald, Germany. The Agreement on Cooperation between the Max-Planck-Institut fur Plasmaphysik in Garching and the Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow (IFJ PAN) was signed off in 2007. The intention of the agreement is to cover the whole period of the W7-X construction. According to the agreement IFJ PAN has taken over the following tasks: 1. to assembly of the bus bar system powering the superconducting coils of the stellarator; 2. to take part in design of equipment used during handling, transportation and assembly of outer vessels; 3. to manufacture 30 polichromators used for plasma diagnostics. Task No 2 was completed in 2008 while tasks No 1 and 3 are to be continued. (authors)

Non-extensive statistical effects in nuclear many-body problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavagno, A.; Quarati, P.

2007-01-01

Density and temperature conditions in many stellar core and in the first stage of relativistic heavy-ion collisions imply the presence of non-ideal plasma effects with memory and long-range interactions between particles. Recent progress in statistical mechanics indicates that Tsallis non-extensive thermostatistics could be the natural generalization of the standard classical and quantum statistics, when memory effects and long range forces are not negligible. In this framework, we show that in weakly non-ideal plasma non-extensive effects should be taken into account to derive the equilibrium distribution functions, the quantum fluctuations and correlations between the particles. The strong influence of these effects is discussed in the context of the solar plasma physics and in the high-energy nuclear-nuclear collision experiments. Although the deviation from Boltzmann-Gibbs statistics, in both cases, is very small, the stellar plasma and the hadronic gas are strongly influenced by the non-extensive feature and the discrepancies between experimental data and theoretical previsions are sensibly reduced. (authors)

Direct nuclear reaction experiments for stellar nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cherubini, S.

2016-01-01

During the last two decades indirect methods where proposed and used in many experiments in order to measure nuclear cross sections between charged particles at stellar energies. These are among the lowest to be measured in nuclear physics. One of these methods, the Trojan Horse method, is based on the Quasi- Free reaction mechanism and has proved to be particularly flexible and reliable. It allowed for the measurement of the cross sections of various reactions of astrophysical interest using stable beams. The use and reliability of indirect methods become even more important when reactions induced by Radioactive Ion Beams are considered, given the much lower intensity generally available for these beams. The first Trojan Horse measurement of a process involving the use of a Radioactive Ion Beam dealt with the "1"8F(p,α)"1"5O process in Nova conditions. To obtain pieces of information on this process, in particular about its cross section at Nova energies, the Trojan Horse method was applied to the "1"8F(d,α "1"5O)n three body reaction. In order to establish the reliability of the Trojan Horse method approach, the Treiman-Yang criterion is an important test and it will be addressed briefly in this paper.

Helical post stellarator. Part 1: Vacuum configuration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moroz, P.E.

1997-08-01

Results on a novel type of stellarator configuration, the Helical Post Stellarator (HPS), are presented. This configuration is different significantly from all previously known stellarators due to its unique geometrical characteristics and unique physical properties. Among those are: the magnetic field has only one toroidal period (M = 1), the plasma has an extremely low aspect ratio, A ∼ 1, and the variation of the magnetic field, B, along field lines features a helical ripple on the inside of the torus. Among the main advantages of a HPS for a fusion program are extremely compact, modular, and simple design compatible with significant rotational transform, large plasma volume, and improved particle transport characteristics

Interferometric investigation methods of plasma spatial characteristics on stellarators and tokamaks in submillimeter region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berezhnyj, V.L.; Kononenko, V.I.; Epishin, V.A.; Topkov, A.N.

1992-01-01

The review of interferometric methods of plasma investigation in the wave submillimeter range is given. The diagnostic schemes in stellarators and tokamaks designed for experienced thermonuclear reactors and also the perspective ones, which are still out of practice, are shown. The methods of these diagnostics, their physical principles, the main possibilities and restrictions at changes of electron density, magnetic fields (currents) and their spatial distributions are described. 105 refs.; 9 figs.; 2 tables. (author)

Coronal seismology waves and oscillations in stellar coronae

CERN Document Server

Stepanov, Alexander; Nakariakov, Valery M

2012-01-01

This concise and systematic account of the current state of this new branch of astrophysics presents the theoretical foundations of plasma astrophysics, magneto-hydrodynamics and coronal magnetic structures, taking into account the full range of available observation techniques -- from radio to gamma. The book discusses stellar loops during flare energy releases, MHD waves and oscillations, plasma instabilities and heating and charged particle acceleration. Current trends and developments in MHD seismology of solar and stellar coronal plasma systems are also covered, while recent p

Two novel compact toroidal concepts with Stellarator features

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moroz, P.E.

1997-07-01

Two novel compact toroidal concepts are presented. One is the Stellarator-Spheromak (SSP) and another is the Extreme-Low-Aspect-Ratio Stellarator (ELARS). An SSP device represents a hybrid between a spherical stellarator (SS) and a spheromak. This configuration retains the main advantages of spheromaks ans has a potential for improving the spheromak concept regarding its main problems. The MHD equilibrium in an SSP with very high β of the confined plasma is demonstrated. Another concept, ELARS, represents an extreme limit of the SS approach, and considers devices with stellarator features and aspect ratios A ∼ 1. We have succeeded in finding ELARS configurations with extremely compact, modular, and simple design compatible with significant rotational transform, large plasma volume, and good particle transport characteristics

Alternative lines with magnetic plasma confinement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wobig, H.

1981-01-01

Plasma confinement with the aid of a magnetic field is the most common and also the most frequently investigated principle on the way to controlled nuclear fusion. Apart from the Tokamak principle, which is the most advanced principle as far as fusion-relevant plasma parameters are concerned, also other approaches are being investigated, e.g. the mirror device, the bumpy tons, and the stellarator. In principle, all three concepts permit 'stationary' plasma confinement in a stationary fusion reactor. Compared with the pulsed Tokamak reactor, this is a considerable advantage. (orig./GG) [de

Controllers for high-performance nuclear fusion plasmas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baar, de M.R.

2012-01-01

A succesful nuclear fusion reactor will confine plasma at hig temperatures and densities, with low thermal losses. The workhorse of the nuclear fusion community is the tokamak, a toroidal device in which plasmas are confined by poloidal and toroidal magnetic fields. Ideally, the confirming magnetic

Optimizing Stellarators for Turbulent Transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mynick, H.E.; Pomphrey, N.; Xanthopoulos, P.

2010-01-01

Up to now, the term 'transport-optimized' stellarators has meant optimized to minimize neoclassical transport, while the task of also mitigating turbulent transport, usually the dominant transport channel in such designs, has not been addressed, due to the complexity of plasma turbulence in stellarators. Here, we demonstrate that stellarators can also be designed to mitigate their turbulent transport, by making use of two powerful numerical tools not available until recently, namely gyrokinetic codes valid for 3D nonlinear simulations, and stellarator optimization codes. A first proof-of-principle configuration is obtained, reducing the level of ion temperature gradient turbulent transport from the NCSX baseline design by a factor of about 2.5.

Theory of diamagnetic signal in current-free stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pustovitov, Vladimir D.

2010-01-01

The toroidal magnetic flux through the plasma column is calculated analytically for current-free stellarators of arbitrary geometry without assumptions on the plasma shape, aspect ratio, etc. This is done with accuracy sufficient for extracting the contribution due to the finite plasma pressure from this flux. The final result is a formula relating the measured diamagnetic signal with β, the ratio of the plasma pressure to the magnetic pressure. This formula is obtained assuming small β and the relative depth of the magnetic well. These are natural conditions for stellarators, therefore the final result can be recommended for magnetic diagnostics without practical limitations. (author)

Research in nuclear astrophysics: stellar collapse and supernovae. Progress report, December 1, 1981-November 30, 1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazurek, T.J.; Lattimer, J.M.

1981-01-01

The implications of nuclear theory for the final collapse of massive stars will be examined. Development of an appropriate nuclear equation of state and its implementation in hydrodynamic studies will be continued. The influence of nuclear dissociation and neutrino emission on the formation and propagation of shocks will be studied. The long term evolution of collapsed stellar cores after the initial hydrodynamic bounce will be investigated. Neutrino production and emission in all phases will be derived. Potential effects of pion condensation and neutrino instabilities will be explored

Integrated concept development of next-step helical-axis advanced stellarators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Warmer, Felix

2016-04-13

With the increasing energy demand of mankind and the transformation of our society towards sustainability, nuclear fusion by magnetic confinement is a promising option for the sustainable electricity supply in the future. In view of these prospects this thesis focuses on the concept development of next-step helical-axis advanced stellarator (HELIAS) burning-plasma devices. The HELIAS-line is the continued development of the prototype optimised stellarator Wendelstein 7-X which started operation in 2015. For the integrated concept development of such devices, the approach taken in this work encompasses detailed physics and engineering considerations while also including economic aspects. Starting with physics considerations, the properties of plasma transport and confinement of 3D stellarator configurations are discussed due to their critical importance for the device design. It becomes clear that current empirical confinement time scalings are not sufficient to predict the confinement in future stellarator devices. Therefore, detailed 1D transport simulations are carried out to reduce the uncertainties regarding confinement. Beyond the well-validated neoclassical approach, first attempts are made to include results from state-of-the-art turbulence simulations into the 1D transport simulations to further enhance the predictive capabilities. Next, for the systematic development of consistent design points, stellarator-specific models are developed and implemented in the well-established European systems code PROCESS. This allows a consistent description of an entire HELIAS fusion power plant including physics, engineering, and economic considerations. With the confidence obtained from a verification study, systems studies are for the first time applied for a HELIAS power-plant which shows that the available design window is constrained by the beta-limit. Furthermore, an economic comparison of an exemplary design point to an ''equivalent'' tokamak

Electron internal transport barrier formation and dynamics in the plasma core of the TJ-II stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Estrada, T [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion por Confinamiento Magnetico, Asociacion Euratom-CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Krupnik, L [Institute of Plasma Physics, NSC ' KIPT' , Kharkov (Ukraine); Dreval, N [Institute of Plasma Physics, NSC ' KIPT' , Kharkov (Ukraine); Melnikov, A [Institute of Nuclear Fusion, RRC ' Kurchatov Institute' , Moscow, Russia (Russian Federation); Khrebtov, S M [Institute of Plasma Physics, NSC ' KIPT' , Kharkov (Ukraine); Hidalgo, C [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion por Confinamiento Magnetico, Asociacion Euratom-CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Milligen, B van [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion por Confinamiento Magnetico, Asociacion Euratom-CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Castejon, F [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion por Confinamiento Magnetico, Asociacion Euratom-CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); AscasIbar, E [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion por Confinamiento Magnetico, Asociacion Euratom-CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Eliseev, L [Institute of Nuclear Fusion, RRC ' Kurchatov Institute' , Moscow, Russia (Russian Federation); Chmyga, A A [Institute of Plasma Physics, NSC ' KIPT' , Kharkov (Ukraine); Komarov, A D [Institute of Plasma Physics, NSC ' KIPT' , Kharkov (Ukraine); Kozachok, A S [Institute of Plasma Physics, NSC ' KIPT' , Kharkov (Ukraine); Tereshin, V [Institute of Plasma Physics, NSC ' KIPT' , Kharkov (Ukraine)

2004-01-01

The influence of magnetic topology on the formation of electron internal transport barriers (e-ITBs) has been studied experimentally in electron cyclotron heated plasmas in the stellarator TJ-II. e-ITB formation is characterized by an increase in core electron temperature and plasma potential. The positive radial electric field increases by a factor of 3 in the central plasma region when an e-ITB forms. The experiments reported demonstrate that the formation of an e-ITB depends on the magnetic configuration. Calculations of the modification of the rotational transform due to plasma current lead to the interpretation that the formation of an e-ITB can be triggered by positioning a low order rational surface close to the plasma core region. In configurations without any central low order rational, no barrier is formed for any accessible value of heating power. Different mechanisms associated with neoclassical/turbulent bifurcations and kinetic effects are put forward to explain the impact of magnetic topology on radial electric fields and confinement.

Free-boundary Full-pressure Island Healing in a Stellarator: Coil-healing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudson, S.R.; Reiman, A.; Strickler, D.; Brooks, A.; Monticello, D.A.; Hirshman, S.P.

2002-01-01

The lack of axisymmetry in stellarators guarantees that in general magnetic islands and chaotic magnetic field lines will exist. As particle transport is strongly tied to the magnetic field lines, magnetic islands and chaotic field lines result in poor plasma confinement. For stellarators to be feasible candidates for fusion power stations it is essential that, to a good approximation, the magnetic field lines lie on nested flux-surfaces, and the suppression of magnetic islands is a critical issue for stellarator coil design, particularly for small aspect ratio devices. A procedure for modifying stellarator coil designs to eliminate magnetic islands in free-boundary full-pressure magnetohydrodynamic equilibria is presented. Islands may be removed from coil-plasma free-boundary equilibria by making small changes to the coil geometry and also by variation of trim coil currents. A plasma and coil design relevant to the National Compact Stellarator Experiment is used to illustrate the technique

Review of stellarator research world wide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shonet, J.L.

1987-01-01

The world-wide effort in stellarators has evolved considerably during the past few years. Stellarator facilities are located in the Australia, Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Dimensions of stellarators range from less than 20 centimeters in major radius to more than 2 meters, and magnetic field values between 0.2 Tesla to more than 3.0 Tesla. Stellarators are made in a variety of magnetic configurations with wide ranges of toroidal aspect ratios and methods of generating the stellarator magnetic surfaces. In particular, continuous helical coils, twisted modular coils, or twisted vacuum chambers all provide different means to generate nested toroidal magnetic surfaces without the need for currents flowing in the plasma. The goal of present day experiments is to accumulate a physics data base. This is being done by increasing electron and ion temperatures with non-ohmic heating, by transport and scaling studies considering neoclassical scaling, global scaling, effects of electric fields, the bootstrap current and magnetic islands. Higher betas are being attempted by designing suitable magnetic configurations, pellet injection and/or minimizing transport losses. Plasma-wall interactions and particle control are being examined by divertor, pumped-limiter and carbonization experiments

Sandwich structure of plasma edge during transition to improved confinement regime in L-2M stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shchepetov, S V; Kholnov, Yu V; Fedyanin, O I; Kuznetsov, A B; Vasilkov, D G; Akulina, D K; Batanov, G M; Gladkov, G A; Grebenshchikov, S E; Meshcheryakov, A I

2008-01-01

Transitions to the regime with better confinement in the L-2M stellarator are presented. Transitions are indicated only at sufficiently high plasma densities, and for a given value of average density they appear only at higher heating powers. Each transition is easily identified by a sudden fast ( e ). In the bulk of the plasma parameters evolve slowly. Drastic changes are observed in the region close to the plasma boundary where two moderate order rational magnetic surfaces are located with the rotational transform μ taking the values 2/3 and 3/4. Relative values of plasma parameters' fluctuations and their spectrum widths decrease significantly in this region. The region has a definite sandwich structure being subdivided by the above-named moderate order rational magnetic surfaces into three smaller zones with different plasma parameter dynamics. Transition is triggered by local disturbances of plasma parameters that are caused by instabilities in the vicinity of magnetic surfaces where μ is equal to 2/3 or 3/4. Different hypotheses on the nature of the phenomenon are discussed

Transient behaviour in the plasma core of TJ-II stellarator and its relation with rational surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Estrada, T.; Luna, E. de la; Ascasibar, E; Jimenez, J.A.; Castejon, F.; Garcia-Cortes, I.; Lopez-Fraguas, A.; Sanchez, J.; Tribaldos, V.

2002-01-01

A transient behaviour is observed in the plasma core of TJ-II stellarator with fast drops in the electron temperature. Changes in the line-averaged density are observed synchronized with temperature drops. This phenomenon appears in plasmas created and heated using 300 kW of electron cyclotron heating with high power density. The transient behaviour resembles both, the electric pulsation discovered in CHS and the 'electron root' feature reported by the W7-AS team. The flexibility and low magnetic shear of TJ-II have permitted the identification of the plasma current as the control parameter for the appearance of this phenomenon. The results obtained during the magnetic configuration scans carried out in TJ-II points to the hypothesis that the transient behaviour is connected with the presence of a rational surface close to the plasma centre. Equilibrium calculations performed with the VMEC code reinforce this hypothesis. (author)

Confinement and heating in modular and continuous coil stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, D.T.; Anderson, F.S.B.; Bonomo, R.L.

1983-01-01

Major efforts on the Proto-Cleo stellarator have focused on ICRH of a net current-free plasma, measurements of plasma secondary currents, RF heating by externally induced magnetic reconnection through the formation and destruction of an internal separatrix, and RF current drive experiments. Efforts on the Proto-Cleo torsatron have focused on electron heat conduction. A modular stellarator has been designed and is under fabrication at the University of Wisconsin. The Interchangeable Module Stellarator (IMS) is designed to approximate closely the magnetic properties of the existing Proto-Cleo stellarator as much as possible. Monte-Carlo transport calculations have been made in flux coordinates using model fields patterned after magnetic fields in Proto-Cleo and IMS. Plasma simulation techniques using a 2.5-dimensional particle-in-cell method have been utilized in a numerical search for the bootstrap current. A current is found which is proportional to temperature and density gradients but is independent of poloidal field. The behaviour of charged particles moving in a stellarator under the influence of a steady magnetic field is analysed in terms of the Hamiltonian of the moving particle and the technique of repeated canonical transformations to identify possible adiabatic invariants and drift motions. An improved theory of collisionless particle motion in stellarators has been developed for a family of stellarator configurations. The broad range of configurations encompassed by this family permits an understanding of the differences in numerically observed transport coefficients. Two procedures have been developed to calculate the bootstrap current in non-axisymmetric stellarators. In fully toroidal stellarators the flows and consequent bootstrap current are reduced from their axisymmetric values by a factor of order l slash-l/m in the Pfirsch-Schlueter regime. (author)

Eliminating Islands in High-pressure Free-boundary Stellarator Magnetohydrodynamic Equilibrium Solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudson, S.R.; Monticello, D.A.; Reiman, A.H.; Boozer, A.H.; Strickler, D.J.; Hirshman, S.P.; Zarnstorff, M.C.

2002-01-01

Magnetic islands in free-boundary stellarator equilibria are suppressed using a procedure that iterates the plasma equilibrium equations and, at each iteration, adjusts the coil geometry to cancel resonant fields produced by the plasma. The coils are constrained to satisfy certain measures of engineering acceptability and the plasma is constrained to ensure kink stability. As the iterations continue, the coil geometry and the plasma simultaneously converge to an equilibrium in which the island content is negligible. The method is applied with success to a candidate plasma and coil design for the National Compact Stellarator eXperiment [Physics of Plasma, 7 (2000) 1911

Hydromagnetic instability in a stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kruskal, M D; Gottlieb, M B; Johnson, J L; Goldman, L M [Project Matterhorn, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (United States)

1958-07-01

It was noted that when there is a uniform externally imposed longitudinal field much larger than the field of the discharge current, one should expect instabilities in the form of a lateral displacement of the plasma column into a helix of large pitch. At the wavelength of fastest growth the e-folding time approximates the time it takes a sound wave in the plasma to traverse the radius of the plasma column. This problem has been re-examines under the conditions which might be expected to occur in the stellarator during ohmic heating, including the presence of external conductors. The theory is applied to the stellarator; and it is shown that the external conductors are in fact unimportant. The important effects due to the finite length of the Machine are discussed and the effects of more general current distributions are considered. The results from the experiments are given.

Effect of finite β on stellarator transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mynick, H.E.

1984-04-01

A theory of the modification of stellarator transport due to the presence of finite plasma pressure is developed, and applied to a range of stellarator configurations. For many configurations of interest, plasma transport can change by more than an order of magnitude in the progression from zero pressure to the equilibrium β limit of the device. Thus, a stellarator with transport-optimized vacuum fields can have poor confinement at the desired operating β. Without an external compensating field, increasing β tends to degrade confinement, unless the initial field structure is very carefully chosen. The theory permits one to correctly determine this vacuum structure, in terms of the desired structure of the field at a prescribed operating β. With a compensating external field, the deleterious effect of finite β on transport can be partially eliminated

Diagnostics Plan for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D. Johnson; T. Brown; H. Neilson; G. Schilling; H. Takahashi; M. Zarnstorff; M. Cole; E. Lazarus; and M. Fenstermacher

2002-01-01

The National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) is a stellarator-tokamak hybrid seeking to combine the good confinement, high beta and moderate aspect ratio of the tokamak with the quasi-steady-state operation and good stability properties of the stellarator. A preliminary list of measurement requirements, intended to satisfy the needs of the phased research plan, provides the basis for a full complement of plasma diagnostics. It is important to consider this full set, even at this early stage, to assess the adequacy of the stellarator design for diagnostic port access. The 3-D nature of the plasma is a measurement challenge, as is the necessity for high spatial resolution to assess the quality of magnetic surfaces. Other diagnostic requirements include the need for re-entrant views that penetrate the cryostat, for a convenient e-beam probe for field line mapping, and for a diagnostic neutral beam for active spectroscopy

Two-fluid limits on stellarator performance: Explanation of three stellarator puzzles and comparison to axisymmetric plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugiyama, L.E.; Strauss, H.R.; Park, W.; Fu, G.Y.; Breslau, J.A.; Chen, J.

2005-01-01

The basic two-fluid processes, those related to the nonlinearly self-consistent diamagnetic drifts of the electrons and ions, are shown to have fundamentally different effects on the steady state and beta limits of stellarator configurations, compared to MHD predictions. Nonlinear numerical simulation shows that the ideal MHD ballooning modes and the resistive MHD ballooning and interchange modes at relatively high mode numbers, that set the most severe theoretical limits on beta in stellarators with fixed boundary, are easily stabilized by two-fluid effects at realistic parameters, including finite Larmor radius effects related to the ion diamagnetic drift. Magnetic reconnection at low-order rational magnetic surfaces, on the other hand, is enhanced through the parallel component of the two-fluid electron pressure gradient in Ohm's law. The accelerated reconnection rates may impose the true intrinsic limit on beta in stellarators, as a 'soft' or confinement mediated limit in β e , due to steady confinement degradation in the presence of large magnetic islands. Study of the corresponding axisymmetric configurations shows that the helical component of the stellarator configuration provides an important amplifying factor for these effects. The two-fluid results may explain several previously puzzling experimental observations on stellarator behavior. (author)

Role of rational surfaces on fluctuations and transport in the plasma edge of the TJ-II stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedrosa, M.A.; Hidalgo, C.; Lopez-Fraguas, A.

2000-01-01

It has been shown that transport barriers in toroidal magnetically confined plasmas tend to be linked to regions of unique magnetic topology such as the location of a minimum in the safety factor, rational surfaces or the boundary between closed and open flux surfaces. In the absence of E x B sheared flows, fluctuations are expected to show maximum amplitude near rational surfaces, and plasma confinement might tend to deteriorate. On the other hand, if the generation of E x B sheared flows were linked to low order rational surfaces, these would be beneficial to confinement. Experimental evidence of E x B sheared flows linked to rational surfaces has been obtained in the plasma edge region of the TJ-II stellarator. (author)

PLASMA SLOSHING IN PULSE-HEATED SOLAR AND STELLAR CORONAL LOOPS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reale, F., E-mail: fabio.reale@unipa.it [Dipartimento di Fisica and Chimica, Università di Palermo, Piazza del Parlamento 1, I-90134 Palermo (Italy)

2016-08-01

There is evidence that coronal heating is highly intermittent, and flares are the high energy extreme. The properties of the heat pulses are difficult to constrain. Here, hydrodynamic loop modeling shows that several large amplitude oscillations (∼20% in density) are triggered in flare light curves if the duration of the heat pulse is shorter than the sound crossing time of the flaring loop. The reason for this is that the plasma does not have enough time to reach pressure equilibrium during heating, and traveling pressure fronts develop. The period is a few minutes for typical solar coronal loops, dictated by the sound crossing time in the decay phase. The long period and large amplitude make these oscillations different from typical magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. This diagnostic can be applied both to observations of solar and stellar flares and to future observations of non-flaring loops at high resolution.

Application of plasma technology to nuclear engineering fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Masaaki; Akatsuka, Hiroshi

1996-01-01

In order to discuss about the application of the plasma technology to nuclear engineering fields, we mention two subjects, the oxygenation of metal chloride waste by oxygen plasma and the characterization of fine particles generated in the plasma process. Through the experimental results of two subjects, both of the advantage and the disadvantage of the plasma technology and their characteristics are shown and discussed. The following conclusions are obtained. The reactive plasma is effective to oxygenate the chloride wastes. The particle generation which is one of the disadvantages must not be specialized and its characteristics can be estimated. Consequently, the plasma technology should be applicable to nuclear engineering fields adopting its advantage and overcoming its disadvantage. (author)

Plasma filtering techniques for nuclear waste remediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gueroult, Renaud; Hobbs, David T; Fisch, Nathaniel J

2015-10-30

Nuclear waste cleanup is challenged by the handling of feed stocks that are both unknown and complex. Plasma filtering, operating on dissociated elements, offers advantages over chemical methods in processing such wastes. The costs incurred by plasma mass filtering for nuclear waste pretreatment, before ultimate disposal, are similar to those for chemical pretreatment. However, significant savings might be achieved in minimizing the waste mass. This advantage may be realized over a large range of chemical waste compositions, thereby addressing the heterogeneity of legacy nuclear waste. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-similarity of fluctuation particle fluxes in the plasma edge of the stellarator L-2M

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saenko, V.V. [Ulyanovsk State University, Leo Tolstoy str., 42, Ulyanovsk (Russian Federation)

2010-05-15

Results are presented of statistical studies of probability density of fluctuations of plasma density, floating potential, and turbulent particle fluxes measured by a Langmuir probe in the edge plasma of the L-2M stellarator. Empirical probability densities differ from Gaussian distributions. The empirical probability density distributions have heavy tails decreasing as x{sup -{alpha}}{sup -1} and are leptokurtic. Fractional stable distributions were successfully applied to describing such distributions. It is shown that fractional stable distributions give good fit to the distri-butions of increments of fluctuation amplitudes of physical variables under study. The distribution parameters are statistically estimated from measured time sequences (copyright 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Self-similarity of fluctuation particle fluxes in the plasma edge of the stellarator L-2M

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saenko, V.V.

2010-01-01

Results are presented of statistical studies of probability density of fluctuations of plasma density, floating potential, and turbulent particle fluxes measured by a Langmuir probe in the edge plasma of the L-2M stellarator. Empirical probability densities differ from Gaussian distributions. The empirical probability density distributions have heavy tails decreasing as x -α-1 and are leptokurtic. Fractional stable distributions were successfully applied to describing such distributions. It is shown that fractional stable distributions give good fit to the distri-butions of increments of fluctuation amplitudes of physical variables under study. The distribution parameters are statistically estimated from measured time sequences (copyright 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Edge transport barrier modification in the L-2M stellarator depending on the heating power and plasma parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voronov, G S; Voronova, E V; Akulina, D K; Gladkov, G A

2006-01-01

Boronization of the vacuum chamber of the L-2M stellarator has resulted in modification of the electron temperature profile. In particular, a well-defined jump in the electron temperature to T e ∼ 100 eV in a narrow region Δr/r ∼ 0.05 is observed in the temperature profile at the plasma edge. In the present paper, the value and shape of the jump in T e are studied at different values of plasma parameters and ECR heating power. A jump in T e is absent at a power of P ∼ 100 kW, whereas at P ∼ 200 kW the electron temperature drops from 150 eV to zero within Δr ∼ 0.5 cm. The value of threshold power for the formation of a jump in T e at n e ∼ 1.7 x 10 19 m -3 lies within the range P ∼ 100-160 kW. In terms of power per particle this power threshold is P/V/N e ∼ 0.2-0.3 Mw/m 3 /10 19 m -3 , the value of which coincides with threshold power for ETB formation found recently in the CHS stellarator. When the helical-field strength is 25% or 50% below its standard value, a jump in T e at the plasma edge in L-2M is absent

Effect of Ambipolar Plasma Flow on the Penetration of Resonant Magnetic Perturbations in a Quasi-axisymmetric Stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiman, A.; Zarnstorff, M.; Mikkelsen, D.; Owen, L.; Mynick, H.; Hudson, S.; Monticello, D.

2005-01-01

A reference equilibrium for the U.S. National Compact Stellarator Experiment is predicted to be sufficiently close to quasi-symmetry to allow the plasma to flow in the toroidal direction with little viscous damping, yet to have sufficiently large deviations from quasi-symmetry that nonambipolarity significantly affects the physics of the shielding of resonant magnetic perturbations by plasma flow. The unperturbed velocity profile is modified by the presence of an ambipolar potential, which produces a broad velocity profile. In the presence of a resonant magnetic field perturbation, nonambipolar transport produces a radial current, and the resulting j x B force resists departures from the ambipolar velocity and enhances the shielding

Compact stellar object: the formation and structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duarte, S.B. [Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas (CBPF/MCT), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2012-07-01

Full text: The formation of compact objects is viewed at the final stages of stellar evolution. The supernova explosion events are then focalized to explain the formation of pulsars, hybrid neutron star and the limit case of the latter, the quark stars. We discuss the stability and structure of these objects in connection with the properties of the hadron and quark-gluon plasma equation of state. The hadron-quark phase transition in deep interior of these objects is discussed taking into account the implications on the density distribution of matter along the radial direction. The role of neutrinos confinement in the ultradense stellar medium in the early stages of pulsar formation is another interesting aspect to be mentioned in this presentation. Recent results for maximum mass of compact stellar objects for different forms of equations of state will be shown, presenting some theoretical predictions for maximum mass of neutron stars allowed by different equations of state assigned to dense stellar medium. Although a density greater than few times the nuclear equilibrium density appears in deep interior of the core, at the crust the density decreases by several orders of magnitude where a variety of hadronic states appears, the 'pasta'-states of hadrons. More externally, a lattice of nuclei can be formed permeated not only by electrons but also by a large amount of free neutrons and protons. These are possible structure of neutron star crust to have the density and pressures with null values at the neutron star surface. The ultimate goal of this talk is to give a short view of the compact star area for students and those who are introducing in this subject. (author)

Convective equilibrium and mixing-length theory for stellarator reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, D.D.M.; Kulsrud, R.M.

1985-09-01

In high β stellarator and tokamak reactors, the plasma pressure gradient in some regions of the plasma may exceed the critical pressure gradient set by ballooning instabilities. In these regions, convective cells break out to enhance the transport. As a result, the pressure gradient can rise only slightly above the critical gradient and the plasma is in another state of equilibrium - ''convective equilibrium'' - in these regions. Although the convective transport cannot be calculated precisely, it is shown that the density and temperature profiles in the convective region can still be estimated. A simple mixing-length theory, similar to that used for convection in stellar interiors, is introduced in this paper to provide a qualitative description of the convective cells and to show that the convective transport is highly efficient. A numerical example for obtaining the density and temperature profiles in a stellarator reactor is given

W7-AS contributions to: 10. topical conference on radio frequency power in plasmas, Boston, 1993 - Local transport studies on fusion plasmas, Varenna, 1993 - 5. European theory conference, El Escorial, 1993 - 4. int. workshop on plasma edge theory in fusion devices, Varenna, 1993 - 5. international Toki conference on plasma physics and controlled nuclear fusion, physics and technology of plasma heating and current drive, Toki, 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-03-01

The report contains the following contribution (titles and authors): High Power 140 GHz ECRH Experiments on W7-AS (V. Erckmann); Heat Wave Studies on W7-AS Stellarator (H.J. Hartfuss); Evidence for Temperature Fluctuations in the W7-AS Stellarator (H.J. Hartfuss); Transient Transport Studies in W7-AS (U. Stroth); Open Magnetic Surfaces for Modelling Plasma Transport in the Boundary of Stellarators (F. Sardei); Electron Cyclotron Current Drive and Bootstrap Current (U. Gasparino); Parametrization of Open Magnetic Structures for Modelling Plasma Transport in the Boundary of W7-AS (F. Sardei); 140 GHz ECRH Experiments at the W7-AS Stellarator (V. Erckmann); H.-Mode of W7-AS Stellarator (F. Wagner); New Subjects of H-Mode (F. Wagner); Recent Results with 140 GHz ECRH at the W7-AS Stellarator (V. Erckmann). (orig./HP)

Constructing a small modular stellarator in Latin America

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vargas, V I; Mora, J; Asenjo, J; Zamora, E; Otárola, C; Barillas, L; Carvajal-Godínez, J; González-Gómez, J; Soto-Soto, C; Piedras, C

2015-01-01

This paper aims at briefly describing the design and construction issues of the stellarator of Costa Rica 1 (SCR-1). The SCR-1 is a small modular stellarator for magnetic confinement of plasma developed by the Plasma Laboratory for Fusion Energy and Applications of the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (ITCR). SCR-1 will be a 2-field period small modular stellarator with an aspect ratio > 4.4; low shear configuration with core and edge rotational transform equal to 0.32 and 0.28; it will hold plasma in a 6061-T6 aluminum torus shaped vacuum vessel with an minor plasma radius 54.11 mm, a volume of 13.76 liters (0.01 m3), and major radius R = 238 mm. Plasma will be confined in the volume by on axis magnetic field 43.8 mT generated by 12 modular coils with 6 turns each, carrying a current of 767.8 A per turn providing a total toroidal field (TF) current of 4.6 kA-turn per coil. The coils will be supplied by a bank of cell batteries of 120 V. Typical length of the plasma pulse will be between 4 s to 10 s. The SCR-1 plasmas will be heated by ECH second harmonic at 2.45 GHz with a plasma density cut-off value of 7.45 × 10 16 m -3 . Two magnetrons with a maximum output power of 2 kW and 3 kW will be used. (paper)

8. stellarator workshop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-07-01

The technical reports in this collection of papers were presented at the 8th International Workshop on Stellarators, and International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Committee Meeting. They include presentations on transport, magnetic configurations, fluctuations, equilibrium, stability, edge plasma and wall aspects, heating, diagnostics, new concepts and reactor studies. Refs, figs and tabs

The WEGA Stellarator: Results and Prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otte, M.; Andruczyk, D.; Koenig, R.; Laqua, H. P.; Lischtschenko, O.; Marsen, S.; Schacht, J.; Podoba, Y. Y.; Wagner, F.; Warr, G. B.; Holzhauer, E.; Howard, J.; Krupnik, L.; Zhezhera, A.; Urban, J.; Preinhalter, J.

2008-01-01

In this article an overview is given on results from magnetic flux surface measurements, applied ECR heating scenarios for 2.45 GHz and 28 GHz, fluctuation and transport studies and plasma edge biasing experiments performed in the WEGA stellarator. Examples for the development of new diagnostics and the machine control system are given that will be used at Wendelstein 7-X stellarator, which is currently under construction in Greifswald

Microwave heating and diagnostic of suprathermal electrons in an overdense stellarator plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stange, Torsten

2014-01-01

The resonant coupling of microwaves into a magnetically confined plasma is one of the fundamental methods for the heating of such plasmas. Identifying and understanding the processes of the heating of overdense plasmas, in which the wave propagation is generally not possible because the wave frequency is below the plasma frequency, is becoming increasingly important for high density fusion plasmas. This work focuses on the heating of overdense plasmas in the WEGA stellarator. The excitation of electron Bernstein waves, utilizing the OXB-conversion process, provides a mechanism for the wave to reach the otherwise not accessible resonant absorption layer. In WEGA these OXB-heated plasmas exhibit a suprathermal electron component with energies up to 80 keV. The fast electrons are located in the plasma center and have a Maxwellian energy distribution function within the soft X-ray related energy range. The corresponding averaged energy is a few keV. The OXB-discharges are accompanied by a broadband microwave radiation spectrum with radiation temperatures of the order of keV. Its source was identified as a parametric decay of the heating wave and has no connection to the suprathermal electron component. For the detailed investigation of the microwave emission, a quasioptical mirror system, optimized for the OX-conversion, has been installed. Based on the measurement of the broadband microwave stray radiation of the decay process, the OX-conversion efficiency has been determined to 0.56 being in good agreement with full-wave calculations. In plasmas without an electron cyclotron resonance, corresponding to the wave frequency used, non-resonant heating mechanisms have been identified in the overdense plasma regions. Whistler waves or R-like waves are the only propagable wave types within the overdense plasmas. The analysis of the heating efficiency in dependence on the magnetic flux density leads to tunneling as the most probable coupling mechanism. For the determination

Enhanced nuclear level decay in hot dense plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gosselin, G.; Morel, P.

2004-01-01

A model of nuclear level decay in a plasma environment is described. Nuclear excitation and decay by photon processes, nuclear excitation by electron capture, and decay by internal conversion are taken into account. The electrons in the plasma are described by a relativistic average atom model for the bound electrons and by a relativistic Thomas-Fermi-Dirac model for the free electrons. Nuclear decay of isomeric level may be enhanced through an intermediate level lying above the isomer. An enhanced nuclear decay rate may occur for temperatures far below the excitation energy of the transition to the intermediate level. In most cases, the enhancement factor may reach several decades

Plea for stellarator funding raps tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blake, M.

1992-01-01

The funding crunch in magnetic confinement fusion development has moved the editor of a largely technical publication to speak out on a policy issue. James A. Rome, who edits Stellarator News from the Fusion Energy Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, wrote an editorial that appeared on the front page of the May 1992 issue. It was titled open-quotes The US Stellarator Program: A Time for Renewal,close quotes and while it focused chiefly on that subject (and lamented the lack of funding for the operation of the existing ATF stellarator at Oak Ridge), it also cited some of the problems inherent in the mainline MCF approach--the tokamak--and stated that if the money can be found for further tokamak design upgrades, it should also be found for stellarators. Rome wrote, open-quotes There is growing recognition in the US, and elsewhere, that the conventional tokamak does not extrapolate to a commercially competitive energy source except with very high field coils ( 1000 MWe).close quotes He pointed up open-quotes the difficulty of simultaneously satisfying conflicting tokamak requirements for efficient current drive, high bootstrap-current fraction, complete avoidance of disruptions, adequate beta limits, and edge-plasma properties compatible with improved (H-mode) confinement and acceptable erosion of divertor plates.close quotes He then called for support for the stellarator as open-quotes the only concept that has performance comparable to that achieved in tokamaks without the plasma-current-related limitations listed above.close quotes

Experimental investigation of opacity models for stellar interior, inertial fusion, and high energy density plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, J. E.; Rochau, G. A.; Mancini, R. C.; Iglesias, C. A.; MacFarlane, J. J.; Golovkin, I. E.; Blancard, C.; Cosse, Ph.; Faussurier, G.

2009-01-01

Theoretical opacities are required for calculating energy transport in plasmas. In particular, understanding stellar interiors, inertial fusion, and Z pinches depends on the opacities of mid-atomic-number elements over a wide range of temperatures. The 150-300 eV temperature range is particularly interesting. The opacity models are complex and experimental validation is crucial. For example, solar models presently disagree with helioseismology and one possible explanation is inadequate theoretical opacities. Testing these opacities requires well-characterized plasmas at temperatures high enough to produce the ion charge states that exist in the sun. Typical opacity experiments heat a sample using x rays and measure the spectrally resolved transmission with a backlight. The difficulty grows as the temperature increases because the heating x-ray source must supply more energy and the backlight must be bright enough to overwhelm the plasma self-emission. These problems can be overcome with the new generation of high energy density (HED) facilities. For example, recent experiments at Sandia's Z facility [M. K. Matzen et al., Phys. Plasmas 12, 055503 (2005)] measured the transmission of a mixed Mg and Fe plasma heated to 156±6 eV. This capability will also advance opacity science for other HED plasmas. This tutorial reviews experimental methods for testing opacity models, including experiment design, transmission measurement methods, accuracy evaluation, and plasma diagnostics. The solar interior serves as a focal problem and Z facility experiments illustrate the techniques.

Fundamentals of plasma physics and controlled fusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miyamoto, Kenro

2000-10-01

The present lecture note was written to fill a gap between text books for undergraduates and specific review articles written by specialists for their young colleagues. The note may be divided in three parts. The first part is on basic characteristics of a plasma in a magnetic field. The second part describes plasma confinement and heating with an emphasis on magnetohydrodynamic instabilities. In addition, propagation of plasma waves, plasma heating by electromagnetic waves are given. The third part is devoted to various specific concepts of nuclear fusion. Emphases are placed on toroidal devices, especially on tokamak devices and stellarators. One might feel heavy mathematics glimpsing the present note, especially in the part treating magnetohydrodynamic instabilities. (author)

The visible intensified cameras for plasma imaging in the TJ-II stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cal, E. de la; Carralero, D.; Pablos, J.L. de; Alonso, A.; Rios, L.; Garcia Sanchez, P.; Hidalgo, C.

2011-01-01

Visible cameras are widely used in fusion experiments for diagnosis and for machine safety issues. They are generally used to monitor the plasma emission, but are also sensible to surface Blackbody radiation and Bremsstrahlung. Fast or high speed cameras capable of operating in the 10 5 frames per second speed range are today commercially available and offer the opportunity to plasma fusion researchers of two-dimensional (2D) imaging of fast phenomena such as turbulence, ELMs, disruptions, dust, etc. The tracking of these fast phenomena requires short exposure times down to the μ s range and the light intensity can be often near the signal to noise ratio limit especially in low plasma emission regions such as the far SOL Additionally, when using interference filters to monitor, e.g. impurity line emission, the photon flux is strongly reduced and the emission cannot be imaged at high speed. Therefore, the use of image intensifiers that amplify the light intensity onto the camera sensor can be of great help. The present work describes the use of intensifiers in the visible fast cameras of TJ-II stellarator. We have achieved spectroscopic plasma imaging of filtered impurity atomic line emission at short exposure times down to the 10 μ s range depending on atomic line and concentration. Additionally, plasma movies at velocities of 2x10 5 frames per second near the camera operation limit can be recorded with exposure times well below 1 μ s with sufficient signal to noise ratio. Although an increasing degradation of the image quality appears when raising the light amplification, an effective gain of up to two orders of magnitude of the light intensity is feasible for many applications (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

The visible intensified cameras for plasma imaging in the TJ-II stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cal, E. de la; Carralero, D.; Pablos, J.L. de; Alonso, A.; Rios, L.; Garcia Sanchez, P.; Hidalgo, C. (Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion, Asociacion Euratom-Ciemat, Av. Complutense 22, E-28040 Madrid)

2011-09-15

Visible cameras are widely used in fusion experiments for diagnosis and for machine safety issues. They are generally used to monitor the plasma emission, but are also sensible to surface Blackbody radiation and Bremsstrahlung. Fast or high speed cameras capable of operating in the 10{sup 5} frames per second speed range are today commercially available and offer the opportunity to plasma fusion researchers of two-dimensional (2D) imaging of fast phenomena such as turbulence, ELMs, disruptions, dust, etc. The tracking of these fast phenomena requires short exposure times down to the {mu} s range and the light intensity can be often near the signal to noise ratio limit especially in low plasma emission regions such as the far SOL Additionally, when using interference filters to monitor, e.g. impurity line emission, the photon flux is strongly reduced and the emission cannot be imaged at high speed. Therefore, the use of image intensifiers that amplify the light intensity onto the camera sensor can be of great help. The present work describes the use of intensifiers in the visible fast cameras of TJ-II stellarator. We have achieved spectroscopic plasma imaging of filtered impurity atomic line emission at short exposure times down to the 10 {mu} s range depending on atomic line and concentration. Additionally, plasma movies at velocities of 2x10{sup 5} frames per second near the camera operation limit can be recorded with exposure times well below 1 {mu} s with sufficient signal to noise ratio. Although an increasing degradation of the image quality appears when raising the light amplification, an effective gain of up to two orders of magnitude of the light intensity is feasible for many applications (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Research in nuclear astrophysics: stellar collapse and supernovae: Annual performance report, December 1, 1987--November 30, 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lattimer, J.M.; Yahil, A.

1988-01-01

This annual performance report summarizes the activity in the nuclear astrophysics research program in the Earth and Space Scienes Department at Stony Brook. The central themes in the projects that comprise this program are supernovae, neutron star formation, and the equation of state of hot, dense metter. There is a close coupling between the physics of nuclear matter and weak interactions on the one hand, and supernovae and neutron stars on the other. The properties of nuclear matter might at present best be delineated by astrophysical considerations. We have been active in researching both the nuclear physics of the equation of state and the astrophysics of stellar collapse, neutrino emission, and neutron star formation. 11 refs

Physics of Compact Advanced Stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zarnstorff, M.C.; Berry, L.A.; Brooks, A.; Fredrickson, E.; Fu, G.-Y.; Hirshman, S.; Hudson, S.; Ku, L.-P.; Lazarus, E.; Mikkelsen, D.; Monticello, D.; Neilson, G.H.; Pomphrey, N.; Reiman, A.; Spong, D.; Strickler, D.; Boozer, A.; Cooper, W.A.; Goldston, R.; Hatcher, R.; Isaev, M.; Kessel, C.; Lewandowski, J.; Lyon, J.; Merkel, P.; Mynick, H.; Nelson, B.E.; Nuehrenberg, C.; Redi, M.; Reiersen, W.; Rutherford, P.; Sanchez, R.; Schmidt, J.; White, R.B.

2001-01-01

Compact optimized stellarators offer novel solutions for confining high-beta plasmas and developing magnetic confinement fusion. The 3-D plasma shape can be designed to enhance the MHD stability without feedback or nearby conducting structures and provide drift-orbit confinement similar to tokamaks. These configurations offer the possibility of combining the steady-state low-recirculating power, external control, and disruption resilience of previous stellarators with the low-aspect ratio, high beta-limit, and good confinement of advanced tokamaks. Quasi-axisymmetric equilibria have been developed for the proposed National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) with average aspect ratio 4-4.4 and average elongation of approximately 1.8. Even with bootstrap-current consistent profiles, they are passively stable to the ballooning, kink, vertical, Mercier, and neoclassical-tearing modes for beta > 4%, without the need for external feedback or conducting walls. The bootstrap current generates only 1/4 of the magnetic rotational transform at beta = 4% (the rest is from the coils), thus the equilibrium is much less nonlinear and is more controllable than similar advanced tokamaks. The enhanced stability is a result of ''reversed'' global shear, the spatial distribution of local shear, and the large fraction of externally generated transform. Transport simulations show adequate fast-ion confinement and thermal neoclassical transport similar to equivalent tokamaks. Modular coils have been designed which reproduce the physics properties, provide good flux surfaces, and allow flexible variation of the plasma shape to control the predicted MHD stability and transport properties

Turbulence optimisation in stellarator experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Proll, Josefine H.E. [Max-Planck/Princeton Center for Plasma Physics (Germany); Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, Wendelsteinstr. 1, 17491 Greifswald (Germany); Faber, Benjamin J. [HSX Plasma Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Helander, Per; Xanthopoulos, Pavlos [Max-Planck/Princeton Center for Plasma Physics (Germany); Lazerson, Samuel A.; Mynick, Harry E. [Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, P.O. Box 451 Princeton, New Jersey 08543-0451 (United States)

2015-05-01

Stellarators, the twisted siblings of the axisymmetric fusion experiments called tokamaks, have historically suffered from confining the heat of the plasma insufficiently compared with tokamaks and were therefore considered to be less promising candidates for a fusion reactor. This has changed, however, with the advent of stellarators in which the laminar transport is reduced to levels below that of tokamaks by shaping the magnetic field accordingly. As in tokamaks, the turbulent transport remains as the now dominant transport channel. Recent analytical theory suggests that the large configuration space of stellarators allows for an additional optimisation of the magnetic field to also reduce the turbulent transport. In this talk, the idea behind the turbulence optimisation is explained. We also present how an optimised equilibrium is obtained and how it might differ from the equilibrium field of an already existing device, and we compare experimental turbulence measurements in different configurations of the HSX stellarator in order to test the optimisation procedure.

Constructing Integrable High-pressure Full-current Free-boundary Stellarator Magnetohydrodynamic Equilibrium Solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudson, S.R.; Monticello, D.A.; Reiman, A.H.; Strickler, D.J.; Hirshman, S.P.; Ku, L-P; Lazarus, E.; Brooks, A.; Zarnstorff, M.C.; Boozer, A.H.; Fu, G-Y.; Neilson, G.H.

2003-01-01

For the (non-axisymmetric) stellarator class of plasma confinement devices to be feasible candidates for fusion power stations it is essential that, to a good approximation, the magnetic field lines lie on nested flux surfaces; however, the inherent lack of a continuous symmetry implies that magnetic islands responsible for breaking the smooth topology of the flux surfaces are guaranteed to exist. Thus, the suppression of magnetic islands is a critical issue for stellarator design, particularly for small aspect ratio devices. Pfirsch-Schluter currents, diamagnetic currents, and resonant coil fields contribute to the formation of magnetic islands, and the challenge is to design the plasma and coils such that these effects cancel. Magnetic islands in free-boundary high-pressure full-current stellarator magnetohydrodynamic equilibria are suppressed using a procedure based on the Princeton Iterative Equilibrium Solver [Reiman and Greenside, Comp. Phys. Comm. 43 (1986) 157] which iterate s the equilibrium equations to obtain the plasma equilibrium. At each iteration, changes to a Fourier representation of the coil geometry are made to cancel resonant fields produced by the plasma. The changes are constrained to preserve certain measures of engineering acceptability and to preserve the stability of ideal kink modes. As the iterations continue, the coil geometry and the plasma simultaneously converge to an equilibrium in which the island content is negligible, the plasma is stable to ideal kink modes, and the coils satisfy engineering constraints. The method is applied to a candidate plasma and coil design for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment [Reiman, et al., Phys. Plasmas 8 (May 2001) 2083

Constructing integrable high-pressure full-current free-boundary stellarator magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudson, S.R.; Monticello, D.A.; Reiman, A.H.

2003-01-01

For the (non-axisymmetric) stellarator class of plasma confinement devices to be feasible candidates for fusion power stations it is essential that, to a good approximation, the magnetic field lines lie on nested flux surfaces; however, the inherent lack of a continuous symmetry implies that magnetic islands responsible for breaking the smooth topology of the flux surfaces are guaranteed to exist. Thus, the suppression of magnetic islands is a critical issue for stellarator design, particularly for small aspect ratio devices. Pfirsch-Schlueter currents, diamagnetic currents and resonant coil fields contribute to the formation of magnetic islands, and the challenge is to design the plasma and coils such that these effects cancel. Magnetic islands in free-boundary high-pressure full-current stellarator magnetohydrodynamic equilibria are suppressed using a procedure based on the Princeton Iterative Equilibrium Solver (Reiman and Greenside 1986 Comput. Phys. Commun. 43 157) which iterates the equilibrium equations to obtain the plasma equilibrium. At each iteration, changes to a Fourier representation of the coil geometry are made to cancel resonant fields produced by the plasma. The changes are constrained to preserve certain measures of engineering acceptability and to preserve the stability of ideal kink modes. As the iterations continue, the coil geometry and the plasma simultaneously converge to an equilibrium in which the island content is negligible, the plasma is stable to ideal kink modes, and the coils satisfy engineering constraints. The method is applied to a candidate plasma and coil design for the National Compact Stellarator eXperiment (Reiman et al 2001 Phys. Plasma 8 2083). (author)

Development of the stellarator/heliotron research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iiyoshi, A.

1991-05-01

The author reviewed the history of the development of the stellarator/heliotron system, and pointed out the important role of the radial electric field in plasma transport in helical devices. (J.P.N.)

Modification of PRETOR Code to Be Applied to Transport Simulation in Stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fontanet, J.; Castejon, F.; Dies, J.; Fontdecaba, J.; Alejaldre, C.

2001-01-01

The 1.5 D transport code PRETOR, that has been previously used to simulate tokamak plasmas, has been modified to perform transport analysis in stellarator geometry. The main modifications that have been introduced in the code are related with the magnetic equilibrium and with the modelling of energy and particle transport. Therefore, PRETOR- Stellarator version has been achieved and the code is suitable to perform simulations on stellarator plasmas. As an example, PRETOR- Stellarator has been used in the transport analysis of several Heliac Flexible TJ-II shots, and the results are compared with those obtained using PROCTR code. These results are also compared with the obtained using the tokamak version of PRETOR to show the importance of the introduced changes. (Author) 18 refs

Optical properties of dense plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guenther, S.

1996-05-01

The following topics were dealt with: Stellar spectra and stellar atmospheres, spectrocopic methods in the plasma diagnostic, Green function method, influence of charged plasma particles on the line profile, Storer-Strahler interaction, dynamic screening effects, line profile shift and asymmetry, collective plasma excitations, ion dynamic effects on line profiles

Profile structures of TJ-II stellarator plasmas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herranz, J.; Pastor, I.; Castejon, F.; de la Luna, E.; Garcia-Cortes, I.; Barth, C. J.; Ascasibar, E.; Sanchez, J.; Tribaldos, V.

2000-01-01

Fine structures are found in the TJ-II stellarator electron temperature and density profiles, when they are measured using a high spatial resolution Thomson scattering system. These structures consist of peaks and valleys superimposed to a smooth average. Some irregularities remain in an ensemble

Stellarator approach to toroidal plasma confinement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, J.L.

1981-12-01

An overview is presented of the development and current status of the stellarator approach to controlled thermonuclear confinement. Recent experimental, theoretical, and systems developments have made this concept a viable option for the evolution of the toroidal confinement program. Some experimental study of specific problems associated with departure from two-dimensional symmetry must be undertaken before the full advantages and opportunities of steady-state, net-current-free operation can be realized

Progress Toward Attractive Stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neilson, G.H.; Bromberg, L.; Brown, T.G.; Gates, D.A.; Ku, L.P.; Zarnstorff, M.C.; Boozer, A.H.; Harris, J.H.; Meneghini, O.; Mynick, H.E.; Pomphrey, N.; Reiman, A.H.; Xanthopoulos, P.

2011-01-01

The quasi-axisymmetric stellarator (QAS) concept offers a promising path to a more compact stellarator reactor, closer in linear dimensions to tokamak reactors than previous stellarator designs. Concept improvements are needed, however, to make it more maintainable and more compatible with high plant availability. Using the ARIES-CS design as a starting point, compact stellarator designs with improved maintenance characteristics have been developed. While the ARIES-CS features a through-the-port maintenance scheme, we have investigated configuration changes to enable a sector-maintenance approach, as envisioned for example in ARIES AT. Three approaches are reported. The first is to make tradeoffs within the QAS design space, giving greater emphasis to maintainability criteria. The second approach is to improve the optimization tools to more accurately and efficiently target the physics properties of importance. The third is to employ a hybrid coil topology, so that the plasma shaping functions of the main coils are shared more optimally, either with passive conductors made of high-temperature superconductor or with local compensation coils, allowing the main coils to become simpler. Optimization tools are being improved to test these approaches.

New Classes of Quasi-helically Symmetric Stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ku, L.P.; Boozer, A.H.

2010-01-01

New classes of quasi-helically symmetric stellarators with aspect ratios (le) 10 have been found which are stable to the perturbation of magnetohydrodynamic modes at plasma pressures of practical interest. These configurations have large rotational transform and good quality of flux surfaces. Characteristics of some selected examples are discussed in detail. The feasibility of using modular coils for these stellarators has been investigated. It is shown that practical designs for modular coils can be achieved.

Star-disc interaction in galactic nuclei: formation of a central stellar disc

Science.gov (United States)

Panamarev, Taras; Shukirgaliyev, Bekdaulet; Meiron, Yohai; Berczik, Peter; Just, Andreas; Spurzem, Rainer; Omarov, Chingis; Vilkoviskij, Emmanuil

2018-05-01

We perform high-resolution direct N-body simulations to study the effect of an accretion disc on stellar dynamics in an active galactic nucleus (AGN). We show that the interaction of the nuclear stellar cluster (NSC) with the gaseous accretion disc (AD) leads to formation of a stellar disc in the central part of the NSC. The accretion of stars from the stellar disc on to the super-massive black hole is balanced by the capture of stars from the NSC into the stellar disc, yielding a stationary density profile. We derive the migration time through the AD to be 3 per cent of the half-mass relaxation time of the NSC. The mass and size of the stellar disc are 0.7 per cent of the mass and 5 per cent of the influence radius of the super-massive black hole. An AD lifetime shorter than the migration time would result in a less massive nuclear stellar disc. The detection of such a stellar disc could point to past activity of the hosting galactic nucleus.

Characterization of the island divertor plasma of W7-AS stellarator in the deeply detached state with volume recombination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramasubramanian, N.; Koenig, R.; Feng, Y.; Giannone, L.; Grigull, P.; Klinger, T.; McCormick, K.; Thomsen, H.; Wenzel, U.

2004-01-01

In the high-density H-mode of the Stellarator Wendelstein 7-AS, the plasma detaches from the island divertor targets when the line-averaged density exceeds a critical value. This quasi-stationary detachment is found to be partial and shows edge-localized, poloidally asymmetric radiation. The spectroscopic characteristics of the deeply detached plasma are reported, including evidence for volume recombination. The detached plasma radiates up to 90% of the absorbed power with larger contributions from the locations close to magnetic X-points outside the divertor region. The spectral analysis of the Balmer series indicate very high densities and low temperatures at the detached regions. The results of the spectral analysis underline the importance of three-dimensional modelling. An initial comparison is made with the latest results from EMC3-EIRENE modelling. (author)

Reduction of Islands in Full-pressure Stellarator Equilibria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudson, S.R.; Monticello, D.A.; Reiman, A.H.

2001-01-01

The control of magnetic islands is a crucial issue in designing Stellarators. Islands are associated with resonant radial magnetic fields at rational rotational-transform surfaces and can lead to chaos and poor plasma confinement. In this article, we show that variations in the resonant fields of a full-pressure stellarator equilibrium can be related to variations in the boundary via a coupling matrix, and inversion of this matrix determines a boundary modification for which the island content is significantly reduced. The numerical procedure is described and the results of island optimization are presented. Equilibria with islands are computed using the Princeton Iterative Equilibrium Solver, and resonant radial fields are calculated via construction of quadratic-flux-minimizing surfaces. A design candidate for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment [Phys. Plasmas 8, 2001], which has a large island, is used to illustrate the technique. Small variations in the boundary shape are used to reduce island size and to reverse the phase of a major island chain

Characterizing stellar and exoplanetary environments

CERN Document Server

Khodachenko, Maxim

2015-01-01

In this book an international group of specialists discusses studies of exoplanets subjected to extreme stellar radiation and plasma conditions. It is shown that such studies will help us to understand how terrestrial planets and their atmospheres, including the early Venus, Earth and Mars, evolved during the host star’s active early phase. The book presents an analysis of findings from Hubble Space Telescope observations of transiting exoplanets, as well as applications of advanced numerical models for characterizing the upper atmosphere structure and stellar environments of exoplanets. The authors also address detections of atoms and molecules in the atmosphere of “hot Jupiters” by NASA’s Spitzer telescope. The observational and theoretical investigations and discoveries presented are both timely and important in the context of the next generation of space telescopes. 
 The book is divided into four main parts, grouping chapters on exoplanet host star radiation and plasma environments, exoplanet u...

Nuclear excitations in plasmas: the case of 84mRb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denis-Petit, David

2014-01-01

This experimental and theoretical work deals with the Nuclear Excitation by Electron Transition (NEET) process which involves a coupling between the nucleus and its electron cloud. In this process, an electron de-excitation can induce a nuclear excitation if the atomic and nuclear transitions are resonant and have the same multipolarity. This process could be observed in a laser created plasma of 84 Rb because this nucleus has a low energy transition (around 3 keV) between the isomeric state (J π = 6 - ,T 1/2 = 20,26 m) and the J π p= 5 - (T 1/2 = 9 ns) state. To evaluate a NEET excitation rate, the atomic states in plasma must be described and the nuclear transition must be precisely characterised. To describe the atomic states in plasma, a method based on a MCDF (Multi-Configuration Dirac-Fock) code was developed. This one uses a procedure to select the most probable atomic configurations according to the plasma properties. This method was checked by the interpretation of a X-rays spectrum emitted by a Rb plasma. This plasma was produced by the PHELIX laser of the GSI laboratory at an intensity of 6*10 14 W/cm 2 . The energy of the nuclear transition between the states 6 - and 5 - was not accurate enough for the NEET rate evaluation. Two γ-rays spectroscopy experiments were conducted at the ELSA accelerator from CEA/DAM/DIF and at the Tandem accelerator from the Orsay laboratory. The accuracy of the nuclear transition energy was improved of more than one order of magnitude. In this work, the NEET rate was evaluated to predict an experiment. The Rb plasma must have a high temperature (around 400 eV) to obtain a sufficient number of excited isomers and therefore to make possible the detection. (author)

Effects of the New Island Divertor on the Plasma Performance in the W7-AS Stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grigull, P.; McCormick, K.; Baldzuhn, J.; Burhenn, R.; Brakel, R.; Ehmler, H.; Feng, Y.; Gadelmeier, F.; Giannone, L.; Hartmann, D.; Hildebrandt, D.; Hirsch, M.; Jaenicke, R.; Kisslinger, J.; Klinger, T.; Knauer, J.; Koenig, R.; Naujoks, D.; Niedermeyer, H.; Pasch, E.

2003-01-01

The island divertor in the W7-AS stellarator enables access to a new NBI-heated, high density operating regime with promising confinement properties. This regime -- the High Density H-Mode -- displays no evident mode activity, is extant above a threshold density and characterized by flat density profiles, high energy- and low impurity-confinement times and edge localized radiation. Impurity accumulation, normally associated with ELM-free H-modes, is avoided. Quasi steady-state discharges with n e up to 4 1020 m-3, edge radiation levels up to 90%, and partial plasma detachment at the divertor targets can be simultaneously realized

Intrinsic Turbulence Stabilization in a Stellarator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Xanthopoulos

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The magnetic surfaces of modern stellarators are characterized by complex, carefully optimized shaping and exhibit locally compressed regions of strong turbulence drive. Massively parallel computer simulations of plasma turbulence reveal, however, that stellarators also possess two intrinsic mechanisms to mitigate the effect of this drive. In the regime where the length scale of the turbulence is very small compared to the equilibrium scale set by the variation of the magnetic field, the strongest fluctuations form narrow bandlike structures on the magnetic surfaces. Thanks to this localization, the average transport through the surface is significantly smaller than that predicted at locations of peak turbulence. This feature results in a numerically observed upshift of the onset of turbulence on the surface towards higher ion temperature gradients as compared with the prediction from the most unstable regions. In a second regime lacking scale separation, the localization is lost and the fluctuations spread out on the magnetic surface. Nonetheless, stabilization persists through the suppression of the large eddies (relative to the equilibrium scale, leading to a reduced stiffness for the heat flux dependence on the ion temperature gradient. These fundamental differences with tokamak turbulence are exemplified for the QUASAR stellarator [G. H. Neilson et al., IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 42, 489 (2014].

Nuclear Fusion Research Understanding Plasma-Surface Interactions

CERN Document Server

Clark, Robert E.H

2005-01-01

It became clear in the early days of fusion research that the effects of the containment vessel (erosion of "impurities") degrade the overall fusion plasma performance. Progress in controlled nuclear fusion research over the last decade has led to magnetically confined plasmas that, in turn, are sufficiently powerful to damage the vessel structures over its lifetime. This book reviews current understanding and concepts to deal with this remaining critical design issue for fusion reactors. It reviews both progress and open questions, largely in terms of available and sought-after plasma-surface interaction data and atomic/molecular data related to these "plasma edge" issues.

MHD stability calculations of high-β quasi-axisymmetric stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, G.Y.; Ku, L.P.; Pomphrey, N.; Redi, M.; Kessel, C.; Monticello, D.; Reiman, A.; Hughes, M.; Cooper, W.A.; Nuehrenberg, C.

2001-01-01

The MHD stability of quasi-axisymmetric compact stellarators is investigated. It is shown that bootstrap current driven external kink modes can be stabilized by a combination of edge magnetic shear and appropriate 3D plasma boundary shaping while maintaining good quasi-axisymmetry. The results demonstrate that there exists a new class of stellarators with quasi-axisymmetry, large bootstrap current, high MHD beta limit, and compact size. (author)

MHD stability calculations of high-β quasi-axisymmetric stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, G.Y.; Ku, L.P.; Pomphrey, N.; Redi, M.H.; Kessel, C.; Monticello, D.A.; Reiman, A.; Hughes, M.; Cooper, W.A.; Nuehrenberg, C.

1999-01-01

The MHD stability of quasi-axisymmetric compact stellarators is investigated. It is shown that bootstrap current driven external kink modes can be stabilized by a combination of edge magnetic shear and appropriate 3D plasma boundary shaping while maintaining good quasi-axisymmetry. The results demonstrate that there exists a new class of stellarators with quasi-axisymmetry, large bootstrap current, high MHD beta limit, and compact size. (author)

MHD Stability Calculations of High-Beta Quasi-Axisymmetric Stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kessel, C.; Fu, G.Y.; Ku, L.P.; Redi, M.H.; Pomphrey, N.

1999-01-01

The MHD stability of quasi-axisymmetric compact stellarators is investigated. It is shown that bootstrap current driven external kink modes can be stabilized by a combination of edge magnetic shear and appropriate 3D plasma boundary shaping while maintaining good quasi-axisymmetry. The results demonstrate that there exists a new class of stellarators with quasi-axisymmetry, large bootstrap current, high MHD beta limit, and compact size

The Framework of Plasma Physics

CERN Document Server

Hazeltine, Richard D

2004-01-01

Plasma physics is a necessary part of our understanding of stellar and galactic structure. It determines the magnetospheric environment of the earth and other planets; it forms the research frontier in such areas as nuclear fusion, advanced accelerators, and high power lasers; and its applications to various industrial processes (such as computer chip manufacture) are rapidly increasing. It is thus a subject with a long list of scientific and technological applications. This book provides the scientific background for understanding such applications, but it emphasizes something else: the intrinsic scientific interest of the plasma state. It attempts to develop an understanding of this state, and of plasma behavior, as thoroughly and systematically as possible. The book was written with the graduate student in mind, but most of the material would also fit into an upper-level undergraduate course.

High-precision (p,t) reactions to determine reaction rates of explosive stellar processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Matić, Andrija

2007-01-01

The aim of my study was to investigate the nuclear structure of 22Mg and 26Si. These two nuclei play a significant role in stellar reaction processes at high temperatures. On base of the obtained nuclear structure we calculated the stellar reaction rates for the following reactions: 18Ne(α,p)21Na,

Engineering aspects of compact stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, B.E.; Benson, R.D.; Brooks, A.

2003-01-01

Compact stellarators could combine the good confinement and high beta of a tokamak with the inherently steady state, disruption-free characteristics of a stellarator. Two U.S. compact stellarator facilities are now in the conceptual design phase: the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) and the Quasi- Poloidal Stellarator (QPS). NCSX has a major radius of 1.4 m and a toroidal field up to 2 T. The primary feature of both NCSX and QPS is the set of modular coils that provide the basic magnetic configuration. These coils represent a major engineering challenge due to the complex shape, precise geometric accuracy, and high current density of the windings. The winding geometry is too complex for conventional hollow copper conductor construction. Instead, the modular coils will be wound with flexible, multi strand cable conductor that has been compacted to a 75% copper packing fraction. Inside the NCSX coil set and surrounding the plasma is a highly contoured vacuum vessel. The vessel consists of three identical, 120 deg. segments that are bolted together at double sealed joints. The QPS device has a major radius of 0.9 m, a toroidal field of 1 T, and an aspect ratio of only 2.7. Instead of an internal vacuum vessel, the QPS modular coils will operate in an external vacuum tank. (author)

Young Stellar Objects from Soft to Hard X-rays

Science.gov (United States)

Güdel, Manuel

2009-05-01

Magnetically active stars are the sites of efficient particle acceleration and plasma heating, processes that have been studied in detail in the solar corona. Investigation of such processes in young stellar objects is much more challenging due to various absorption processes. There is, however, evidence for violent magnetic energy release in very young stellar objects. The impact on young stellar environments (e.g., circumstellar disk heating and ionization, operation of chemical networks, photoevaporation) may be substantial. Hard X-ray devices like those carried on Simbol-X will establish a basis for detailed studies of these processes.

Confinement studies in the TJ-II stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alejaldre, C.; Alonso, J.; Almoguera, L.; Ascasibar, E.; Baciero, A.; Balbin, R.; Blaumoser, M.; Botija, J.; Branas, B.; Cal, E. de la; Cappa, A.; Carrasco, R.; Castejon, F.; Cepero, J.R.; Cremy, C.; Delgado, J.M.; Doncel, J.; Dulya, C.; Estrada, T.; Fernandez, A.; Fuentes, C.; Garcia, A.; Garcia-Cortes, I.; Guasp, J.; Herranz, J.; Hidalgo, C.; Jimenez, J.A.; Kirpitchev, I.; Krivenski, V.; Labrador, I.; Lapayese, F.; Likin, K.; Linier, M.; Lopez-Fraguas, A.; Lopez-Sanchez, A.; Luna, E. de la; Martin, R.; Martinez, A.; Martinez-Laso, L.; Medrano, M.; Mendez, P.; McCarthy, K.J.; Medina, F.; Milligen, B. van; Ochando, M.; Pacios, L.; Pastor, I.; Pedrosa, M.A.; Pena, A. de la; Portas, A.; Qin, J.; Rodriguez-Rodrigo, L.; Salas, A.; Sanchez, E.; Sanchez, J.; Tabares, F.; Tafalla, D.; Tribaldos, V.; Vega, J.; Zurro, B.; Akulina, D.; Fedyanin, O.I.; Grebenshchikov, S.; Kharchev, N.; Meshcheryakov, A.; Sarksian, K.A.; Barth, R.; Dijk, G. van; Meiden, H. van der

1999-01-01

ECR (electron cyclotron resonance) heated plasmas have been studied in the low magnetic shear TJ-II stellarator (R = 1.5 m, a ECRH = 300 kW, power density = 1-25 W cm -3 ). Recent experiments have explored the flexibility of the TJ-II across a wide range of plasma volumes with different rotational transforms and rational surface densities. In this paper, the main results of this campaign are presented and, in particular, the influence of iota and rational surfaces on plasma profiles is discussed. (author)

Evidence for fast-electron-driven Alfvenic modes in the HSX stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brower, D.L.; Deng, C.; Spong, D.A.; Abdou, A.; Almagri, A.F.; Anderson, D.T.; Anderson, F.S.B.; Guttenfelder, W.; Likin, K.; Oh, S.; Sakaguchi, V.; Talmadge, J.N.; Zhai, K.

2005-01-01

The helically-symmetric experiment (HSX) stellarator device is the first of a new generation of stellarators that exploit the concept of quasi-symmetric magnetic fields. In HSX, the plasma is both produced and heated by use of electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) at the 2nd harmonic X-mode resonance. This heating configuration generates a nonthermal energetic electron population. Herein, we report on the first experimental evidence for fast-electron-driven Global Alfven Eigenmodes (GAE). This mode has previously been observed in both tokamaks and stellarators but it was always driven by energetic ions, not electrons. Evidence for this instability is obtained from quasi-helically symmetric HSX plasmas. Potential consequences of these measurements are twofold; (1) fast electrons can drive the GAE instability, and (2) quasi-symmetry makes a difference by better confining the particles that drive the instability as compared to the conventional stellarator configuration. We report on several features of this fluctuation. It is a coherent mode that is experimentally observed in the plasma core and edge by external magnetic coils, interferometry, ECE and Langmuir probes diagnostics. Fluctuations are observed in the frequency range of 20-120 kHz and scale with ion mass density according to expectations for Alfvenic modes. The mode is observed to be global with odd poloidal mode number (inferred from interferometry, possibly m=1) and is present in quasi-helically symmetric HSX plasmas. When quasi-helical symmetry is broken, the mode is no longer observed. Theory predicts a GAE mode in the gap below the Alfven continua can be excited in the frequency range of the measured fluctuations. By employing a biased electrode inserted deep into the plasma, flows can be generated. Under these conditions, the Alfvenic mode amplitude can increase and the fluctuation is even observed in the conventional stellarator configuration. Shifts in the measured frequency can be used to

Possibility of combining nuclear level pumping in plasma with lasing in solid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karamyan, S.A.; Carroll, J.J.

2002-01-01

Nuclear isomers can be used for the storage and release of 'clean' nuclear energy, and the visible schemes are discussed. Resonance between the atomic and nuclear transitions may be manifested in a form of the hybridization of atomic-nuclear excitation at the appropriate case. The nuclear levels - candidates for triggering via atomic transitions are described. A variety of the ionization states and atomic-shell configurations arises in hot plasma generated by the short powerful pulse of laser light. The nonradiative conversion of the ionization energy within atom can be suppressed in the hot-plasma surroundings. Time-scales of different processes in nuclear, atomic and condensed-matter subsystems are compared. The processes of fast ionization in solid, X-ray radiance in plasma, sample melting and recrystallisation may precede nuclear fluorescence. Time-scale shorter 0.1 ns makes this sequence promising for the group excitation of short-lived modes in nuclear subsystem

Nuclear fusion. (Latest citations from the NTIS bibliographic database). Published Search

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-08-01

The bibliography contains citations concerning research, development, and assessment of nuclear fusion for applications in reactor engineering and technology. Citations discuss various engineering problems associated with reactor design, magnetic systems, nuclear materials, plasma generation and control, blankets, environments, economics, and safety. Also discussed are tokamak devices, stellarators, inertial confinement, reflectometry, and magnetohydrodynamics. Studies sponsored by the Department of Energy are not included. (Contains a minimum of 249 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

Heavy ion beam probe investigations of plasma potential in ECRH and NBI in the TJ-II stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melnikov, A.V.; Eliseev, L.; Perfilov, S.V.; Chmyga, A.A.; Dreval, N.; Khrebtov, S.M.; Komarov, A.D.; Kozachok, A.S.; Krupnik, L.; Alonso, A.; Pablos, J.L. de; Cappa, A.; Fernandez, A.; Fuentes, C.; Hidalgo, C.; Liniers, M.; Pedrosa, M.A.

2005-01-01

Direct measurements of electric potential and its fluctuations are of a primary importance in magnetic confinement systems. The Heavy Ion Beam Probe (HIBP) diagnostic is used in TJ-2 stellarator to study directly plasma electric potential profiles with spatial (up to 1cm) and temporal (up to 10 ∝s) resolution. The singly charged heavy ions Cs + with energies up to 125 keV are used to probe the plasma column from the edge to the core. Both ECRH and NBI heated plasmas (P ECRH = 200 - 400kW, P NBI = 400kW, E NBI = 28 kV) were studied. The significant improvement in the HIBP beam control system and the acquisition electronics leads us to increase the possibilities of the diagnostic. The most crucial one is the extension of the signal dynamic range, which allows us to have the reliable profiles from the plasma center to the plasma edge both in the high and low field side regions. Low density ECRH (n = 0.5-1.1.10 13 cm -3 ) plasmas in TJ-2 are characterised by core positive plasma potential of order of 500 - 1000 V and positive electric fields up to 50 V/cm. Edge radial electric fields remain positive at low densities and became negative at the threshold density that depends of plasma configuration. NBI plasmas are characterized by negative electric potential in the full plasma column and negative radial electric fields (in the range of 10 - 40 V/cm). The density rise during the NBI phase is accompanied by the decay of core plasma potential. When density is getting the level of n ∼ 2.0.10 13 cm -3 , the potential stops its evolution and remains constant. The evolution of plasma potential near density limit is under investigation. These observations, reported in different magnetic configurations, show the clear link between plasma potential and plasma density. (author)

ECR heating in L-2M stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grebenshchikov, S.E.; Batanov, G.M.; Fedyanin, O.I.

1995-01-01

The first results of ECH experiments in the L-2M stellarator are presented. The main goal of the experiments is to investigate the physics of ECH and plasma confinement at very high values of the volume heating power density. A current free plasma is produced and heated by extraordinary waves at the second harmonic of the electron cyclotron frequency. The experimental results are compared with the numerical simulations of plasma confinement and heating processes based on neoclassical theory using the full matrix of transport coefficients and with LHD-scaling. 4 refs., 2 figs

Plasma physics and controlled nuclear fusion research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

Full text: During the last decade, growing efforts have been devoted to studying the possible forms an electricity-producing thermonuclear reactor might take and the various technical problems that will have to be overcome. Previous IAEA Conferences took place in Salzburg (1961), Culham (1965), Novosibirsk (1968), Madison (1971), Tokyo (1974), Berchtesgaden (1976) and Innsbruck (1978) The exchange of information that has characterized this series of meetings is an important example of international co-operation and has contributed substantially to progress in controlled fusion research. The results of experiments in major research establishments, as well as the growing scientific insights in the field of plasma physics, give hope that the realization of nuclear fusion will be made possible on a larger scale and beyond the laboratory stage by the end of this century. The increase of the duration of existing tokamak discharges requires solution of the impurity control problem. First results from the new big machines equipped with the poloidal divertor recently came into operation. PDX (USA) and ASDEX (F.R. of Germany) show that various divertor configurations can be established and maintained and that the divertors function in the predicted manner. The reduction of high-Z impurities on these machines by a factor 10 was achieved. As a result of extensive research on radio-frequency (RF) plasma heating on tokamaks: PLT (USA), TFR (France), JFT-2 (Japan), the efficiency of this attractive method of plasma heating comparable to neutral beam heating was demonstrated. It was shown that the density of the input power of about 5-10 kW/cm 2 is achievable and this limit is high enough for application to reactor-like machines. One of the inspiring results reported at the conference was the achievement of value (the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic field pressure) of ∼ 3% on tokamaks T-11 (USSR) and ISX-B (USA). It is important to note that this value exceeds the

Investigation of relativistic laser-plasmas using nuclear diagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guenther, Marc M.

2011-01-01

The present work explores with the development of a novel nuclear diagnostic method for the investigation of the electron dynamics in relativistic laser-plasma interactions. An additional aim of this work was the determination of the real laser peak intensity via the interaction of an intense laser short-pulse with a solid target. The nuclear diagnostics is based on a photo-neutron disintegration nuclear activation method. The main constituent of the nuclear diagnostic are novel pseudoalloic activation targets as a kind of calorimeter to measure the high-energy bremsstrahlung produced by relativistic electrons. The targets are composed of several stable isotopes with different (γ,xn)-reaction thresholds. The activated nuclides were identified via the characteristic gamma-ray decay spectrum by using high-resolution gamma spectroscopy after the laser irradiation. Via the gamma spectroscopy the (γ,xn)-reaction yields were determined. The high-energy bremsstrahlung spectrum has been deconvolved using a novel analysis method based on a modified Penfold-Leiss method. This facilitates the reconstruction of the spectrum of bremsstrahlung photons without any anticipated fit procedures. Furthermore, the characterization of the corresponding bremsstrahlung electrons in the interaction zone is accessible immediately. The consolidated findings about the properties of the relativistic electrons were used to determine the real peak intensity at the laser-plasma interaction zone. In the context of this work, experiments were performed at three different laser facilities. First Experiments were carried out at the 100 TW laser facility at Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Lasers Intense (LULI) in France and supplementary at the Vulcan laser facility at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in United Kingdom. The main part of the activation experiments were performed at the PHELIX laser facility (Petawatt High Energy Laser for heavy Ion EXperiments) at GSI-Helmholtzzentrum fuer

Stellar alchemy: The origin of the chemical elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norman, E.B.

1994-01-01

What makes the stars shine? This question puzzled human beings for thousands of years. Early in this century, chemists and physicists discovered radioactivity; and the nuclear model of the atom was developed. Once nuclear reactions were produced in the laboratory, it did not take long before their role in stellar energy generation was realized. The theory that nuclear fusion is the source of stellar energy was initially developed in the 1930's and was elaborated in detail in the 1950's. Only within the last ten years, however, have astronomical observations provided direct confirmation of these theoretical ideas. In this paper, I describe the sequences of nuclear reactions that are believed to be responsible for the power generation in stars. The ashes of these reactions are the heavy elements that we find on earth and throughout the universe. The evolution and final fates of stars are examined. The key astronomical observations that provide support for these theoretical ideas are presented

Evolution of radiation losses and importance of charge exchange between plasma impurities and injection beam neutrals in the W VII-A stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smeulders, P.

1981-01-01

In certain discharges during Neutral Injection (N.I.) (84 0 CO-injection) in the 1 = 2, m = 5 WENDELSTEIN VII-A Stellarator impurity accumulation in the plasma center seems to occur as seen by bolometric, spectroscopic and ultra soft X-ray (USX) measurement. The time evolution of the radiation losses is shown. Three possible sources of the impurities which are responsible for the high central radiation losses are: - Beam injected impurities. - Plasma wall interaction. - Molybdenum protection plates. Possible mechanisms that can be responsible for the central impurity accumulations are: - An inward flow of the plasma or beam impurities. - An increased peaking of the depostion of the beam impurities. Various factors influencing the behaviour of the central radiation are mentioned. (orig./AH)

Status of stellarator research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wobig, H.

1985-01-01

In recent years main activities in stellarator research were focussed on production and investigation of currentless plasmas. Several heating methods have been applied: electron cyclotron heating, ion cyclotron heating and neutral beam injection. The parameters achieved in HELIOTRON E and W VII-A are: antin 20 m 3 , Tsub(i) <= 1 keV. The confinement is improved as compared with ohmically heated discharges. By ECRH (P = 200 kW) it is possible to heat electrons up to 1.4 keV, confinement in this regime is dominated already by trapped particle effects. Toroidal currents up to 2 kA - either bootstrap currents or externally driven currents - were observed. High β-values (antiβ = 2%) have been obtained in HELIOTRON E, in this regime already pressure driven MHD-modes were observed. Future experiments (ATF-1 and W VII-AS) will extend the parameter regime to temperatures of several keV. These experiments will give important information about critical problems of the stellarator line (β-limit, neoclassical confinement impurity transport). A few reactor studies of stellarators exist, attention is mainly concentrated on technical problems of the modular coil system

High frequency way of helium ash removal from stellarator-reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grekov, D.L.

2005-01-01

The paper deals with the problem of helium ash removal from stellarator-reactor. The lower hybrid heating of ash ions is proposed to solve this problem. The theory of ion stochastic heating, developed earlier by Karney, is generalized on the case of heating in stellarators. The features of the lower hybrid waves propagation and the ions motion in the stellarator confining field are taken into account. With proper choice of wave parameters (such as frequency, antenna position and initial spectrum of longitudinal refractive index) the slow mode of LH waves penetrates from the launching system to plasma core (and back) without conversion to kinetic plasma mode or to fast mode. With all these going on, the LH wave is absorbed by alpha particles only. The electron Landau damping is negligibly small, and there is no bulk ions stochastic heating. The motion of high energy (>100 keV) ions in the LHD heliotron with inwardly shifted magnetic axis, as an example of stellarator type device, is calculated numerically using the single particle simulation code which couples modified Karney's ion stochastic heating theory. The effect of collisions was taken into account through the Monte Carlo equivalent of the Lorentz collision operator. It is shown, that due to interaction with lower hybrid wave, initially well-confined alpha particles are expelled from the plasma during the time period less then collision time. At the same time, the low hybrid heating does not remove the ions with energy higher than 500 keV. Therefore, it is possible to use this method of RF heating for helium ash removal in stellarator-reactor. The required LH power is estimated to be of the order of 10 MW. (author)

Debye sheath mechanism at laser plasma interaction and generalization to nuclear forces and quark-gluon plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Osman, Frederick; Ghahramani, Nader; Hora, Heinrich

2005-10-01

The studies of laser ablation have lead to a new theory of nuclei, endothermic nuclei generation, and quark-gluon plasmas. The surface of ablated plasma expanding into vacuum after high power laser irradiation of targets contains an electric double layer having the thickness of the Debye length. This led to the discovery of surface tension in plasmas, and led to the internal dynamic electric fields in all inhomogeneous plasmas. The surface tension causes stabilization by short length surface wave smoothing the expanding plasma plume and to stabilization against the Rayleigh Taylor instability. Generalizing this to the degenerate electrons in a metal with the Fermi energy instead of the temperature resulted in the first quantum theory of surface tension of metals in agreement with measurements. Taking the Fermi energy in the Debye length for nucleons results in a theory of nuclei with stable confinement of protons and neutrons just at the well-known nuclear density, and the Debye lengths equal to the Hofstadter decay of the nuclear surface. Increasing the nuclear density by a factor of 10 leads to a change of the Fermi energy into its relativistic branch where no surface energy is possible and the particle mass is not defined, permitting the quark gluon plasma. Expansion of this higher density at the big bang or in super-nova results in nucleation and element generation. The Boltzmann equilibrium permits the synthesis of nuclei even in the endothermic range, however with the limit to about uranium. A relation for the magic numbers leads to a quark structure of nuclear shells that can be understood as a duality property of nuclei with respect to nucleons and quarks

Multi-probe ionization chamber system for nuclear-generated plasma diagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, W.Y.; Ellis, W.H.

1990-01-01

This paper reports on the pulsed ionization chamber (PIC) plasma diagnostic system used in studies of nuclear seeded plasma kinetics upgraded to increase the capabilities and extend the range of plasma parameter measurements to higher densities and temperatures. The PIC plasma diagnostic chamber has been provided with additional measurement features in the form of conductivity and Langmuir probes, while the overall experimental system has been fully automated, with computerized control, measurement, data acquisition and analysis by means of IEEE-488 (GPIB) bus control and data transfer protocols using a Macintosh series microcomputer. The design and use of a simple TTL switching system enables remote switching among the various GPIB instruments comprising the multi-probe plasma diagnostic system using software, without the need for a microprocessor. The new system will be used to extend the present study of nuclear generated plasma in He, Ar, Xe, fissionable UF 6 and other fluorine containing gases

Scientific visualization of 3-dimensional optimized stellarator configurations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spong, D.A.

1998-01-01

The design techniques and physics analysis of modern stellarator configurations for magnetic fusion research rely heavily on high performance computing and simulation. Stellarators, which are fundamentally 3-dimensional in nature, offer significantly more design flexibility than more symmetric devices such as the tokamak. By varying the outer boundary shape of the plasma, a variety of physics features, such as transport, stability, and heating efficiency can be optimized. Scientific visualization techniques are an important adjunct to this effort as they provide a necessary ergonomic link between the numerical results and the intuition of the human researcher. The authors have developed a variety of visualization techniques for stellarators which both facilitate the design optimization process and allow the physics simulations to be more readily understood

Nuclear physics in the cosmos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertulani, Carlos

2011-01-01

Nuclear astrophysics studies the physics of atomic nuclei, gravity, and thermodynamics in the early universe, stars and stellar explosions. Seventy years of nuclear science has allowed us to infer the origin of the chemical elements out of which our bodies and the Earth are made. We now believe that the lightest elements were created in nuclear reactions in the first three minutes after the big bang, and all the rest were made in nuclear reactions inside the stars and distributed throughout interstellar space via stellar winds and giant stellar explosions. I will show how a new generation of theoretical developments and experiments can shed light on the complex nuclear processes that control the evolution of stars and stellar explosions. (author)

Equilibrium 𝛽-limits in classical stellarators

Science.gov (United States)

Loizu, J.; Hudson, S. R.; Nührenberg, C.; Geiger, J.; Helander, P.

2017-12-01

A numerical investigation is carried out to understand the equilibrium -limit in a classical stellarator. The stepped-pressure equilibrium code (Hudson et al., Phys. Plasmas, vol. 19 (11), 2012) is used in order to assess whether or not magnetic islands and stochastic field-lines can emerge at high . Two modes of operation are considered: a zero-net-current stellarator and a fixed-iota stellarator. Despite the fact that relaxation is allowed (Taylor, Rev. Mod. Phys., vol. 58 (3), 1986, pp. 741-763), the former is shown to maintain good flux surfaces up to the equilibrium -limit predicted by ideal-magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), above which a separatrix forms. The latter, which has no ideal equilibrium -limit, is shown to develop regions of magnetic islands and chaos at sufficiently high , thereby providing a `non-ideal -limit'. Perhaps surprisingly, however, the value of at which the Shafranov shift of the axis reaches a fraction of the minor radius follows in all cases the scaling laws predicted by ideal-MHD. We compare our results to the High-Beta-Stellarator theory of Freidberg (Ideal MHD, 2014, Cambridge University Press) and derive a new prediction for the non-ideal equilibrium -limit above which chaos emerges.

Spent nuclear fuel recycling with plasma reduction and etching

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yong Ho

2012-06-05

A method of extracting uranium from spent nuclear fuel (SNF) particles is disclosed. Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) (containing oxides of uranium, oxides of fission products (FP) and oxides of transuranic (TRU) elements (including plutonium)) are subjected to a hydrogen plasma and a fluorine plasma. The hydrogen plasma reduces the uranium and plutonium oxides from their oxide state. The fluorine plasma etches the SNF metals to form UF6 and PuF4. During subjection of the SNF particles to the fluorine plasma, the temperature is maintained in the range of 1200-2000 deg K to: a) allow any PuF6 (gas) that is formed to decompose back to PuF4 (solid), and b) to maintain stability of the UF6. Uranium (in the form of gaseous UF6) is easily extracted and separated from the plutonium (in the form of solid PuF4). The use of plasmas instead of high temperature reactors or flames mitigates the high temperature corrosive atmosphere and the production of PuF6 (as a final product). Use of plasmas provide faster reaction rates, greater control over the individual electron and ion temperatures, and allow the use of CF4 or NF3 as the fluorine sources instead of F2 or HF.

Confinement and heating of high beta plasmas with emphasis on compact toroids: Task 2, Stellarator and heliac research: Annual report, October 1, 1985-September 30, 1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribe, F.L.

1986-01-01

Progress over the past year has enabled us to complete the comprehensive experimental investigation of the equilibrium and stability of the linear heliac and the linear l = 1 stellarator configration. In the case of the heliac work, we discoverd axisymmetric hot plasma near the axial conductor (''hardcore'') in amounts which are comparable to the helically symmetric hot plasma centered on the magnetic axis. From this result came the motivation for an extended investigation which concentrates on the details of high-beta heliac formation. Important first results of the formation study have been obtained. In the case of the stellarator work, we have observed the flute-like m = 1 instability foe a specific set of experimental parameters and, for a different set, we have observed the mode stabilized by the combined effects of a finite ion Larmor radius and a nearby conducting wall. The single-discharge CV ion-temperature diagnostic system has been debugged and has yielded a heliac temperature measurement of (90 +- 10)eV. The plasma density diagnostic system based on cross-tube interferometry has been modified from its previous design for use with the somewhat wrinkly helical discharge tube

Equilibrium reconstruction in stellarators: V3FIT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanson, J.D.; Knowlton, S.F. [Physics Department, Auburn University, Auburn, AL (United States); Hirshman, S.P.; Lazarus, E.A. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Lao, L.L. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)

2003-07-01

The first section describes a general response function formalism for computing stellarator magnetic diagnostic signals, which is the first step in developing a reconstruction capability. The approach parallels that used in the EFIT two-dimensional (2-D) equilibrium reconstruction code. The second section describes the two codes we have written, V3RFUN and V3POST. V3RFUN computes the response functions for a specified magnetic diagnostic coil, and V3POST uses the response functions calculated by V3RFUN, along with the plasma current information supplied by the equilibrium code VMEC, to compute the expected magnetic diagnostic signals. These two codes are currently being used to design magnetic diagnostic for the NCSX stellarator (at PPPL) and the CTH toroidal hybrid stellarator (at Auburn University). The last section of the paper describes plans for the V3FIT code. (orig.)

Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research 1971. Vol. III. Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1971-01-01

The ultimate goal of controlled nuclear fusion research is to make a new energy source available to mankind, a source that will be virtually unlimited and that gives promise of being environmentally cleaner than the sources currently exploited. This goal has stimulated research in plasma physics over the past two decades, leading to significant advances in the understanding of matter in its most common state as well as to progress in the confinement and heating of plasma. An indication of this progress is that in several countries considerable effort is being devoted to design studies of fusion reactors and to the technological problems that will be encountered in realizing these reactors. This range of research, from plasma physics to fusion reactor engineering, is shown in the present three-volume publication of the Proceedings of the Fourth Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research. The Conference was sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency and was held in Madison, Wisconsin, USA from 17 to 23 June 1971. The enthusiastic co-operation of the University of Wisconsin and of the United States Atomic Energy Commission in the organization of the Conference is gratefully acknowledged. The Conference was attended by over 500 scientists from 24 countries and 3 international organizations, and 143 papers were presented. These papers are published here in the original language; English translations of the Russian papers will be published in a Special Supplement to the journal Nuclear Fusion. The series of conferences on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research has become a major international forum for the presentation and discussion of results in this important and challenging field. In addition to sponsoring these conferences, the International Atomic Energy Agency supports controlled nuclear fusion research by publishing the journal Nuclear Fusion, and has recently established an International Fusion Research Council

Weak-interaction rates in stellar conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Sarriguren, Pedro

2018-05-01

Weak-interaction rates, including β-decay and electron captures, are studied in several mass regions at various densities and temperatures of astrophysical interest. In particular, we study odd-A nuclei in the pf-shell region, which are involved in presupernova formations. Weak rates are relevant to understand the late stages of the stellar evolution, as well as the nucleosynthesis of heavy nuclei. The nuclear structure involved in the weak processes is studied within a quasiparticle proton-neutron random-phase approximation with residual interactions in both particle-hole and particle-particle channels on top of a deformed Skyrme Hartree-Fock mean field with pairing correlations. First, the energy distributions of the Gamow-Teller strength are discussed and compared with the available experimental information, measured under terrestrial conditions from charge-exchange reactions. Then, the sensitivity of the weak-interaction rates to both astrophysical densities and temperatures is studied. Special attention is paid to the relative contribution to these rates of thermally populated excited states in the decaying nucleus and to the electron captures from the degenerate electron plasma.

Overview of recent results from the WEGA stellarator

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Otte, M.; Laqua, H.P.; Chlechowitz, E.; Marsen, S.; Preinhaelter, Josef; Stange, T.; Rodatos, A.; Urban, Jakub; Zhang, D.

2012-01-01

Roč. 57, č. 2 (2012), 171-175 ISSN 0029-5922. [International Conference on Research and Applications of Plasmas (PLASMA). Warsaw, 12.09.2011-16.09.2011] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA202/08/0419; GA MŠk 7G09042 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20430508 Keywords : magnetic confinement * supra-thermal particles * electron Bernstein waves * Stellarator * WEGA * ECRH Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 0.507, year: 2012 http://www.nukleonika.pl/www/back/full/vol57_2012/v57n2p171f.pdf

Magnetic flux surface measurements at the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Otte, Matthias; Andreeva, Tamara; Biedermann, Christoph; Bozhenkov, Sergey; Geiger, Joachim; Sunn Pedersen, Thomas [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, Greifswald (Germany); Lazerson, Samuel [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton (United States)

2016-07-01

Recently the first plasma operation phase of the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator has been started at IPP Greifswald. Wendelstein 7-X is an optimized stellarator with a complex superconducting magnet system consisting of 50 non-planar and 20 planar field coils and further 10 normal conducting control and 5 trim coils. The magnetic confinement and hence the expected plasma performance are decisively determined by the properties of the magnet system, especially by the existence and quality of the magnetic flux surfaces. Even small error fields may result in significant changes of the flux surface topology. Therefore, measurements of the vacuum magnetic flux surfaces have been performed before plasma operation. The first experimental results confirm the existence and quality of the flux surfaces to the full extend from low field up to the nominal field strength of B=2.5T. This includes the dedicated magnetic limiter configuration that is exclusively used for the first plasma operation. Furthermore, the measurements are indicating that the intrinsic error fields are within the tolerable range and can be controlled utilizing the trim coils as expected.

Nuclear fusion - Inexhaustible source of energy for tomorrow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leiser, M.; Demchenko, V.

1989-09-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide a general description of nuclear fusion as an energy option for the future and to clarify to some extent the various issues - scientific, technological, economic and environmental - which are likely to be relevant to controlled thermonuclear fusion. Section 1 describes the world energy problem and some advantages of nuclear fusion compared to other energy options. Sections 2 and 3 describe the fundamentals of fusion energy, plasma confinement, heating and technological aspects of fusion researches. Some plasma confinement schemes (tokamak, stellarator, inertial confinement fusion) are described. The main experimental results and parameter devices are cited to illustrate the state of the art as of 1989. Various engineering problems associated with reactor design, magnetic systems, materials, plasma purity, fueling, blankets, environment, economics and safety are discussed. A description of both bilateral and multilateral efforts in fusion research under the auspices of the IAEA is presented in Section 4. (author). 11 refs, 4 figs, 1 tab

Influence of Pressure-gradient and Shear on Ballooning Stability in Stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudson, S.R.; Hegna, C.C.; Nakajima, N.

2005-01-01

Pressure-driven, ideal ballooning stability calculations are often used to predict the achievable plasma in stellarator configurations. In this paper, the sensitivity of ballooning stability to plasmas profile variations is addressed. A simple, semi-analytic method for expressing the ballooning growth rate, for each field line, as a polynomial function of the variation in the pressure gradient and the average magnetic shear from an original equilibrium has recently been introduced [Phys. Plasmas 11:9 (September 2004) L53]. This paper will apply the expression to various stellarator configurations and comment on the validity of various truncated forms of the polynomial expression. In particular, it is shown that in general it is insufficient to consider only the second order terms as previously assumed, and that higher order terms must be included to obtain accurate predictions of stability

Nuclear planetology: understanding habitable planets as Galactic bulge stellar remnants (black dwarfs) in a Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram

Science.gov (United States)

Roller, Goetz

2016-04-01

The Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram is one of the most important diagrams in astronomy. In a HR diagram, the luminosity of stars and/or stellar remnants (white dwarf stars, WD's), relative to the luminosity of the sun, is plotted versus their surface temperatures (Teff). The Earth shows a striking similarity in size (radius ≈ 6.370 km) and Teff of its outer core surface (Teff ≈ 3800 K at the core-mantle-boundary) with old WD's (radius ≈ 6.300 km) like WD0346+246 (Teff ≈ 3820 K after ≈ 12.7 Ga [1]), which plot in the HR diagram close to the low-mass extension of the stellar population or main sequence. In the light of nuclear planetology [2], Earth-like planets are regarded as old, down-cooled and differentiated black dwarfs (Fe-C BLD's) after massive decompression, the most important nuclear reactions involved being 56Fe(γ,α)52Cr (etc.), possibly responsible for extreme terrestrial glaciations events ("snowball" Earth), together with (γ,n), (γ,p) and fusion reactions like 12C(α,γ)16O. The latter reaction might have caused oxidation of the planet from inside out. Nuclear planetology is a new research field, tightly constrained by a coupled 187Re-232Th-238U systematics. By means of nuclear/quantum physics and taking the theory of relativity into account, it aims at understanding the thermal and chemical evolution of Fe-C BLD's after gravitational contraction (e.g. Mercury) or Fermi-pressure controlled collapse (e.g. Earth) events after massive decompression, leading possibly to an r-process event, towards the end of their cooling period [2]. So far and based upon 187Re-232Th-238U nuclear geochronometry, the Fe-C BLD hypothesis can successfully explain the global terrestrial MORB 232Th/238U signature [3]. Thus, it may help to elucidate the DM (depleted mantle), EMI (enriched mantle 1), EMII (enriched mantle 2) or HIMU (high U/Pb) reservoirs, and the 187Os/188Os isotopic dichotomy in Archean magmatic rocks and sediments [4]. Here I present a conceptual

New schemes for confinement of fusion products in stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, W.A.; Isaev, M.Yu.; Heyn, M.F.

2003-01-01

Improved energetic-particle confinement is found in new stellarator and toroidal mirror field configurations. The possibility of fulfilling the condition of poloidal closure of the contours of the second adiabatic invariant for all reflected particles is studied for stellarators with poloidally closed contours of the magnetic field B on the magnetic surfaces through computational stellarator optimization. It is shown that by adjusting the geometry this is possible in a major fraction of the plasma volume. The most salient characteristic (as compared to previous quasi-iso dynamic configurations) is a magnetic axis whose curvature vanishes in all cross-sections with an extremum of B on the magnetic axis and renders possible a 3D structure of B with unprecedently high collisionless α-particle confinement. Sectionally isometric vacuum magnetic field toroidal mirror traps are analytically constructed with the help of the paraxial (or 'thin tube') approximation. Application of standard computational stellarator tools to this type of ι = 0 stellarator shows excellent alignment of second adiabatic invariant contours and equilibrium surfaces as well as directly calculated collisionless confinement of energetic particles. (author)

Helical ripple transport in stellarators at low collision frequency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beidler, C.D.

1987-12-01

Numerical and analytical techniques have been developed to investigate the plasma transport which is due to particles trapping/detrapping in the local helical ripple wells of a stellarator's magnetic field. This process is of considerable importance as it provides the dominant transport mechanism in a stellarator plasma at ''low'' collision frequency: that is, when the frequency with which a particle is collisionally detrapped from a local ripple well is less than the bounce frequency of the particle in that well. A form of the longitudinal adiabatic invariant, J, is constructed and shown to describe accurately the orbits of ripple trapped particles. Unlike previous expressions for J, the form derived here correctly accounts for the local toroidal variation of the magnetic field. The expression for J is incorporated into a rapid ''hybrid'' Monte Carlo simulation of ripple transport in stellarators. The simulation is a hybrid in the sense that particle orbits in the narrow region of phase space on either side of the ripple trapping/detrapping boundary are followed using guiding center equations of motion while orbits in the remainder of phase space are described using adiabatic invariants. An analytical expression for the distribution function of ripple trapped particles in a stellarator - valid at all low collision frequencies - has been obtained by series solution of the bounce - averaged kinetic equation. This solution has been applied to both 'standard' and a class of 'transport optimized' stellarator magnetic fields. Analytical estimates of the diffusion coefficient obtained from the series solution show excellent agreement with the numerical results of the hybrid Monte Carlo code in all cases studied. 55 refs., 30 figs

Plasma technology in support of a growing nuclear power industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camacho, J.; Camacho, S. L.; Park, J. H.

2005-01-01

Plasma pyrolysis / vitrification, otherwise known as PPV, is a thermal waste treatment process that offers a wide variety of advantages to owner/operators of modern waste disposal and WTE facilities. Operating cost, or perceived operating cost has so far been a major issue preventing plasma from gaining wide-spread acceptance in world markets of waste disposal. The interesting thing about plasma is the paradox of its current state in its development as a strong industry. On one hand, plasma has proven itself to be the most adaptable, easiest controlled thermal process, with the least emissions, and the safest solid by-product (slag). Plasma offers the ideal characteristics for process control of any waste, yet awaits real investment . How can this be happening? Several factors have created the current situation. First, governments and citizens have not demanded that nuclear facilities have complete and self-contained, on-site waste treatment systems in place to reduce the need for regional facilities and trucking. Second, organizations with a real need like nuclear power plant operators have found it difficult to make contact with reliable vendors, capable of providing high quality plasma recycling systems. Third, inferior equipment vendors have successfully sold equipment not designed for production waste treatment, but rather lab-scale systems with too few features to demonstrate reliable waste treatment with confidence. Many stories of poorly working equipment that was expensive has left big business with bad taste regarding plasma, except the steel industry, and the Japanese ash vitrification industry, where plasma does the difficult work every day. During the 1990s through today in 2005, the few plasma vendors have experienced almost no market demand for their products. In contrast, ever larger ash vitrification plants have been built recently in Japan and plasma torches are being applied routinely in the 1-3 mw range to production-scale facilities. Based on

BOOK REVIEW: Stellarator and Heliotron Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, John L.

1999-02-01

Stellarators and tokamaks are the most advanced devices that have been developed for magnetic fusion applications. The two approaches have much in common; tokamaks have received the most attention because their axisymmetry justifies the use of simpler models and provides a more forgiving geometry. However, recent advances in treating more complicated three dimensional systems have made it possible to design stellarators that are not susceptible to disruptions and do not need plasma current control. This has excited interest recently. The two largest new magnetic experiments in the world are the LHD device, which commenced operation in Toki, Japan, in 1998 and W7-X, which should become operational in Greifswald, Germany, in 2004. Other recently commissioned stellarators, including H-1 in Canberra, Australia, TJ-II in Madrid, Spain, and IMS in Madison, Wisconsin, have joined these in rejuvenating the stellarator programme. Thus, it is most appropriate that the author has made the lecture material that he presents to his students in the Graduate School of Energy Science at Kyoto University available to everyone. Stellarator and Heliotron Devices provides an excellent treatment of stellarator theory. It is aimed at graduate students who have a good understanding of classical mechanics and mathematical techniques. It contains good descriptions and derivations of essentially every aspect of fusion theory. The author provides an excellent qualitative introduction to each subject, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of the models that are being used and describing our present understanding. He judiciously uses simple models which illustrate the similarities and differences between stellarators and tokamaks. To some extent the treatment is uneven, rigorous derivations starting with basic principles being given in some cases and relations and equations taken from the original papers being used as a starting point in others. This technique provides an excellent training

Plasma diagnostics for tokamaks and stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stott, P.E.; Sanchez, J.

1994-01-01

A collection of papers on plasma diagnostics is presented. The papers show the state of the art developments in a series of techniques: magnetic diagnostics, Edge diagnostics, Langmuir probes, Spectroscopy, Microwave and FIR diagnostics as well as Thomson Sattering. Special interest was focused on those diagnostics oriented to fluctuations measurements in the plasma

Nuclear measurements, techniques and instrumentation, industrial applications, plasma physics and nuclear fusion 1986-1996. International Atomic Energy Agency publications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-03-01

This catalogue lists all sales publications of the International Atomic Energy Agency dealing with Nuclear Measurements, Techniques, and Instrumentation, Industrial Applications, Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion, issued during the period 1986-1996. Most publications are in English. Proceedings of conferences, symposia and panels of experts may contain some papers in languages other than English (French, Russian or Spanish), but all of these papers have abstracts in English. Contents cover the three main areas of (i) Nuclear Measurements, Techniques and Instrumentation (Physics, Dosimetry Techniques, Nuclear Analytical Techniques, Research Reactor and Particle Accelerator Applications, and Nuclear Data), (ii) Industrial Applications (Radiation Processing, Radiometry, and Tracers), and (iii) Plasma Physics and Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion

Modular Stellarator Fusion Reactor (MSR) concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.L.; Krakowski, R.A.

1981-01-01

A preliminary conceptual study has been made of the Modulator Stellarator Reactor (MSR) as a stedy-state, ignited, DT-fueled, magnetic fusion reactor. The MSR concept combines the physics of classic stellarator confinement with an innovative, modular-coil design. Parametric tradeoff calculations are described, leading to the selection of an interim design point for a 4.8-GWt plant based on Alcator transport scaling and an average beta value of 0.04 in an l = 2 system with a plasma aspect ratio of 11. Neither an economic analysis nor a detailed conceptual engineering design is presented here, as the primary intent of this scoping study is the elucidation of key physics tradeoffs, constraints, and uncertainties for the ultimate power-reactor embodiment

Topics in Nuclear Astrophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, K.C.

1982-01-01

Some topics in nuclear astrophysics are discussed, e.g.: highly evolved stellar cores, stellar evolution (through the temperature analysis of stellar surface), nucleosynthesis and finally the solar neutrino problem. (L.C.) [pt

Constructing integrable full-pressure full-current free-boundary stellarator magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudson, S.R.

2002-01-01

For stellarators to be feasible candidates for fusion power stations it is essential that the magnetic field lines lie on nested flux surfaces; however, the lack of a continuous symmetry implies that magnetic islands, caused by Pfirsch-Schlueter currents, diamagnetic currents and resonant coil fields, are guaranteed to exist. The challenge is to design the plasma and coils such that these effects cancel. Magnetic islands in free-boundary full-pressure full-current stellarator magnetohydrodynamic equilibria are suppressed using a procedure based on the PIES code [Comp. Phys. Comm., 43:157, 1986] which iterates the equilibrium equations to obtain the plasma equilibrium. At each iteration, changes to a Fourier representation of the coil geometry are made to cancel resonant fields produced by the plasma. The changes are constrained to lie in the nullspace of certain measures of engineering acceptability and kink stability. As the iterations continue, the coil geometry and the plasma simultaneously converge to an equilibrium in which the island content is negligible. The method is applied to a candidate plasma and coil design for NCSX [Phys. Plas., 7:1911, 2000]. (author)

Plasma diagnostics for tokamaks and stellarators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stott, P E; Sanchez, J

1994-07-01

A collection of papers on plasma diagnostics is presented. The papers show the state of the art developments in a series of techniques: Magnetic diagnostics, Edge diagnostics, Langmuir probes, Spectroscopy, Microwave and FIR diagnostics as well as Thomson Scattering. Special interest was focused on those diagnostics oriented to fluctuations measurements in the plasma. (Author) 451 refs.

On the Uniqueness of Solutions of a Nonlinear Elliptic Problem Arising in the Confinement of a Plasma in a Stellarator Device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz, J. I.; Galiano, G.; Padial, J. F.

1999-01-01

We study the uniqueness of solutions of a semilinear elliptic problem obtained from an inverse formulation when the nonlinear terms of the equation are prescribed in a general class of real functions. The inverse problem arises in the modeling of the magnetic confinement of a plasma in a Stellarator device. The uniqueness proof relies on an L ∞ -estimate on the solution of an auxiliary nonlocal problem formulated in terms of the relative rearrangement of a datum with respect to the solution

TEM-turbulence in stellarators and its optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Proll, Josefine H. E.; Helander, Per; Lazerson, Samuel; Mynick, Harry; Xanthopoulos, Pavlos

2014-10-01

Quasi-isodynamic stellarators, which are especially optimized for neoclassical transport, have been shown to be resilient towards trapped-electrons modes (TEMs) in large regions of parameter space. In these configurations, all particles have average ``good curvature.'' It was shown analytically that, thanks to this property, particles that bounce faster than the mode in question draw energy from it near marginal stability, so that the ordinary density-gradient-driven TEM has to be stable in the electrostatic and collisionless limit.This has been confirmed in linear flux-tube simulations that were performed with the GENE code. Several magnetic field configurations were compared and it was found that the growth rates of the TEMs drop with increasing degree of quasi-isodynamicity. These findings can be used to optimize stellarators with respect to TEM turbulence by reducing the fraction of trapped particles with bounce averaged ``bad curvature.'' An appropriate proxy function has therefore been designed to be implemented in STELLOPT, a stellarator optimization tool that can now be used to further explore the configuration space of neoclassically optimized stellarators with the aim to extract designs with improved turbulent transport. This work was facilitated by the Max-Planck/Princeton Center for Plasma Physics.

Modular Stellarator Fusion Reactor concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.L.; Krakowski, R.A.

1981-08-01

A preliminary conceptual study is made of the Modular Stellarator Reactor (MSR). A steady-state ignited, DT-fueled, magnetic fusion reactor is proposed for use as a central electric-power station. The MSR concept combines the physics of the classic stellarator confinement topology with an innovative, modular-coil design. Parametric tradeoff calculations are described, leading to the selection of an interim design point for a 4-GWt plant based on Alcator transport scaling and an average beta value of 0.04 in an l = 2 system with a plasma aspect ratio of 11. The physics basis of the design point is described together with supporting magnetics, coil-force, and stress computations. The approach and results presented herein will be modified in the course of ongoing work to form a firmer basis for a detailed conceptual design of the MSR

Effect of a generalized particle momentum distribution on plasma nuclear fusion rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yeong E.; Zubarev, Alexander L.

2006-01-01

We investigate the effect of a generalized particle momentum distribution derived by Galitskii and Yakimets (GY) on nuclear reaction rates in plasma. We derive an approximate semi-analytical formula for nuclear fusion reaction rate between nuclei in a plasma (quantum plasma nuclear fusion; or QPNF). The QPNF formula is applied to calculate deuteron-deuteron fusion rate in a plasma, and the results are compared with the results calculated with the conventional Maxwell-Boltzmann velocity distribution. As an application, we investigate the deuteron-deuteron fusion rate for mobile deuterons in a deuterated metal/alloy. The calculated deuteron-deuteron fusion rates at low energies are enormously enhanced due to the modified tail of the GY's generalized momentum distribution. Our preliminary estimates indicate also that the deuteron-lithium (D+Li) fusion rate and the proton-lithium (p+Li) fusion rate in a metal/alloy at ambient temperatures are also substantially enhanced. (author)

Transient particle transport studies at the W7-AS stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koponen, J.

2000-01-01

One of the crucial problems in fusion research is the understanding of the transport of particles and heat in plasmas relevant for energy production. Extensive experimental transport studies have unraveled many details of heat transport in tokamaks and stellarators. However, due to larger experimental difficulties, the properties of particle transport have remained much less known. In particular, very few particle transport studies have been carried out in stellarators. This thesis summarises the transient particle transport experiments carried out at the Wendelstein 7-Advanced Stellarator (W7-AS). The main diagnostics tool was a 10-channel microwave interferometer. A technique for reconstructing the electron density profiles from the multichannel interferometer data was developed and implemented. The interferometer and the reconstruction software provide high quality electron density measurements with high temporal and sufficient spatial resolution. The density reconstruction is based on regularization methods studied during the development work. An extensive program of transient particle transport studies was carried out with the gas modulation method. The experiments resulted in a scaling expression for the diffusion coefficient. Transient inward convection was found in the edge plasma. The role of convection is minor in the core plasma, except at higher heating power, when an outward directed convective flux is observed. Radially peaked density profiles were found in discharges free of significant central density sources. Such density profiles are usually observed in tokamaks, but never before in W7-AS. Existence of an inward pinch is confirmed with two independent transient transport analysis methods. The density peaking is possible if the plasma is heated with extreme off-axis Electron Cyclotron Heating (ECH), when the temperature gradient vanishes in the core plasma, and if the gas puffing level is relatively low. The transport of plasma particles and heat

MHD kink-driven instabilities in net-current-free stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rewoldt, G.; Johnson, J.L.

1984-02-01

The Pfirsch-Schlueter current, which is induced in a toroidal device to keep the plasma current diverence-free, is shown to drive a free-boundary instability in a model of a net-current-free ATF-1 stellarator if = 2.6%

Nuclear measurements, techniques and instrumentation industrial applications plasma physics and nuclear fusion. 1980-1994. International Atomic Energy Agency publications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-04-01

This catalogue lists all sales publications of the International Atomic Energy Agency dealing with Nuclear Measurements, Techniques and Instrumentation, with Industrial Applications (of Nuclear Physics and Engineering), and with Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion, issued during the period 1980-1994. Most publications are in English. Proceedings of conferences, symposia, and panels of experts may contain some papers in other languages (French, Russian, or Spanish), but all papers have abstracts in English. Price quotes are in Austrian Schillings, do not include local taxes, and are subject to change without notice. Contents cover the three main categories of (i) Nuclear Measurements, Techniques and Instrumentation (Physics, Chemistry, Dosimetry Techniques, Nuclear Analytical Techniques, Research Reactors and Particle Accelerator Applications, Nuclear Data); (ii) Industrial Applications (Radiation Processing, Radiometry, Tracers); and (iii) Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear measurements, techniques and instrumentation industrial applications plasma physics and nuclear fusion, 1980-1993. International Atomic Energy Agency publications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

This catalogue lists all sales publications of the International Atomic Energy Agency dealing with Nuclear Measurements, Techniques and Instrumentation, with Industrial Applications (of Nuclear Physics and Engineering), and with Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion, issued during the period 1980-1993. Most publications are in English. Proceedings of conferences, symposia, and panels of experts may contain some papers in other languages (French, Russian, or Spanish), but all papers have abstracts in English. Price quotes are in Austrian Schillings, do not include local taxes, and are subject to change without notice. Contents cover the three main categories of (I) Nuclear Measurements, Techniques and Instrumentation (Physics, Chemistry, Dosimetry Techniques, Nuclear Analytical Techniques, Research Reactors and Particle Accelerator Applications, Nuclear Data); (ii) Industrial Applications (Radiation Processing, Radiometry, Tracers); and (iii) Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear responses in INTOR plasma stabilization elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gohar, Y.; Gilligan, J.; Jung, J.; Mattas, R.F.; Miley, G.H.; Wiffen, F.W.; Yang, S.

1985-01-01

Nuclear responses in the plasma stabilization elements were studied in a parametric fashion as a part of the transient electromagnetics critical issue C of ETR/INTOR activity. The main responses are neutron fluence and radiation dose in the insulator material, induced resistivity and atomic displacement in the conductor material, nuclear heating and life analysis for the elements. Copper and aluminum conductors with either MgAl 2 O 4 or MgO insulating material were investigated. Radiation damage and life analysis for these elements were also discussed

A large stellarator based on modular coils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamberger, S.M.; Sharp, L.E.; Petersen, L.F.

1979-06-01

Although stellarators offer some considerable advantages over tokamaks, difficulties arise in designing large devices due, for instance, to poor plasma access as well as to constructional electromechanical and maintenance problems associated with continous helical windings. This paper describes a design for a fairly large device (major radius 2.1m), based on a set of discrete coil modules arranged in a toroidal configuration to provide the required closed magnetic surfaces, having gaps for unobstructed access to the plasma for diagnostics, etc, and allowing for easy removal for maintenance

Electron Capture Cross Sections for Stellar Nucleosynthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. G. Giannaka

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In the first stage of this work, we perform detailed calculations for the cross sections of the electron capture on nuclei under laboratory conditions. Towards this aim we exploit the advantages of a refined version of the proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation (pn-QRPA and carry out state-by-state evaluations of the rates of exclusive processes that lead to any of the accessible transitions within the chosen model space. In the second stage of our present study, we translate the abovementioned e--capture cross sections to the stellar environment ones by inserting the temperature dependence through a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution describing the stellar electron gas. As a concrete nuclear target we use the 66Zn isotope, which belongs to the iron group nuclei and plays prominent role in stellar nucleosynthesis at core collapse supernovae environment.

THz Backward-wave oscillators for plasma diagnostic in nuclear fusion

OpenAIRE

Paoloni, Claudio; Yue, Lingna; Tang, Xiaopin; Zhang, Fuzhi; Popovic, Branko; Himes, Logan; Barchfeld, Robert; Gamzina, Diana; Mineo, Mauro; Letizia, Rosa; Luhmann Jr., Neville C.

2015-01-01

Summary form only given. The understanding of plasma turbulence in nuclear fusion is related to the availability of powerful THz sources and the possibility to map wider plasma regions. A novel approach to realize compact THz sources to be implemented in the plasma diagnostic at NSTX experiment (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, USA) is reported.Two novel 0.346 THz Backward-Wave Oscillators (BWOs) have been designed and are presently in the fabrication phase. One BWO is based on the Double...

X-Pinch Plasma Generation Testing for Neutron Source Development and Nuclear Fusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossam A.Gabbar

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Nuclear fusion is a sought-out technology in which two light elements are fused together to create a heavier element and releases energy. Two primary nuclear fusion technologies are being researched today: magnetic and inertial confinement. However, a new type of nuclear fusion technology is currently being research: multi-pinch plasma beams. At the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, there is research on multi-pinch plasma beam technology as an alternative to nuclear fusion. The objective is to intersect two plasma arcs at the center of the chamber. This is a precursor of nuclear fusion using multi-pinch. The innovation portion of the students’ work is the miniaturization of this concept using high energy electrical DC pulses. The experiment achieved the temperature of 2300 K at the intersection. In comparison to the simulation data, the temperature from the simulation is 7000 K at the intersection. Additionally, energy harvesting devices, both photovoltaics and a thermoelectric generator, were placed in the chamber to observe the viable energy extraction.

Some theoretical problems of magnetic diagnostics in tokamaks and stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pustovitov, V.D.

1993-12-01

The main problem of magnetic diagnostics is discussed here: which plasma characteristics can be determined from magnetic measurements in tokamaks and stellarators. The reasons are elucidated why diamagnetic measurements are reliable and easily interpreted. We discuss also the capabilities of diagnostics based on the measurements of poloidal fields outside the plasma. This article is based on a lecture delivered at the Third International School on Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, held 15-22 June 1993 at St. Petersburg - Kizhi, Russia. (author)

Some theoretical problems of magnetic diagnostics in tokamaks and stellarators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pustovitov, V.D.

1993-12-01

The main problem of magnetic diagnostics is discussed here: which plasma characteristics can be determined from magnetic measurements in tokamaks and stellarators. The reasons are elucidated why diamagnetic measurements are reliable and easily interpreted. We discuss also the capabilities of diagnostics based on the measurements of poloidal fields outside the plasma. This article is based on a lecture delivered at the Third International School on Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, held 15-22 June 1993 at St. Petersburg - Kizhi, Russia. (author).

An Impurity Emission Survey in the near UV and Visible Spectral Ranges of Electron Cyclotron Heated (ECH) Plasma in the TJ-II Stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCarthy, K. J.; Zurro, B.; Baciero, A.

2001-01-01

We report on a near-ultraviolet and visible spectroscopic survey (220-600 nm) of electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) heated plasmas created in the TJ-II stellarator, with central electron temperatures up to 2 keV and central electron densities up to 1.7 x 10 ''19 m''-3. Approximately 1200 lines from thirteen elements have been identified. The purpose of the work is to identify the principal impurities and spectral lines present in TJ-II plasmas, as well as their possible origin to search for transitions from highly ionised ions. This work will act as a base for identifying suitable transitions for following the evolution of impurities under different operating regimens and multiplet systems for line polarisation studies. It is intended to use the database creates as a spectral line reference for comparing spectra under different operating and plasma heating regimes. (Author)

Confinement studies in the TJ-II stellarator

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alejaldre, C.; Alonso, J.; Almoguera, L.; Ascasibar, E.; Baciero, A.; Balbin, R.; Blaumoser, M.; Botija, J.; Branas, B.; De La Cal, E.; Cappa, A.; Carrasco, R.; Castejon, F.; Cepero, J. R.; Cremy, C.; Delgrado, J. M.; Doncel, J.; Dulya, C.; Estrada, T.; Fernandez, A.; Fuentes, C.; Garcia, A.; Garcia-Cortes, I.; Guasp, J.; Herranz, J.; Hidalgo, C.; Jimenez, J. A.; Kirpitchev, I.; Krivenski, V.; Labrador, I.; Lapayese, F.; Likin, K.; Linier, M.; Lopez-Fraguas, A.; Lopez-Sanchez, A.; de la Luna, E.; Martin, R.; Martinez, A.; Martinez-Laso, L.; Medrano, M.; Mendez, P.; McCarthy, K. J.; Medina, F.; van Milligen, B.; Ochando, M.; Pacios, L.; Pastor, I.; Pedrosa, M. A.; de la Pena, A.; Portas, A.; Qin, J.; Rodriguez-Rodrigo, L.; Salas, A.; Sanchez, E.; Sanchez, J.; Tabares, F.; Tafalla, D.; Tribaldos, V.; Vega, J.; Zurro, B.; Akulina, D.; Fedyanin, O. I.; Grebenshchikov, S.; Kharchev, N.; Meshcheryakov, A.; Sarksian, K. A.; Barth, R.; van Dijk, G.; van der Meiden, H.

1999-01-01

ECR (electron cyclotron resonance) heated plasmas have been studied in the low magnetic shear TJ-II stellarator (R = 1.5 m, a < 0.22 m, B = 1 T, f = 53.2 GHz, P-ECRH = 300 kW, power density = 1-25 W cm(-3)). Recent experiments have explored the flexibility of the TJ-II across a wide range of

Gyrokinetic analysis of linear microinstabilities for the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X

Science.gov (United States)

Xanthopoulos, P.; Jenko, F.

2007-04-01

A linear collisionless gyrokinetic investigation of ion temperature gradient (ITG) modes—considering both adiabatic and full electron dynamics—and trapped electron modes (TEMs) is presented for the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) [G. Grieger et al., Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research 1990 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1991), Vol. 3, p. 525]. The study of ITG modes reveals that in W7-X, microinstabilities of distinct character coexist. The effect of changes in the density gradient and temperature ratio is discussed. Substantial differences with respect to the axisymmetric geometry appear in W7-X, concerning the relative separation of regions with a large fraction of helically trapped particles and those of pronounced bad curvature. For both ITG modes and TEMs, the dependence of their linear growth rates on the background gradients is studied along with their parallel mode structure.

ON THE ORIGIN OF STELLAR MASSES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krumholz, Mark R.

2011-01-01

It has been a longstanding problem to determine, as far as possible, the characteristic masses of stars in terms of fundamental constants; the almost complete invariance of this mass as a function of the star-forming environment suggests that this should be possible. Here I provide such a calculation. The typical stellar mass is set by the characteristic fragment mass in a star-forming cloud, which depends on the cloud's density and temperature structure. Except in the very early universe, the latter is determined mainly by the radiation released as matter falls onto seed protostars. The energy yield from this process is ultimately set by the properties of deuterium burning in protostellar cores, which determines the stars' radii. I show that it is possible to combine these considerations to compute a characteristic stellar mass almost entirely in terms of fundamental constants, with an extremely weak residual dependence on the interstellar pressure and metallicity. This result not only explains the invariance of stellar masses, it resolves a second mystery: why fragmentation of a cold, low-density interstellar cloud, a process with no obvious dependence on the properties of nuclear reactions, happens to select a stellar mass scale such that stellar cores can ignite hydrogen. Finally, the weak residual dependence on the interstellar pressure and metallicity may explain recent observational hints of a smaller characteristic mass in the high-pressure, high-metallicity cores of giant elliptical galaxies.

Comparison of solubilized and purified plasma membrane and nuclear insulin receptors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, K.Y.; Hawley, D.; Vigneri, R.; Goldfine, I.D.

1988-01-01

Prior studies have detected biochemical and immunological differences between insulin receptors in plasma membranes and isolated nuclei. To further investigate these receptors, they were solubilized in Triton X-100 partially purified by wheat germ agglutinin-agarose chromatography. In these preparations, the nuclear and plasma membrane receptors had very similar pH optima (pH 8.0) and reactivities to a group of polyclonal antireceptor antibodies. Further, both membrane preparations had identical binding activities when labeled insulin was competed for by unlabeled insulin (50% inhibition at 800 pM). Next, nuclear and plasma membranes were solubilized and purified to homogeneity by wheat germ agglutinin-agarose and insulin-agarose chromatography. In both receptors, labeled insulin was covalently cross-linked to a protein of 130 kilodaltons representing the insulin receptor α subunit. When preparations of both receptors were incubated with insulin and then adenosine 5'-[γ- 32 P]triphosphate, a protein of 95 kilodaltons representing the insulin receptor β subunit was phosphorylated in a dose-dependent manner. These studies indicate, therefore, that solubilized plasma membrane and nuclear insulin receptors have similar structures and biochemical properties, and they suggest that they are the same (or very similar) proteins

Parametric systems analysis of the Modular Stellarator Reactor (MSR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.L.; Krakowski, R.A.; Bathke, C.G.

1982-05-01

The close coupling in the stellarator/torsatron/heliotron (S/T/H) between coil design (peak field, current density, forces), magnetics topology (transform, shear, well depth), and plasma performance (equilibrium, stability, transport, beta) complicates the reactor assessment more so than for most magnetic confinement systems. In order to provide an additional degree of resolution of this problem for the Modular Stellarator Reactor (MSR), a parametric systems model has been developed and applied. This model reduces key issues associted ith plasma performance, first-wall/blanket/shield (FW/B/S), and coil design to a simple relationship between beta, system geometry, and a number of indicators of overall plant performance. The results of this analysis can then be used to guide more detailed, multidimensional plasma, magnetics, and coil design efforts towards technically and economically viable operating regimes. In general, it is shown that beta values > 0.08 may be needed if the MSR approach is to be substantially competitive with other approaches to magnetic fusion in terms of system power density, mass utilization, and cost for total power output around 4.0 GWt; lower powers will require even higher betas

Trends of plasma physics and nuclear fusion research life cycle and research effort curve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohe, Takeru; Kanada, Yasumasa; Momota, Hiromu; Ichikawa, Y.H.

1979-05-01

This paper presents a quantitative analysis of research trends in the fields of plasma physics and nuclear fusion. This analysis is based on information retrieval from available data bases such as INSPEC tapes. The results indicate that plasma physics research is now in the maturation phase of its life cycle, and that nuclear fusion research is in its growth phase. This paper indicates that there is a correlation between the number of accumulated papers in the fields of plasma physics and nuclear fusion and the experimentally attained values of the plasma ignition parameter ntT. Using this correlation ''research effort curve'', we forecast that the scientific feasibility of controlled fusion using magnetic confinement systems will be proved around 1983. (author)

Implications of the quasi-neutrality condition for neoclassical transport in stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beidler, C.D.; Maassberg, H.

2005-01-01

In conventional stellarator neoclassical theory, the transport coefficients are determined so as to satisfy the so-called ambipolarity constraint on the radial particle fluxes but without regard to the additional requirement that the underlying solutions of the kinetic equation also fulfill local quasi-neutrality. This neglect is consistent with the assumption that density, n and electrostatic potential, Φ, are constant on a flux surface and is justified in the literature with analytic scaling arguments which demonstrate that quasi-neutrality introduces variations of n and Φ on a flux surface which have only a modest impact on bulk-plasma transport. The consequences for impurity transport have not been considered. In this contribution, the implications which the quasi-neutrality condition has for neoclassical transport in stellarators are investigated using a version of the General Solution of the Ripple-Averaged Kinetic Equation (GSRAKE) which accounts for the variation of Φ on flux surfaces. Solutions of the kinetic equation which simultaneously fulfill the ambipolarity and the quasi-neutrality conditions are determined iteratively using standard methods for solving systems of non-linear equations, given specified density and temperature profiles for pure hydrogen plasmas. For a conventional heliotron device, it is shown that quasi-neutrality significantly reduces the radial extent of the region in which multiple solutions of the ambipolarity condition can exist. Especially in the plasma periphery, where strong density and temperature gradients are found, the magnitude of the 'ion' root is reduced significantly leading to increased particle and energy fluxes. For strongly drift-optimized stellarators, on the other hand, bulk plasma transport is much less affected. In a small number of cases, the non-linear system of equations produces additional solutions which are not possible when only ambipolarity is enforced, but such cases are rare. Finally, it is

MiniCNT - A Tabletop Stellarator

Science.gov (United States)

Dugan, Chris; Pedersen, Thomas; Berkery, John

2006-10-01

MiniCNT is a scaled down version of the Columbia Non-Neutral Torus, a stellarator built to study confinement of non-neutral plasmas on magnetic surfaces. MiniCNT is a glass vacuum chamber capable of holding pressures six orders of magnitude below atmospheric pressure. Unlike CNT, in which plasmas are invisible, MiniCNT allows some collisions with neutrals, causing it to glow. Using two twelve-volt car batteries to power four magnetic coils, MiniCNT generates a 0.02 Tesla magnetic field. While CNT, being larger, is obviously more accurate, there are multiple benefits in MiniCNT. First, it is more flexible and can be adjusted to fit many scenarios easily. The car batteries can be switched for other power sources, the coils can be realigned, and the chamber can be pumped to various pressures of various gases. Also, it is visually accessible; while CNT has glass viewing ports and its plasma is dark, MiniCNT is made of glass and its plasma glows, allowing visualization of the magnetic surfaces.

Nuclear fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huber, H.

1978-01-01

A comprehensive survey is presented of the present state of knowledge in nuclear fusion research. In the first part, potential thermonuclear reactions, basic energy balances of the plasma (Lawson criterion), and the main criteria to be observed in the selection of appropriate thermonuclear reactions are dealt with. This is followed by a discussion of the problems encountered in plasma physics (plasma confinement and heating, transport processes, plasma impurities, plasma instabilities and plasma diagnostics) and by a consideration of the materials problems involved, such as material of the first wall, fuel inlet and outlet, magnetic field generation, as well as repair work and in-service inspections. Two main methods have been developed to tackle these problems: reactor concepts using the magnetic pinch (stellarator, Tokamak, High-Beta reactors, mirror machines) on the one hand, and the other concept using the inertial confinement (laser fusion reactor). These two approaches and their specific problems as well as past, present and future fusion experiments are treated in detail. The last part of the work is devoted to safety and environmental aspects of the potential thermonuclear aspects of the potential thermonuclear reactor, discussing such problems as fusion-specific hazards, normal operation and potential hazards, reactor incidents, environmental pollution by thermal effluents, radiological pollution, radioactive wastes and their disposal, and siting problems. (orig./GG) [de

The dense plasma focus and nuclear energy. A possible path towards fuel-selfsufficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heindler, M.; Harms, A.A.

1983-01-01

This chapter examines the concept of incorporating a dense plasma focus device which supplies neutrons to breed fissile fuel for fission reactions in a nuclear energy system. Discusses the dense plasma focus in a fusion-fission symbiont concept; a parametric description of a DPF-based nuclear energy system; fissile fuel and energy balance in a DPF based symbiont; a fusion-fission symbiont with a DPF device of current design; and DPF facility requirements for a self-sufficient fusion-fission symbiont. The primary objective of this study was to establish a systems concept which is essentially self-sufficient with respect to nuclear fuel. Concludes that while existing dense plasma focus devices are insufficient and inadequate for such purpose, the improvement of some critical performance parameters (e.g., the pulse repetition rate and the neutron yield per pulse) could render a self-sufficient nuclear energy concept a nearterm technological objective

Physics Design of the National Compact Stellarator Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neilson, G.H.; Zarnstorff, M.C.; Lyon, J.F.

2002-01-01

Compact quasi-axisymmetric stellarators offer the possibility of combining the steady-state low-recirculating power, external control, and disruption resilience of previous stellarators with the low-aspect ratio, high beta-limit, and good confinement of advanced tokamaks. Quasi-axisymmetric equilibria have been developed for the proposed National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) with average aspect ratio approximately 4.4 and average elongation approximately 1.8. Even with bootstrap-current consistent profiles, they are passively stable to the ballooning, kink, vertical, Mercier, and neoclassical-tearing modes for b > 4%, without the need for external feedback or conducting walls. The bootstrap current generates only 1/4 of the magnetic rotational transform at b = 4% (the rest is from the coils). Transport simulations show adequate fast-ion confinement and thermal neoclassical transport similar to equivalent tokamaks. Modular coils have been designed which reproduce the physics properties, provide good flux surfaces, and allow flexible variation of the plasma shape to control the predicted MHD stability and transport properties

Dynamic stellar neutron-capture nucleosynthesis: the need for more nuclear data for the s-process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathews, G.J.; Howard, W.M.; Takahashi, K.; Ward, R.A.

1984-09-01

We summarize results from a detailed parameter study of the s-process in models which produce an exponential distribution of exposures by sequential irradiations and dredge up in the stellar environment. The calculations are based on a complete network of measured and calculated neutron capture and beta-decay rates as well as estimates for their temperature dependence. In the framework of these models we identify and systematically vary the astrophysical variables which affect the observed solar-system sigmaN (cross section times abundance) curve. Constraints are placed on the s-process neutron exposure and flux as well as the temperatures, densities, neutron pulse shape and inter-pulse period. The results also highlight important needs for better nuclear data in various mass regions. 26 references

High precision measurement of fuel density profiles in nuclear fusion plasmas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Svensson, J.; von Hellermann, M.; Konig, R.

2002-01-01

This paper presents a method for deducing fuel density profiles of nuclear fusion plasmas in realtime during an experiment. A Multi Layer Perceptron (MLP) neural network is used to create a mapping between plasma radiation spectra and indirectly deduced hydrogen isotope densities. By combining

Trapped-particle instabilities in quasi-isodynamic stellarators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Proll, Josefine Henriette Elise

2014-01-28

The confinement of energy has always been a challenge in magnetic confinement fusion devices. Due to their toroidal shape there exist regions of high and low magnetic field, so that the particles are divided into two classes - trapped ones that are periodically reflected in regions of high magnetic field with a characteristic frequency, and passing particles, whose parallel velocity is high enough that they largely follow a magnetic field line around the torus without being reflected. The radial drift that a particle experiences due to the field inhomogeneity depends strongly on its position, and the net drift therefore depends on the path taken by the particle. While the radial drift is close to zero for passing particles, trapped particles experience a finite radial net drift and are therefore lost in classical stellarators. These losses are described by the so-called neoclassical transport theory. Recent optimised stellarator geometries, however, in which the trapped particles precess around the torus poloidally and do not experience any net drift, promise to reduce the neoclassical transport down to the level of tokamaks. In these optimised stellarators, the neoclassical transport becomes small enough so that turbulent transport may limit the confinement instead. The turbulence is driven by small-scale-instabilities, which tap the free energy of density or temperature gradients in the plasma. Some of these instabilities are driven by the trapped particles and therefore depend strongly on the magnetic geometry, so the question arises how the optimisation affects the stability. In this thesis, collisionless electrostatic microinstabilities are studied both analytically and numerically. Magnetic configurations where the action integral of trapped-particle bounce motion, J, only depends on the radial position in the plasma and where its maximum is in the plasma centre, so-called maximum-J configurations, are of special interest. This condition can be achieved

Trapped-particle instabilities in quasi-isodynamic stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Proll, Josefine Henriette Elise

2014-01-01

The confinement of energy has always been a challenge in magnetic confinement fusion devices. Due to their toroidal shape there exist regions of high and low magnetic field, so that the particles are divided into two classes - trapped ones that are periodically reflected in regions of high magnetic field with a characteristic frequency, and passing particles, whose parallel velocity is high enough that they largely follow a magnetic field line around the torus without being reflected. The radial drift that a particle experiences due to the field inhomogeneity depends strongly on its position, and the net drift therefore depends on the path taken by the particle. While the radial drift is close to zero for passing particles, trapped particles experience a finite radial net drift and are therefore lost in classical stellarators. These losses are described by the so-called neoclassical transport theory. Recent optimised stellarator geometries, however, in which the trapped particles precess around the torus poloidally and do not experience any net drift, promise to reduce the neoclassical transport down to the level of tokamaks. In these optimised stellarators, the neoclassical transport becomes small enough so that turbulent transport may limit the confinement instead. The turbulence is driven by small-scale-instabilities, which tap the free energy of density or temperature gradients in the plasma. Some of these instabilities are driven by the trapped particles and therefore depend strongly on the magnetic geometry, so the question arises how the optimisation affects the stability. In this thesis, collisionless electrostatic microinstabilities are studied both analytically and numerically. Magnetic configurations where the action integral of trapped-particle bounce motion, J, only depends on the radial position in the plasma and where its maximum is in the plasma centre, so-called maximum-J configurations, are of special interest. This condition can be achieved

Assessment of global stellarator confinement: Status of the international stellarator confinement scaling data base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dinklage, A.; Beidler, C.D.; Dose, V.; Geiger, J.; Kus, A.; Preuss, R.; Ascasibar, E.; Tribaldos, V.; Harris, J.H.; Murakami, S.; Sano, F.; Okamura, S.; Suzuki, Y.; Watanabe, K.Y.; Yamada, H.; Yokoyama, M.; Stroth, U.; Talmadge, J.

2005-01-01

Different stellarator/heliotron devices along with their respective flexibility cover a large magnetic configuration space. Since the ultimate goal of stellarator research aims at an alternative fusion reactor concept, the exploration of the most promising configurations requires a comparative assessment of the plasma performance and how different aspects of a 3D configuration influence it. Therefore, the International Stellarator Confinement Database (ISCDB) has been re- initiated in 2004 and the ISS95 database has been extended to roughly 3000 discharges from eight different devices. Further data-sets are continuously added. A revision of a data set restricted to comparable scenarios lead to the ISS04 scaling law which confirmed ISS95 but also revealed clearly the necessity to incorporate configuration descriptive parameters. In other words, an extension beyond the set of regression parameters used for ISS95/ISS04 appears to be necessary and candidates, such as the elongation are investigated. Since grouping of data is a key-issue for deriving ISS04, basic assumptions are revised, e.g. the dependence on the heating scheme. Moreover, an assessment of statistical approaches is investigated with respect to their impact on the scaling. A crucial issue is the weighting of data groups which is discussed in terms of error-in-variable techniques and Bayesian model comparison. The latter is employed for testing scaling ansatzes depending on scaling invariance principles hence allowing the assessment of applicability of theory-based scaling laws on stellarator confinement. 1. ISCDB resources are jointly hosted by NIFS and IPP, see http://iscdb.nifs.ac.jp and http://www.ipp.mpg.de/ISS. (author)

Magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in a stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuoka, K.; Miyamoto, K.; Ohasa, K.; Wakatani, M.

1977-05-01

Numerical studies of stability on kink and resistive tearing modes in a linear stellarator are presented for various current profiles and helical fields. In the case of an l = 2 helical field, a magnetic shear vanishes and the stability diagram is given by the straight lines with iota sup(σ) + iota sup(delta) = const., where iota sup(σ) is a rotational transform due to the plasma current and iota sup(delta) is due to the helical field. In the l = 2 stellarator with chi sup(delta) > 0.5, the m.h.d. stability against kink and tearing modes is improved compared with that in tokamaks. While an l = 3 helical component exists, the magnetic shear plays an important role in the stability properties. The stability diagrams become fairly complex; however, they can be explained by properties of the Euler equation. It should be noted that the internal kink modes become more unstable than in tokamaks by the l = 3 helical field. (auth.)

Major issues in the design and construction of the stellarator of Costa Rica: SCR-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mora, J; Vargas, V I; Villegas, L F; Barillas, L; Monge, J I; Rivas, L

2012-01-01

This paper aims at briefly describing the design and construction issues of the stellarator of Costa Rica 1 (SCR-1). The SCR-1 is a small modular Stellarator for magnetic confinement of plasma developed by the Plasma Physics Group of the Instituto Tecnologico de Costa Rica (ITCR). The SCR-1 is based on the small Spanish Stellarator UST 1 (Ultra Small Torus 1), created by Eng. Vicente Queral. These mains issues consist of the size of the Stellarator, closeness between coils, coupling of ECH to the vacuum chamber and the device for support. The size has become a problem because the vacuum chamber does not allow a lot of space to attach diagnosis devices, the heating system, the vacuum system and the very same support of the chamber. As a result of this lack of space, the Stellarator's coils are placed very close to each other; this means that two of the coils around of the vacuum chamber clash and cannot be placed as designed. The issue regarding the coupling of the ECH (electron cyclotron radio-frequency) to the vacuum chamber comprises the fact that the wave guide with rectangular shape does not match the CF port with circular shape on the vacuum chamber. In addition, the device for supporting the Stellarator has presented a challenge because of its size and the placement of the coils; in other words, there is not enough space between the ports and coils in the Stellarator to place appropriately the device for support.

Plasma physics and controlled nuclear fusion research 1988. V.3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

Volume 3 of the proceedings of the twelfth international conference on plasma physics and controlled nuclear fusion, held in Nice, France, 12-19 October, 1988, contains papers presented on inertial fusion. Direct and indirect laser implosion experiments, programs of laser construction, computer modelling of implosions and resulting plasmas, and light ion beam fusion experiments are discussed. Refs, figs and tabs

Stellar Physics 2: Stellar Evolution and Stability

CERN Document Server

Bisnovatyi-Kogan, Gennady S

2011-01-01

"Stellar Physics" is a an outstanding book in the growing body of literature on star formation and evolution. Not only does the author, a leading expert in the field, very thoroughly present the current state of knowledge on stellar physics, but he handles with equal care the many problems that this field of research still faces. A bibliography with well over 1000 entries makes this book an unparalleled reference source. "Stellar Evolution and Stability" is the second of two volumes and can be read, as can the first volume "Fundamental Concepts and Stellar Equilibrium," as a largely independent work. It traces in great detail the evolution of protostars towards the main sequence and beyond this to the last stage of stellar evolution, with the corresponding vast range from white dwarfs to supernovae explosions, gamma-ray bursts and black hole formation. The book concludes with special chapters on the dynamical, thermal and pulsing stability of stars. This second edition is carefully updated in the areas of pre...

Bootstrap current control studies in the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator using the free-plasma-boundary version of the SIESTA MHD equilibrium code

Science.gov (United States)

Peraza-Rodriguez, H.; Reynolds-Barredo, J. M.; Sanchez, R.; Tribaldos, V.; Geiger, J.

2018-02-01

The recently developed free-plasma-boundary version of the SIESTA MHD equilibrium code (Hirshman et al 2011 Phys. Plasmas 18 062504; Peraza-Rodriguez et al 2017 Phys. Plasmas 24 082516) is used for the first time to study scenarios with considerable bootstrap currents for the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator. Bootstrap currents in the range of tens of kAs can lead to the formation of unwanted magnetic island chains or stochastic regions within the plasma and alter the boundary rotational transform due to the small shear in W7-X. The latter issue is of relevance since the island divertor operation of W7-X relies on a proper positioning of magnetic island chains at the plasma edge to control the particle and energy exhaust towards the divertor plates. Two scenarios are examined with the new free-plasma-boundary capabilities of SIESTA: a freely evolving bootstrap current one that illustrates the difficulties arising from the dislocation of the boundary islands, and a second one in which off-axis electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) is applied to compensate the effects of the bootstrap current and keep the island divertor configuration intact. SIESTA finds that off-axis ECCD is indeed able to keep the location and phase of the edge magnetic island chain unchanged, but it may also lead to an undesired stochastization of parts of the confined plasma if the EC deposition radial profile becomes too narrow.

Stellar evolution and the triple-α reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suda, Takuma

2014-01-01

Nuclear reaction rates play a crucial role in the evolution of stars. For low-mass stars, the triple-α reaction controls the helium burning stars in the red giant and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase. More importantly, the cross section of the triple-α reaction has a great impact on the helium ignition at the center of the electron degenerate helium core of red giants and on the helium shell flashes of AGB stars. It is to be noted that stellar evolution models are influenced not only by the value of the cross section, but also by the temperature dependence of the reaction rate. In this paper, I present the impact of the triple-α reaction rates on the evolution of low-mass metal-free stars and intermediate-mass AGB stars. According to the previous study, the constraint on the triple-α reaction rate is derived based on stellar evolution theory. It is found that the recent revisions of the rate proposed by nuclear physics calculations satisfy the condition for the ignition of the helium core flash in low-mass stars

New develops in Thomson scattering diagnostics on the L-2 stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blokh, M.A.; Larionova, N.F.

1989-01-01

In this paper, a multichannel plasma diagnostic system employing Thomson scattering is modernized for the L-2 stellarator. A specialized polychromator with a large field of view, high contrast, and transmission is used together with a 16-channel photoelectron recorder. The modernized system makes it possible to measure the electron temperature at three points simultaneously in the plasma column cross-section at a local electron density 3.10 12 cm-3

Construction concepts and validation of the 3D printed UST_2 modular stellarator

Science.gov (United States)

Queral, V.

2015-03-01

High accuracy, geometric complexity and thus high cost of stellarators tend to hinder the advance of stellarator research. Nowadays, new manufacturing methods might be developed for the production of small and middle-size stellarators. The methods should demonstrate advantages with respect common fabrication methods, like casting, cutting, forging and welding, for the construction of advanced highly convoluted modular stellarators. UST2 is a small modular three period quasi-isodynamic stellarator of major radius 0.26 m and plasma volume 10 litres being currently built to validate additive manufacturing (3D printing) for stellarator construction. The modular coils are wound in grooves defined on six 3D printed half period frames designed as light truss structures filled by a strong filler. A geometrically simple assembling configuration has been concocted for UST2 so as to try to lower the cost of the device while keeping the positioning accuracy of the different elements. The paper summarizes the construction and assembling concepts developed, the devised positioning methodology, the design of the coil frames and positioning elements and, an initial validation of the assembling of the components.

Development of code PRETOR for stellarator simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dies, J.; Fontanet, J.; Fontdecaba, J.M.; Castejon, F.; Alejandre, C.

1998-01-01

The Department de Fisica i Enginyeria Nuclear (DFEN) of the UPC has some experience in the development of the transport code PRETOR. This code has been validated with shots of DIII-D, JET and TFTR, it has also been used in the simulation of operational scenarios of ITER fast burnt termination. Recently, the association EURATOM-CIEMAT has started the operation of the TJ-II stellarator. Due to the need of validating the results given by others transport codes applied to stellarators and because all of them made some approximations, as a averaging magnitudes in each magnetic surface, it was thought suitable to adapt the PRETOR code to devices without axial symmetry, like stellarators, which is very suitable for the specific needs of the study of TJ-II. Several modifications are required in PRETOR; the main concerns to the models of: magnetic equilibrium, geometry and transport of energy and particles. In order to solve the complex magnetic equilibrium geometry the powerful numerical code VMEC has been used. This code gives the magnetic surface shape as a Fourier series in terms of the harmonics (m,n). Most of the geometric magnitudes are also obtained from the VMEC results file. The energy and particle transport models will be replaced by other phenomenological models that are better adapted to stellarator simulation. Using the proposed models, it is pretended to reproduce experimental data available from present stellarators, given especial attention to the TJ-II of the association EURATOM-CIEMAT. (Author)

Technical challenges in the construction of the steady-state stellarator Wendelstein 7-X

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bosch, H.-S.; Wolf, R.C.; Andreeva, T.; Baldzuhn, J.; Birus, D.; Bluhm, T.; Bräuer, T.; Braune, H.; Bykov, V.; Cardella, A.; Durodié, F.; Endler, M.; Erckmann, V.; Gantenbein, G.; Hartmann, D.; Hathiramani, D.; Heimann, P.; Heinemann, B.; Hennig, C.; Hirsch, M.; Holtum, D.; Jagielski, J.; Jelonnek, J.; Kasparek, W.; Klinger, T.; König, R.; Kornejew, P.; Kroiss, H.; Krom, J.G.; Kühner, G.; Laqua, H.; Laqua, H.P.; Lechte, C.; Lewerentz, M.; Maier, J.; McNeely, P.; Messiaen, A.; Michel, G.; Ongena, J.; Peacock, A.; Pedersen, T.S.; Riedl, R.; Riemann, H.; Rong, P.; Rust, N.; Schacht, J.; Schauer, F.; Schroeder, R.; Schweer, B.; Spring, A.; Stäbler, A.; Thumm, M.; Turkin, Y.; Wegener, L.; Werner, A.; Zhang, D.; Zilker, M.; Akijama, T.; Alzbutas, R.; Ascasibar, E.; Balden, M.; Banduch, M.; Baylard, Ch.; Behr, W.; Beidler, C.; Benndorf, A.; Bergmann, T.; Biedermann, C.; Bieg, B.; Biel, W.; Borchardt, M.; Borowitz, G.; Borsuk, V.; Bozhenkov, S.; Brakel, R.; Brand, H.; Brown, T.; Brucker, B.; Burhenn, R.; Buscher, K.-P.; Caldwell-Nichols, C.; Cappa, A.; Cardella, A.; Carls, A.; Carvalho, P.; Ciupinski, L.; Cole, M.; Collienne, J.; Czarnecka, A.; Czymek, G.; Dammertz, G.; Dhard, C.P.; Davydenko, V.I.; Dinklage, A.; Drevlak, M.; Drotziger, S.; Dudek, A.; Dumortier, P.; Dundulis, G.; Eeten, P.v.; Egorov, K.; Estrada, T.; Faugel, H.; Fellinger, J.; Feng, Y.; Fernandes, H.; Fietz, W.H.; Figacz, W.; Fischer, F.; Fontdecaba, J.; Freund, A.; Funaba, T.; Fünfgelder, H.; Galkowski, A.; Gates, D.; Giannone, L.; García Regana, J.M.; Geiger, J.; Geißler, S.; Greuner, H.; Grahl, M.; Groß, S.; Grosman, A.; Grote, H.; Grulke, O.; Haas, M.; Haiduk, L.; Hartfuß, H.-J.; Harris, J.H.; Haus, D.; Hein, B.; Heitzenroeder, P.; Helander, P.; Heller, R.; Hidalgo, C.; Hildebrandt, D.; Höhnle, H.; Holtz, A.; Holzhauer, E.; Holzthüm, R.; Huber, A.; Hunger, H.; Hurd, F.; Ihrke, M.; Illy, S.; Ivanov, A.; Jablonski, S.; Jaksic, N.; Jakubowski, M.; Jaspers, R.; Jensen, H.; Jenzsch, H.; Kacmarczyk, J.; Kaliatk, T.; Kallmeyer, J.; Kamionka, U.; Karaleviciu, B.; Kern, S.; Keunecke, M.; Kleiber, R.; Knauer, J.; Koch, R.; Kocsis, G.; Könies, A.; Köppen, M.; Koslowski, R.; Koshurinov, J.; Krämer-Flecken, A.; Krampitz, R.; Kravtsov, Y.; Krychowiak, M.; Krzesinski, G.; Ksiazek, I.; Kubkowska, Fr.; Kus, A.; Langish, S.; Laube, R.; Laux, M.; Lazerson, S.; Lennartz, M.; Li, C.; Lietzow, R.; Lohs, A.; Lorenz, A.; Louche, F.; Lubyako, L.; Lumsdaine, A.; Lyssoivan, A.; Maaßberg, H.; Marek, P.; Martens, C.; Marushchenko, N.; Mayer, M.; Mendelevitch, B.; Mertens, Ph.; Mikkelsen, D.; Mishchenko, A.; Missal, B.; Mizuuchi, T.; Modrow, H.; Mönnich, T.; Morizaki, T.; Murakami, S.; Musielok, F.; Nagel, M.; Naujoks, D.; Neilson, H.; Neubauer, O.; Neuner, U.; Nocentini, R.; Noterdaeme, J.-M.; Nührenberg, C.; Obermayer, S.; Offermanns, G.; Oosterbeek, H.; Otte, M.; Panin, A.; Pap, M.; Paquay, S.; Pasch, E.; Peng, X.; Petrov, S.; Pilopp, D.; Pirsch, H.; Plaum, B.; Pompon, F.; Povilaitis, M.; Preinhaelter, Josef; Prinz, O.; Purps, F.; Rajna, T.; Récsei, S.; Reiman, A.; Reiter, D.; Remmel, J.; Renard, S.; Rhode, V.; Riemann, J.; Rimkevicius, S.; Riße, K.; Rodatos, A.; Rodin, I.; Romé, M.; Roscher, H.-J.; Rummel, K.; Rummel, Th.; Runov, A.; Ryc, L.; Sachtleben, J.; Samartsev, A.; Sanchez, M.; Sano, F.; Scarabosio, A.; Schmid, M.; Schmitz, H.; Schmitz, O.; Schneider, M.; Schneider, W.; Scheibl, L.; Scholz, M.; Schröder, G.; Schröder, M.; Schruff, J.; Schumacher, H.; Shikhovtsev, I.V.; Shoji, M.; Siegl, G.; Skodzik, J.; Smirnow, M.; Speth, E.; Spong, D.A.; Stadler, R.; Sulek, Z.; Szabó, V.; Szabolics, T.; Szetefi, T.; Szökefalvi-Nagy, Z.; Tereshchenko, A.; Thomsen, H.; Thumm, M.; Timmermann, D.; Tittes, H.; Toi, K.; Tournianski, M.; Toussaint, U.v.; Tretter, J.; Tulipán, S.; Turba, P.; Uhlemann, R.; Urban, Jakub; Urbonavicius, E.; Urlings, P.; Valet, S.; Van Eester, D.; Van Schoor, M.; Vervier, M.; Viebke, H.; Vilbrandt, R.; Vrancken, M.; Wauters, T.; Weissgerber, M.; Weiß, E.; Weller, A.; Wendorf, J.; Wenzel, U.; Windisch, T.; Winkler, E.; Winkler, M.; Wolowski, J.; Wolters, J.; Wrochna, G.; Xanthopoulos, P.; Yamada, H.; Yokoyama, M.; Zacharias, D.; Zajac, Jaromír; Zangl, G.; Zarnstorff, M.; Zeplien, H.; Zoletnik, S.; Zuin, M.

2013-01-01

Roč. 53, č. 12 (2013), s. 126001-126001 ISSN 0029-5515 Institutional support: RVO:61389021 Keywords : plasma * stellarator * technology * diagnostics * data acquisition * Wendelstein 7-X * electron cyclotron heating * electron Bernstein wave Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 3.243, year: 2013 http://iopscience.iop.org/0029-5515/53/12/126001/article

3D edge energy transport in stellarator configurations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McTaggart, N.; Zagorski, R.; Bonnin, X.; Runov, A.; Schneider, R.; Kaiser, T.; Rognlien, T.; Umansky, M.

2005-01-01

The finite difference discretization method is used to solve the electron energy transport equation in complex 3D edge geometries using an unstructured grid. This grid is generated by field-line tracing to separate the radial and parallel fluxes and minimize the numerical diffusion connected with the strong anisotropy of the system. The influence of ergodicity on the edge plasma transport in the W7-X stellarator is investigated in this paper. Results show that the combined effect of ergodicity and the radial plasma diffusion leads to the efficient smoothing of the temperature profiles in the finite-β case

Development of the reactor lithium ampoule device for research of spectral-luminescent characteristics of nuclear-excited plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Batyrbekov, E.G. [National Nuclear Center of RK, Kurchatov (Kazakhstan); Gordienko, Yu. N., E-mail: gordienko@nnc.kz [National Nuclear Center of RK, Kurchatov (Kazakhstan); Ponkratov, Yu. V. [National Nuclear Center of RK, Kurchatov (Kazakhstan); Khasenov, M.U. [PI “National Laboratory Astana”, Astana (Kazakhstan); Tazhibayeva, I.L.; Barsukov, N.I.; Kulsartov, T.V.; Zaurbekova, Zh. A.; Tulubayev, Ye. Yu.; Skakov, M.K. [National Nuclear Center of RK, Kurchatov (Kazakhstan)

2017-04-15

Highlights: • The development procedure of the ampoule device for experiments with nuclear-excited plasma under neutron irradiation is described. • The methods of nuclear reactions’ energy conversion into the energy of optical radiation of nuclear-excited plasma are presented. • A scheme of reactor experiments, the experimental facility and experimental device to carry out the reactor experiments are considered. - Abstract: This paper describes the development procedure of the reactor ampoule device to perform the experiments on study of spectral luminescence characteristics of nuclear-excited plasma formed by products of {sup 6}Li(n,α){sup 3}H reaction under neutron irradiation at the IVG.1 M research reactor. The methods of nuclear reactions’ energy conversion into the energy of optical radiation of nuclear-excited plasma are presented. A scheme of reactor experiments, the experimental facility and experimental device to carry out the reactor experiments are considered in paper. The designed ampoule device is totally meets the requirements of irradiation experiments on the IVG.1M reactor.

Experimental studies of nuclear astrophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Jianjun; Zhou Xiaohong; Zhang Yuhu

2013-01-01

Nuclear astrophysics is an interdisciplinary subject combining micro-scale nuclear physics and macro-scale astrophysics. Its main aims are to understand the origin and evolution of the elements in the universe, the time scale of stellar evolution, the stellar environment and sites, the energy generation of stars from thermonuclear processes and its impact on stellar evolution and the mechanisms driving astrophysical phenomena, and the structure and property of compact stars. This paper presents the significance and current research status of nuclear astrophysics; we introduce some fundamental concepts, the nuclear physics input parameters required by certain astrophysics models, and some widely-used experimental approaches in nuclear astrophysics research. The potential and feasibility of research in this field using China’s current and planned large-scale scientific facilities are analyzed briefly. Finally, the prospects of the establishing a deep underground science and engineering laboratory in China are envisaged. (authors)

W7-AS contributions to the 18th European conference on controlled fusion and plasma heating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-06-01

Optimum confinement in the Wendelstein 7-AS Stellarator - Ion heat conductivity, radial electric fields and CX-losses in the W7-AS stellarator - Thermal diffusivity from heat wave propagation in Wendelstein 7-AS - Impurity behaviour in W7-AS plasmas under different wall conditions - Particle transport and plasma edge behaviour in the W7-AS stellarator - Neutral injection experiments on W7-AS stellarator - MHD activity driven by NBI in the W7-AS stellarator - Simulation of the influence of coherent and random density fluctuations on the propagation of ECRH-beams in the W7-AS stellarator. (orig.)

STELLAR NUCLEI AND INNER POLAR DISKS IN LENTICULAR GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sil’chenko, Olga K., E-mail: olga@sai.msu.su [Sternberg Astronomical Institute, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119992 (Russian Federation); Isaac Newton Institute, Chile, Moscow Branch (Chile)

2016-09-01

I analyze statistics of the stellar population properties for stellar nuclei and bulges of nearby lenticular galaxies in different environments by using panoramic spectral data of the integral-field spectrograph SAURON retrieved from the open archive of the Isaac Newton Group. I also estimate the fraction of nearby lenticular galaxies having inner polar gaseous disks by exploring the volume-limited sample of early-type galaxies of the ATLAS-3D survey. By inspecting the two-dimensional velocity fields of the stellar and gaseous components with the running tilted-ring technique, I have found seven new cases of inner polar disks. Together with those, the frequency of inner polar disks in nearby S0 galaxies reaches 10%, which is much higher than the frequency of large-scale polar rings. Interestingly, the properties of the nuclear stellar populations in the inner polar ring hosts are statistically the same as those in the whole S0 sample, implying similar histories of multiple gas-accretion events from various directions.

STELLAR NUCLEI AND INNER POLAR DISKS IN LENTICULAR GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sil’chenko, Olga K.

2016-01-01

I analyze statistics of the stellar population properties for stellar nuclei and bulges of nearby lenticular galaxies in different environments by using panoramic spectral data of the integral-field spectrograph SAURON retrieved from the open archive of the Isaac Newton Group. I also estimate the fraction of nearby lenticular galaxies having inner polar gaseous disks by exploring the volume-limited sample of early-type galaxies of the ATLAS-3D survey. By inspecting the two-dimensional velocity fields of the stellar and gaseous components with the running tilted-ring technique, I have found seven new cases of inner polar disks. Together with those, the frequency of inner polar disks in nearby S0 galaxies reaches 10%, which is much higher than the frequency of large-scale polar rings. Interestingly, the properties of the nuclear stellar populations in the inner polar ring hosts are statistically the same as those in the whole S0 sample, implying similar histories of multiple gas-accretion events from various directions.

Theoretical nuclear physics in France: overview and perspectives - 2004 and 2009

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-11-01

A first report published in 2004 proposes an overview of the situation of research in theoretical nuclear physics in France per field of research: nucleus structure, nuclear reactions at low and medium energies (fusion, fission, multi fragmentation), hadron physics, state equation of nuclear matter and of neutron matter, and nuclear astrophysics, plasma of quarks and gluons, and nucleus-nucleus collisions at high energy, developments of the theory of the nuclear N-body problem and its impact on other disciplines. For each theme, the report indicates the involved research themes and their specific fields of research, comments the research themes, objectives and perspectives, discusses how the theoretical activity matches experimental programmes. The second report published in 2009 proposes the same kind of overview for the following themes: nucleus structure, state equation of nuclear and stellar matter, collisions and reactions at low and medium energy, hadron physics, quarks and gluons in nuclear physics, interdisciplinary applications of nuclear theory. Each report also provides some statistics about the researcher community

Plasma physics and controlled nuclear fusion research 1990. V. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

Volume 1 of the Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research contains papers given in two of the sessions: A and E. Session A contains the Artsimovich Memorial Lecture and papers on tokamaks; session E papers on plasma heating and current drive. The titles and authors of each paper are listed in the Contents. Abstracts accompany each paper. Refs, figs and tabs

Results of measurements of the ion temperature profile of ECR heated plasmas in the L-2M stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voronov, G.S.; Voronova, E.V.; Grebenshchikov, S.E.

2005-01-01

After boronization of the vacuum chamber of the L-2M stellarator, the confinement characteristics and the electron temperature profile changed markedly. In this connection, our immediate task was to carry out studies of the behavior of the ion temperature under these conditions. Previous measurements of Ti were performed by analyzing the energy distribution of fast hydrogen ions produced by charge exchange. In recent studies, the ion temperature was determined from Doppler broadening of spectral lines of impurity ions. With the help of a set of mirrors, the plasma radiation was focused on the entrance slit of a VMS-1 monochromator (D/F=1:6.5, F=600 mm, 1200 lines/mm,1.3 nm/mm, 200 - 800 nm). The detector was a CCD plate (1040 1 140 pixels of size 16 1 6 ∝ m) covered in part with an opaque screen. The plasma spectrum produced in the uncovered area was rapidly scanned and copied into the covered region. With this partial exposition method, the rate of recording was successfully increased up to 1000 frames per second. The instrument function of the whole system was 0.04 nm, which corresponds to Ti ∼1 eV for hydrogen and ∼17 eV for boron ions. The plasma ion temperature is considerably higher, so the accuracy of measurements of Ti is limited primarily by a low intensity of signals from the plasma with a low impurity concentration. The results of measurements of the evolution of HeII, BII, and BIV ions temperature during the ECR heating of a helium plasma are shown in the figure. The plasma density in these experiments was ∼2.10 19 m -3 , and the gyrotron pulse power was ∼200 kW. The results of measurements of Ti were compared with the time evolution of the ion temperature calculated by using the TRANSZ code. The latter includes a complete set of neoclassical equations and involves additional anomalous fluxes corresponding to accepted empirical scalings. The calculated values of Ti are in fair agreement with the measured ones

Bootstrap currents in stellarators and tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okamoto, Masao; Nakajima, Noriyoshi.

1990-09-01

The remarkable feature of the bootstrap current in stellarators is it's strong dependence on the magnetic field configuration. Neoclassical bootstrap currents in a large helical device of torsatron/heliotron type (L = 2, M = 10, R = 4 m, B = 4 T) is evaluated in the banana (1/ν) and the plateau regime. Various vacuum magnetic field configurations are studied with a view to minimizing the bootstrap current. It is found that in the banana regime, shifting of the magnetic axis and shaping of magnetic surfaces have a remarkable influence on the bootstrap current; a small outward shift of the magnetic axis and vertically elongated magnetic surfaces are favourable for a reduction of the bootstrap current. It is noted, however, that the ripple diffusion in the 1/ν regime has opposite tendency to the bootstrap current; it increases with the outward shift and increases as the plasma cross section is vertically elongated. The comparison will be made between bootstrap currents in stellarators and tokamaks. (author)

Comparison of Alkali Plasma Loss Rates in a Stellarator and in a Toroidal Device with Minimum Mean-B Properties; Comparaison des Taux de Perte d'un Plasma Alcalin dans un Stellarator et dans un Appareil Toroidal Ayant des Proprietes de B Moyen Minimum; Comparaison des Taux de Perte d'un Plasma Alcalin dans un Stellarator et dans un Appareil Toroidal Ayant des Proprietes de B Moyen Minimum; СРАВНЕНИЕ СКОРОСТЕЙ ПОТЕРЬ ЩЕЛОЧНОЙ ПЛАЗМЫ В СТЕЛЛАРАТОРЕ И В ТОРОИДАЛЬНОЙ УСТАНОВКЕ С МИНИМУМОМ СРЕДНЕГО В; Comparacion de las Velocidades de Perdida de Plasmas Alcalinos en un Stellarator y en un Aparato Toroidal con Propiedades de B Medio Minimo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eckhartt, D.; Von Gierke, G.; Grieger, G. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik und Astrophysik, Munich, Federal Republic of Germany (Germany)

1966-04-15

The confinement of toroidal low-{beta} plasmas in the absence of ohmic heating currents has been studied by using a thermal Cs plasma in a stellarator with Script-Small-L = 3 helical windings. These experiments gave evidence that the surfaces of constant pressure roughly coincided with the surfaces of constant magnitude of B, rather than being identical with the magnetic surfaces as would normally be expected for a stellarator in magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium. We have extended these experiments to the stellarator with Script-Small-L = 2 windings which provide a constant rotational transform to all lines of force of the magnetic confining field. Secondary currents as well as macroscopic mass motions along the lines of force are required for equilibrium in a stellarator in which the confining field is mainly azimuthal in direction. In a toroidal device of azimuthal symmetry with a purely meridional magnetic field, however, equilibrium can be achieved without any currents of macroscopic motions along B. In addition, stability against flutes can be provided for low-{beta} plasmas if {nabla} Contour-Integral d Script-Small-L /B is directed parallel to {nabla}p. We have constructed a machine with the above-mentioned properties. It consists essentially of four current-carrying ring conductors immersed in the plasma (similar to the arrangement of Okhawa et at.) The conductors are fed by direct currents in order to avoid azimuthally directed electric fields within the plasma. Plasma confinement in this device is studied by using thermal alkali plasmas which are produced by contact ionization. The operating conditions can be chosen so that plasma losses due to 'classical'' mechanisms (collisonal diffusion to the walls and to the ring conductors, particle losses to the supports, volume recombination, etc.) become small compared to the high loss rates ascribed to ''pump-out''. Preliminary experimental results with the Wendelstein stellarator and with the octopole device

Hypercompact Stellar Systems Around Recoiling Supermassive Black Holes

Science.gov (United States)

Merritt, David; Schnittman, Jeremy D.; Komossa, S.

2009-07-01

A supermassive black hole ejected from the center of a galaxy by gravitational-wave recoil carries a retinue of bound stars—a "hypercompact stellar system" (HCSS). The numbers and properties of HCSSs contain information about the merger histories of galaxies, the late evolution of binary black holes, and the distribution of gravitational-wave kicks. We relate the structural properties (size, mass, density profile) of HCSSs to the properties of their host galaxies and to the size of the kick in two regimes: collisional (M BH lsim 107 M sun), i.e., short nuclear relaxation times, and collisionless (M BH gsim 107 M sun), i.e., long nuclear relaxation times. HCSSs are expected to be similar in size and luminosity to globular clusters, but in extreme cases (large galaxies, kicks just above escape velocity) their stellar mass can approach that of ultracompact dwarf galaxies. However, they differ from all other classes of compact stellar system in having very high internal velocities. We show that the kick velocity is encoded in the velocity dispersion of the bound stars. Given a large enough sample of HCSSs, the distribution of gravitational-wave kicks can therefore be empirically determined. We combine a hierarchical merger algorithm with stellar population models to compute the rate of production of HCSSs over time and the probability of observing HCSSs in the local universe as a function of their apparent magnitude, color, size, and velocity dispersion, under two different assumptions about the star formation history prior to the kick. We predict that ~102 HCSSs should be detectable within 2 Mpc of the center of the Virgo cluster, and that many of these should be bright enough that their kick velocities (i.e., velocity dispersions) could be measured with reasonable exposure times. We discuss other strategies for detecting HCSSs and speculate on some exotic manifestations.

Spectrum of ballooning instabilities in a stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cooper, W A [Ecole Polytechnique Federale, Lausanne (Switzerland). Centre de Recherche en Physique des Plasma (CRPP); Singleton, D B [Australian National Univ., ANU Supercomputing Facility, Canberra (Australia); Dewar, R L [Australian National Univ., Canberra, ACT (Australia). Research School of Physical Sciences

1995-08-01

The recent revival of interest in the application of the `ballooning formalism` to low-frequency plasma instabilities has prompted a comparison of the Wentzel-Brillouin-Kramers (WKB) ballooning approximation with an (in principle) exact normal mode calculation for a three-dimensional plasma equilibrium. Semiclassical quantization, using the ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) ballooning eigenvalue to provide a local dispersion relation, is applied to a ten-field period stellarator test case. Excellent qualitative agreement, and good quantitative agreement is found with predictions from the TERPSICHORE code for toroidal mode numbers from 1 to 14 and radial mode numbers from 0 to 2. The continuum bands predicted from three-dimensional WKB theory are too narrow to resolve. (author) 3 figs., 24 refs.

Spectrum of ballooning instabilities in a stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, W.A.; Singleton, D.B.; Dewar, R.L.

1995-08-01

The recent revival of interest in the application of the 'ballooning formalism' to low-frequency plasma instabilities has prompted a comparison of the Wentzel-Brillouin-Kramers (WKB) ballooning approximation with an (in principle) exact normal mode calculation for a three-dimensional plasma equilibrium. Semiclassical quantization, using the ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) ballooning eigenvalue to provide a local dispersion relation, is applied to a ten-field period stellarator test case. Excellent qualitative agreement, and good quantitative agreement is found with predictions from the TERPSICHORE code for toroidal mode numbers from 1 to 14 and radial mode numbers from 0 to 2. The continuum bands predicted from three-dimensional WKB theory are too narrow to resolve. (author) 3 figs., 24 refs

Nonlinear MHD and energetic particle modes in stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strauss, H.R.; Fu, G.Y.; Park, W.; Breslau, J.; Sugiyama, L.E.

2003-01-01

The M3D (Multi-level 3D) project carries out simulation studies of plasmas using multiple levels of physics, geometry and grid models. The M3D code has been applied to ideal, resistive, two fluid, and hybrid simulations of compact quasi axisymmetric stellarators. When β exceeds a threshold, moderate toroidal mode number (n ∼ 10) modes grow exponentially, clearly distinguishable from the equilibrium evolution. The β limits are significantly higher than the infinite mode number ballooning limits. In the presence of resistivity, these modes occur well below the ideal limit. Their growth rate scaling with resistivity is similar to tearing modes. At low resistivity, the modes couple to resistive interchanges, which are unstable in most stellarators. Two fluid simulations with M3D show that resistive modes can be stabilized by diamagnetic drift. The two fluid computations are done with a realistic value of the Hall parameter, the ratio of ion skin depth to major radius. Hybrid gyrokinetic simulations with energetic particles indicate that global shear Alfven TAE - like modes can be destabilized in stellarators. Computations in a two-period compact stellarator obtained a predominantly n=1 toroidal mode with the expected TAE frequency. It is found that TAE modes are more stable in the two-period compact stellarator that in a tokamak with the same q and pressure profiles. M3D combines a two dimensional unstructured mesh with finite element discretization in poloidal planes, and fourth order finite differencing in the toroidal direction. (author)

Construction concepts and validation of the 3D printed UST-2 modular stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Queral, V

2015-01-01

High accuracy, geometric complexity and thus high cost of stellarators tend to hinder the advance of stellarator research. Nowadays, new manufacturing methods might be developed for the production of small and middle-size stellarators. The methods should demonstrate advantages with respect common fabrication methods, like casting, cutting, forging and welding, for the construction of advanced highly convoluted modular stellarators. UST-2 is a small modular three period quasi-isodynamic stellarator of major radius 0.26 m and plasma volume 10 litres being currently built to validate additive manufacturing (3D printing) for stellarator construction. The modular coils are wound in grooves defined on six 3D printed half period frames designed as light truss structures filled by a strong filler. A geometrically simple assembling configuration has been concocted for UST-2 so as to try to lower the cost of the device while keeping the positioning accuracy of the different elements. The paper summarizes the construction and assembling concepts developed, the devised positioning methodology, the design of the coil frames and positioning elements and, an initial validation of the assembling of the components. (paper)

Edge biasing in the WEGA stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lischtschenko, Oliver

2009-01-01

The WEGA stellarator is used to confine low temperature, overdense (densities exceeding the cut-off density of the heating wave) plasmas by magnetic fields in the range of B=50-500 mT. Microwave heating systems are used to ignite gas discharges using hydrogen, helium, neon or argon as working gases. The produced plasmas have been analyzed using Langmuir and emissive probes, a single-channel interferometer and ultra-high resolution Doppler spectroscopy. For a typical argon discharge in the low field operation, B=56 mT, the maximum electron density is n e ∝10 18 m -3 with temperatures in the range of T=4-12 eV. The plasma parameters are determined by using Langmuir probes and are cross-checked with interferometry. It is demonstrated within this work that the joint use of emissive probes and ultra-high resolution Doppler spectroscopy allows a precise measurement of the radial electric field. The focus of this work is on demonstrating the ability to modify the existing radial electric field in a plasma by using the biasing probe. This work commences with a basic approach and first establishes the diagnostic tools in a well-known discharge. Then the perturbation caused by the biasing probe is assessed. Following the characterization of the unperturbed plasmas, plasma states altered by the operation of the energized biasing probe are characterized. During biasing the plasma two different stable plasma states have been found. The two observed plasma states differ in plasma parameter profiles, such as density, temperature, electric field and confined energy. (orig.)

Fabrication of the vacuum vessel of the Spanish stellarator TJ-II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botija, J.; Blaumoser, M.; Cal, E. de la; Garcia, A.; Tabares, F.; Molleta, L.; Rigadello, D.; Dal Maso, S.; Bevilacqua, G.

1995-01-01

TJ-II is a medium size stellarator under construction in Madrid, Spain. Its major plasma radius is 1.5 m and its minor plasma dimensions are 0.2m by 0.4m. The toroidal magnetic field on the axis is 1T. The bean shaped helical plasma is contained in a stainless steel vacuum vessel with a total of 96 ports, including 8 manholes to have access to its interior. The vacuum vessel will be baked at 150 C. Its complicated geometry along with the high tolerance requirements make this component a difficult manufacturing challenge. (orig.)

Results from X-ray measurements on the Wendelstein W7-AS stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weller, A.; Brakel, R.; Burhenn, R.; Hacker, H.; Lazaros, A.

1991-01-01

X-ray imaging measurements have contributed to studies of the plasma equilibrium, plasma fluctuations, impurity radiation and impurity transport effects in the advanced stellarator Wendelstein W7-AS (R = 2 m, a = 17 cm). In addition, time resolved electron temperature profiles are deduced from X-ray intensity ratios according to the two absorber foil method. The plasma is generated and heated by fundamental and 2nd harmonic ECRH (P ≤ 800 kW at 70 GHz). Neutral beam injection heating (P ≤ 1.5 MW) was applied also, assisted by D 2 pellet injection. (orig.)

Free-boundary stability of straight stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnes, D.C.; Cary, J.R.

1984-02-01

The sharp-boundary model is used to investigate the stability of straight stellarators to free-boundary, long-wavelength modes. To correctly analyze the heliac configuration, previous theory is generalized to the case of arbitrary helical aspect ratio (ratio of plasma radius to periodicity lengths). A simple low-β criterion involving the vacuum field and the normalized axial current is derived and used to investigate a large variety of configurations. The predictions of this low-β theory are verified by numerical minimization of deltaW at arbitrary β. The heliac configuration is found to be remarkably stable, with a critical β of over 15% determined by the lack of equilibrium rather than the onset of instability. In addition, other previously studied systems are found to be stabilized by net axial plasma current

Component Manufacturing Development for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heitzenroeder, P.J.; Brown, T.G.; Chrzanowski, J.H.; Cole, M.J.; Goranson, P.L.; Neilson, G.H.; Nelson, B.E.; Reiersen, W.T.; Sutton, L.L.; Williamson, D.E.; Viola, M.E.

2004-11-01

NCSX [National Compact Stellarator Experiment] is the first of a new class of stellarators called compact stellarators which hold the promise of retaining the steady state feature of the stellarator but at a much lower aspect ratio and using a quasi-axisymmetric magnetic field to obtain tokamak-like performance. Although much of NCSX is conventional in design and construction, the vacuum vessel and modular coils provide significant engineering challenges due to their complex shapes, need for high dimensional accuracy, and the high current density required in the modular coils due space constraints. Consequently, a three-phase development program has been undertaken. In the first phase, laboratory/industrial studies were performed during the development of the conceptual design to permit advances in manufacturing technology to be incorporated into NCSX's plans. In the second phase, full-scale prototype modular coil winding forms, compacted cable conductors, and 20 degree sectors of the vacuum vessel were fabricated in industry. In parallel, the NCSX project team undertook RandD studies that focused on the windings. The third (production) phase began in September 2004. First plasma is scheduled for January 2008

Plasma wake and nuclear forces on fragmented H+ transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barriga-Carrasco, Manuel D; Deutsch, Claude

2006-01-01

The objective of the present work is to study the target electronic and nuclear interactions produced when a H + ion traverses classical plasma matter. Electronic interactions are treated by means of the dielectric formalism while nuclear interactions are dealt within the classical dispersion theory through a Monte Carlo computer code. The interactions through plasma electronic medium among close ions are called wake forces. We checked that these forces screen the Coulomb explosions of the two fragmented protons from the same H + ion decreasing their relative distance in the analysed cases. These forces align the interproton vector along the motion direction. They also tend the two-proton energy loss to the value of two isolated protons when at early times it is rather larger. Nevertheless most parts of these wake effects cannot be corroborated experimentally as they are masked by the projectile collisions with target nuclei in our numerical experiment. These collisions cancel the screening produced by the wake forces, increasing the interproton distance even faster than for bare Coulomb explosion. Also they misalign the interproton vector along the motion direction and contribute moderately to increase the energy loss of the fragmented H + ion. These nuclear collisions effects are more significant in reducing projectile velocity

Alpha-particle confinement and helium ash accumulation in stellarator reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, D.D.-M.; Kulsrud, R.M.

1986-01-01

The effect of local magnetic wells produced by the external helical windings of a stellarator reactor on α-particle confinement is investigated by using the Fokker-Planck equation. It is found that α-particles can deposit most of their energy into the background plasma before they scatter into the trapped region in velocity space and are lost. An estimate is made on the steady-state, low energy (thermal) α-particle concentration. The result shows that this concentration will be less than a few per cent of the background plasma density. (author)

Dynamic high energy density plasma environments at the National Ignition Facility for nuclear science research

Science.gov (United States)

Cerjan, Ch J.; Bernstein, L.; Berzak Hopkins, L.; Bionta, R. M.; Bleuel, D. L.; Caggiano, J. A.; Cassata, W. S.; Brune, C. R.; Frenje, J.; Gatu-Johnson, M.; Gharibyan, N.; Grim, G.; Hagmann, Chr; Hamza, A.; Hatarik, R.; Hartouni, E. P.; Henry, E. A.; Herrmann, H.; Izumi, N.; Kalantar, D. H.; Khater, H. Y.; Kim, Y.; Kritcher, A.; Litvinov, Yu A.; Merrill, F.; Moody, K.; Neumayer, P.; Ratkiewicz, A.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Sayre, D.; Shaughnessy, D.; Spears, B.; Stoeffl, W.; Tommasini, R.; Yeamans, Ch; Velsko, C.; Wiescher, M.; Couder, M.; Zylstra, A.; Schneider, D.

2018-03-01

The generation of dynamic high energy density plasmas in the pico- to nano-second time domain at high-energy laser facilities affords unprecedented nuclear science research possibilities. At the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the primary goal of inertial confinement fusion research has led to the synergistic development of a unique high brightness neutron source, sophisticated nuclear diagnostic instrumentation, and versatile experimental platforms. These novel experimental capabilities provide a new path to investigate nuclear processes and structural effects in the time, mass and energy density domains relevant to astrophysical phenomena in a unique terrestrial environment. Some immediate applications include neutron capture cross-section evaluation, fission fragment production, and ion energy loss measurement in electron-degenerate plasmas. More generally, the NIF conditions provide a singular environment to investigate the interplay of atomic and nuclear processes such as plasma screening effects upon thermonuclear reactivity. Achieving enhanced understanding of many of these effects will also significantly advance fusion energy research and challenge existing theoretical models.

Size optimization and dynamics studies for a heliac stellarators reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez-Navarro, A.; Fraguas, A.L.; Ochando, M.A.; Garcia Gonzalo, L.

1995-01-01

Design studies for a stellarator reactor based on a heliac configuration have been addressed to determine the minimum size requirements and operational techniques for plasma start-up and run-down. Assuming constraints derived from the available technologies and plasma parameter limitations, a device with a major radius of 15 m and a plasma radius of 2 m is obtained, for a magnetic field of 5 T and a power output around 1 GW(e). A coil system with enough space for blanket and shielding has been defined. Finally it is proved that by a continuous use of a modest amount of auxiliary power, all dynamical process of the plant operation can be eased. 13 refs

Nuclear fusion project. Semi-annual report of the Association KfK/EURATOM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-11-01

Nuclear fusion is one of the main activities of the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center (KfK). It is organized as a project under the Directorate of Reactor Development and Safety. The work of KfK concentrates on technology aspects of nuclear fusion with magnetic confinement. It is part of the European Fusion Programme where KfK participates as an association to EURATOM. Close links have been established to the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP). In the Entwicklungsgemeinschaft Kernfusion KfK and IPP cooperate for the development of future fusion experiments joining the experience gained in plasma physics (IPP) and materials, safety, and nuclear technology (KfK), respectively. As in the present strategy of the European Fusion Programme the Next European Tokamak (NET) is foreseen as the major next step, most of the activities of KfK address this subject. In addition to the contributions to NET, studies are carried out to innovate INTOR, the worldwide cooperation for an experimental reactor under the auspices of IAEA. Furthermore, the Entwicklungsgemeinschaft Kernfusion has evaluated the feasibility of a fusion reactor with a stellarator confinement. (orig./GG)

Strong Turbulence in Low-beta Plasmas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tchen, C. M.; Pécseli, Hans; Larsen, Søren Ejling

1980-01-01

An investigation of the spectral structure of turbulence in a plasma confined by a strong homogeneous magnetic field was made by means of a fluid description. The turbulent spectrum is divided into subranges. Mean gradients of velocity and density excite turbulent motions, and govern the production......-cathode reflex arc, Stellarator, Zeta discharge, ionospheric plasmas, and auroral plasma turbulence....

Investigation of plasma turbulence and local electric field in the T-10 tokamak and TJ-II stellarator by HIBP diagnostic (Review)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krupnik, L.I.; Chmuga, A.A.; Komarov, A.D.; Kozachek, A.S.; Zhezhera, A.I.; Melnikov, A.V.; Eliseev, L.G.; Lysenko, S.E.; Mavrin, V.A.; Perfilov, S.V.; Hidalgo, C.; Ascasibar, E.; Estrada, T.; Ochando, M.A.; Pablos, J.L.; Pedrosa, M.A.; Tabares, F.

2011-01-01

Direct study of the electric potential and its fluctuations for comparable plasma conditions in the T-10 tokamak and TJ-II stellarator by HIBP diagnostics has been performed. The following similar features of potential were found: the scale of several hundred Volts; the negative sign for densities n e >1x10 19 m -3 and comparable values in spite of the different heating methods. When ne or τ E rises, the potential evolves to negative values. During ECR heating and associated T e rise, τ E degrades and the potential evolves to positive direction. Oscillations of potential and density in the range of Geodesic Acoustic Modes in T-10 and Alfven Eigenmodes in TJ-II were observed.

Control system for the Spanish Stellarator TJ-II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pacios, L.; Blaumoser, M.; Pena, A. de la; Carrasco, R.; Labrador, I.; Lapayese, F.; Diaz, J.C.; Laso, L.M.

1995-01-01

We describe the distributed control and monitoring system for the Spanish Stellarator TJ-II, which is under construction at CIEMAT in Madrid. It consists of one central UNIX workstation and several autonomous subsystems based on VME crates with embedded processors under OS-9 real-time operating system and PLCs. The system integrates the machine and discharge control. An operator can perform the control and plasma discharge by means of a user-friendly graphic interface. (orig.)

Electron Cyclotron Waves Polarization in the TJII Stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cappa, A.; Martinez-Fernandez, J.; Wagner, D.

2013-05-01

This report describes the theoretical calculations related with the electron cyclotron (EC) waves polarization control in the TJII stellarator. Two main aspects will be distinguished: the determination of the vacuum polarization that the wave must exhibit if a given propagation mode in a cold plasma is desired and the calculation of the behavior of the grooved polarizers and other transmission systems used to launch the vacuum wave with the required polarization. (Author) 13 refs.

Results from X-ray measurements on the Wendelstein W7-AS stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weller, A; Brakel, R; Burhenn, R; Hacker, H; Lazaros, A [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, Garching (Germany, F.R.)

1990-01-01

X-ray imaging measurements have contributed to studies of the plasma equilibrium, plasma fluctuations, impurity radiation and impurity transport effects in the advanced stellarator Wendelstein W7-AS (R=2 m, a=17 cm). In addition, time resolved electron temperature profiles are deduced from X-ray intensity ratios according to the two absorber foil method. The plasma is generated and heated by fundamental and 2{sup nd} harmonic ECRH (P{le}800 kW at 70 GHz). Neutral beam injection heating (P{le}1.5 MW) was applied also, assisted by D{sub 2} pellet injection. (author) 8 refs., 7 figs.

Spatial distribution of turbulence in the Wendelstein 7-AS stellarator (invited paper)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Basse, N.P.; Michelsen, Poul; Zoletnik, S.

2002-01-01

In this paper measurements of short wavelength electron density fluctuations using collective scattering of infrared light are presented. The Wendelstein 7-AS (W7-AS) stellarator (Renner H et al 1989 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 31 1579) and the diagnostic are briefly described. A series of plasm...

Some parameters of uranium hexafluoride plasma produced by products of nuclear reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batyrbekov, G.A.; Belyakova, Eh.A.

1996-01-01

The probe experimental results of investigation of uranium hexafluoride plasma produced in the centre of nuclear reactor core were demonstrated. Study of uranium hexafluoride plasma is continued by the following reasons: a possibility of U F 6 utilization as nuclear fuel, the utilization of U F 6 as volume source o ionization, search of active laser media compatible with U F 6 that is complicated by lack of constant rates data for most of plasma-chemical reactions with U F 6 and his dissociation products. Cylindrical probe volt-ampere characteristics (VAC) measured in U F 6 plasma at pressure 20 Torr and different thermal neutron fluxes and have following features: -firstly, it is possible to choose a linear part in the field of small positive potentials of probe (0-1) V; - secondary, ion branches of VAC have typical break which current of satiation corresponds to; -thirdly, probe VAC measured at small values of thermal neutron flux density are symmetrical. Diagnostics approaches were used for interpretation VAC of probe. The values of satiation current and linear part of electron branch were calculated, and such plasma parameters as conductivity, diffusion coefficient values of positive and negative ions were determined. The resonance recharge cross section was estimated on diffusion coefficient value

STELLTRANS: A Transport Analysis Suite for Stellarators

Science.gov (United States)

Mittelstaedt, Joseph; Lazerson, Samuel; Pablant, Novimir; Weir, Gavin; W7-X Team

2016-10-01

The stellarator transport code STELLTRANS allows us to better analyze the power balance in W7-X. Although profiles of temperature and density are measured experimentally, geometrical factors are needed in conjunction with these measurements to properly analyze heat flux densities in stellarators. The STELLTRANS code interfaces with VMEC to find an equilibrium flux surface configuration and with TRAVIS to determine the RF heating and current drive in the plasma. Stationary transport equations are then considered which are solved using a boundary value differential equation solver. The equations and quantities considered are averaged over flux surfaces to reduce the system to an essentially one dimensional problem. We have applied this code to data from W-7X and were able to calculate the heat flux coefficients. We will also present extensions of the code to a predictive capacity which would utilize DKES to find neoclassical transport coefficients to update the temperature and density profiles.

Influence of magnetic topology on transport and stability in stellarators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castejon, F [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion. Asociacion Euratom/Ciemat, 28040-Madrid (Spain); Fujisawa, A [National Institute for Fusion Science Oroshi-cho, Toki-shi, Gifu, 509-5292 (Japan); Ida, K [National Institute for Fusion Science Oroshi-cho, Toki-shi, Gifu, 509-5292 (Japan); Talmadge, J N [University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States); Estrada, T [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion. Asociacion Euratom/Ciemat, 28040-Madrid (Spain); Lopez-Bruna, D [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion. Asociacion Euratom/Ciemat, 28040-Madrid (Spain); Hidalgo, C [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion. Asociacion Euratom/Ciemat, 28040-Madrid (Spain); Krupnik, L [Institute of Plasma Physics, NSC ' KIPT' , Kharkov (Ukraine); Melnikov, A [Institute of Nuclear Fusion, RRC ' Kurchatov Institute' , Moscow (Russian Federation)

2005-12-15

The influence of the magnetic topology on transport and stability has been investigated in four stellarators: an almost shearless medium size flexible heliac (TJ-II), a medium size and a large heliotron (CHS and LHD) with shear, and a quasihelically symmetric device (HSX) with moderate shear. All of these have variable rotational transform profiles and magnetic ripples. Using these capabilities, bifurcated states can appear and plasma can jump from one to another with subsequent changes in the transport properties. Low rational values of {iota}/2{pi} can create transport barriers in LHD and TJ-II when they are located close to the plasma core or at the edge. The key ingredient for transport barriers is a positive and sheared electric field. Internal transport barriers also appear in CHS, but the role of rationals is not clear yet in this device. The time evolution of the electric field shows the onset of a bifurcation triggered either by the rational or by the presence of the ion and electron roots. The electric potential inside ITBs follows the ECE-temperature profile in a fast time scale. The plasma stability properties and its effect on the viscosity are also studied in the HSX, and the influence of the dynamics of rational surface is studied in the LHD and TJ-II stellarators.

Influence of magnetic topology on transport and stability in stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castejon, F; Fujisawa, A; Ida, K; Talmadge, J N; Estrada, T; Lopez-Bruna, D; Hidalgo, C; Krupnik, L; Melnikov, A

2005-01-01

The influence of the magnetic topology on transport and stability has been investigated in four stellarators: an almost shearless medium size flexible heliac (TJ-II), a medium size and a large heliotron (CHS and LHD) with shear, and a quasihelically symmetric device (HSX) with moderate shear. All of these have variable rotational transform profiles and magnetic ripples. Using these capabilities, bifurcated states can appear and plasma can jump from one to another with subsequent changes in the transport properties. Low rational values of ι/2π can create transport barriers in LHD and TJ-II when they are located close to the plasma core or at the edge. The key ingredient for transport barriers is a positive and sheared electric field. Internal transport barriers also appear in CHS, but the role of rationals is not clear yet in this device. The time evolution of the electric field shows the onset of a bifurcation triggered either by the rational or by the presence of the ion and electron roots. The electric potential inside ITBs follows the ECE-temperature profile in a fast time scale. The plasma stability properties and its effect on the viscosity are also studied in the HSX, and the influence of the dynamics of rational surface is studied in the LHD and TJ-II stellarators

Complete suppression of Pfirsch-Schlueter current in a toroidal l=3 stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Yasuhiko; Wakatani, Masahiro; Yokoyama, Masayuki; Pustovitov, V.D.

1999-10-01

Pfirsch-Schlueter (P-S) current is an inherent property of a finite pressure toroidal equilibrium of tokamak and stellarator. However, it was pointed out recently (V.D. Pustovitov, Nuclear Fusion 36 (1996) 583) that the P-S current would be suppressed completely if the external vertical field could be adjusted to satisfy the condition Ω= in an l=3 stellarator. Here Ω= 2 >/B 0 2 -2ε cosθ, l is a pole number, |B tilde| the vacuum helical magnetic field, B 0 the toroidal field, ε the inverse aspect ratio, θ the poloidal angle and denotes the average over the toroidal angle. An example of such a stellarator equilibrium is presented in this paper. For this stellarator equilibrium, behavior of rotational transform and Boozer magnetic spectrum is clarified when the pressure is increased. Both formation of helical magnetic axis and reduction of toroidal curvature are important ingredients to reduce the P-S current. However, the collisionless particle confinement is not improved in this example. (author)

Radiation transfer and stellar atmospheres

Science.gov (United States)

Swihart, T. L.

This is a revised and expanded version of the author's Basic Physics of Stellar Atmospheres, published in 1971. The equation of transfer is considered, taking into account the intensity and derived quantities, the absorption coefficient, the emission coefficient, the source function, and special integrals for plane media. The gray atmosphere is discussed along with the nongray atmosphere, and aspects of line formation. Topics related to polarization are explored, giving attention to pure polarized radiation, general polarized radiation, transfer in a magnetic plasma, and Rayleigh scattering and the sunlit sky. Physical and astronomical constants, and a number of problems related to the subjects of the book are presented in an appendix.

Recent advances in stellarator optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Gates, D. A.; Boozer, A. H.; Brown, T.; Breslau, J.; Curreli, D.; Landreman, M.; Lazerson, S. A.; Lore, J.; Mynick, H.; Neilson, G. H.; Pomphrey, N.; Xanthopoulos, P.; Zolfaghari, A.

2017-12-01

Computational optimization has revolutionized the field of stellarator design. To date, optimizations have focused primarily on optimization of neoclassical confinement and ideal MHD stability, although limited optimization of other parameters has also been performed. The purpose of this paper is to outline a select set of new concepts for stellarator optimization that, when taken as a group, present a significant step forward in the stellarator concept. One of the criticisms that has been leveled at existing methods of design is the complexity of the resultant field coils. Recently, a new coil optimization code—COILOPT++, which uses a spline instead of a Fourier representation of the coils,—was written and included in the STELLOPT suite of codes. The advantage of this method is that it allows the addition of real space constraints on the locations of the coils. The code has been tested by generating coil designs for optimized quasi-axisymmetric stellarator plasma configurations of different aspect ratios. As an initial exercise, a constraint that the windings be vertical was placed on large major radius half of the non-planar coils. Further constraints were also imposed that guaranteed that sector blanket modules could be removed from between the coils, enabling a sector maintenance scheme. Results of this exercise will be presented. New ideas on methods for the optimization of turbulent transport have garnered much attention since these methods have led to design concepts that are calculated to have reduced turbulent heat loss. We have explored possibilities for generating an experimental database to test whether the reduction in transport that is predicted is consistent with experimental observations. To this end, a series of equilibria that can be made in the now latent QUASAR experiment have been identified that will test the predicted transport scalings. Fast particle confinement studies aimed at developing a generalized optimization algorithm are also

Recent results with NBI plasmas in TJ-II stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liniers, M.; Ascasibar, E.; Estrada, T.; Tabares, F. L.; Acedo, M.; Alonso, J.; Balbin, R.; Blanco, B.; Branas, B.; Cappa, A.; Carrasco, R.; Castejon, F.; Fernandez, A.; Fontdecaba, J. M.; Fuentes, C.; Garcia, A.; Garcia-Cortes, I.; Guasp, J.; Hidalgo, A.; Hidalgo, C.; Jimenez, R.; Lopez-Bruna, D.; Lopez-Fraguas, A.; Marcon, G.; McCarthy, K. J.; Medina, F.; Medrano, M.; Ochando, M.; Pastor, I.; Pedrosa, M. A.; Rapisarda, D.; Sanchez, E.; Sanchez, M.; Sanchez, J.; Tafalla, D.; Wolfers, G.; Zurro, B.

2005-07-01

During the last experimental campaign Neutral Beam Injection into TJ-II plasmas has been available, with a single H0 beam aiming tangentially in the Co-direction. As the ion source conditioning was improved along the campaign, the injected power increased from 200 kW to 400 kW port-through, and the beam energy was raised from 26 kV to 30 kV [1]. Target plasmas are created by ECR heating, using two gyrotrons of 200 kW power, at the second harmonic frequency (53 GHz). The injection direction of the microwaves can be steered by means of movable mirrors placed inside the vacuum chamber, making it possible to vary the power deposition region from the plasma core (on-axis) to the outer regions near ?=0.5 (off-axis). The plasma temperature and density profiles obtained with on-axis or off axis ECRH are seen to differ widely, allowing us to study the neutral beam absorption in two qualitatively different plasma target scenarios. Other factors affecting the plasma profiles have also been investigated, such as the magnetic configuration or the OH-driven current. TJ-II has the capability of varying the magnetic configuration by changing the ratio of the current through the circular and helical conductors that form the Central Conductor. The iota values can be swept between 0.9 and 2.2 and the magnetic well between -1% and 6% giving rise to configurations with different confinement properties. A negative OH driven current has the effect of increasing the magnetic shear value, allowing low-order rationals in the central region which have been seen to modify density profiles in ECH plasmas. In most NBI discharges the central plasma density increases continuously from ECH typical values below 1.1 x 10 19 m-3 up to 6.5 x 10 19 m-3, as the beam is injected, until a thermal collapse that terminates the discharge is reached. So far, density control with NBI plasmas has not been achieved, although an improved behaviour is observed with wall cleaning. (Author)

Recent results with NBI plasmas in TJ-II stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liniers, M.; Ascasibar, E.; Estrada, T.; Tabares, F. L.; Acedo, M.; Alonso, J.; Balbin, R.; Blanco, B.; Branas, B.; Cappa, A.; Carrasco, R.; Castejon, F.; Fernandez, A.; Fontdecaba, J. M.; Fuentes, C.; Garcia, A.; Garcia-Cortes, I.; Guasp, J.; Hidalgo, A.; Hidalgo, C.; Jimenez, R.; Lopez-Bruna, D.; Lopez-Fraguas, A.; Marcon, G.; McCarthy, K. J.; Medina, F.; Medrano, M.; Ochando, M.; Pastor, I.; Pedrosa, M. A.; Rapisarda, D.; Sanchez, E.; Sanchez, M.; Sanchez, J.; Tafalla, D.; Wolfers, G.; Zurro, B.

2005-01-01

During the last experimental campaign Neutral Beam Injection into TJ-II plasmas has been available, with a single H0 beam aiming tangentially in the Co-direction. As the ion source conditioning was improved along the campaign, the injected power increased from 200 kW to 400 kW port-through, and the beam energy was raised from 26 kV to 30 kV [1]. Target plasmas are created by ECR heating, using two gyrotrons of 200 kW power, at the second harmonic frequency (53 GHz). The injection direction of the microwaves can be steered by means of movable mirrors placed inside the vacuum chamber, making it possible to vary the power deposition region from the plasma core (on-axis) to the outer regions near ?=0.5 (off-axis). The plasma temperature and density profiles obtained with on-axis or off axis ECRH are seen to differ widely, allowing us to study the neutral beam absorption in two qualitatively different plasma target scenarios. Other factors affecting the plasma profiles have also been investigated, such as the magnetic configuration or the OH-driven current. TJ-II has the capability of varying the magnetic configuration by changing the ratio of the current through the circular and helical conductors that form the Central Conductor. The iota values can be swept between 0.9 and 2.2 and the magnetic well between -1% and 6% giving rise to configurations with different confinement properties. A negative OH driven current has the effect of increasing the magnetic shear value, allowing low-order rationals in the central region which have been seen to modify density profiles in ECH plasmas. In most NBI discharges the central plasma density increases continuously from ECH typical values below 1.1 x 10 19 m-3 up to 6.5 x 10 19 m-3, as the beam is injected, until a thermal collapse that terminates the discharge is reached. So far, density control with NBI plasmas has not been achieved, although an improved behaviour is observed with wall cleaning. (Author)

Laboratory studies of stagnating plasma flows with applications to inner solar system and stellar bow shocks

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, T. E.; Smith, R. J.; Hsu, S. C.

2016-10-01

Supercritical magnetized collisionless shocks are thought to play a dominant role in the overall partition of energy throughout the universe by converting flow kinetic energy to other forms such as thermal and supra-thermal populations, magnetic field enhancement, turbulence, and energetic particles. The Magnetized Shock Experiment (MSX) at LANL creates conditions similar to those of inner solar system and stellar bow shocks by accelerating hot (100s of eV during translation) dense (1022 - 1023 m-3) Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) plasmoids to 100s of km/s; resulting in β 1, collisionless plasma flows with Msonic and MAlfvén 10. The drifting FRC can be made to impinge upon a variety of static obstacles including: a strong mirror or cusp magnetic field (mimicking magnetically excited shocks such as the Earth's bow shock), plasma pileup from a solid obstacle (similar to the bow shocks of Mercury and the Moon), and a neural gas puff (bow shocks of Venus or the comets). Characteristic shock length and time scales that are both large enough to observe yet small enough to fit within the experiment, enabling study of the complex interplay of kinetic and fluid processes that mediate cosmic shocks and can generate non-thermal distributions, produce density and magnetic field enhancements much greater than predicted by fluid theory, and accelerate particles. An overview of the experimental program will be presented, including recent results. This work is supported by the U.S. DOE, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25369.

Recent results of ECRH experiments on L-2M stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shchepetov, S.V.; Akulina, D.K.; Batanov, G.M.

1999-01-01

Results are reported from experimental study of ECH heated plasma in the L-2M stellarator with special emphasis on studying the turbulent processes. It is shown that the total plasma energy at fixed total heating power is strongly dependent on the plasma position. Visible degradation of plasma confinement is observed for the inward shifted magnetic configurations where the stability conditions of ideal interchange MHD modes are violated. However, even in this case the situation can be improved by decreasing the average radius of the plasma boundary with the help of graphite limiter resulting in the increase of the Shafranov shift of magnetic surfaces and deepening of the magnetic well due to the effect of self-stabilization. This in turn causes stabilization of ideal MHD interchange modes and visible increase in plasma energy and volume average value of beta. Statistical properties of turbulence was studied both for the central part of the plasma column and for the plasma edge. It is shown that one of the critical factors determining the coherent structures and turbulent fluxes in the edge plasma is the radial electric field. (author)

Measurement of plasma edge profile on Wendelstein 7-X

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drews, Philipp; Liang, Yunfeng; Neubauer, Olaf; Denner, Peter; Rack, Michael; Liu, Shaocheng; Wang, Nunchao; Nicolai, Dirk; Hollfeld, Klaus; Satheeswaran, Guruparan [Forschungszentrum Juelich, IEK4, Juelich (Germany); Grulke, Olaf [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, Greifswald (Germany); Collaboration: W7-X Team

2016-07-01

Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), currently under commissioning at the IPP Greifswald, will be the world's largest stellarator with modular superconducting coils, which will enable steady-state-like plasma operation of up to thirty minutes in order to explore the reactor relevance of this concept. The first operation phase of W7-X will employ a limiter configuration. It will be used primarily for setting up the diagnostics and testing the magnetic configuration. In conjunction with the multipurpose manipulator, a fast reciprocating probe is installed. The combined probe head will be used to measure the radial distribution of the magnetic field using magnetic pick-up coils; the plasma temperature and density profiles and the radial electric field using Langmuir pins; and the plasma flows using a Mach setup. As a quasi-isodynamic stellarator, it has been predicted that not only neoclassical but also turbulent transport will be comparable to or possibly even lower than that of tokamaks. Edge plasma profile measurements, especially those of the electron temperature and density, will play a key role in validating this performance in comparison to the tokamak and hence the viability of a stellarator fusion reactor. The edge plasma profile measurements using the combined probe head are presented.

Control oriented modeling and simulation of the sawtooth instability in nuclear fusion tokamak plasmas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Witvoet, G.; Westerhof, E.; Steinbuch, M.; Doelman, N.J.; Baar, de M.R.

2009-01-01

Tokamak plasmas in nuclear fusion are subject to various instabilities. A clear example is the sawtooth instability, which has both positive and negative effects on the plasma. To optimize between these effects control of the sawtooth period is necessary. This paper presents a simple control

Extending SIESTA capabilities: removing field-periodic and stellarator symmetric limitations

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, C. R.; Hirshman, S. P.; Sanchez, R.; Anderson, D. T.

2011-10-01

SIESTA is a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics equilibrium code capable of resolving magnetic islands in toroidal plasma confinement devices. Currently SIESTA assumes that plasma perturbations, and thus also magnetic islands, are field-periodic. This limitation is being removed from the code by allowing the displacement toroidal mode number to not be restricted to multiples of the number of field periods. Extending SIESTA in this manner will allow larger, lower-order resonant islands to form in devices such as CTH. An example of a non-field-periodic perturbation in CTH will be demonstrated. Currently the code also operates in a stellarator-symmetric fashion in which an ``up-down'' symmetry is present at some toroidal angle. Nearly all of the current tokamaks (and ITER in the future) operate with a divertor and as such do not possess stellarator symmetry. Removal of this symmetry restriction requires including both sine and cosine terms in the Fourier expansion for the geometry of the device and the fields contained within. The current status of this extension of the code will be discussed, along with the method of implementation. U.S. DOE Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC.

Bolometer Results in the Long-Microwave-Heated WEGA Stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, D.; Otte, M.; Giannone, L.

2006-01-01

A 12 channel bolometer camera based on a gold foil absorber has been installed on the WEGA stellarator to measure the radiation power losses of the plasma. The measured total radiation power is typically less than 30% of the ECRH input power. However, this radiated power fraction depends on the ECRH input power, the magnetic configuration and the field strength as well as the working gas. For separatrix-bounded configurations, core-peaked radiation intensity profiles are usually detected, while in a limiter-configuration they are flatter, broader and more asymmetric. In addition, significant radiation originating from the SOL region is measured for all the cases studied. The SOL radiation changes with changing the plasma-wave interaction region, indicating a strong correlation between radiation and power deposition. Under the WEGA-plasma conditions (Te<10 eV), it is considered that the radiation profile reflects the plasma pressure associated with the power deposition distribution of the ECRH

Bolometer Results in the Long-Microwave-Heated WEGA Stellarator

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, D.; Otte, M.; Giannone, L.

2006-01-01

A 12 channel bolometer camera based on a gold foil absorber has been installed on the WEGA stellarator to measure the radiation power losses of the plasma. The measured total radiation power is typically less than 30% of the ECRH input power. However, this radiated power fraction depends on the ECRH input power, the magnetic configuration and the field strength as well as the working gas. For separatrix-bounded configurations, core-peaked radiation intensity profiles are usually detected, while in a limiter-configuration they are flatter, broader and more asymmetric. In addition, significant radiation originating from the SOL region is measured for all the cases studied. The SOL radiation changes with changing the plasma-wave interaction region, indicating a strong correlation between radiation and power deposition. Under the WEGA-plasma conditions (Te<10 eV), it is considered that the radiation profile reflects the plasma pressure associated with the power deposition distribution of the ECRH.

Global magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in the L-2M stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mikhailov, M. I., E-mail: mikhaylov-mi@nrcki.ru [National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute (Russian Federation); Shchepetov, S. V., E-mail: shch@fpl.gpi.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Prokhorov General Physics Institute (Russian Federation); Nührenberg, C.; Nührenberg, J. [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik (Germany)

2015-12-15

Analysis of global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities in the L-2M stellarator (Prokhorov General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences) is presented. The properties of free-boundary equilibria states are outlined, the stability conditions for small-scale modes are briefly discussed, and the number of trapped particles is estimated. All the magnetic configurations under study are stable against ballooning modes. It is shown that global ideal internal MHD modes can be found reliably only in Mercier unstable plasmas. In plasma that is stable with respect to the Mercier criterion, global unstable modes that are localized in the vicinity of the free plasma boundary and are not associated with any rational magnetic surface inside the plasma (the so-called peeling modes) can be found. The radial structure of all perturbations under study is almost entirely determined by the poloidal coupling of harmonics. The results of calculations are compared with the available experimental data.

Plasma formulary for physics, astronomy, and technology

CERN Document Server

Diver, Declan

2013-01-01

This collection of fundamental formulae, up-to-date references and definitions in plasma physics is vital to anyone with an interest in plasmas or ionized gases, whether in physics, astronomy or engineering. Both theorists and experimentalists will find this book useful, as it incorporates the latest results and findings, with extended coverage of fusion plasma, plasma in stellar winds, reaction rates, engineering plasma and many other topics. The text is also unique in treating astrophysical plasmas, fusion plasmas, industrial plasmas and low temperature plasmas as aspects of the same discipline.

Bolometer tomography at the density limit of the HDH mode in the W7-AS stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giannone, L; Brakel, R; Burhenn, R; Ehmler, H; Feng, Y; Grigull, P; McCormick, K; Wagner, F; Baldzuhn, J; Igitkhanov, Y; Knauer, J; Nishimura, K; Pasch, E; Peterson, B J; Ramasubramanian, N; Rust, N; Weller, A; Werner, A

2003-01-01

The installation of divertor plates in the W7-AS stellarator has allowed attainment of a high energy confinement regime at high density, where the radiation profiles reached steady state. In this regime, the radial profile of the radiated power is hollow. Raising the density to the point where the radiated power approached the input power led to plasma detachment and a decrease in diamagnetic energy. This defines the density limit in a stellarator and a scaling law for this maximum density can be heuristically derived on the basis of power balance considerations. The installation of two bolometer cameras away from the divertor plates and three bolometer cameras in the vicinity of the divertor plates has provided insight into the features of high density operation of a divertor in a stellarator. In the main chamber, tomographic inversion at the density limit has shown that a poloidally asymmetric radiation profile developed as the density limit was approached. In the divertor, radiation in front of the divertor plates occurred while the plasma was attached and this radiation zone vanished at plasma detachment. Steady state discharges of up to 1.5 s have been achieved for neutral beam injection power of up to 2 MW. A precursor to a spontaneous transition out of the high confinement regime has been identified

The DEMO Quasisymmetric Stellarator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geoffrey B. McFadden

2010-02-01

Full Text Available The NSTAB nonlinear stability code solves differential equations in conservation form, and the TRAN Monte Carlo test particle code tracks guiding center orbits in a fixed background, to provide simulations of equilibrium, stability, and transport in tokamaks and stellarators. These codes are well correlated with experimental observations and have been validated by convergence studies. Bifurcated 3D solutions of the 2D tokamak problem have been calculated that model persistent disruptions, neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs and edge localized modes (ELMs occurring in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER, which does not pass the NSTAB simulation test for nonlinear stability. So we have designed a quasiaxially symmetric (QAS stellarator with similar proportions as a candidate for the demonstration (DEMO fusion reactor that does pass the test [1]. The configuration has two field periods and an exceptionally accurate 2D symmetry that furnishes excellent thermal confinement and good control of the prompt loss of alpha particles. Robust coils are found from a filtered form of the Biot-Savart law based on a distribution of current over a control surface for the coils and the current in the plasma defined by the equilibrium calculation. Computational science has addressed the issues of equilibrium, stability, and transport, so it remains to develop an effective plan to construct the coils and build a diverter.

STELLAR ATMOSPHERES, ATMOSPHERIC EXTENSION, AND FUNDAMENTAL PARAMETERS: WEIGHING STARS USING THE STELLAR MASS INDEX

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neilson, Hilding R.; Lester, John B. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H4 (Canada); Baron, Fabien; Norris, Ryan; Kloppenborg, Brian, E-mail: neilson@astro.utoronto.ca [Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 5060, Atlanta, GA 30302-5060 (United States)

2016-10-20

One of the great challenges of understanding stars is measuring their masses. The best methods for measuring stellar masses include binary interaction, asteroseismology, and stellar evolution models, but these methods are not ideal for red giant and supergiant stars. In this work, we propose a novel method for inferring stellar masses of evolved red giant and supergiant stars using interferometric and spectrophotometric observations combined with spherical model stellar atmospheres to measure what we call the stellar mass index, defined as the ratio between the stellar radius and mass. The method is based on the correlation between different measurements of angular diameter, used as a proxy for atmospheric extension, and fundamental stellar parameters. For a given star, spectrophotometry measures the Rosseland angular diameter while interferometric observations generally probe a larger limb-darkened angular diameter. The ratio of these two angular diameters is proportional to the relative extension of the stellar atmosphere, which is strongly correlated to the star’s effective temperature, radius, and mass. We show that these correlations are strong and can lead to precise measurements of stellar masses.

The fundamentals of stellar astrophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collins, G.W. II.

1989-01-01

A broad overview of theoretical stellar astrophysics is presented in a textbook intended for graduate students. Chapters are devoted to fundamental principles, assumptions, theorems, and polytropes; energy sources and sinks; the flow of energy through the star and the construction of stellar models; the theory of stellar evolution; relativistic stellar structure; the structure of distorted stars; stellar pulsation and oscillation. Also discussed are the flow of radiation through the stellar atmosphere, the solution of the radiative-transfer equation, the environment of the radiation field, the construction of a stellar model atmosphere, the formation and shape of spectral lines, LTE breakdown, illuminated and extended stellar atmospheres, and the transfer of polarized radiation. Diagrams, graphs, and sample problems are provided. 164 refs

Fast transport changes and power degradation in the W7-AS stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stroth, U; Giannone, L.; Hartfuss, H -J [Association Euratom-Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, Garching (Germany); and others

1996-04-01

The turbulent heat transport in high-temperature fusion plasmas is not understood. It increases with power heating. The physical mechanism of this process is investigated in the W7-AS stellarator. The fundamental question addressed here is whether transport is governed by local plasma parameters or by a global quantity. Three different types of experiments with critical sensitivity are carried out. They can consistently be described on the basis of a non-local dependence of the transport coefficient on the global heating power. (author).

Fast transport changes and power degradation in the W7-AS stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroth, U.; Giannone, L.; Hartfuss, H.-J.

1996-01-01

The turbulent heat transport in high-temperature fusion plasmas is not understood. It increases with power heating. The physical mechanism of this process is investigated in the W7-AS stellarator. The fundamental question addressed here is whether transport is governed by local plasma parameters or by a global quantity. Three different types of experiments with critical sensitivity are carried out. They can consistently be described on the basis of a non-local dependence of the transport coefficient on the global heating power. (author)

FEM-DBEM approach to analyse crack scenarios in a baffle cooling pipe undergoing heat flux from the plasma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Citarella

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Wendelstein 7-X is the world’s largest nuclear fusion experiment of stellarator type, in which a hydrogen plasma is confined by a magnet field generated with external superconducting coils, allowing the plasma to be heated up to the fusion temperature. The water-cooled Plasma Facing Components (PFC protect the Plasma Vessel (PV against radiative and convective heat from the plasma. After the assembly process of heat shields and baffles, several cracks were found in the braze and cooling pipes. Due to heat load cycles occurring during each Operational Phase (OP, thermal stresses are generated in the heat sinks, braze root and cooling pipes, capable to drive fatigue crack-growth and, possibly, a water leak through the pipe thickness. The aim of this study is to assess the most dangerous initial crack configurations in one of the most critical baffles by using numerical models based on a FEM-DBEM approach.

Energy confinement comparison of ohmically heated stellarators to tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, T.K.; Lee, Y.C.

1979-12-01

An empirical scaling prescribes that the energy confinement time in ohmically heated stellarators and tokamaks is proportional to the internal energy of the plasma and the minor radius, and inversely proportional to the current density. A thermal-conduction energy transport model, based on a heuristic assumption that the effective momentum transfer in the radial direction is proportional to the classical parallel momentum transfer which results in ohmic heating, is used to explain this scaling

Physics issues for a very-low-aspect-ratio Quasi-Poloidal Stellarator (QPS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyon, J.F.; Berry, L.A.; Hirshman, S.P.

2003-01-01

A quasi-poloidal stellarator with very low plasma aspect ratio (R/a ∼ 2.7, 1/2-1/4 that of existing stellarators) is a new confinement approach that could ultimately lead to a high-beta compact stellarator reactor. The Quasi-Poloidal Stellarator (QPS) experiment is being developed to test key features of this approach. The QPS will study neoclassical and anomalous transport, stability limits at beta up to 2.5%, the configuration dependence of the bootstrap current, and equilibrium robustness. The quasi-poloidal symmetry leads to neoclassical transport that is much smaller than the anomalous transport. The reduced effective field ripple may also produce reduced poloidal viscosity, enhancing the ambipolar E x B poloidal drift and allowing larger poloidal flows for reduction of anomalous transport. A region of second stability exists in the QPS experiment at higher beta. Very-high-beta configurations with a tokamak-like transform profile have also been obtained with a bootstrap current 1/3-1/5 that in an equivalent tokamak. These configurations are stable to low-n ideal MHD kink and vertical instabilities for beta up to 11%. Ballooning-stable configurations are found for beta in the range 2% to 23%. (author)

Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research. Vol. II. Proceedings of a Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Physics Research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1966-01-01

Research on controlled nuclear fusion was first disclosed at the Second United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, held at Geneva in 1958. From the information given, it was evident that a better understanding of the behaviour of hot dense plasmas was needed before the goal of economic energy release from nuclear fusion could be reached. The fact that research since then has been most complex and costly has enhanced the desirability of international co-operation and exchange of information and experience. Having organized its First Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research at Salzburg in 1961, the International Atomic Energy Agency again provided the means for such cooperation in organizing its Second Conference on this subject on 6-10 September, 1965, at Culham, Abingdon, Berks, England. The meeting was arranged with the generous help of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority at their Culham Laboratory, where the facilities and assistance of the staff were greatly appreciated. At the meeting, which was attended by 268 participants from 26 member states and three international organizations, significant results from many experiments, including those from the new and larger machines, became available. It has now become feasible to intercorrelate data obtained from a number of similar machines; this has led to a more complete understanding of plasma behaviour. No breakthrough was reported nor had been expected towards the economical release of the energy from fusion, but there was increased understanding of the problems of production, control and containment of high-density and high-temperature plasmas

Physics issues of compact drift optimized stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spong, D.A.; Hirshman, S.; Berry, L.A.

2001-01-01

Physics issues are discussed for compact stellarator configurations which achieve good confinement by the fact that the magnetic field modulus, vertical bar B vertical bar, in magnetic coordinates is dominated by poloidally symmetric components. Two distinct configuration types are considered: (1) those which achieve their drift optimization and rotational transform at low β and low bootstrap current by appropriate plasma shaping; and (2) those which have a greater reliance on plasma β and bootstrap currents for supplying the transform and obtaining quasi poloidal symmetry. Stability analysis of the latter group of devices against ballooning, kink and vertical displacement modes has indicated that stable 's on the order of 15% are possible. The first class of devices is being considered for a low β near-term experiment that could explore some of the confinement features of the high beta configurations. (author)

Plasma Confinement in Low-Density C Stellarator Discharges; Confinement du Plasma dans des Decharges a Faible Densite dans le Stellarator C; УДЕРЖАНИЕ ПЛАЗМЫ В ''СТЕЛЛАРАТОРЕ С'' ПРИ НИЗКОЙ ПЛОТНОСТИ РАЗРЯДА; Confinamiento de Plasma en Descargas de Baja Densidad en el Stellarator C

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stodiek, W.; Grove, D. J.; Kessler, J. O. [Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (United States)

1966-04-15

Theoretical work has suggested that anomalously high plasma loss rates (pumpout). may be due to ohmic heating currents. Previous experiments however showed that pumpout persists even when the currents (normally required to prevent cooling and recombination) are much below the critical values for ion wave instabilities. (One experiment, which seemed to support the ion wave hypothesis, admits of an alternative interpretation. ) The present paper reports experiments on the C stellarator which extend the measurements to zero ohmic heating currents. They were performed at low initial pressures (2 to 3 x 10{sup -6} Torr) of hydrogen and at electron temperatures of 1 to 2 eV. The confining field was usually 12.3 kG; a few measurements were made at 35 kG. A rotational transform of 0.75 {pi} was provided by Script-Small-L =2 and Script-Small-L =3 helical windings. In these low-density, low-temperature experiments an anomalous loss rate exists in the C stellarator for four operating conditions: (1) ohmic heating, (2) electron cyclotron resonance heating, (3) resistive microwave heating, and (4) no heating at all. We conclude that neither an axial current of small magnitude nor density variations in the range 5 x 10{sup 9}{<=}n{sub e} {<=} 2 x 10{sup 11} cm{sup -3} seem to affect the transport time constant for plasma loss across the magnetic confining field. The loss rate cannot be accounted for in terms of a lack of equilibrium associated with finite resistivity. The over-all plasma decay time is consistent with the relation {tau}{sub p} = 0.9 B/T{sub e} msec (B in kG, T{sub e} in eV; plasma radius = 5 cm) observed by Hinnov and Bishop at densities near 10{sup 13} cm{sup -3} [French] Des travaux theoriques ont donne a penser que des taux de perte de plasma anormalement eleves (pompage) pouvaient etre attribues aux courants de chauffage ohmique. Toutefois, des experiences anterieures ont montre que le pompage persiste meme lorsque les courants (qui sont normalement

Investigation of relativistic laser-plasmas using nuclear diagnostics; Untersuchung relativistischer Laserplasmen mittels nukleardiagnostischer Verfahren

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guenther, Marc M.

2011-01-19

The present work explores with the development of a novel nuclear diagnostic method for the investigation of the electron dynamics in relativistic laser-plasma interactions. An additional aim of this work was the determination of the real laser peak intensity via the interaction of an intense laser short-pulse with a solid target. The nuclear diagnostics is based on a photo-neutron disintegration nuclear activation method. The main constituent of the nuclear diagnostic are novel pseudoalloic activation targets as a kind of calorimeter to measure the high-energy bremsstrahlung produced by relativistic electrons. The targets are composed of several stable isotopes with different ({gamma},xn)-reaction thresholds. The activated nuclides were identified via the characteristic gamma-ray decay spectrum by using high-resolution gamma spectroscopy after the laser irradiation. Via the gamma spectroscopy the ({gamma},xn)-reaction yields were determined. The high-energy bremsstrahlung spectrum has been deconvolved using a novel analysis method based on a modified Penfold-Leiss method. This facilitates the reconstruction of the spectrum of bremsstrahlung photons without any anticipated fit procedures. Furthermore, the characterization of the corresponding bremsstrahlung electrons in the interaction zone is accessible immediately. The consolidated findings about the properties of the relativistic electrons were used to determine the real peak intensity at the laser-plasma interaction zone. In the context of this work, experiments were performed at three different laser facilities. First Experiments were carried out at the 100 TW laser facility at Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Lasers Intense (LULI) in France and supplementary at the Vulcan laser facility at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in United Kingdom. The main part of the activation experiments were performed at the PHELIX laser facility (Petawatt High Energy Laser for heavy Ion EXperiments) at GSI

Stellar magnetic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schrijver, C.J.

1986-01-01

The stellar emission in the chromospheric Ca II H+K lines is compared with the coronal soft X-ray emission, measuring the effects of non-radiative heating in the outer atmosphere at temperatures differing two orders of magnitude. The comparison of stellar flux densities in Ca II H+K and X-rays is extended to fluxes from the transition-region and the high-temperature chromosphere. The stellar magnetic field is probably generated in the differentially rotating convective envelope. The relation between rotation rate and the stellar level of activity measured in chromospheric, transition-region, and coronal radiative diagnostics is discovered. X-ray observations of the binary λ Andromedae are discussed. The departure of M-type dwarfs from the main relations, and the implications for the structure of the chromospheres of these stars are discussed. Variations of the average surface flux densities of the Sun during the 11-year activity cycle agree with flux-flux relations derived for other cool stars, suggesting that the interpretation of the stellar relations may be furthered by studying the solar analogue in more detail. (Auth.)

Overview on W7-AS results with relevance for Wendelstein 7-X and the low-shear stellarator line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, F.; Anton, M.; Baldzuhn, J.

1999-01-01

The Wendelstein stellarator programme of Garching has developed low shear stellarators with successively optimised designs to remove the intrinsic deficiencies of this 3D concept. W7-X, presently under construction, is in internal terminology a fully optimised stellarator. W7-AS, the presently operated device, is a partly optimised stellarator. The optimisation of stellarators aims at improved neoclassical confinement in the long mean free path regime and improved equilibrium and stability properties. In this report, we address equilibrium, stability, turbulent and collisional energy confinement aspects (role of magnetic shear, role of the radial electric field, low and improved confinement regimes), particle transport, transport and turbulence at the plasma edge, high density operation, ECRH (OXB scheme) and ICRF heating and the development of the island divertor for exhaust. The maximal parameters achieved in W7-AS (at different discharge types) are: T e = 5.8 keV, T i = 1.5 keV, n e = 3 x 10 20 m -3 , = 2%, τ E = 50 ms. (author)

Overview on W7-AS results with relevance for WENDELSTEIN 7-X and the low-shear stellarator line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, F.; Anton, M.; Baldzuhn, J.

2001-01-01

The Wendelstein stellarator programme of Garching has developed low shear stellarators with successively optimised designs to remove the intrinsic deficiencies of this 3D concept. W7-X, presently under construction, is in internal terminology a fully optimised stellarator. W7-AS, the presently operated device, is a partly optimised stellarator. The optimisation of stellarators aims at improved neoclassical confinement in the long mean free path regime and improved equilibrium and stability properties. In this report, we address equilibrium, stability, turbulent and collisional energy confinement aspects (role of magnetic shear, role of the radial electric field, low and improved confinement regimes), particle transport, transport and turbulence at the plasma edge, high density operation, ECRH (OXB scheme) and ICRF heating and the development of the island divertor for exhaust. The maximal parameters achieved in W7-AS (at different discharge types) are: T e = 5.8 keV, T i = 1.5 keV, n e = 3x10 20 m -3 , = 2%, τ E = 50 ms. (author)

Simulation of kinetic processes in the nuclear-excited helium non-ideal dusty plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budnik, A.P.; Kosarev, V.A.; Rykov, V.A.; Fortov, V.E.; Vladimirov, V.I.; Deputatova, L.V.

2009-01-01

The paper is devoted to the studying of kinetic processes in the nuclear-excited plasma of the helium gas with the fine uranium (or its chemical compounds) particles admixture. A new theoretical model for the mathematical simulation of the kinetic processes in dusty plasma of helium gas was developed. The main goal of this investigation is to determine possibilities of a creation of non-ideal dusty plasma, containing nano- and micro-particles, and excited by fission fragments (copyright 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Institute for Plasma Research, Stuttgart University. Annual report 1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

In 1986 the IPP-IPF cooperation in the field of fusion related research and development has been successfully continued. The ECRH project as the largest activity is concentrated on the completion of the 1 MW/70 GHz long-pulse ECRH-system for the W VII-AS stellarator. The components tests promise optimum technical and - hopefully - physical results. Theoretical investigations mainly concern ray propagation and time dependent transport calculations for stellarators at ECRH conditions. A first successful experimental demonstration of the LIDAR scattering concept on JET was a rather encouraging progress for the laser diagnostic group. Besides this project the FIR scattering was continued on ASDEX with measurements of the k-spectra of the low frequency fluctuations during the various kinds of plasma heating. On the WEGA stellarator a programme of flux surface measurements with electron beams has been started. A meanwhile improved detection method will be applied - in cooperation with the Wendelstein team - at the coming W VII-AS stellarator. In the last year the plasma focus experiment POSEIDON achieved successful operation at full bank energy. (orig.)

Development of Scientific Simulation 3D Full Wave ICRF Code for Stellarators and Heating/CD Scenarios Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vdovin V.L.

2005-08-15

In this report we describe theory and 3D full wave code description for the wave excitation, propagation and absorption in 3-dimensional (3D) stellarator equilibrium high beta plasma in ion cyclotron frequency range (ICRF). This theory forms a basis for a 3D code creation, urgently needed for the ICRF heating scenarios development for the operated LHD, constructed W7-X, NCSX and projected CSX3 stellarators, as well for re evaluation of ICRF scenarios in operated tokamaks and in the ITER . The theory solves the 3D Maxwell-Vlasov antenna-plasma-conducting shell boundary value problem in the non-orthogonal flux coordinates ({Psi}, {theta}, {var_phi}), {Psi} being magnetic flux function, {theta} and {var_phi} being the poloidal and toroidal angles, respectively. All basic physics, like wave refraction, reflection and diffraction are self consistently included, along with the fundamental ion and ion minority cyclotron resonances, two ion hybrid resonance, electron Landau and TTMP absorption. Antenna reactive impedance and loading resistance are also calculated and urgently needed for an antenna -generator matching. This is accomplished in a real confining magnetic field being varying in a plasma major radius direction, in toroidal and poloidal directions, through making use of the hot dense plasma wave induced currents with account to the finite Larmor radius effects. We expand the solution in Fourier series over the toroidal ({var_phi}) and poloidal ({theta}) angles and solve resulting ordinary differential equations in a radial like {Psi}-coordinate by finite difference method. The constructed discretization scheme is divergent-free one, thus retaining the basic properties of original equations. The Fourier expansion over the angle coordinates has given to us the possibility to correctly construct the ''parallel'' wave number k{sub //}, and thereby to correctly describe the ICRF waves absorption by a hot plasma. The toroidal harmonics are tightly

Progress report on nuclear science and technology in China (Vol.3). Proceedings of academic annual meeting of China Nuclear Society in 2013, No.7--nuclear fusion and plasma physics sub-volume

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-05-01

Progress report on nuclear science and technology in China (Vol. 3) includes 22 articles which are communicated on the third national academic annual meeting of China Nuclear Society. There are 10 books totally. This is the seventh one, the content is about nuclear fusion and plasma physics sub-volume

Component manufacturing development for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heitzenroeder, P.J.; Brown, T.G.; Chrzanowski, J.H.; Neilson, G.H.; Reiersen, W.T.; Sutton, L.L.; Viola, M.E.; Cole, M.J.; Goranson, P.L.; Nelson, B.E.; Williamson, D.E.

2005-01-01

NCSX is the first of a new class of stellarators called compact stellarators which hold the promise of retaining the steady state feature of the stellarator but at a much lower aspect ratio and using a quasi-axisymmetric magnetic field to obtain tokamak-like performance. Although much of NCSX is conventional in design and construction, the vacuum vessel and modular coils provide significant engineering challenges due to their complex shapes, need for high dimensional accuracy, and the need for high current density in the modular coils due space constraints. Consequently, a three-phase development program has been undertaken. In the first phase, laboratory / industrial studies were performed during the development of the conceptual design to permit advances in manufacturing technology to be incorporated into NCSX's plans. In the second phase, full-scale prototype modular coil winding forms, compacted cable conductors, and 20-degree sectors of the vacuum vessel were fabricated in industry. In parallel, the NCSX project team undertook R and D studies that focused on the windings. The third (production) phase began in September 2004. First plasma is scheduled for January 2008. (author)

A Kinematic Link Between Boxy Bulges, Stellar Bars, and Nuclear Activity in NGC 3079 and NGC 4388

Science.gov (United States)

Veilleux, S.; Bland-Hawthrorn, J.; Cecil, Gerald

1999-01-01

stellar bars in NGC 3079 and NGC 4388 directly trigger or sustain the nuclear activity.

sunstardb: A Database for the Study of Stellar Magnetism and the Solar-stellar Connection

Science.gov (United States)

Egeland, Ricky

2018-05-01

The “solar-stellar connection” began as a relatively small field of research focused on understanding the processes that generate magnetic fields in stars and sometimes lead to a cyclic pattern of long-term variability in activity, as demonstrated by our Sun. This area of study has recently become more broadly pertinent to questions of exoplanet habitability and exo-space weather, as well as stellar evolution. In contrast to other areas of stellar research, individual stars in the solar-stellar connection often have a distinct identity and character in the literature, due primarily to the rarity of the decades-long time-series that are necessary for studying stellar activity cycles. Furthermore, the underlying stellar dynamo is not well understood theoretically, and is thought to be sensitive to several stellar properties, e.g., luminosity, differential rotation, and the depth of the convection zone, which in turn are often parameterized by other more readily available properties. Relevant observations are scattered throughout the literature and existing stellar databases, and consolidating information for new studies is a tedious and laborious exercise. To accelerate research in this area I developed sunstardb, a relational database of stellar properties and magnetic activity proxy time-series keyed by individual named stars. The organization of the data eliminates the need for the problematic catalog cross-matching operations inherent when building an analysis data set from heterogeneous sources. In this article I describe the principles behind sunstardb, the data structures and programming interfaces, as well as use cases from solar-stellar connection research.

Investigation of nonplanar modular coil systems for stellarator fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harmeyer, E.

1988-12-01

Steady-state stellarators constitute an important option for a future fusion reactor. The helical magnetic field required for plasma confinement can be produced by means of a set of modular nonplanar coils. In order to achieve optimum power density of the plasma, the magnetic flux density inside the torus is made as high as possible. State-of-the-art estimates allow values of the magnetic flux density on axis of B 0 = 4-7 T. The present report is concerned with investigations on modular nonplanar stellarator coil systems. Coil systems with poloidal periodicity l=2 and a coil system of the W VII-AS type with superposed l=0, 1, 2, 3 terms are treated. Furthermore, the parameters are simultaneously varied while keeping constant the ratios of certain magnitudes. In the parameter space of the geometric values and coil number the following quantities are evaluated: maximum magnetic flux density in the coil domain, stored magnetic energy of the coil system, magnetic force density distribution or magnetic forces, and mechanical stress distribution in the coils. Numerical methods are applied in the programme systems used for these calculations. The aim of the study is to determine an optimum regime for the above parameters. The numerical results are compared with those of analytical approximation solutions. (orig.)

Comparison of Fe and Ni opacity calculations for a better understanding of pulsating stellar envelopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilles, D.; Turck-Chieze, S.; Loisel, G.; Piau, L.; Ducret, J.E.; Poirier, M.; Blenski, T.; Thais, F.; Blancard, C.; Cosse, P.; Faussurier, G.; Gilleron, F.; Pain, J.C.; Porcherot, Q.; Guzik, J.A.; Kilcrease, D.P.; Magee, N.H.; Harris, J.; Busquet, M.; Delahaye, F.; Zeippen, C.J.; Bastiani-Ceccotti, S.

2011-01-01

Opacity is an important ingredient of the evolution of stars. The calculation of opacity coefficients is complicated by the fact that the plasma contains partially ionized heavy ions that contribute to opacity dominated by H and He. Up to now, the astrophysical community has greatly benefited from the work of the contributions of Los Alamos, Livermore and the Opacity Project (OP). However unexplained differences of up to 50% in the radiative forces and Rosseland mean values for Fe have been noticed for conditions corresponding to stellar envelopes. Such uncertainty has a real impact on the understanding of pulsating stellar envelopes, on the excitation of modes, and on the identification of the mode frequencies. Temperature and density conditions equivalent to those found in stars can now be produced in laboratory experiments for various atomic species. Recently the photo-absorption spectra of nickel and iron plasmas have been measured during the LULI 2010 campaign, for temperatures between 15 and 40 eV and densities of similar to 3 mg/cm 3 . A large theoretical collaboration, the 'OPAC', has been formed to prepare these experiments. We present here the set of opacity calculations performed by eight different groups for conditions relevant to the LULI 2010 experiment and to astrophysical stellar envelope conditions. (authors)

Experimental evidence of beam-foil plasma creation during ion-solid interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, Prashant, E-mail: prashant@iuac.res.in; Nandi, Tapan [Inter University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067 (India)

2016-08-15

Charge state evolution of the energetic projectile ions during the passage through thin carbon foils has been revisited using the X-ray spectroscopy technique. Contributions from the bulk and the solid surface in the charge changing processes have been segregated by measuring the charge state distribution of the projectile ions in the bulk of the target during the ion–solid interaction. Interestingly, the charge state distribution measured in the bulk exhibits Lorentzian profile in contrast to the well-known Gaussian structure observed using the electromagnetic methods and the theoretical predictions. The occurrence of such behavior is a direct consequence of the imbalance between charge changing processes, which has been seen in various cases of the laboratory plasma. It suggests that the ion-solid collisions constitute high-density, localized plasma in the bulk of the solid target, called the beam-foil plasma. This condensed beam-foil plasma is similar to the high-density solar and stellar plasma which may have practical implementations in various fields, in particular, plasma physics and nuclear astrophysics. The present work suggests further modification in the theoretical charge state distribution calculations by incorporating the plasma coupling effects during the ion–solid interactions. Moreover, the multi-electron capture from the target exit surface has been confirmed through comparison between experimentally measured and theoretically predicted values of the mean charge state of the projectile ions.

UWTOR-M, a stellarator power reactor utilizing modular coils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sviatoslavsky, I.N.; Van Sciver, S.W.; Kulcinski, G.L.

1981-10-01

We briefly describe the parametric considerations which led to the UWTOR-M reference design point. The design has 18 twisted coils utilizing a multipolarity of 3, a major radius of 24 m, a coil radius of 4.77 m and a plasma aspect ratio of 14. An assumed β of 5% was used. This configuration leads to a rotational transform on the edge of 1.125 giving favorable plasma physics conditions. The natural stellarator divertor is used for impurity control in conjunction with innovative high performance divertor targets. A unique blanket design is proposed which minimizes tritium inventory in the reactor. Finally, since maintainability is a prime consideration, we describe a scheme for servicing the first wall/blanket and other reactor components

Stable numerical method in computation of stellar evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugimoto, Daiichiro; Eriguchi, Yoshiharu; Nomoto, Ken-ichi.

1982-01-01

To compute the stellar structure and evolution in different stages, such as (1) red-giant stars in which the density and density gradient change over quite wide ranges, (2) rapid evolution with neutrino loss or unstable nuclear flashes, (3) hydrodynamical stages of star formation or supernova explosion, (4) transition phases from quasi-static to dynamical evolutions, (5) mass-accreting or losing stars in binary-star systems, and (6) evolution of stellar core whose mass is increasing by shell burning or decreasing by penetration of convective envelope into the core, we face ''multi-timescale problems'' which can neither be treated by simple-minded explicit scheme nor implicit one. This problem has been resolved by three prescriptions; one by introducing the hybrid scheme suitable for the multi-timescale problems of quasi-static evolution with heat transport, another by introducing also the hybrid scheme suitable for the multi-timescale problems of hydrodynamic evolution, and the other by introducing the Eulerian or, in other words, the mass fraction coordinate for evolution with changing mass. When all of them are combined in a single computer code, we can compute numerically stably any phase of stellar evolution including transition phases, as far as the star is spherically symmetric. (author)

Electron-cyclotron maser emission during solar and stellar flares

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winglee, R.M.

1985-01-01

Radio bursts, with high brightness temperature 10 to the 10th power K and high degree of polarization, and the heating of the solar and stellar coronae during flares have been attributed to emission from the semirelativistic maser instability. In plasmas where the electron-plasma frequency, p, omega sub p, and the electron-cyclotron frequency, Omega sub e, are such that omega sup 2 sub p/Omega sup 2 sub e 1, x-mode growth dominates while z-mode growth dominates if omega sup 2 sub p/Omega sup 2 sub e is of order unity. The actual value of omega sup 2 sub p/Omega sup 2 sub e at which x-mode growth dominates is shown to be dependent on the plasma temperature with x-mode growth dominating at higher omega sub p/Omega sub e as the plasma temperature increases. Observations from a set of 20 impulsive flares indicate that the derived conditions for the dominance of x-mode growth are satisfied in about 75 percent of the flares

Overview video diagnostics for the W7-X stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kocsis, G., E-mail: kocsis.gabor@wigner.mta.hu [Wigner RCP, RMI, Konkoly Thege 29-33, H-1121 Budapest (Hungary); Baross, T. [Wigner RCP, RMI, Konkoly Thege 29-33, H-1121 Budapest (Hungary); Biedermann, C. [Max-Planck-Institute for Plasma Physics, 17491 Greifswald (Germany); Bodnár, G.; Cseh, G.; Ilkei, T. [Wigner RCP, RMI, Konkoly Thege 29-33, H-1121 Budapest (Hungary); König, R.; Otte, M. [Max-Planck-Institute for Plasma Physics, 17491 Greifswald (Germany); Szabolics, T.; Szepesi, T.; Zoletnik, S. [Wigner RCP, RMI, Konkoly Thege 29-33, H-1121 Budapest (Hungary)

2015-10-15

Considering the requirements of the newly built Wendelstein 7-X stellarator a ten-channel overview video diagnostic system was developed and is presently under installation. The system covering the whole torus interior can be used not only to observe the plasma but also to detect irregular operational events which are dangerous for the stellarator itself and to send automatic warning for the machine safety. The ten tangential AEQ ports used by the diagnostic remain under atmospheric pressure, the vacuum/air interface is at the front window located at the plasma side of the AEQ port. The optical vacuum window is protected by a cooled pinhole. The Sensor Module (SM) of the intelligent camera (EDICAM) – developed especially for this purpose – is located directly behind the vacuum window. EDICAM is designed to simultaneously record several regions of interest of its CMOS sensor with different frame rate and to detect various predefined events in real time. The air cooled SM is fixed by a docking mechanism which can preserve the pointing of the view. EDICAM can withstand the magnetic field (∼3 T), the neutron and gamma fluxes expected in the AEQ port. In order to adopt the new features of the video diagnostics system both control and data acquisition and visualization and data processing softwares are developed.

Overview video diagnostics for the W7-X stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocsis, G.; Baross, T.; Biedermann, C.; Bodnár, G.; Cseh, G.; Ilkei, T.; König, R.; Otte, M.; Szabolics, T.; Szepesi, T.; Zoletnik, S.

2015-01-01

Considering the requirements of the newly built Wendelstein 7-X stellarator a ten-channel overview video diagnostic system was developed and is presently under installation. The system covering the whole torus interior can be used not only to observe the plasma but also to detect irregular operational events which are dangerous for the stellarator itself and to send automatic warning for the machine safety. The ten tangential AEQ ports used by the diagnostic remain under atmospheric pressure, the vacuum/air interface is at the front window located at the plasma side of the AEQ port. The optical vacuum window is protected by a cooled pinhole. The Sensor Module (SM) of the intelligent camera (EDICAM) – developed especially for this purpose – is located directly behind the vacuum window. EDICAM is designed to simultaneously record several regions of interest of its CMOS sensor with different frame rate and to detect various predefined events in real time. The air cooled SM is fixed by a docking mechanism which can preserve the pointing of the view. EDICAM can withstand the magnetic field (∼3 T), the neutron and gamma fluxes expected in the AEQ port. In order to adopt the new features of the video diagnostics system both control and data acquisition and visualization and data processing softwares are developed.

Quantum shielding effects on the Gamow penetration factor for nuclear fusion reaction in quantum plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae

2017-01-01

The quantum shielding effects on the nuclear fusion reaction process are investigated in quantum plasmas. The closed expression of the classical turning point for the Gamow penetration factor in quantum plasmas is obtained by the Lambert W-function. The closed expressions of the Gamow penetration factor and the cross section for the nuclear fusion reaction in quantum plasmas are obtained as functions of the plasmon energy and the relative kinetic energy by using the effective interaction potential with the WKB analysis. It is shown that the influence of quantum screening suppresses the Sommerfeld reaction factor. It is also shown that the Gamow penetration factor increases with an increase of the plasmon energy. It is also shown that the quantum shielding effect enhances the deuterium formation by the proton-proton reaction in quantum plasmas. In addition, it is found that the energy dependences on the reaction cross section and the Gamow penetration factor are more significant in high plasmon-energy domains.

Neutron angular distribution in a plasma focus obtained using nuclear track detectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Castillo-Mejía, F; Herrera, J J E; Rangel, J; Golzarri, J I; Espinosa, G

2002-01-01

The dense plasma focus (DPF) is a coaxial plasma gun in which a high-density, high-temperature plasma is obtained in a focused column for a few nanoseconds. When the filling gas is deuterium, neutrons can be obtained from fusion reactions. These are partially due to a beam of deuterons which are accelerated against the background hot plasma by large electric fields originating from plasma instabilities. Due to a beam-target effect, the angular distribution of the neutron emission is anisotropic, peaked in the forward direction along the axis of the gun. The purpose of this work is to illustrate the use of CR-39 nuclear track detectors as a diagnostic tool in the determination of the time-integrated neutron angular distribution. For the case studied in this work, neutron emission is found to have a 70% contribution from isotropic radiation and a 30% contribution from anisotropic radiation.

Stellarmak a hybrid stellarator: Spheromak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartman, C.W.

1980-01-01

This paper discusses hybridization of modified Stellarator-like transform windings (T-windings) with a Spheromak or Field-Reversed-Mirror configuration. This configuration, Stellarmak, retains the important topological advantage of the Spheromak or FRM of having no plasma linking conductors or blankets. The T-windings provide rotational transformation in toroidal angle of the outer poloidal field lines, in effect creating a reversed B/sub Toroidal/ Spheromak or adding average B/sub T/ to the FRM producing higher shear, increased limiting β, and possibly greater stability to kinks and tilt. The presence of field ripple in the toroidal direction may be sufficient to inhibit cancellation of directed ion current by electron drag to allow steady state operation with the toroidal as well as poloidal current maintained by neutral beams

Plasma wake and nuclear forces on fragmented H{sub {sup +}} transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barriga-Carrasco, Manuel D [E.T.S.I. Industriales, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, E-13071 Ciudad Real (Spain); Deutsch, Claude [Laboratoire de Physique des Gaz et des Plasmas, UMR-8578, Bat. 210, Universite Paris XI, F-91405 Orsay (France)

2006-12-15

The objective of the present work is to study the target electronic and nuclear interactions produced when a H{sub {sup +}} ion traverses classical plasma matter. Electronic interactions are treated by means of the dielectric formalism while nuclear interactions are dealt within the classical dispersion theory through a Monte Carlo computer code. The interactions through plasma electronic medium among close ions are called wake forces. We checked that these forces screen the Coulomb explosions of the two fragmented protons from the same H{sub {sup +}} ion decreasing their relative distance in the analysed cases. These forces align the interproton vector along the motion direction. They also tend the two-proton energy loss to the value of two isolated protons when at early times it is rather larger. Nevertheless most parts of these wake effects cannot be corroborated experimentally as they are masked by the projectile collisions with target nuclei in our numerical experiment. These collisions cancel the screening produced by the wake forces, increasing the interproton distance even faster than for bare Coulomb explosion. Also they misalign the interproton vector along the motion direction and contribute moderately to increase the energy loss of the fragmented H{sub {sup +}} ion. These nuclear collisions effects are more significant in reducing projectile velocity.

Nuclear Neutrino Spectra in Late Stellar Evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Misch, G. Wendell; Sun, Yang; Fuller, George

2018-05-01

Neutrinos are the principle carriers of energy in massive stars, beginning from core carbon burning and continuing through core collapse and after the core bounce. In fact, it may be possible to detect neutrinos from nearby pre-supernova stars. Therefore, it is of great interest to understand the neutrino energy spectra from these stars. Leading up to core collapse, beginning around core silicon burning, nuclei become dominant producers of neutrinos, particularly at high neutrino energy, so a systematic study of nuclear neutrino spectra is desirable. We have done such a study, and we present our sd-shell model calculations of nuclear neutrino energy spectra for nuclei in the mass number range A = 21 - 35. Our study includes neutrinos produced by charged lepton capture, charged lepton emission, and neutral current nuclear deexcitation. Previous authors have tabulated the rates of charged current nuclear weak interactions in astrophysical conditions, but the present work expands on this not only by providing neutrino energy spectra, but also by including the heretofore untabulated neutral current de-excitation neutrino pairs.

Effect of tearing modes on temperature and density profiles and on the perpendicular transport in the W VII-A stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaenicke, R.

1988-01-01

In the ohmically heated W VII-A stellarator, the behaviour of which is similar to that of a medium sized tokamak, the additional shearless external rotational transform t 0 (Δt 0 /t 0 0 perpendicular,e in a one-dimensional heat transport code. In this way, the measured temperature profiles can be reproduced quite well and the energy confinement time of discharges with tearing mode activity can be predicted quantitatively. The transport model is used to investigate the explicit dependence of κ perpendicular,e on the plasma current and to study the importance of plasma current driven instabilities for the energy confinement in the W VII-A stellarator as well as in tokamaks. (author). 19 refs, 14 figs

Neoclassical transport in stellarators - a comparison of conventional stellarator/torsatrons with the advanced stellarator, Wendelstein 7X

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beidler, C D [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, Garching (Germany)

1991-01-01

A general expression for the magnitude of a stellarator's magnetic field, in terms of a Fourier decomposition, is too complicated to lend itself easily to analytic transport calculations. The great majority of stellarator-type devices, however, may be accurately described if one retains only those harmonics with m=0 and m=1. In the long-mean-free-path regime an analytical approximation to the particle's bounce-averaged kinetic equation can then be found. Using a numerical solution of this equation, it is possible to calculate the particle and heat fluxes due to helical-ripple transport in stellarators throughout the entire long-mean-free-path regime. 3 figs.

Nuclear astrophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haxton, W.C.

1992-01-01

The problem of core-collapse supernovae is used to illustrate the many connections between nuclear astrophysics and the problems nuclear physicists study in terrestrial laboratories. Efforts to better understand the collapse and mantle ejection are also motivated by a variety of interdisciplinary issues in nuclear, particle, and astrophysics, including galactic chemical evolution, neutrino masses and mixing, and stellar cooling by the emission of new particles. The current status of theory and observations is summarized

The Nuclear Astrophysics program at n_TOF (CERN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Colonna N.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available An important experimental program on Nuclear Astrophysics is being carried out at the n_TOF since several years, in order to address the still open issues in stellar and primordial nucleosynthesis. Several neutron capture reactions relevant to s-process nucleosynthesis have been measured so far, some of which on important branching point radioisotopes. Furthermore, the construction of a second experimental area has recently opened the way to challenging measurements of (n, charged particle reactions on isotopes of short half-life. The Nuclear Astrophysics program of the n_TOF Collaboration is here described, with emphasis on recent results relevant for stellar nucleosynthesis, stellar neutron sources and primordial nucleosynthesis.

DISCOVERY OF RR LYRAE STARS IN THE NUCLEAR BULGE OF THE MILKY WAY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Minniti, Dante; Ramos, Rodrigo Contreras; Zoccali, Manuela; Gran, Felipe [Instituto Milenio de Astrofisica, Santiago (Chile); Rejkuba, Marina; Valenti, Elena [European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarszchild-Str. 2, D-85748 Garching bei Muenchen (Germany); Gonzalez, Oscar A., E-mail: dante@astrofisica.cl, E-mail: rcontrer@astro.puc.cl [UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ (United Kingdom)

2016-10-10

Galactic nuclei, such as that of the Milky Way, are extreme regions with high stellar densities, and in most cases, the hosts of a supermassive black hole. One of the scenarios proposed for the formation of the Galactic nucleus is merging of primordial globular clusters. An implication of this model is that this region should host stars that are characteristically found in old Milky Way globular clusters. RR Lyrae stars are primary distance indicators, well known representatives of old and metal-poor stellar populations, and therefore are regularly found in globular clusters. Here we report the discovery of a dozen RR Lyrae type ab stars in the vicinity of the Galactic center, i.e., in the so-called nuclear stellar bulge of the Milky Way. This discovery provides the first direct observational evidence that the Galactic nuclear stellar bulge contains ancient stars (>10 Gyr old). Based on this we conclude that merging globular clusters likely contributed to the build-up of the high stellar density in the nuclear stellar bulge of the Milky Way.

A multi-institutional Stellarator Configuration Study

Science.gov (United States)

Gates, David

2017-10-01

A multi-institutional study aimed at mapping the space of quasi-axisymmetric stellarators has begun. The goal is to gain improved understanding of the dependence of important physics and engineering parameters (e.g. bootstrap current, stability, coil complexity, etc.) on plasma shape (average elongation, aspect ratio, number of periods). In addition, the stellarator optimization code STELLOPT will be upgraded with new capabilities such as improved coil design algorithms such as COILOPT + + and REGCOIL, divertor optimization options, equilibria with islands using the SPEC code, and improved bootstrap current calculations with the SFINCS code. An effort is underway to develop metrics for divertor optimization. STELLOPT has also had numerous improvements to numerical algorithms and parallelization capabilities. Simultaneously, we also are pursuing the optimization of turbulent transport according to the method of proxy functions. Progress made to date includes an elongation scan on quasi-axisymmetric equilibria and an initial comparison between the SFINCS code and the BOOTSJ calculation of bootstrap current currently available in STELLOPT. Further progress on shape scans and subsequent physics analysis will be reported. The status of the STELLOPT upgrades will be described. The eventual goal of this exercise is to identify attractive configurations for future US experimental facilities.. This work is supported by US DoE Contract Number DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Concept, production and validation of a 3D-printed coil frame for the UST2 modular stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Queral, V.

2014-01-01

Highlights: •A construction method for stellarator modular coils is developed and validated. •3D printed truss structure filled and moulded with a material able to solidify. •The structure capability for forces in small stellarators has been estimated. •A light bare truss frame and a covered rigid double hull frame have been tested. -- Abstract: Geometric complexity of stellarators hampers a straightforward production of conceived optimised magnetic configurations. Integration of the engineering design with new fabrication methods may reduce the production cost and accelerate the production process. A fast cycle production of experimental fusion devices also might result in a faster advance in fusion plasma science. Several different stellarators could be used to test configurations for improved turbulent transport or to validate new divertor configurations. In this framework, and based on the results from the previously built UST 1 stellarator, the present work try to study and validate the feasibility of 3D printing methods (additive manufacturing) for small experimental stellarators. The paper summarises the engineering development, fabrication and validation of a coil frame test sector for the UST 2 stellarator. The definition of the Last Closed Flux Surface and winding surface for the test sector is based on an optimised quasi-isodynamic poloidal stellarator, modified for enhanced in-vessel remote handling manipulation and wide space for divertors. A Filled-sparse coil frame concept is developed to still keep low the cost in spite of the present expensive 3D printing materials and printers

Models for stellar flares

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cram, L.E.; Woods, D.T.

1982-01-01

We study the response of certain spectral signatures of stellar flares (such as Balmer line profiles and the broad-band continuum) to changes in atmospheric structure which might result from physical processes akin to those thought to occur in solar flares. While each physical process does not have a unique signature, we can show that some of the observed properties of stellar flares can be explained by a model which involves increased pressures and temperatures in the flaring stellar chromosphere. We suggest that changes in stellar flare area, both with time and with depth in the atmosphere, may play an important role in producing the observed flare spectrum

Plasma processing techniques for deposition of carbonic thin protective coatings on structural nuclear materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrei, V.; Oncioiu, G.; Coaca, E.; Rusu, O.; Lungu, C.

2009-01-01

Full text of publication follows: The production of nano-structured surface films with controlled properties is crucial for the development of materials necessary for the Advanced Systems for Nuclear Energy. Since the surface of materials is the zone through which materials interact with the environment, the surface science and surface engineering techniques plays an essential role in the understanding and control of the processes involved. Complex surface structures were developed on stainless steels used as structural nuclear materials: austenitic stainless steels based on Fe, austenitic steels with high content of Cr, ferrites resistant to corrosion, by various Plasma Processing methods which include: - Plasma Electrolytic (PE) treatments: the steel substrates were modified by nitriding and nitro-carburizing plasma diffusion treatments; - carbonic films deposition in Thermionic Vacuum Arc Plasma. The results of the characterization of surface structures obtained in various experimental conditions for improvement of the properties (corrosion resistance, hardness, wear properties) are reported: the processes and structures were characterized by correlation of the results of the complementary techniques: XPS, 'depth profiling', SEM, XRD, EIS. An overall description of the processes involved in the surface properties improvement, and some consideration about the new materials development for energy technologies are presented

Transit time magnetic pumping experiments in the proto-cleo stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Millar, W.

1975-04-01

Experiments are described in which magnetic field perturbations at frequencies approximately 100 kHz, of the type required for Transit Time Magnetic Pumping, are applied to the PROTO-CLEO stellarator. The chief effect is an increase in the plasma loss rate, which is investigated in some detail. The importance of electrostatic fields is discussed, and attention is drawn to the possibility of operating in a region not explored here, with long wavelength and low frequency. (author)

Effects of nuclear forces on ion thermalization in high-temperature plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gould, R.J.

1982-01-01

The energy loss rate is computed for a fast nonrelativistic ion traversing a plasma, with special emphasis on the basic problem of proton-proton ( p-p) interactions. Elastic p-p scattering is described in terms of the effective range r 0 and scattering length a 0 associated with the nuclear interaction. The nuclear s-wave phase shift (delta 0 ) in the presence of the Coulomb field is computed as a function of energy E 0 from the r 0 -a 0 formalism; delta 0 has a very weak energy dependence, essentially logarithmic, in the 1-100 MeV domain

An effect of nuclear electric quadrupole moments in thermonuclear fusion plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

De, B. R.; Srnka, L. J.

1978-01-01

Consideration of the nuclear electric quadrupole terms in the expression for the fusion Coulomb barrier suggests that this electrostatic barrier may be substantially modified from that calculated under the usual plasma assumption that the nuclei are electric monopoles. This effect is a result of the nonspherical potential shape and the spatial quantization of the nuclear spins of the fully stripped ions in the presence of a magnetic field. For monopole-quadrupole fuel cycles like p-B-11, the fusion cross-section may be substantially increased at low energies if the protons are injected at a small angle relative to the confining magnetic field.

Stellar structure and evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kippernhahn, R.; Weigert, A.

1990-01-01

This book introduces the theory of the internal structure of stars and their evolution in time. It presents the basic physics of stellar interiors, methods for solving the underlying equations, and the most important results necessary for understanding the wide variety of stellar types and phenomena. The evolution of stars is discussed from their birth through normal evolution to possibly spectacular final stages. Chapters on stellar oscillations and rotation are included

Stark broadening of resonant Cr II 3d5-3d44p spectral lines in hot stellar atmospheres

Science.gov (United States)

Simić, Z.; Dimitrijević, M. S.; Sahal-Bréchot, S.

2013-07-01

New Stark broadening parameters of interest for the astrophysical, laboratory and technological plasma modelling, investigations and analysis for nine resonant Cr II multiplets have been determined within the semiclassical perturbation approach. In order to demonstrate one possibility for their usage in astrophysical plasma research, obtained results have been applied to the analysis of the Stark broadening influence on stellar spectral line shapes.

Operation in low edge safety factor regime and passive disruption avoidance due to stellarator rotational transform in the Compact Toroidal Hybrid

Science.gov (United States)

Pandya, M. D.; Ennis, D. A.; Hartwell, G. J.; Maurer, D. A.

2015-11-01

Low edge safety factor operation at a value less than two (q (a) = 1 /ttot (a) routine on the Compact Toroidal Hybrid device. Presently, the operational space of this current carrying stellarator extends down to q (a) = 1 . 2 without significant n = 1 kink mode activity after the initial plasma current rise of the discharge. The disruption dynamics of these low q (a) plasmas depend upon the fraction of rotational transform produced by external stellarator coils to that generated by the plasma current. We observe that when about 10% of the total rotational transform is supplied by the stellarator coils, low q (a) disruptions are passively suppressed and avoided even though q (a) disrupt, the instability precursors measured and implicated as the cause are internal tearing modes with poloidal, m, and toroidal, n, mode numbers of m / n = 3 / 2 and 4 / 3 observed by external magnetic sensors, and m / n = 1 / 1 activity observed by core soft x-ray emissivity measurements. Even though q (a) passes through and becomes much less than two, external n = 1 kink mode activity does not appear to play a significant role in the observed disruption phenomenology. This work is supported by US Department of Energy Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER54610.

On rapid rotation in stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helander, Per

2008-01-01

The conditions under which rapid plasma rotation may occur in a three-dimensional magnetic field, such as that of a stellarator, are investigated. Rotation velocities comparable to the ion thermal speed are found to be attainable only in magnetic fields which are approximately isometric. In an isometric magnetic field the dependence of the magnetic field strength B on the arc length l along the field is the same for all field lines on each flux surface ψ. Only in fields where the departure from exact isometry, B=B(ψ,l), is of the order of the ion gyroradius divided by the macroscopic length scale are rotation speeds comparable to the ion thermal speed possible. Moreover, it is shown that the rotation must be in the direction of the vector ∇ψx∇B. (author)

Near-Field Cosmology with Resolved Stellar Populations Around Local Volume LMC Stellar-Mass Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Carlin, Jeffrey L.; Sand, David J.; Willman, Beth; Brodie, Jean P.; Crnojevic, Denija; Forbes, Duncan; Hargis, Jonathan R.; Peter, Annika; Pucha, Ragadeepika; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Spekkens, Kristine; Strader, Jay

2018-06-01

We discuss our ongoing observational program to comprehensively map the entire virial volumes of roughly LMC stellar mass galaxies at distances of ~2-4 Mpc. The MADCASH (Magellanic Analog Dwarf Companions And Stellar Halos) survey will deliver the first census of the dwarf satellite populations and stellar halo properties within LMC-like environments in the Local Volume. Our results will inform our understanding of the recent DES discoveries of dwarf satellites tentatively affiliated with the LMC/SMC system. This program has already yielded the discovery of the faintest known dwarf galaxy satellite of an LMC stellar-mass host beyond the Local Group, based on deep Subaru+HyperSuprimeCam imaging reaching ~2 magnitudes below its TRGB, and at least two additional candidate satellites. We will summarize the survey results and status to date, highlighting some challenges encountered and lessons learned as we process the data for this program through a prototype LSST pipeline. Our program will examine whether LMC stellar mass dwarfs have extended stellar halos, allowing us to assess the relative contributions of in-situ stars vs. merger debris to their stellar populations and halo density profiles. We outline the constraints on galaxy formation models that will be provided by our observations of low-mass galaxy halos and their satellites.

The effect on stellarator neoclassical transport of a fluctuating electrostatic spectrum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mynick, H.E.; Boozer, A.H.

2005-01-01

A study is presented of the effect on neoclassical transport of a fluctuating electrostatic spectrum, such as produced either by plasma turbulence, or imposed externally. For tokamaks, it is usually assumed that the neoclassical and 'anomalous' contributions to the transport roughly superpose, D=D nc +D an , an intuition also used in modeling stellarators. An alternate intuition, however, is one where it is the collisional and anomalous scattering frequencies which superpose, ν ef =ν+ν an . For nonaxisymmetric systems, in regimes where ∂D/∂ν ef picture' implies that turning on the fluctuations can decrease the total radial transport. Using numerical and analytic means, it is found that the total transport has contributions conforming to each of these intuitions, either of which can dominate. In particular, for stellarators, the ν ef picture is often valid, producing transport behavior differing from tokamaks

Will nuclear fusion be able to power the next century?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grad, P.

1989-01-01

Nuclear fusion is widely regarded as potentially the ultimate energy-generation concept. Although an enormous amount of work and resources has already been committed throughout the world on nuclear fusion research, controlled nuclear fusion has so far proved largely elusive and the difficulties to be overcome before the first commercial fusion reactor is put into operation remain daunting and formidable. In Australia there are three main nuclear fusion research efforts. Sydney University's School of Physics operates a tokamak and a team there has been studying plasma properties in general and in particular radio frequency wave heating of the plasma. At the Australian National University a group has pioneered the construction and operation of an advanced stellarator model called a heliac while at Flinders University in Adelaide a team has developed a rotamak model. The US, Europe, Japan and the USSR each has a frontline fusion research tokamak with Princeton University's TFTR and Culham's JET closest to reactor operation conditions. Although several questions remain to be answered about the safety of a fusion reactor, all experts agree that these problems would be easier to solve than those of conventional fission reactors and there would be no major radioactive waste disposal problem. Some argue that fusion would contribute to the greenhouse effect but most authorities have expressed optimism that fusion, once the technical hurdles are overcome, could economically provide virtually unlimited energy with minimal environmental hazards and at a high safety level

Influence of an energetic-particle component on ballooning modes in an optimized stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nuehrenberg, J.; Zheng, L.J.

1993-01-01

Besides quasi-helically symmetric configurations, which have particle drift properties analogous to tokamaks, a second interesting route for stellarator investigations is the choice of the optimized stellarator configuration, which has been adopted for the W7-X stellarator project. Of the many remarkably good properties of the optimized stellarator, two are mentioned here: One is the low geodesic curvature, which leads to a small Pfirsch-Schlueter current and fosters the MHD stability together with a vacuum field magnetic well; the other is that trapped energetic particles are well confined being reflected around the triangular cross section with maximum J - the second invariant. Maximum J configuration could be favorable for the stabilization of the low-frequency thermal-trapped-particle modes. On the other hand, for the energetic particles this means drift-reversal prevailing, and therefore the kinetic energy of the trapped energetic particles is destabilizing. Furthermore, when trapped energetic particles are drift-reversed, two β limits emerge: One is due to the ballooning modes, which relates to the Van Dam-Lee-Nelson limit for EBT; the other is due to the interchange modes. Nevertheless, these two theories predict that - when the core plasma β is high enough - stability may resume. The purpose of this work is to determine whether one of these two limits - the Van Dam-Lee-Nelson limit for ballooning modes - harms the optimized stellarator or not. (author) 12 refs., 1 fig

New advanced operational regime on the W7-AS stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCormick, K.; Grigull, P.; Burhenn, R.; Brakel, R.; Ehmler, H.; Feng, Y.; Gadelmeier, F.; Giannone, L.; Hildebrandt, D.; Hirsch, M.; Jaenicke, R.; Kisslinger, J.; Klinger, T.; Klose, S.; Knauer, J. P.; Koenig, R.; Kuehner, G.; Laqua, H. P.; Naujoks, D.; Niedermeyer, H.

2002-01-01

A promising new plasma operational regime on the Wendelstein stellarator W7-AS has been discovered. It is extant above a threshold density and characterized by flat density profiles, high energy and low impurity confinement times, and edge-localized radiation. Impurity accumulation is avoided. Quasistationary discharges with line-averaged densities n-bar e to 4x10 20 m -3 , radiation levels to 90% , and partial plasma detachment at the divertor target plates can be simultaneously realized. Energy confinement is up to twice that of a standard scaling. At B t =0.9 T , an average β value of 3.1% is achieved. The high n-bar e values allow demonstration of electron Bernstein wave heating using linear mode conversion

Optimal control of tokamak and stellarator plasma behaviour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rastovic, Danilo

2007-01-01

The control of plasma transport, laminar and turbulent, is investigated, using the methods of scaling, optimal control and adaptive Monte Carlo simulations. For this purpose, the asymptotic behaviour of kinetic equation is considered in order to obtain finite-dimensional invariant manifolds, and in this way the finite-dimensional theory of control can be applied. We imagine the labyrinth of open doors and after applying self-similarity, the motion moved through all the desired doors in repeatable ways as Brownian motions. We take local actions for each piece of contractive ergodic motion, and, after self-organization in adaptive invariant measures, the optimum movement of particles is obtained according to the principle of maximum entropy. This is true for deterministic and stochastic cases that serve as models for plasma dynamics

Electron cyclotron emission measurements during 28 GHz electron cyclotron resonance heating in Wendelstein WVII-A stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartfuss, H.J.; Gasparino, U.; Tutter, M.; Brakel, R.; Cattanei, G.; Dorst, D.; Elsner, A.; Engelhardt, K.; Erckmann, V.; Grieger, G.; Grigull, P.; Hacker, H.; Jaeckel, H.; Jaenicke, R.; Junker, J.; Kick, M.; Kroiss, H.; Kuehner, G.; Maassberg, H.; Mahn, C.; Mueller, G.; Ohlendorf, W.; Rau, F.; Renner, H.; Ringler, H.; Sardei, F.; Weller, A.; Wobig, H.; Wuersching, E.; Zippe, M.; Kasparek, W.; Mueller, G.A.; Raeuchle, E.; Schueller, P.G.; Schwoerer, K.; Thumm, M.

1987-11-01

Electron cyclotron emission measurements have been carried out on electron cyclotron resonance heated plasmas in the WENDELSTEIN VII-A Stellarator. Blackbody radiation from the thermalized plasma main body as well as radiation from a small amount of weakly relativistic suprathermal electrons has been detected. In addition sideband emission has been observed near the second harmonic of the heating line source. Harmonic generation and parametric wave decay at the upper hybrid layer may be a reasonable explanation. (orig.)

JSPS-CAS Core University Program seminar on summary of 10-year collaborations in plasma and nuclear fusion research area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toi, Kazuo; Wang Kongjia

2011-07-01

The JSPS-CAS Core University Program (CUP) seminar on “Summary of 10-year Collaborations in Plasma and Nuclear Fusion Research Area” was held from March 9 to March 11, 2011 in the Okinawa Prefectural Art Museum, Naha city, Okinawa, Japan. The collaboration program on plasma and nuclear fusion started from 2001 under the auspices of Japanese Society of Promotion of Science (JSPS) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). This year is the last year of the CUP. This seminar was organized in the framework of the CUP. In the seminar, 29 oral talks were presented, having 14 Chinese and 30 Japanese participants. These presentations covered key topics related to the collaboration categories: (1) improvement of core plasma properties, (2) basic research on fusion reactor technologies, and (3) theory and numerical simulation. This seminar aims at summarizing the results obtained through the collaborations for 10 years, and discussing future prospects of China-Japan collaboration in plasma and nuclear fusion research areas. (author)

Research in nuclear astrophysics: Stellar collapse and supernovae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lattimer, J.M.; Yahil, A.

1990-01-01

The interaction between nuclear theory and some outstanding problems in astrophysics has been examined. We have been actively researching both the astrophysics of gravitational collapse, neutron star birth, and the emission of neutrinos from supernovae, on the one hand, and the nuclear physics of the equation of state of hot, dense matter on the other hand. There is close coupling between nuclear theory and supernova and neutron star phenomenon; in fact, nuclear matter properties, especially supernuclear densities, might be best delineated by astrophysical considerations. Our research has also focused on the neutrinos emitted from supernovae, since they are the only available observables of the internal supernova mechanism. The recent observations of neutrinos from SN 1987A proved to be in remarkable agreement with models we pioneered prior to its explosion. We have also developed a novel hydrodynamical code in which shocks are treated via Riemann resolution rather than with artificial viscosity. We have also extended models of the neutrino emission and cooling of neutron stars to include the effects of rotation. The Lattimer compressible liquid drop model is the basis of our equation of state. We have developed a rapid version for use in hydrodynamic codes that retains essentially all the physics of earlier, more detailed equations of state. We have also focused on the nuclei-nuclear matter phase transition just below nuclear matter density, including the probable nuclear deformations and the possible ''inside-out'' phase of bubbles, which could be of major importance in supernovae models. Work also progressed toward understanding the origin of the r-process elements, through focusing on the neutron star decompression model

Electron internal transport barriers and magnetic topology in the stellarator TJ-II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Estrada, T.; Lopez-Bruna, D.; Alosno, A.; Ascasibar, E.; Baciero, A.; Cappa, A.; Castejon, F.; Fernandez, A.; Herranz, J.; Hidalgo, C.; Pablos, J. L. de; Pastor, I.; Sanchez, E.; Sanchez, J.

2005-07-01

In most helical systems electron Internal Transport Barriers (e-ITB) are observed in Electron Cyclotron Heated (ECH) plasmas with high heating power density. In the stellarator TJ-II, e- ITBs are easily achievable by positioning a low order rational surface close to the plasma core, because this increases the density range in which the e-ITB can form. Experiments with different low order rationals show a dependence of the threshold density and barrier quality on the order of the rational (3/2, 4/2, 5/3, ...). In addition, during the formation of e-ITB quasicoherent modes are frequently observed in the plasma core region. The mode can exist before or after the e-ITB phenomenon at the radial location of the transport barrier foot but vanishes as the barrier is fully developed. (Author)

Marginal Stability Boundaries for Infinite-n Ballooning Modes in a Quasi-axisymmetric Stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudson, S.R.; Hegna, C.C.

2003-01-01

A method for computing the ideal-MHD stability boundaries in three-dimensional equilibria is employed. Following Hegna and Nakajima [Phys. Plasmas 5 (May 1998) 1336], a two-dimensional family of equilibria are constructed by perturbing the pressure and rotational-transform profiles in the vicinity of a flux surface for a given stellarator equilibrium. The perturbations are constrained to preserve the magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium condition. For each perturbed equilibrium, the infinite-n ballooning stability is calculated. Marginal stability diagrams are thus constructed that are analogous to (s; a) diagrams for axisymmetric configurations. A quasi-axisymmetric stellarator is considered. Calculations of stability boundaries generally show regions of instability can occur for either sign of the average magnetic shear. Additionally, regions of second-stability are present

Possible way to check up superbanana transport effects in present-day stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bykov, V.E.; Volkov, E.D.; Georgievskij, A.V.; Shishkin, A.A.

1986-01-01

An important, as yet unanswered question in stellarator research is the following: how dangerous is the superbanana transport to the plasma confinement? Comparison of experimental data with theoretical transport coefficients indicates that the superbanana transport does occur in experiments. But it is believed that the experimental plasma loss rates (W-VIIA) are considerably lower than those predicted by neoclassical theory. The existing inconsistencies make it necessary to search for additional ways to find out whether the superbanana transport is feasible. One of possible ways is connected with the fact that the neoclassical superbanana transport coefficients depend essentially on the harmonic composition of the magnetic field

Prospects for pilot plants based on the tokamak, spherical tokamak and stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menard, J.E.; Bromberg, L.; Brown, T.; Burgess, Thomas W.; Dix, D.; Gerrity, T.; Goldston, R.J.; Hawryluk, R.; Kastner, R.; Kessel, C.; Malang, S.; Minervini, J.; Neilson, G.H.; Neumeyer, C.L.; Prager, S.; Sawan, M.; Sheffield, J.; Sternlieb, A.; Waganer, L.; Whyte, D.G.; Zarnstorff, M.C.

2011-01-01

A potentially attractive next-step towards fusion commercialization is a pilot plant, i.e. a device ultimately capable of small net electricity production in as compact a facility as possible and in a configuration scalable to a full-size power plant. A key capability for a pilot-plant programme is the production of high neutron fluence enabling fusion nuclear science and technology (FNST) research. It is found that for physics and technology assumptions between those assumed for ITER and nth-of-a-kind fusion power plant, it is possible to provide FNST-relevant neutron wall loading in pilot devices. Thus, it may be possible to utilize a single facility to perform FNST research utilizing reactor-relevant plasma, blanket, coil and auxiliary systems and maintenance schemes while also targeting net electricity production. In this paper three configurations for a pilot plant are considered: the advanced tokamak, spherical tokamak and compact stellarator. A range of configuration issues is considered including: radial build and blanket design, magnet systems, maintenance schemes, tritium consumption and self-sufficiency, physics scenarios and a brief assessment of research needs for the configurations.

Current driven drift instability in the W VII-A stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deutsch, R.; Wobig, H.

1978-12-01

The instability region and growth rates of current driven drift modes in the W VII-A stellarator are calculated. Several theoretical results are evaluated for specific temperature and density profiles. It is found that in the outer region of the plasma-column (r > 6 cm) collisional drift waves with wavelengths (k 2 x + K 2 y)sup(-1/2) = 0.13 - 0.3 cm exist. In this region also the electron thermal conductivity determined experimentally appears to be large. (orig./GG) [de

The Magellanic Analog Dwarf Companions and Stellar Halos (MADCASH) Survey: Near-Field Cosmology with Resolved Stellar Populations Around Local Volume LMC Stellar-Mass Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Carlin, Jeffrey L.; Sand, David J.; Willman, Beth; Brodie, Jean P.; Crnojevic, Denija; Peter, Annika; Price, Paul A.; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Spekkens, Kristine; Strader, Jay

2017-01-01

We discuss the first results of our observational program to comprehensively map nearly the entire virial volumes of roughly LMC stellar mass galaxies at distances of ~2-4 Mpc. The MADCASH (Magellanic Analog Dwarf Companions And Stellar Halos) survey will deliver the first census of the dwarf satellite populations and stellar halo properties within LMC-like environments in the Local Volume. These will inform our understanding of the recent DES discoveries of dwarf satellites tentatively affiliated with the LMC/SMC system. We will detail our discovery of the faintest known dwarf galaxy satellite of an LMC stellar-mass host beyond the Local Group, based on deep Subaru+HyperSuprimeCam imaging reaching ~2 magnitudes below its TRGB. We will summarize the survey results and status to date, highlighting some challenges encountered and lessons learned as we process the data for this program through a prototype LSST pipeline. Our program will examine whether LMC stellar mass dwarfs have extended stellar halos, allowing us to assess the relative contributions of in-situ stars vs. merger debris to their stellar populations and halo density profiles. We outline the constraints on galaxy formation models that will be provided by our observations of low-mass galaxy halos and their satellites.

Neutron flux measurements at the Wendelstein VII-A stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weller, A.; Maassberg, H.

1985-10-01

In addition to charge exchange analysis (CX) and charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CXRS), the time evolution of the central ion temperature during neutral beam heated plasma discharges in the Wendelstein VII-A stellarator is derived from the neutron flux from thermal D-D reactions. In general, good quantitative agreement between the different methods is obtained. Neutron flux measurements also permit to investigate the slowing down of fast D + -ions from neutral beam injection (NBI). The results agree well with the predictions based on the assumption of a collisional slowing down mechanism. (orig.)

Plasmas in compact traps: From ion sources to multidisciplinary research

Science.gov (United States)

Mascali, D.; Musumarra, A.; Leone, F.; Galatà, A.; Romano, F. P.; Gammino, S.

2017-09-01

In linear (minimum-B) magneto-static traps dense and hot plasmas are heated by electromagnetic radiation in the GHz domain via the Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR). The values of plasma density, temperature and confinement times ( n_eτ_i>10^{13} cm ^{-3} s; T_e>10 keV) are similar to the ones of thermonuclear plasmas. The research in this field -devoted to heating and confinement optimization- has been supported by numerical modeling and advanced diagnostics, for probing the plasma especially in a non-invasive way. ECR-based systems are nowadays able to produce extremely intense (tens or hundreds of mA) beams of light ions (p, d, He), and relevant currents of heavier elements (C, O, N) up to heavy ions like Xe, Pb, U. Such beams can be extracted from the trap by a proper electrostatic system. The above-mentioned properties make these plasmas very attractive for interdisciplinary researches also, such as i) nuclear decays rates measurements in stellar-like conditions, ii) energy conversion studies, being exceptional sources of short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation (EUV, X-rays, hard X-rays and gammas, useful in material science and archaeometry), iii) environments allowing precise spectroscopical measurements as benchmarks for magnetized astrophysical plasmas. The talk will give an overview about the state-of-the-art in the field of intense ion sources, and some new perspectives for interdisciplinary research, with a special attention to the developments based at INFN-LNS.

Some perspectives in nuclear astrophysics on non-thermal phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tatischeff, V.

2012-01-01

In this HDR (Accreditation to Supervise Researches) report, the author presents and comments his research activities on nuclear phenomena in stellar eruptions (solar eruptions, lithium nucleosynthesis in stellar eruptions), on particle acceleration in shock waves of stellar explosions (diffusive acceleration by shock wave, particle acceleration in symbiotic novae, particle acceleration in radio-detected supernovae), of research on low energy cosmic rays (galactic emission of nuclear gamma rays, non thermal soft X rays as new tracer of accelerated particles), and on the origin of short period radioactivities in the primitive solar system (extinguished radio-activities and formation of the solar system, origin of berylium-10 in the primitive solar system). The author concludes with some perspectives on non thermal phenomena in nuclear astrophysics, and on research and development for the future of medium-energy gamma astronomy [fr

Abstracts of the 23rd European physical society conference on controlled fusion and plasma physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goutych, I F; Gresillon, D; Sitenko, A G

1997-12-31

This document contains the abstracts of the invited and contributed papers presented at 23 EPS conference on controlled fusion and plasma physics. The main contents are: tokamaks, stellarators; alternative magnetic confinement; plasma edge physics; plasma heating and current drive; plasma diagnostics; basic collisionless plasma physics; high intensity laser produced plasmas and inertial confinement; low-temperature plasmas.

Abstracts of the 23rd European physical society conference on controlled fusion and plasma physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goutych, I.F.; Gresillon, D.; Sitenko, A.G.

1996-01-01

This document contains the abstracts of the invited and contributed papers presented at 23 EPS conference on controlled fusion and plasma physics. The main contents are: tokamaks, stellarators; alternative magnetic confinement; plasma edge physics; plasma heating and current drive; plasma diagnostics; basic collisionless plasma physics; high intensity laser produced plasmas and inertial confinement; low-temperature plasmas

Nuclear data needs in nuclear astrophysics: Charged-particle reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Michael S.

2001-01-01

Progress in understanding a diverse range of astrophysical phenomena - such as the Big Bang, the Sun, the evolution of stars, and stellar explosions - can be significantly aided by improved compilation, evaluation, and dissemination of charged-particle nuclear reaction data. A summary of the charged-particle reaction data needs in these and other astrophysical scenarios is presented, along with recommended future nuclear data projects. (author)

MASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN STELLAR SYSTEMS: 'QUIESCENT' ACCRETION AND LUMINOSITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volonteri, M.; Campbell, D.; Mateo, M.; Dotti, M.

2011-01-01

Only a small fraction of local galaxies harbor an accreting black hole, classified as an active galactic nucleus. However, many stellar systems are plausibly expected to host black holes, from globular clusters to nuclear star clusters, to massive galaxies. The mere presence of stars in the vicinity of a black hole provides a source of fuel via mass loss of evolved stars. In this paper, we assess the expected luminosities of black holes embedded in stellar systems of different sizes and properties, spanning a large range of masses. We model the distribution of stars and derive the amount of gas available to a central black hole through a geometrical model. We estimate the luminosity of the black holes under simple, but physically grounded, assumptions on the accretion flow. Finally, we discuss the detectability of 'quiescent' black holes in the local universe.

Exploration of Compact Stellarators as Power Plants: Initial Results from ARIES-CS Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Najmabadi, Farrokh

2005-01-01

A detailed and integrated study of compact stellarators as power plants, ARIES-CS, was initiated recently to advance our understanding of attractive compact stellarator configurations and to define key R and D areas. We have completed phase 1 of ARIES-CS study - our results are described in this paper. We have identified several promising stellarator configurations. High α particle loss of these configurations is a critical issue. It appears that devices with an overall size similar to those envisioned for tokamak power plants are possible. A novel approach was developed in ARIES-CS in which the blanket at the critical areas of minimum stand-off is replaced by a highly efficient WC-based shield. In this manner, we have been able to reduce the minimum stand-off by ∼20%-30% compared to a uniform radial build which was assumed in previous studies. Our examination of engineering options indicates that overall assembly and maintenance procedure plays a critical role in identifying acceptable engineering design and has a major impact on the optimization of a plasma/coil configuration

Nuclear Astrophysics at DANCE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reifarth, R.; Bredeweg, T.A.; Esch, E.-I.; Haight, R.C.; Kronenberg, A.; O'Donnell, J.M.; Rundberg, R.S.; Schwantes, J.M.; Ullmann, J.L.; Vieira, D.J.; Wouters, J.M.; Alpizar-Vicente, A.; Hatarik, R.; Greife, U.

2005-01-01

One of the most interesting nuclear physics challenges is obtaining a detailed understanding of the nucleosynthesis processes of the elements. Knowledge about the stellar sites, and how they are governed by stellar evolution and cosmology are crucial in understanding the overall picture. Information on reaction rates for neutron- and charged-particle-induced reactions have a direct impact on existing stellar models. Except for the stable isotopes, very few neutron-induced reactions in the energy range of interest have been measured to date. DANCE measurements on stable and unstable isotopes will provide many of the missing key reactions that are needed to understand the nucleosynthesis of the heavy elements

ITC18: 18th international Toki conference. Development of physics and technology of stellarators/heliotrons 'en route to DEMO'. Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-02-01

18th International Toki Conference (ITC18) was held in Toki (Japan) December 9-12 2008 organized by the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS). More than 150 experts in fusion research, especially in stellarator/heliotron research from Australia, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States of America gathered at the conference. The International Organizing Committee (IOC) chaired by O. Motojima, the International Program Committee (IPC) chaired by Y. Ogawa and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) chaired by T. Mutoh have played the leading role in the elaboration of the scientific program of the conference. NIFS has organized the ITC as an annual meeting for fusion related sciences since its establishment in 1989. The IPC arranged 2 plenary talks, 1 review talk, 34 invited talks in addition to 109 contributed presentations including 6 oral talks. Recent developments in the experimental, theoretical and technical research show the clear route to the realization of a stellarator/heliotron type demo fusion reactor. ITC18 was devoted to review the recent developments and to discuss the next steps forward to the demo reactor realization of stellarator/heliotron type. In the conference, recent experimental results from both tokamak and stellarator/heliotron devices are reviewed and the experimental and theoretical physics of plasma confinement in toroidal devices are also discussed and confirmed that the physical base of the fusion reactor is well developed. The development of steady state operation, heating, fueling, divertors, plasma wall interaction and wall materials, advanced diagnostics for reactor relevant plasma, blanket materials as well as super conducting magnets are discussed as inevitable key physics and technologies for the DEMO reactor. Slides of all oral presentations as well as the proceedings are available at http://itc.nifs.ac.jp/. Extended papers of major

Ripple transport in helical-axis advanced stellarators - a comparison with classical stellarator/torsatrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beidler, C.D.; Hitchon, W.N.G.

1993-08-01

Calculations of the neoclassical transport rates due to particles trapped in the helical ripples of a stellarator's magnetic field are carried out, based on solutions of the bounce-averaged kinetic equation. These calculations employ a model for the magnetic field strength, B, which is an accurate approximation to the actual B for a wide variety of stellarator-type devices, among which are Helical-Axis Advanced Stellarators (Helias) as well as conventional stellarators and torsatrons. Comparisons are carried out in which it is shown that the Helias concept leads to significant reductions in neoclassical transport rates throughout the entire long-mean-free-path regime, with the reduction being particularly dramatic in the ν -1 regime. These findings are confirmed by numerical simulations. Further, it is shown that the behavior of deeply trapped particles in Helias can be fundamentally different from that in classical stellarator/torsatrons; as a consequence, the beneficial effects of a radial electric field on the transport make themselves felt at lower collision frequency than is usual. (orig.)

Convection and stellar oscillations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aarslev, Magnus Johan

2017-01-01

for asteroseismology, because of the challenges inherent in modelling turbulent convection in 1D stellar models. As a result of oversimplifying the physics near the surface, theoretical calculations systematically overestimate the oscillation frequencies. This has become known as the asteroseismic surface effect. Due...... to lacking better options, this frequency difference is typically corrected for with ad-hoc formulae. The topic of this thesis is the improvement of 1D stellar convection models and the effects this has on asteroseismic properties. The source of improvements is 3D simulations of radiation...... atmospheres to replace the outer layers of stellar models. The additional turbulent pressure and asymmetrical opacity effects in the atmosphere model, compared to convection in stellar evolution models, serve to expand the atmosphere. The enlarged acoustic cavity lowers the pulsation frequencies bringing them...

Analysis of the accident with the coolant discharge into the plasma vessel of the W7-X fusion experimental facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ušpuras, E.; Kaliatka, A.; Kaliatka, T., E-mail: tadas@mail.lei.lt

2013-06-15

Highlights: • The accident with water ingress into the plasma vessel in Wendelstein nuclear fusion device W7-X was analyzed. • The analysis of the processes in the plasma vessel and ventilation system was performed using thermal-hydraulic RELAP5 Mod3.3 code. • The suitability of pressure increase prevention system was assessed. • All analyses results will be used for the optimization of W7-X design and to ensure safe operation of this nuclear fusion device. -- Abstract: Fusion is the energy production technology, which could potentially solve problems with growing energy demand of population in the future. Starting 2007, Lithuanian Energy Institute (LEI) is a member of European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) organization. LEI is cooperating with Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP, Germany) in the frames of EFDA project by performing safety analysis of fusion device W7-X. Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) is an experimental stellarator facility currently being built in Greifswald, Germany, which shall demonstrate that in the future energy could be produced in such type of fusion reactors. In this paper the safety analysis of 40 mm inner diameter coolant pipe rupture in cooling circuit and discharge of steam–water mixture through the leak into plasma vessel during the W7-X no-plasma “baking” operation mode is presented. For the analysis the model of W7-X cooling system (pumps, valves, pipes, hydro-accumulators, and heat exchangers) and plasma vessel was developed by employing system thermal-hydraulic state-of-the-art RELAP5 Mod3.3 code. This paper demonstrated that the developed RELAP5 model enables to analyze the processes in divertor cooling system and plasma vessel. The results of analysis demonstrated that the proposed burst disc, connecting the plasma vessel with venting system, opens and pressure inside plasma vessel does not exceed the limiting 1.1 × 10{sup 5} Pa absolute pressure. Thus, the plasma vessel remains intact after loss

A Reduced-order NLTE Kinetic Model for Radiating Plasmas of Outer Envelopes of Stellar Atmospheres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Munafò, Alessandro [Aerospace Engineering Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 206A Talbot Lab., 104 S. Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Mansour, Nagi N. [NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, 94035 CA (United States); Panesi, Marco, E-mail: munafo@illinois.edu, E-mail: nagi.n.mansour@nasa.gov, E-mail: m.panesi@illinois.edu [Aerospace Engineering Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 306 Talbot Lab., 104 S. Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States)

2017-04-01

The present work proposes a self-consistent reduced-order NLTE kinetic model for radiating plasmas found in the outer layers of stellar atmospheres. A detailed collisional-radiative kinetic mechanism is constructed by leveraging the most up-to-date set of ab initio and experimental data available in the literature. This constitutes the starting point for the derivation of a reduced-order model, obtained by lumping the bound energy states into groups. In order to determine the needed thermo-physical group properties, uniform and Maxwell–Boltzmann energy distributions are used to reconstruct the energy population of each group. Finally, the reduced set of governing equations for the material gas and the radiation field is obtained based on the moment method. Applications consider the steady flow across a shock wave in partially ionized hydrogen. The results clearly demonstrate that adopting a Maxwell–Boltzmann grouping allows, on the one hand, for a substantial reduction of the number of unknowns and, on the other, to maintain accuracy for both gas and radiation quantities. Also, it is observed that, when neglecting line radiation, the use of two groups already leads to a very accurate resolution of the photo-ionization precursor, internal relaxation, and radiative cooling regions. The inclusion of line radiation requires adopting just one additional group to account for optically thin losses in the α , β , and γ lines of the Balmer and Paschen series. This trend has been observed for a wide range of shock wave velocities.

CONFINEMENT OF HIGH TEMPERATURE PLASMA

Science.gov (United States)

Koenig, H.R.

1963-05-01

The confinement of a high temperature plasma in a stellarator in which the magnetic confinement has tended to shift the plasma from the center of the curved, U-shaped end loops is described. Magnetic means are provided for counteracting this tendency of the plasma to be shifted away from the center of the end loops, and in one embodiment this magnetic means is a longitudinally extending magnetic field such as is provided by two sets of parallel conductors bent to follow the U-shaped curvature of the end loops and energized oppositely on the inside and outside of this curvature. (AEC)

Research in nuclear astrophysics: Stellar collapse and supernovae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lattimer, J.M.; Yahil, A.

1991-01-01

The interaction between nuclear theory and some outstanding problems in astrophysics is examined. We are actively researching the astrophysics of gravitational collapse, neutron star birth and neutrino emission, and neutron star cooling, on the one hand, and the nuclear physics of the equation of state of hot, dense matter on the other hand. There is close coupling between nuclear theory and supernova and neutron star phenomenon; some nuclear matter properties might be best delineated by astrophysical considerations. Our research has focused on the neutrinos emitted from supernovae, since they are the only available observables of the internal supernova mechanism. We are modifying our hydrodynamical code to use implicit differencing and to include multi-group neutrino diffusion and general relativity. In parallel, we are extending calculations of core collapse supernovae to long times after collapse by using a hybrid explicit-implicit hydrodynamical code and by using simplified neutrino transport. We hope to establish the existence or non-existence of the so-called long-term supernova mechanism. We are also extending models of the neutrino emission and cooling of neutron stars to include the effects of rotation and the direct Urca process that we recently discovered to be crucial. We have developed a rapid version of the dense matter equation of state for use in hydrodynamic codes that retains essentially all the physics of earlier, more detailed equations of state. This version also has the great advantage that nuclear physics inputs, such as the nuclear incompressibility, symmetry, energy, and specific heat, can be specified

Habitability in different Milky Way stellar environments: a stellar interaction dynamical approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiménez-Torres, Juan J; Pichardo, Bárbara; Lake, George; Segura, Antígona

2013-05-01

Every Galactic environment is characterized by a stellar density and a velocity dispersion. With this information from literature, we simulated flyby encounters for several Galactic regions, numerically calculating stellar trajectories as well as orbits for particles in disks; our aim was to understand the effect of typical stellar flybys on planetary (debris) disks in the Milky Way Galaxy. For the solar neighborhood, we examined nearby stars with known distance, proper motions, and radial velocities. We found occurrence of a disturbing impact to the solar planetary disk within the next 8 Myr to be highly unlikely; perturbations to the Oort cloud seem unlikely as well. Current knowledge of the full phase space of stars in the solar neighborhood, however, is rather poor; thus we cannot rule out the existence of a star that is more likely to approach than those for which we have complete kinematic information. We studied the effect of stellar encounters on planetary orbits within the habitable zones of stars in more crowded stellar environments, such as stellar clusters. We found that in open clusters habitable zones are not readily disrupted; this is true if they evaporate in less than 10(8) yr. For older clusters the results may not be the same. We specifically studied the case of Messier 67, one of the oldest open clusters known, and show the effect of this environment on debris disks. We also considered the conditions in globular clusters, the Galactic nucleus, and the Galactic bulge-bar. We calculated the probability of whether Oort clouds exist in these Galactic environments.

The “Building Blocks” of Stellar Halos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyle A. Oman

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The stellar halos of galaxies encode their accretion histories. In particular, the median metallicity of a halo is determined primarily by the mass of the most massive accreted object. We use hydrodynamical cosmological simulations from the apostle project to study the connection between the stellar mass, the metallicity distribution, and the stellar age distribution of a halo and the identity of its most massive progenitor. We find that the stellar populations in an accreted halo typically resemble the old stellar populations in a present-day dwarf galaxy with a stellar mass ∼0.2–0.5 dex greater than that of the stellar halo. This suggests that had they not been accreted, the primary progenitors of stellar halos would have evolved to resemble typical nearby dwarf irregulars.

α Centauri A as a potential stellar model calibrator: establishing the nature of its core

Science.gov (United States)

Nsamba, B.; Monteiro, M. J. P. F. G.; Campante, T. L.; Cunha, M. S.; Sousa, S. G.

2018-05-01

Understanding the physical process responsible for the transport of energy in the core of α Centauri A is of the utmost importance if this star is to be used in the calibration of stellar model physics. Adoption of different parallax measurements available in the literature results in differences in the interferometric radius constraints used in stellar modelling. Further, this is at the origin of the different dynamical mass measurements reported for this star. With the goal of reproducing the revised dynamical mass derived by Pourbaix & Boffin, we modelled the star using two stellar grids varying in the adopted nuclear reaction rates. Asteroseismic and spectroscopic observables were complemented with different interferometric radius constraints during the optimisation procedure. Our findings show that best-fit models reproducing the revised dynamical mass favour the existence of a convective core (≳ 70% of best-fit models), a result that is robust against changes to the model physics. If this mass is accurate, then α Centauri A may be used to calibrate stellar model parameters in the presence of a convective core.

On the possibility of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste by plasma methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vorona, N. A.; Gavrikov, A. V., E-mail: gavrikov@ihed.ras.ru; Samokhin, A. A.; Smirnov, V. P. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Joint Institute for High Temperatures (Russian Federation); Khomyakov, Yu. S. [Innovation–Technology Center of the Project Proryv (Russian Federation)

2015-12-15

The concept of plasma separation of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste is presented. An approach that is based on using an accelerating potential to overcome the energy and angular spread of plasma ions at the separation region inlet and utilizing a potential well to separate spatially the ions of different masses is proposed. It is demonstrated that such separation may be performed at distances of about 1 m with electrical potentials of about 1 kV and a magnetic field of about 1 kG. The estimates of energy consumption and performance of the plasma separation method are presented. These estimates illustrate its potential for technological application. The results of development and construction of an experimental setup for testing the method of plasma separation are presented.

Constraining the Stellar Mass Function in the Galactic Center via Mass Loss from Stellar Collisions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Douglas Rubin

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The dense concentration of stars and high-velocity dispersions in the Galactic center imply that stellar collisions frequently occur. Stellar collisions could therefore result in significant mass loss rates. We calculate the amount of stellar mass lost due to indirect and direct stellar collisions and find its dependence on the present-day mass function of stars. We find that the total mass loss rate in the Galactic center due to stellar collisions is sensitive to the present-day mass function adopted. We use the observed diffuse X-ray luminosity in the Galactic center to preclude any present-day mass functions that result in mass loss rates >10-5M⨀yr−1 in the vicinity of ~1″. For present-day mass functions of the form, dN/dM∝M-α, we constrain the present-day mass function to have a minimum stellar mass ≲7M⨀ and a power-law slope ≳1.25. We also use this result to constrain the initial mass function in the Galactic center by considering different star formation scenarios.

ECRH experiments on the W VII-A stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whilelm, R.; Erckmann, V.; Janzen, G.; Mueller, G.; Schueller, P. G.; Schwoerer, K.; Thumm, H.

1985-01-01

Plasma build-up and heating of a ''currentless'' plasma by means of ECR wave irradiation were studied at the Garching W VII-A stellarator. The experiments were performed at 28 GHz with approx. 200 kW RF power and a pulse duration 02 mode corresponding to a 50% O-mode and 50% X-mode mixture) was launched directly into the plasma from the low field side. In a second step the radiation was converted into the almost linearly polarized TE 11 mode and irradiated in O-mode orientation (E-tilde parallel to B-barsub(o), k-bar perpendicular to B-barsub(o)) into the torus, the nonabsorbed part of the RF power was reflected into the plasma in the X-mode by a focussing polarization twist reflector mounted to the inner torus wall. As a main result the heating efficiency has been slightly improved by the transition from ''simple'' to ''advanced'' wave launching (up to 50% instead of approx. 40%). The central electron temperatures were remarkably increased from approx. 700 eV to 1200 eV due to the well localized O-mode absorption of the TE 11 beam, however. The X-mode from the mirror on the other hand does not contribute to the total plasma energy as expected. This is explained by a local absorption of the arising Bernstein waves due to a macroscopically turbulent behaviour of the plasma in the outer regions. Possibly as a result of wave decay into lower hybrid waves pronounced ion tail heating was observed. For both kinds of wave irradiation toroidal plasma currents were generated. This seems to be caused by asimmetrically confined co- and counter-streaming fast electrons

Theory of plasma confinement in non-axisymmetric magnetic fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Helander, Per

2014-08-01

The theory of plasma confinement by non-axisymmetric magnetic fields is reviewed. Such fields are used to confine fusion plasmas in stellarators, where in contrast to tokamaks and reversed-field pinches the magnetic field generally does not possess any continuous symmetry. The discussion is focussed on magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium conditions, collisionless particle orbits, and the kinetic theory of equilbrium and transport. Each of these topics is fundamentally affected by the absence of symmetry in the magnetic field: the field lines need not trace out nested flux surfaces, the particle orbits may not be confined, and the cross-field transport can be very large. Nevertheless, by tailoring the magnetic field appropriately, well-behaved equilibria with good confinement can be constructed, potentially offering an attractive route to magnetic fusion. In this article, the mathematical apparatus to describe stellarator plasmas is developed from first principles and basic elements underlying confinement optimization are introduced.

Nuclear Reactions Studies in Laser-Plasmas at the forthcoming ELI-NP facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Lanzalone, G.; Muoio, A.; Altana, C.; Frassetto, M.; Malferrari, L.; Mascali, D.; Odorici, F.; Tudisco, S.; Gizzi, L. A.; Labate, L.; Puglia, S. M. R.; Trifirò, A.

2018-05-01

This work aim to prepare a program of studies on nuclear physics and astrophysics, which will be conducted at the new ELI-NP Laser facility, which actually is under construction in Bucharest, Romania. For the arguments treated, such activity has required also a multidisciplinary approach and knowledge in the fields of nuclear physics, astrophysics, laser and plasma physics join with also some competences on solid state physics related to the radiation detection. A part of this work has concerned to the experimental test, which have been performed in several laboratories and in order to study and increase the level of knowledge on the different parts of the project. In particular have been performed studies on the laser matter interaction at the ILIL laboratory of Pisa Italy and at the LENS laboratory in Catania, where (by using different experimental set-ups) has been investigated some key points concerning the production of the plasma stream. Test has been performed on several target configurations in terms of: composition, structure and size. All the work has been devoted to optimize the conditions of target in order to have the best performance on the production yields and on energies distribution of the inner plasma ions. A parallel activity has been performed in order to study the two main detectors, which will constitute the full detections system, which will be installed at the ELI-NP facility.

Principles of Stellar Interferometry

CERN Document Server

Glindemann, Andreas

2011-01-01

Over the last decade, stellar interferometry has developed from a specialist tool to a mainstream observing technique, attracting scientists whose research benefits from milliarcsecond angular resolution. Stellar interferometry has become part of the astronomer’s toolbox, complementing single-telescope observations by providing unique capabilities that will advance astronomical research. This carefully written book is intended to provide a solid understanding of the principles of stellar interferometry to students starting an astronomical research project in this field or to develop instruments and to astronomers using interferometry but who are not interferometrists per se. Illustrated by excellent drawings and calculated graphs the imaging process in stellar interferometers is explained starting from first principles on light propagation and diffraction wave propagation through turbulence is described in detail using Kolmogorov statistics the impact of turbulence on the imaging process is discussed both f...

Dynamical response of the nuclear 'pasta' in neutron star crusts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horowitz, C.J.; Perez-Garcia, M.A.; Berry, D.K.; Piekarewicz, J.

2005-01-01

The nuclear pasta - a novel state of matter having nucleons arranged in a variety of complex shapes - is expected to be found in the crust of neutron stars and in core-collapse supernovae at subnuclear densities of about 10 14 g/cm 3 . Owing to frustration, a phenomenon that emerges from the competition between short-range nuclear attraction and long-range Coulomb repulsion, the nuclear pasta displays a preponderance of unique low-energy excitations. These excitations could have a strong impact on many transport properties, such as neutrino propagation through stellar environments. The excitation spectrum of the nuclear pasta is computed via a molecular-dynamics simulation involving up to 100,000 nucleons. The dynamic response of the pasta displays a classical plasma oscillation in the 1- to 2-MeV region. In addition, substantial strength is found at low energies. Yet this low-energy strength is missing from a simple ion model containing a single-representative heavy nucleus. The low-energy strength observed in the dynamic response of the pasta is likely to be a density wave involving the internal degrees of freedom of the clusters

Advanced stellarator power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.L.

1994-01-01

The stellarator is a class of helical/toroidal magnetic fusion devices. Recent international progress in stellarator power plant conceptual design is reviewed and comparisons in the areas of physics, engineering, and economics are made with recent tokamak design studies

Measurements of radiative material properties for astrophysical plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, James E.

2010-01-01

The new generation of z-pinch, laser, and XFEL facilities opens the possibility to produce astrophysically-relevant laboratory plasmas with energy densities beyond what was previously possible. Furthermore, macroscopic plasmas with uniform conditions can now be created, enabling more accurate determination of the material properties. This presentation will provide an overview of our research at the Z facility investigating stellar interior opacities, AGN warm-absorber photoionized plasmas, and white dwarf photospheres. Atomic physics in plasmas heavily influence these topics. Stellar opacities are an essential ingredient of stellar models and they affect what we know about the structure and evolution of stars. Opacity models have become highly sophisticated, but laboratory tests have not been done at the conditions existing inside stars. Our research is presently focused on measuring Fe at conditions relevant to the base of the solar convection zone, where the electron temperature and density are believed to be 190 eV and 9 x 10 22 e/cc, respectively. The second project is aimed at testing atomic kinetics models for photoionized plasmas. Photoionization is an important process in many astrophysical plasmas and the spectral signatures are routinely used to infer astrophysical object's characteristics. However, the spectral synthesis models at the heart of these interpretations have been the subject of very limited experimental tests. Our current research examines photoionization of neon plasma subjected to radiation flux similar to the warm absorber that surrounds active galactic nuclei. The third project is a recent initiative aimed at producing a white dwarf photosphere in the laboratory. Emergent spectra from the photosphere are used to infer the star's effective temperature and surface gravity. The results depend on knowledge of H, He, and C spectral line profiles under conditions where complex physics such as quasi-molecule formation may be important. These

Dynamic vortex dust structures in a nuclear-track plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rykov, V A; Khudyakov, A V; Filinov, V S; Vladimirov, V I; Deputatova, L V; Krutov, D V; Fortov, V E

2003-01-01

Results are presented from Monte Carlo calculations of the electric charge on dust grains in a plasma produced during the slowing down of radioactive decay products of californium nuclei in neon. The dust grain charging is explained as being due to the drift of electrons and ions in an external electric field. It is shown that the charges of the grains depend on their coordinates and strongly fluctuate with time. The time-averaged grain charges agree with the experimental data obtained on ordered liquid-like dust structures in a nuclear-track plasma. The time-averaged dust grain charges are used to carry out computer modelling of the formation of dynamic vortex structures observed in experiments. Evidence is obtained for the fact that the electrostatic forces experienced by the dust grains are potential in character. The paper is supplemented by a video clip showing the typical dynamics of the simulated vortex dust structure

Application of plasma deposition technology for nuclear fuel fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, I. H.; Moon, J. S.; Park, H. S.; Song, K. C.; Lee, C. Y.; Kang, K. H.; Ryu, H. J.; Kim, H. S.; Yang, M. S.

2001-01-01

Yttria-stabilized-zirconia (m.p. 2670.deg. C), was deposited by induction plasma spraying system with a view to develop a new nuclear fuel fabrication technology. To fabricate the dense pellets, the spraying condition was optimized through the process parameters such as, chamber pressure, plasma plate power, powder spraying distance, sheath gas composition, probe position particle size and its morphology. The results with a 5mm thick deposit on rectangular planar graphite substrates showed 97.11% theoretical density, when the sheath gas flow rate was Ar/H 2 120/20 L/min, probe position 8cm, particle size-75 μm and spraying distance 22cm. The microstructure of YSZ deposit by ICP was lamellae and columnar perpendicular to the spraying direction. In the bottom part near the substrate, small equiaxed grains bounded in a layer. In the middle part, relatively regular size of columnar grains with excellent bonding each other were distinctive

Concept, production and validation of a 3D-printed coil frame for the UST{sub 2} modular stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Queral, V., E-mail: vicentemanuel.queral@ciemat.es

2014-10-15

Highlights: •A construction method for stellarator modular coils is developed and validated. •3D printed truss structure filled and moulded with a material able to solidify. •The structure capability for forces in small stellarators has been estimated. •A light bare truss frame and a covered rigid double hull frame have been tested. -- Abstract: Geometric complexity of stellarators hampers a straightforward production of conceived optimised magnetic configurations. Integration of the engineering design with new fabrication methods may reduce the production cost and accelerate the production process. A fast cycle production of experimental fusion devices also might result in a faster advance in fusion plasma science. Several different stellarators could be used to test configurations for improved turbulent transport or to validate new divertor configurations. In this framework, and based on the results from the previously built UST{sub 1} stellarator, the present work try to study and validate the feasibility of 3D printing methods (additive manufacturing) for small experimental stellarators. The paper summarises the engineering development, fabrication and validation of a coil frame test sector for the UST{sub 2} stellarator. The definition of the Last Closed Flux Surface and winding surface for the test sector is based on an optimised quasi-isodynamic poloidal stellarator, modified for enhanced in-vessel remote handling manipulation and wide space for divertors. A Filled-sparse coil frame concept is developed to still keep low the cost in spite of the present expensive 3D printing materials and printers.

Modular coil design developments for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williamson, D.; Brooks, A.; Brown, T.; Chrzanowski, J.; Cole, M.; Fan, H.-M.; Freudenberg, K.; Fogarty, P.; Hargrove, T.; Heitzenroeder, P.; Lovett, G.; Miller, P.; Myatt, R.; Nelson, B.; Reiersen, W.; Strickler, D.

2005-01-01

The National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) is a quasi-axisymmetric facility that combines the high beta and good confinement features of an advanced tokamak with the low current, disruption-free characteristics of a stellarator. The experiment is based on a three field-period plasma configuration with an average major radius of 1.4 m, a minor radius of 0.3 m, and a toroidal magnetic field on axis of up to 2 T. The modular coils are one set in a complex assembly of four coil systems that surround the highly shaped plasma. There are six, each of three coil types in the assembly for a total of 18 modular coils. The coils are constructed by winding copper cable onto a cast stainless steel winding form that has been machined to high accuracy, so that the current center of the winding pack is within ±1.5 mm of its theoretical position. The modular coils operate at a temperature of 80 K and are subjected to rapid heating and stress during a pulse. At this time, the project has completed construction of several prototype components which validate the fabrication and inspection processes that are planned for the production coils. In addition, some advanced techniques for error-field compensation and assembly simulation using computer-aided design (CAD) have been developed

First plasmas in the TJ-II flexible Heliac

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alejaldre, C.; Alonso, J.; Almoguera, L.

1999-01-01

First plasmas have been successfully achieved in the TJ-II stellarator using electron cyclotron resonance heating (f = 53.2 GHz, P ECRH = 250 kW). Initial experiments have explored the TJ-II flexibility in a wide range of plasma volumes, different rotational transform and magnetic well values. In this paper, the main results of this campaign are presented and, in particular, the influence of plasma wall interaction phenomena on TJ-II operation is discussed briefly. (author)

Stellar CME candidates: towards a stellar CME-flare relation

Science.gov (United States)

Paraskevi Moschou, Sofia; Drake, Jeremy J.; Cohen, Ofer; Alvarado-Gomez, Julian D.; Garraffo, Cecilia

2018-06-01

For decades the Sun has been the only star that allowed for direct CME observations. Recently, with the discovery of multiple extrasolar systems, it has become imperative that the role of stellar CMEs be assessed in the context of exoplanetary habitability. Solar CMEs and flares show a higher association with increasing flaring energy, with strong flares corresponding to large and fast CMEs. As argued in earlier studies, extrasolar environments around active stars are potentially dominated by CMEs, as a result of their extreme flaring activity. This has strong implications for the energy budget of the system and the atmospheric erosion of orbiting planets.Nevertheless, with current instrumentation we are unable to directly observe CMEs in even the closest stars, and thus we have to look for indirect techniques and observational evidence and signatures for the eruption of stellar CMEs. There are three major observational techniques for tracing CME signatures in other stellar systems, namely measuring Type II radio bursts, Doppler shifts in UV/optical lines or transient absorption in the X-ray spectrum. We present observations of the most probable stellar CME candidates captured so far and examine the different observational techniques used together with their levels of uncertainty. Assuming that they were CMEs, we try to asses their kinematic and energetic characteristics and place them in an extension of the well-established solar CME-flare energy scaling law. We finish by discussing future observations for direct measurements.

Stellar wind theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Summers, D.

1980-01-01

The theory of stellar winds as given by the equations of classical fluid dynamics is considered. The equations of momentum and energy describing a steady, spherically symmetric, heat-conducting, viscous stellar wind are cast in a dimensionless form which involves a thermal conduction parameter E and a viscosity parameter γ. An asymptotic analysis is carried out, for fixed γ, in the cases E→O and E→infinity (corresponding to small and large thermal conductivity, respectively), and it is found that it is possible to construct critical solutions for the wind velocity and temperature over the entire flow. The E→O solution represents a wind which emanates from the star at low, subsonic speeds, accelerates through a sonic point, and then approaches a constant asymptotic speed, with its temperature varying as r/sup -4/3/ at large distances r from the star; the E→infinity solution represents a wind which, after reaching an approximately constant speed, with temperature varying as r/sup -2/7/, decelerates through a diffuse shock and approaches a finite pressure at infinity. A categorization is made of all critical stellar wind solutions for given values of γ and E, and actual numerical examples are given. Numerical solutions are obtained by integrating upstream 'from infinity' from initial values of the flow parameters given by appropriate asymptotic expansions. The role of viscosity in stellar wind theory is discussed, viscous and inviscid stellar wind solutions are compared, and it is suggested that with certain limitations, the theory presented may be useful in analyzing winds from solar-type stars

On radiative density limits in stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wobig, H.

2001-01-01

Density limits in stellarators are caused mainly by enhanced impurity radiation leading to a collapse of the temperature. A simple model can be established, which computes the temperature in the plasma with a fixed heating profile and a temperature-dependent radiation profile. If the temperature-dependent radiation function has one or several extrema, multiple solutions of the transport equation exist and radiative collapse occurs when the high temperature branch merges with the unstable temperature branch. At this bifurcation point the temperature decreases to a stable low temperature solution. The bifurcation point is a function of the heating power and the plasma density. Thus a density limit can be defined as the point where bifurcation occurs. It is shown that bifurcation and sudden temperature collapse does not occur below a power threshold. Anomalous thermal conductivity and the details of the impurity radiation, which in the present model is assumed to be in corona equilibrium, determine the scaling of the density limit. A model of the anomalous transport is developed, which leads to Gyro-Bohm scaling of the confinement time. The density limit based on this transport model is close to experimental findings in Wendelstein 7-AS. (author)

Stellarator fusion neutronics research in Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimin, S.; Cross, R.C.

1997-01-01

The new status of the H-INF Heliac Stellaralor as a National Facility and the signed international Implementing Agreement on 'Collaboration in the Development of the Stellarator Concept' represents a significant encouragement for further fusion research in Australia. In this report the future of fusion research in Australia is discussed with special attention being paid to the importance of Stellarator power plant studies and in particular stellarator fusion neutronics. The main differences between tokamak and stellarator neutronics analyses are identified, namely the neutron wall loading, geometrical modelling and total heating in in-vessel reactor components including toroidal field (TF) coils. Due to the more complicated nature of stellarator neutronics analyses, simplified approaches to fusion neutronics already developed for tokamaks are expected to be even more important and widely used for designing a Conceptual Stellarator Power Plant

First observations of partially neutralized and quasineutral plasmas in the Columbia Non-neutral Torus

Science.gov (United States)

Sarasola, Xabier; Brenner, Paul; Hahn, Michael; Pedersen, Thomas

2009-11-01

The Columbia Non-neutral Torus (CNT) is the first stellarator devoted to the study of pure electron, partially neutralized and positron-electron plasmas. To date, CNT usually operates with electron rich plasmas (with negligible ion density) [1], but a stellarator can also confine plasmas of arbitrary degree of neutralization. In CNT the accumulation of ions alters the equilibrium of electron plasmas and a global instability has been observed when the ion fraction exceeds 10 %. A characterization of this instability is presented in [2], analyzing its parameter dependence and spatial structure (non- resonant with rational surfaces). A new set of experiments is currently underway studying plasmas of arbitrary degree of neutralization, ranging from pure electron to quasineutral plasmas. Basic observations show that the plasma potential decouples from emitter bias when we increase the degree of the neutralization of our plasmas. Partially neutralized plasmas are also characterized by multiple mode behavior with dominant modes between 20 and 200 kHz. When the plasma becomes quasineutral, it reverts to single mode behavior. The first results on partially neutralized plasmas confined on magnetic surfaces will be presented. [1] J. Kremer, PRL 97, (2006) 095003 [2] Q. Marksteiner, PRL 100 (2008) 065002

W7-AS: One step of the Wendelstein stellarator linea)

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, F.; Bäumel, S.; Baldzuhn, J.; Basse, N.; Brakel, R.; Burhenn, R.; Dinklage, A.; Dorst, D.; Ehmler, H.; Endler, M.; Erckmann, V.; Feng, Y.; Gadelmeier, F.; Geiger, J.; Giannone, L.; Grigull, P.; Hartfuss, H.-J.; Hartmann, D.; Hildebrandt, D.; Hirsch, M.; Holzhauer, E.; Igitkhanov, Y.; Jänicke, R.; Kick, M.; Kislyakov, A.; Kisslinger, J.; Klinger, T.; Klose, S.; Knauer, J. P.; König, R.; Kühner, G.; Laqua, H. P.; Maassberg, H.; McCormick, K.; Niedermeyer, H.; Nührenberg, C.; Pasch, E.; Ramasubramanian, N.; Ruhs, N.; Rust, N.; Sallander, E.; Sardei, F.; Schubert, M.; Speth, E.; Thomsen, H.; Volpe, F.; Weller, A.; Werner, A.; Wobig, H.; Würsching, E.; Zarnstorff, M.; Zoletnik, S.

2005-07-01

This paper is a summary of some of the major results from the Wendelstein 7-AS stellarator (W7-AS). W7-AS [G. Grieger et al., Phys. Fluids B 4, 2081 (1992)] has demonstrated the feasibility of modular coils and has pioneered the island divertor and the modeling of its three-dimensional characteristics with the EMC3/EIRENE code [Y. Feng, F. Sardei et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 44, 611 (2002)]. It has extended the operational range to high density (4×1020m-3 at 2.5T) and high ⟨β⟩ (3.4% at 0.9T); it has demonstrated successfully the application of electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) beyond cutoff via electron Bernstein wave heating, and it has utilized the toroidal variation of the magnetic field strength for ion cyclotron resonance frequency beach-wave heating. In preparation of W7-X [J. Nührenberg et al., Trans. Fusion Technol. 27, 71 (1995)], aspects of the optimization concept of the magnetic design have been successfully tested. W7-AS has accessed the H-mode, the first time in a "non-tokamak" and has extended H-mode operation toward high density by the discovery of the high-density H-mode (HDH), characterized by H-mode energy and L-mode-level impurity confinement. In the HDH-mode quasisteady state operation is possible close to operational limits without noticeable degradation in the plasma properties. High-β phases up to tpulse/τE=65 have been achieved, which can already be taken as an indication of the intrinsic stellarator capability of steady-state operation. Confinement issues will be discussed with emphasis on the similarities to tokamak confinement (general transport properties, H-mode transition physics) but also with respect to distinct differences (no confinement degradation toward operational boundaries, positive density scaling, lack of profile resilience, no distinct isotope effect, H-mode operational window). W7-AS turned out to be an important step in the development of the Wendelstein stellarator line towards an

Theoretical stellar luminosity functions and globular cluster ages and compositions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ratcliff, S.J.

1985-01-01

The ages and chemical compositions of the stars in globular clusters are of great interest, particularly because age estimates from the well-known exercise of fitting observed color-magnitude diagrams to theoretical predictions tend to yield ages in excess of the Hubble time (an estimate to the age of the Universe) in standard cosmological models, for currently proposed high values of Hubble's constant (VandenBerg 1983). Relatively little use has been made of stellar luminosity functions of the globular clusters, for which reliable observations are now becoming available, to constrain the ages or compositions. The comparison of observed luminosity functions to theoretical ones allows one to take advantage of information not usually used, and has the advantage of being relatively insensitive to our lack of knowledge of the detailed structure of stellar envelopes and atmospheres. A computer program was developed to apply standard stellar evolutionary theory, using the most recently available input physics (opacities, nuclear reaction rates), to the calculation of the evolution of low-mass Population II stars. An algorithm for computing luminosity functions from the evolutionary tracks was applied to sets of tracks covering a broad range of chemical compositions and ages, such as may be expected for globular clusters

Connections between Star Cluster Populations and Their Host Galaxy Nuclear Rings

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Chao; de Grijs, Richard; Ho, Luis C.

2018-04-01

Nuclear rings are excellent laboratories for probing diverse phenomena such as the formation and evolution of young massive star clusters and nuclear starbursts, as well as the secular evolution and dynamics of their host galaxies. We have compiled a sample of 17 galaxies with nuclear rings, which are well resolved by high-resolution Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescope imaging. For each nuclear ring, we identified the ring star cluster population, along with their physical properties (ages, masses, and extinction values). We also determined the integrated ring properties, including the average age, total stellar mass, and current star formation rate (SFR). We find that Sb-type galaxies tend to have the highest ring stellar mass fraction with respect to the host galaxy, and this parameter is correlated with the ring’s SFR surface density. The ring SFRs are correlated with their stellar masses, which is reminiscent of the main sequence of star-forming galaxies. There are striking correlations between star-forming properties (i.e., SFR and SFR surface density) and nonaxisymmetric bar parameters, appearing to confirm previous inferences that strongly barred galaxies tend to have lower ring SFRs, although the ring star formation histories turn out to be significantly more complicated. Nuclear rings with higher stellar masses tend to be associated with lower cluster mass fractions, but there is no such relation for the ages of the rings. The two youngest nuclear rings in our sample, NGC 1512 and NGC 4314, which have the most extreme physical properties, represent the young extremity of the nuclear ring age distribution.

The Galactic stellar disc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feltzing, S; Bensby, T

2008-01-01

The study of the Milky Way stellar discs in the context of galaxy formation is discussed. In particular, we explore the properties of the Milky Way disc using a new sample of about 550 dwarf stars for which we have recently obtained elemental abundances and ages based on high-resolution spectroscopy. For all the stars we also have full kinematic information as well as information about their stellar orbits. We confirm results from previous studies that the thin and the thick discs have distinct abundance patterns. But we also explore a larger range of orbital parameters than what has been possible in our previous studies. Several new results are presented. We find that stars that reach high above the Galactic plane and have eccentric orbits show remarkably tight abundance trends. This implies that these stars formed out of well-mixed gas that had been homogenized over large volumes. We find some evidence that suggest that the event that most likely caused the heating of this stellar population happened a few billion years ago. Through a simple, kinematic exploration of stars with super-solar [Fe/H], we show that the solar neighbourhood contains metal-rich, high velocity stars that are very likely associated with the thick disc. Additionally, the HR1614 moving group and the Hercules and Arcturus stellar streams are discussed and it is concluded that, probably, a large fraction of the groups and streams so far identified in the disc are the result of evolution and interactions within the stellar disc rather than being dissolved stellar clusters or engulfed dwarf galaxies.

Preface: Eighth European Summer School on Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Claudio, Spitaleri; Livio, Lamia; Gianluca, Pizzone Rosario

2016-01-01

In this book a collection of the lecture notes given during the Eighth European Summer School on Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics is given. The school, whose first edition was first held in 2003, took place from 13 to 20 of September 2015 in Santa Tecla, a small village about 15 km north of Catania, characterized by its position on the volcanic shores of the Ionian Sea, surrounded by the spectacular “Timpa” area, a green protected park specific for its mediterranean vegetation. 80 young students and researchers from more than 20 countries attended the lectures and were also encouraged to present their work and results. The school, has tried once more to present to the young students the global picture of nuclear astrophysics research in the last years. Thus the scientific program of the school covered a wide range of topics dealing with various aspects of nuclear astrophysics, such as stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis, neutrino physics, the Big Bang, direct and indirect methods and radioactive ion beams. Nuclear astrophysics plays a key role in understanding energy production in stars, stellar evolution and the concurrent synthesis of the chemical elements and their isotopes. It is also a fundamental tool to explain the ashes of the early universe, to determine the age of the universe through the study of pristine stellar objects and to predict the evolution of the Sun or Stars. The “bone structure” for the above aspects is based on nuclear reactions, whose rates need to be determined in laboratories. Although impressive progress has been made over the past decades, which was rewarded by Nobel prizes, several open questions are still unsolved, which challenge the basis of the present understanding. A list of the lecture topics is given below: —Big Bang Nucleosynthesis —Stellar evolution and Nucleosynthesis —radioactive ion beams —detector and facilities for nuclear astrophysics —indirect methods in nuclear astrophysics —plasma physics An

Simulations of finite beta turbulence in tokamaks and stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenko, F.

2002-01-01

One of the central open questions in our attempt to understand microturbulence in fusion plasmas concerns the role of finite beta effects. Nonlinear codes trying to investigate this issue must go beyond the commonly used adiabatic electron approximation - a task which turns out to be a serious computational challenge. This step is necessary because the electrons are the prime contributor to the parallel currents which in turn produce the magnetic field fluctuations. Results at both ion and electron space-time scales from gyrokinetic and gyrofluid models are presented which shed light on the character of finite beta turbulence in tokamaks and stellarators. (author)

Optimized confinement discharges in the stellarator W7-AS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baldzuhn, J.; Giannone, L.; Kick, M.; McCormick, K. J.

2000-01-01

In addition to the well known H-mode, other types of discharges with enhanced core energy confinement can be observed in the stellarator W7-AS. In this contribution, the properties of some particular examples of those optimized confinement (OC) discharges are presented. These are characterized, besides improved core energy confinement, by strong negative radial electric fields and high ion temperatures in the gradient region, steep density profile gradients and a high penetration depth of neutrals, and small edge electron densities. The role of these plasma parameters for the OC discharges is investigated quantitatively by a numerical model. (author)

Alfven continuum and high-frequency eigenmodes in optimized stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolesnichenko, Ya.I.; Lutsenko, V.V.; Wobig, H.; Yakovenko, Yu.V.; Fesenyuk, O.P.

2001-01-01

An equation of shear Alfven eigenmodes (AE) in optimized stellarators of Wendelstein line (Helias configurations) is derived. The metric tensor coefficients, which are contained in this equation, are calculated analytically. Two numerical codes are developed: the first one, COBRA (COntinuum BRanches of Alfven waves), is intended for the investigation of the structure of Alfven continuum; the second, BOA (Branches Of Alfven modes), solves the eigenvalue problem. The family of possible gaps in Alfven continuum of a Helias configuration is obtained. It is predicted that there exist gaps which arise due to or are strongly affected by the variation of the shape of the plasma cross section along the large azimuth of the torus. In such gaps, discrete eigenmodes, namely, helicity-induced eigenmodes (HAE 21 ) and mirror-induced eigenmodes (MAE) are found. It is shown that plasma inhomogeneity may suppress the AEs with a wide region of localization

Drift wave instability and turbulence in advanced stellarator configurations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kendl, A.

2001-08-01

In the following chapter, an overview and references on the physics and geometry of helical advanced stellarators is given. On the basis of this configuration, the influence of magnetic field geometry is then discussed in a basic model of drift-Alfven wave turbulence which contains the necessary physics that applies to the plasma edge. By means of linear models, core physics in the form of ITG and dissipative trapped electron modes is further included in our survey. These models are, of course, by far not comprehensive in order to cover the complex physics of plasma turbulence in three-dimensional fusion devices, where a large range of parameter and mode regimes is present. Optimization criteria for a possible systematic minimization of turbulent transport in Helias configurations therefore still have to be regarded as tentative. The results presented here should, however, encourage for more detailed future computations. (orig.)

Quasisymmetry equations for conventional stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pustovitov, V.D.

1994-11-01

General quasisymmetry condition, which demands the independence of B 2 on one of the angular Boozer coordinates, is reduced to two equations containing only geometrical characteristics and helical field of a stellarator. The analysis is performed for conventional stellarators with a planar circular axis using standard stellarator expansion. As a basis, the invariant quasisymmetry condition is used. The quasisymmetry equations for stellarators are obtained from this condition also in an invariant form. Simplified analogs of these equations are given for the case when averaged magnetic surfaces are circular shifted torii. It is shown that quasisymmetry condition can be satisfied, in principle, in a conventional stellarator by a proper choice of two satellite harmonics of the helical field in addition to the main harmonic. Besides, there appears a restriction on the shift of magnetic surfaces. Thus, in general, the problem is closely related with that of self-consistent description of a configuration. (author)

Stellar formation

CERN Document Server

Reddish, V C

1978-01-01

Stellar Formation brings together knowledge about the formation of stars. In seeking to determine the conditions necessary for star formation, this book examines questions such as how, where, and why stars form, and at what rate and with what properties. This text also considers whether the formation of a star is an accident or an integral part of the physical properties of matter. This book consists of 13 chapters divided into two sections and begins with an overview of theories that explain star formation as well as the state of knowledge of star formation in comparison to stellar structure

Methods of investigation of nuclear matter under the conditions characteristics for transition to quark-gluon plasma

CERN Document Server

Leksin, G A

2002-01-01

Features of deep inelastic nuclear reactions proceeding on dense fluctuations of nuclear matter (fluctons) are briefly considered. Fluctons, which can be many-quark bags or drops of quark-gluon plasma, are studied. Their properties are discussed, viz., characteristic parameters of nuclear matter inside a flucton - temperature and density close to the critical values for a phase transition. These values can be reached or exceeded if the flucton-flucton collision events are separated. The separation method is discussed

Stellar Structure and Evolution

CERN Document Server

Kippenhahn, Rudolf; Weiss, Achim

2013-01-01

This long-awaited second edition of the classical textbook on Stellar Structure and Evolution by Kippenhahn and Weigert is a thoroughly revised version of the original text. Taking into account modern observational constraints as well as additional physical effects such as mass loss and diffusion, Achim Weiss and Rudolf Kippenhahn have succeeded in bringing the book up to the state-of-the-art with respect to both the presentation of stellar physics and the presentation and interpretation of current sophisticated stellar models. The well-received and proven pedagogical approach of the first edition has been retained. The book provides a comprehensive treatment of the physics of the stellar interior and the underlying fundamental processes and parameters. The models developed to explain the stability, dynamics and evolution of the stars are presented and great care is taken to detail the various stages in a star’s life. Just as the first edition, which remained a standard work for more than 20 years after its...

10th International Conference and School on Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. Book of Abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon

2004-01-01

About 240 abstracts by Ukrainian and foreign authors submitted to 10-th International Conference and School on Plasma Physics and Controlled fusion have been considered by Conference Program Committee members. All the abstracts have been divided into 8 groups: magnetic confinement systems: stellarators, tokamaks, alternative conceptions; ITER and Fusion reactor aspects; basic plasma physics; space plasma; plasma dynamics and plasma-wall interaction; plasma electronics; low temperature plasma and plasma technologies; plasma diagnostics

Results of Compact Stellarator Engineering Trade Studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Tom; Bromberg, L.; Cole, M.

2009-01-01

A number of technical requirements and performance criteria can drive stellarator costs, e.g., tight tolerances, accurate coil positioning, low aspect ratio (compactness), choice of assembly strategy, metrology, and complexity of the stellarator coil geometry. With the completion of a seven-year design and construction effort of the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) it is useful to interject the NCSX experience along with the collective experiences of the NCSX stellarator community to improving the stellarator configuration. Can improvements in maintenance be achieved by altering the stellarator magnet configuration with changes in the coil shape or with the combination of trim coils? Can a mechanical configuration be identified that incorporates a partial set of shaped fixed stellarator coils along with some removable coil set to enhance the overall machine maintenance? Are there other approaches that will simplify the concepts, improve access for maintenance, reduce overall cost and improve the reliability of a stellarator based power plant? Using ARIES-CS and NCSX as reference cases, alternative approaches have been studied and developed to show how these modifications would favorably impact the stellarator power plant and experimental projects. The current status of the alternate stellarator configurations being developed will be described and a comparison made to the recently designed and partially built NCSX device and the ARIES-CS reactor design study

Results of Compact Stellarator Engineering Trade Studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, T.; Bromberg, L.; Cole, M.

2009-01-01

A number of technical requirements and performance criteria can drive stellarator costs, e.g., tight tolerances, accurate coil positioning, low aspect ratio (compactness), choice of assembly strategy, metrology, and complexity of the stellarator coil geometry. With the completion of a seven-year design and construction effort of the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) it is useful to interject the NCSX experience along with the collective experiences of the NCSX stellarator community to improving the stellarator configuration. Can improvements in maintenance be achieved by altering the stellarator magnet configuration with changes in the coil shape or with the combination of trim coils? Can a mechanical configuration be identified that incorporates a partial set of shaped fixed stellarator coils along with some removable coil set to enhance the overall machine maintenance? Are there other approaches that will simplify the concepts, improve access for maintenance, reduce overall cost and improve the reliability of a stellarator based power plant? Using ARIES-CS and NCSX as reference cases, alternative approaches have been studied and developed to show how these modifications would favorably impact the stellarator power plant and experimental projects. The current status of the alternate stellarator configurations being developed will be described and a comparison made to the recently designed and partially built NCSX device and the ARIES-CS reactor design study.

Induction plasma deposition technology for nuclear fuel fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, I. H.; Bae, K. K.; Lee, J. W.; Kim, T. K.; Yang, M. S.

1998-01-01

A study on induction plasma deposition with ceramic materials, yttria-stabilized-zirconia ZrO 2 -Y 2 O 3 (m.p. 2640 degree C), was conducted with a view of developing a new method for nuclear fuel fabrication. Before making dense pellets of more than 96%T.D., the spraying condition was optimized through the process parameters, such as chamber pressure, plasma plate power, powder spraying distance, sheath gas composition, probe position, particle size and powders of different morphology. The results with a 5mm thick deposit on rectangular planar graphite substrates showed a 97.11% theoretical density when the sheath gas flow rate was Ar/H 2 120/20 l/min, probe position 8cm, particle size -75 μm and spraying distance 22cm by AMDRY146 powder. The degree of influence of the main effects on density were powder morphology, particle size, sheath gas composition, plate power and spraying distance, in that order. Among the two parameter interactions, the sheath gas composition and chamber pressure affects density greatly. By using the multi-pellets mold of wheel type, the pellet density did not exceed 94%T.D., owing to the spraying angle

INDUCED SCATTERING LIMITS ON FAST RADIO BURSTS FROM STELLAR CORONAE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lyubarsky, Yuri [Physics Department, Ben-Gurion University, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 84105 (Israel); Ostrovska, Sofiya [Department of Mathematics, Atilim University, Incek 06836, Ankara (Turkey)

2016-02-10

The origin of fast radio bursts remains a puzzle. Suggestions have been made that they are produced within the Earth’s atmosphere, in stellar coronae, in other galaxies, or at cosmological distances. If they are extraterrestrial, the implied brightness temperature is very high, and therefore the induced scattering places constraints on possible models. In this paper, constraints are obtained on flares from coronae of nearby stars. It is shown that the radio pulses with the observed power could not be generated if the plasma density within and in the nearest vicinity of the source is as high as is necessary to provide the observed dispersion measure. However, one cannot exclude the possibility that the pulses are generated within a bubble with a very low density and pass through the dense plasma only in the outer corona.

Towards assembly completion and preparation of experimental campaigns of Wendelstein 7-X in the perspective of a path to a stellarator fusion power plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klinger, T., E-mail: thomas.klinger@ipp.mpg.de; Baylard, C.; Beidler, C.D.; Boscary, J.; Bosch, H.S.; Dinklage, A.; Hartmann, D.; Helander, P.; Maßberg, H.; Peacock, A.; Pedersen, T.S.; Rummel, T.; Schauer, F.; Wegener, L.; Wolf, R.

2013-10-15

Graphical abstract: The superconducting stellarator device Wendelstein 7-X, currently under construction, is the key device for the proof of stellarator optimization principles. To establish the optimized stellarator as a serious candidate for a fusion reactor, reactor-relevant plasma parameters must be achieved in fully integrated steady-state scenarios. After more than 10 years of construction time, the completion of the device is now approaching rapidly (mid-2014). We discuss the most important lessons learned during the device assembly, first experiences with coming major work packages, and the physics program of the first two operation phases. The concept of a stellarator fusion power plant is outlined, too. Highlights: • The superconducting stellarator device Wendelstein 7-X is presented. • The optimized stellarator may be a serious candidate for a fusion reactor. • Reactor-relevant plasma parameters must be achieved in integrated steady-state scenarios. • We discuss the most important lessons learned during the device assembly. • We discuss first experiences with coming major work packages. • We discuss the physics program of the first two operation phases. • The concept of a stellarator fusion power plant is outlined. -- Abstract: The superconducting stellarator device Wendelstein 7-X, currently under construction, is the key device for the proof of stellarator optimization principles. To establish the optimized stellarator as a serious candidate for a fusion reactor, reactor-relevant dimensionless plasma parameters must be achieved in fully integrated steady-state scenarios. After more than 10 years of construction time, the completion of the device is now approaching rapidly (mid-2014). We discuss the most important lessons learned during the device assembly and first experiences with coming major work packages. Those are (a) assembly of about 2500 large, water-cooled, 3d-shaped in-vessel component elements; (b) assembly of in total 14

Transmission lines and launching systems for ECRH on the garching stellarators W VIIa and W VII-AS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thumm, M.; Janzen, G.; Mueller, G.; Schueller, P.G.; Wilhelm, R.; Erckmann, V.

1983-01-01

The transmission lines and launching systems for non ohmic plasma production and heating by ECR-waves at 28 GHz (200 kW, 40 ms) and 70 GHz (200 kW, 100 ms) in the Garching Wendelstein Stellarator W VIIa and at 70 GHz (800 kW, cw) in the future Advanced Stellarator W VII-AS are described. The ECRH systems meet the requirements for neutral gas breakdown (R-wave), heating of a cold plasma (X-mode) and heating of a warm plasma (0-mode) in a combined way. Periodically modulated wall mode converters (sinusoidal m=0 radius modulation, a 0 =31.75 mm at 28 GHz, a 0 =13.9 mm at 70 GHz) convert the circular electric TE/sub on/ gyrotron output mode mixture (mainly TE 02 mode) into a pure TE 01 wave which is used for the long distance transmission in smooth overmoded waveguides (I.D. = 63.5 mm). At the converter inputs the phases between the TE/sub on/ modes are matched by phase shifters. The measured conversion efficiency for characteristic mode mixtures (TE 02 /TE 01 /TE 03 ) at 28 GHz is about 98 %. For the geometrical and electrical matching of different waveguide diameters waveguide tapers with approximate Tschebycheff mode-conversion responses are used

Field line mapping results in the CNT stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarasola, X.; Pedersen, T. Sunn; Kremer, J.P.; Lefrancois, R.G.; Marksteiner, Q.; Ahmad, N.

2005-01-01

The Columbia Non-neutral Torus (CNT), located at Columbia University, is a toroidal, ultra-high vacuum stellarator designed to confine pure electron and other non-neutral plasmas. Its coil configuration is the simplest of any stellarator constructed, since it consists only of two pairs of circular planar copper coils. CNT started operation in November 2004. During its first months of operation a detailed mapping of the nested magnetic surfaces has been developed using the fluorescent method. An electron beam was emitted along a field line by a small moveable electron gun. Different beam energies (ranging from 50 to 200 eV) were used to perform the field line mapping. The e- beam emitted by the electron gun followed the field lines around the torus and hit two moveable ZnO coated aluminum rods that emit visible light when struck by the e-beam. For each position of the e- gun, the phosphor rods scanned the cross-section of the torus allowing a standard digital camera to record a single magnetic surface in a five second exposure. Multiple photos were taken and then manipulated and superposed using IDL software to create composite images of the nested magnetic surfaces. Detailed mapping of the magnetic flux surfaces was completed at a variety of magnetic configurations and at pressures in the 10 -8 Torr range. The experimental results were compared with numerical calculations demonstrating that the obtained measurements agree very well with numerical predictions. In particular, the current configuration has an ultralow aspect ratio (A≤ 1.9) and excellent magnetic surface quality with no detectable island structures or stochastic regions, except at the edge of the plasma where a predicted island chain is present. These experimental results will be presented along with details of the field line mapping system. (author)

Stellar Absorption Line Analysis of Local Star-forming Galaxies: The Relation between Stellar Mass, Metallicity, Dust Attenuation, and Star Formation Rate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jabran Zahid, H. [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter; Ho, I-Ting [University of Hawaii at Manoa, Institute for Astronomy, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Conroy, Charlie [Department of Astronomy, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138 (United States); Andrews, Brett, E-mail: zahid@cfa.harvard.edu [PITT PACC, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, 3941 O’Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (United States)

2017-09-20

We analyze the optical continuum of star-forming galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey by fitting stacked spectra with stellar population synthesis models to investigate the relation between stellar mass, stellar metallicity, dust attenuation, and star formation rate. We fit models calculated with star formation and chemical evolution histories that are derived empirically from multi-epoch observations of the stellar mass–star formation rate and the stellar mass–gas-phase metallicity relations, respectively. We also fit linear combinations of single-burst models with a range of metallicities and ages. Star formation and chemical evolution histories are unconstrained for these models. The stellar mass–stellar metallicity relations obtained from the two methods agree with the relation measured from individual supergiant stars in nearby galaxies. These relations are also consistent with the relation obtained from emission-line analysis of gas-phase metallicity after accounting for systematic offsets in the gas-phase metallicity. We measure dust attenuation of the stellar continuum and show that its dependence on stellar mass and star formation rate is consistent with previously reported results derived from nebular emission lines. However, stellar continuum attenuation is smaller than nebular emission line attenuation. The continuum-to-nebular attenuation ratio depends on stellar mass and is smaller in more massive galaxies. Our consistent analysis of stellar continuum and nebular emission lines paves the way for a comprehensive investigation of stellar metallicities of star-forming and quiescent galaxies.

Stellar Absorption Line Analysis of Local Star-forming Galaxies: The Relation between Stellar Mass, Metallicity, Dust Attenuation, and Star Formation Rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jabran Zahid, H.; Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter; Ho, I-Ting; Conroy, Charlie; Andrews, Brett

2017-01-01

We analyze the optical continuum of star-forming galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey by fitting stacked spectra with stellar population synthesis models to investigate the relation between stellar mass, stellar metallicity, dust attenuation, and star formation rate. We fit models calculated with star formation and chemical evolution histories that are derived empirically from multi-epoch observations of the stellar mass–star formation rate and the stellar mass–gas-phase metallicity relations, respectively. We also fit linear combinations of single-burst models with a range of metallicities and ages. Star formation and chemical evolution histories are unconstrained for these models. The stellar mass–stellar metallicity relations obtained from the two methods agree with the relation measured from individual supergiant stars in nearby galaxies. These relations are also consistent with the relation obtained from emission-line analysis of gas-phase metallicity after accounting for systematic offsets in the gas-phase metallicity. We measure dust attenuation of the stellar continuum and show that its dependence on stellar mass and star formation rate is consistent with previously reported results derived from nebular emission lines. However, stellar continuum attenuation is smaller than nebular emission line attenuation. The continuum-to-nebular attenuation ratio depends on stellar mass and is smaller in more massive galaxies. Our consistent analysis of stellar continuum and nebular emission lines paves the way for a comprehensive investigation of stellar metallicities of star-forming and quiescent galaxies.

INTEGRAL-FIELD STELLAR AND IONIZED GAS KINEMATICS OF PECULIAR VIRGO CLUSTER SPIRAL GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cortés, Juan R.; Hardy, Eduardo; Kenney, Jeffrey D. P.

2015-01-01

We present the stellar and ionized gas kinematics of 13 bright peculiar Virgo cluster galaxies observed with the DensePak Integral Field Unit at the WIYN 3.5 m telescope in order to look for kinematic evidence that these galaxies have experienced gravitational interactions or gas stripping. Two-dimensional maps of the stellar velocity V, stellar velocity dispersion σ, and the ionized gas velocity (Hβ and/or [O III]) are presented for the galaxies in the sample. The stellar rotation curves and velocity dispersion profiles are determined for 13 galaxies, and the ionized gas rotation curves are determined for 6 galaxies. Misalignments between the optical and kinematical major axes are found in several galaxies. While in some cases this is due to a bar, in other cases it seems to be associated with gravitational interaction or ongoing ram pressure stripping. Non-circular gas motions are found in nine galaxies, with various causes including bars, nuclear outflows, or gravitational disturbances. Several galaxies have signatures of kinematically distinct stellar components, which are likely signatures of accretion or mergers. For all of our galaxies, we compute the angular momentum parameter λ R . An evaluation of the galaxies in the λ R ellipticity plane shows that all but two of the galaxies have significant support from random stellar motions, and have likely experienced gravitational interactions. This includes some galaxies with very small bulges and truncated/compact Hα morphologies, indicating that such galaxies cannot be fully explained by simple ram pressure stripping, but must have had significant gravitational encounters. Most of the sample galaxies show evidence for ICM-ISM stripping as well as gravitational interactions, indicating that the evolution of a significant fraction of cluster galaxies is likely strongly impacted by both effects

Twentyseventh European physical society conference on controlled fusion and plasma physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Igitkhanov, Y.

2000-01-01

The twentyseventh European physical society conference on controlled fusion and plasma physics was held in Budapest, 12-16 June 2000. About 10 invited papers were presented, covering a wide range of problems in plasma physics, including confinement and transport issues in fusion devices, astrophysics and industrial application of plasmas. More than 100 papers were presented on plasma theory and experiments from tokamaks and stellarators. Some of the ITER-relevant issues covered are described in this newsletter

Influence of plasma density and plasma sheath dynamics on the ion implantation by plasma immersion technique

OpenAIRE

Ensinger, Wolfgang

1996-01-01

Influence of plasma density and plasma sheath dynamics on the ion implantation by plasma immersion technique / B. Rauschenbach ... - In: Nuclear instruments and methods in physics research. B. 113. 1996. S. 266-269

Nuclear spin state-resolved cavity ring-down spectroscopy diagnostics of a low-temperature H3+ -dominated plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hejduk, Michal; Dohnal, Petr; Varju, Jozef; Rubovič, Peter; Plašil, Radek; Glosík, Juraj

2012-01-01

We have applied a continuous-wave near-infrared cavity ring-down spectroscopy method to study the parameters of a H 3 + -dominated plasma at temperatures in the range 77–200 K. We monitor populations of three rotational states of the ground vibrational state corresponding to para and ortho nuclear spin states in the discharge and the afterglow plasma in time and conclude that abundances of para and ortho states and rotational temperatures are well defined and stable. The non-trivial dependence of a relative population of para- H 3 + on a relative population of para-H 2 in a source H 2 gas is described. The results described in this paper are valuable for studies of state-selective dissociative recombination of H 3 + ions with electrons in the afterglow plasma and for the design of sources of H 3 + ions in a specific nuclear spin state. (paper)

Nuclear spin state-resolved cavity ring-down spectroscopy diagnostics of a low-temperature H_3^+ -dominated plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Hejduk, Michal; Dohnal, Petr; Varju, Jozef; Rubovič, Peter; Plašil, Radek; Glosík, Juraj

2012-04-01

We have applied a continuous-wave near-infrared cavity ring-down spectroscopy method to study the parameters of a H_3^+ -dominated plasma at temperatures in the range 77-200 K. We monitor populations of three rotational states of the ground vibrational state corresponding to para and ortho nuclear spin states in the discharge and the afterglow plasma in time and conclude that abundances of para and ortho states and rotational temperatures are well defined and stable. The non-trivial dependence of a relative population of para- H_3^+ on a relative population of para-H2 in a source H2 gas is described. The results described in this paper are valuable for studies of state-selective dissociative recombination of H_3^+ ions with electrons in the afterglow plasma and for the design of sources of H_3^+ ions in a specific nuclear spin state.

Disruption of circumstellar discs by large-scale stellar magnetic fields

Science.gov (United States)

ud-Doula, Asif; Owocki, Stanley P.; Kee, Nathaniel Dylan

2018-05-01

Spectropolarimetric surveys reveal that 8-10% of OBA stars harbor large-scale magnetic fields, but thus far no such fields have been detected in any classical Be stars. Motivated by this, we present here MHD simulations for how a pre-existing Keplerian disc - like that inferred to form from decretion of material from rapidly rotating Be stars - can be disrupted by a rotation-aligned stellar dipole field. For characteristic stellar and disc parameters of a near-critically rotating B2e star, we find that a polar surface field strength of just 10 G can significantly disrupt the disc, while a field of 100 G, near the observational upper limit inferred for most Be stars, completely destroys the disc over just a few days. Our parameter study shows that the efficacy of this magnetic disruption of a disc scales with the characteristic plasma beta (defined as the ratio between thermal and magnetic pressure) in the disc, but is surprisingly insensitive to other variations, e.g. in stellar rotation speed, or the mass loss rate of the star's radiatively driven wind. The disc disruption seen here for even a modest field strength suggests that the presumed formation of such Be discs by decretion of material from the star would likely be strongly inhibited by such fields; this provides an attractive explanation for why no large-scale fields are detected from such Be stars.

Nuclear physics of stars

CERN Document Server

Iliadis, Christian

2007-01-01

Thermonuclear reactions in stars is a major topic in the field of nuclear astrophysics, and deals with the topics of how precisely stars generate their energy through nuclear reactions, and how these nuclear reactions create the elements the stars, planets and - ultimately - we humans consist of. The present book treats these topics in detail. It also presents the nuclear reaction and structure theory, thermonuclear reaction rate formalism and stellar nucleosynthesis. The topics are discussed in a coherent way, enabling the reader to grasp their interconnections intuitively. The book serves bo

Performance and properties of the first plasmas of Wendelstein 7-X

Science.gov (United States)

Klinger, T.; Alonso, A.; Bozhenkov, S.; Burhenn, R.; Dinklage, A.; Fuchert, G.; Geiger, J.; Grulke, O.; Langenberg, A.; Hirsch, M.; Kocsis, G.; Knauer, J.; Krämer-Flecken, A.; Laqua, H.; Lazerson, S.; Landreman, M.; Maaßberg, H.; Marsen, S.; Otte, M.; Pablant, N.; Pasch, E.; Rahbarnia, K.; Stange, T.; Szepesi, T.; Thomsen, H.; Traverso, P.; Velasco, J. L.; Wauters, T.; Weir, G.; Windisch, T.; The Wendelstein 7-X Team

2017-01-01

The optimized, superconducting stellarator Wendelstein 7-X went into operation and delivered first measurement data after 15 years of construction and one year commissioning. Errors in the magnet assembly were confirmend to be small. Plasma operation was started with 5 MW electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) power and five inboard limiters. Core plasma values of {{T}\\text{e}}>8 keV, {{T}\\text{i}}>2 keV at line-integrated densities n≈ 3\\centerdot {{10}19}~{{\\text{m}}-2} were achieved, exceeding the original expectations by about a factor of two. Indications for a core-electron-root were found. The energy confinement times are in line with the international stellarator scaling, despite unfavourable wall conditions, i.e. large areas of metal surfaces and particle sources from the limiter close to the plasma volume. Well controlled shorter hydrogen discharges at higher power (4 MW ECRH power for 1 s) and longer discharges at lower power (0.7 MW ECRH power for 6 s) could be routinely established after proper wall conditioning. The fairly large set of diagnostic systems running in the end of the 10 weeks operation campaign provided first insights into expected and unexpected physics of optimized stellarators.

Experimental dependence of ECR plasma breakdown on wave polarization in the TJ-II stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cappa, A.; Castejon, F.; Tabares, F.; Fernandez, A.; Tafalla, D.; Cal, E. de la; Estrada, T.; Nagasaki, K.

2005-01-01

Recently, second harmonic ECRH plasma breakdown and its dependence on the initial conditions such as neutral gas pressure, injected power or beam polarization has been the subject of theoretical as well as experimental work. Although those studies have been carried out in the context of stellarators, they are particularly relevant in the case of large tokamaks, such as ITER, where conventional inductive breakdown is expected to be strongly improved if ECRH is used. A matter of interest is the dependence of breakdown time on wave polarization. In the existing theoretical models, wave polarization is not taken into account because it is assumed that the injected ECRH power is initially scrambled by the vessel walls and that the energy source for breakdown is only due to the non-linear wave-particle interaction between deeply trapped electrons and the averaged electric field. However, while this seems reasonable for the very beginning of the discharge, it may not be so as we progress towards breakdown. Actually, as experiments in Heliotron J have demonstrated, wave polarization must be taken into account in the description of the energy source. Breakdown experiments in TJ-II were performed in order to get a deep insight into this matter and part of the results of breakdown dependence on wave polarization were already discussed. In particular, it was demonstrated that the hypothesis about the energy source used in the models is failing long before full ionization is completed. But more information in relation with our understanding of the second harmonic ECRH breakdown, such as the toroidal and radial breakdown propagation, which is seen to be non-diffusive, can be extracted. Thus, the experiment results provide valuable data that can be used not only to improve the energy source but also to include spatial dimensions in the breakdown models. (author)

SECOND-GENERATION STELLAR DISKS IN DENSE STAR CLUSTERS AND CLUSTER ELLIPTICITIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mastrobuono-Battisti, Alessandra; Perets, Hagai B.

2016-01-01

Globular clusters (GCs) and nuclear star clusters (NSCs) are typically composed of several stellar populations, characterized by different chemical compositions. Different populations show different ages in NSCs, but not necessarily in GCs. The youngest populations in NSCs appear to reside in disk-like structures as observed in our Galaxy and in M31. Gas infall followed by formation of second-generation (SG) stars in GCs may similarly form disk-like structures in the clusters nuclei. Here we explore this possibility and follow the long-term evolution of stellar disks embedded in GCs, and study their effects on the evolution of the clusters. We study disks with different masses by means of detailed N-body simulations and explore their morphological and kinematic signatures on the GC structures. We find that as a SG disk relaxes, the old, first-generation stellar population flattens and becomes more radially anisotropic, making the GC structure become more elliptical. The SG stellar population is characterized by a lower velocity dispersion and a higher rotational velocity compared with the primordial older population. The strength of these kinematic signatures depends both on the relaxation time of the system and on the fractional mass of the SG disk. We therefore conclude that SG populations formed in flattened configurations will give rise to two systematic trends: (1) a positive correlation between GC ellipticity and fraction of SG population and (2) a positive correlation between GC relaxation time and ellipticity. Therefore, GC ellipticities and rotation could be related to the formation of SG stars and their initial configuration.

Stellar systems fed by outside stars: the evolution of model galactic nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dokuchaev, V.I.; Ozernoi, L.M.

1985-01-01

Through relaxation mechanisms, a dense central core surrounded by an extended, rarefied stellar system in a nonisothermal galactic nuclear region can be kept supplied with energy and mass conveyed by incoming stars. These factors may significantly influence the secular evolution of the core, competing with the conventional star-evaporation process. Under certain circumstances the outside environment will in fact dominate the core evolution, causing not collapse but expansion

Stellar photometry and polarimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golay, M.; Serkowski, K.

1976-01-01

A critical review of progress made in stellar photometry and polarimetry over the period 1973-1975 is presented. Reports of photometric measurements from various observatories throughout the world are summarized. The summary of work on stellar polarimetry lists the review papers, the catalogues and lists of standard stars, and descriptions of new observing techniques. (B.R.H.)

Nuclear physics in astrophysics. Part 2. Abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyuerky, Gy.; Fueloep, Zs.

2005-01-01

The proceedings of the 20. International Nuclear Physics Divisional Conference of the European Physical Society covers a wide range of topics in nuclear astrophysics. The topics addressed are big bang nucleosynthesis, stellar nucleosynthesis, measurements and nuclear data for astrophysics, nuclear structure far from stability, neutrino physics, and rare-ion-beam facilities and experiments. The perspectives of nuclear physics and astrophysics are also overviewed. 77 items are indexed separately for the INIS database. (K.A.)

Simulations of finite β turbulence in tokamaks and stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenko, F.; Scott, B.; Kendl, A.; Strintzi, D.; Dorland, W.

2003-01-01

One of the central open questions in our attempt to understand microturbulence in fusion plasmas concerns the role of finite β effects. Nonlinear codes trying to investigate this issue must go beyond the commonly used adiabatic electron approximation - a task which turns out to be a serious computational challenge. This step is necessary because the passing electrons are the prime contributor to the parallel currents which in turn produce the magnetic field fluctuations. Results at both ion and electron space-time scales from gyrokinetic and gyro fluid models are presented which shed light on the character of finite β turbulence in tokamaks and stellarators. (author)

Magnetohydodynamics stability of compact stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, G.Y.; Ku, L.P.; Cooper, W.A.; Hirshman, S.H.

2000-01-01

Recent stability results of external kink modes and vertical modes in compact stellarators are presented. The vertical mode is found to be stabilized by externally generated poloidal flux. A simple stability criterion is derived in the limit of large aspect ratio and constant current density. For a wall at infinite distance from the plasma, the amount of external flux needed for stabilization is given by Fi = (k2 minus k)=(k2 + 1), where k is the axisymmetric elongation and Fi is the fraction of the external rotational transform. A systematic parameter study shows that the external kink mode in QAS can be stabilized at high beta (approximately 5%) without a conducting wall by magnetic shear via 3D shaping. It is found that external kinks are driven by both parallel current and pressure gradient. The pressure contributes significantly to the overall drive through the curvature term and the Pfirsch-Schluter current

Nuclear fusion research in Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheetham, A.D.

1997-01-01

In this paper the recently formed National Plasma Fusion Research Facility centred around the H-1NF Heliac, located at the Australian National University, the Institute of Advanced Studies is described in the context of the international Stellarator program and the national collaboration with the Australian Fusion Research Group. The objectives of the facility and the planned physics research program over the next five years are discussed and some recent results will be presented. The facility will support investigations in the following research areas: finite pressure equilibrium and stability, transport in high temperature plasmas, plasma heating and formation, instabilities and turbulence, edge plasma physics and advanced diagnostic development

Reflectometry observations of density fluctuations in Wendelstein VII-AS stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez, J.; Hartfuss, H.J.; Anabitarte, E.; Navarro, A.P.

1991-01-01

In the almost shearless stellarator Wendelstein VII-AS strong correlation between the confinement properties and the rotational transform iota has been found. Reduced confinement was observed for the low order rational values 1/2 and 1/3. In their vicinity best confinement is observed. In general optimum confinement is obtained in the low shear configuration if the 'resonant' iota values can be excluded from the plasma column. The iota profile inside the plasma is affected by toroidal currents and beta effects. Although the global net current can be kept at zero level using a small OH induced current opposed to the gradient driven bootstrap current, the different currents flow at different radial positions affecting the iota profile. Tools for configuration control inside the plasma are besides OH current vertical fields and the currents driven by the NBI and most promising the ECH heating systems. In this context experimental information on the iota profile is highly needed. The localization of rational surfaces by reflectometry seems possible. Radially resolved density fluctuation measurements have been carried out by means of a simple microwave reflectometry system. The method is based on the reflection of microwave radiation in the millimeter range at the plasma cutoff layer. (orig./AH)

The structure and dynamics of blob filaments in the stellarator TJ-K

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garland, Stephen; Ramisch, Mirko [Institut fuer Grenzflaechenverfahrenstechnik und Plasmatechnologie, Universitaet Stuttgart (Germany); Fuchert, Golo [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, Greifswald (Germany)

2016-07-01

Filamental structures with higher pressure than the background plasma are commonly observed in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of toroidal magnetic confinement devices. These structures, often referred to as blobs, propagate radially outwards and poloidally, contributing significantly to SOL transport. It is therefore important to study the properties of blobs in order to be able to predict heat loads on the plasma facing components of future reactors, as well as to better understand particle transport and plasma confinement. Detailed experiments have been carried out into blob dynamics and structure using Langmuir probes at the stellarator TJ-K. By means of the conditional averaging technique, blob dynamics in a poloidal cross section have been studied, and the influence of geodesic curvature on poloidal blob drive are shown. In addition, the result of simultaneous measurements at two toroidally separated locations is presented, providing information on the 3D structure of blob filaments and their alignment to the magnetic field as they propagate through the SOL.

Statistical properties of turbulent transport and fluctuations in tokamak and stellarator devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hidalgo, C; Pedrosa, M A; Milligen, B Van; Sanchez, E; Balbin, R; Garcia-Cortes, I [Euratom-CIEMAT Association, Madrid (Spain); Bleuel, J; Giannone, L.; Niedermeyer, H [Euratom-IPP Association, Garching (Germany)

1997-05-01

The statistical properties of fluctuations and turbulent transport have been studied in the plasma boundary region of stellarator (TJ-IU, W7-AS) and tokamak (TJ-I) devices. The local flux probability distribution function shows the bursty character of the flux and presents a systematic change as a function of the radial location. There exist large amplitude transport bursts that account for a significant part of the total flux. There is a strong similarity between the statistical properties of the turbulent fluxes in different devices. The value of the radial coherence associated with fluctuations and turbulent transport is strongly intermittent. This result emphasizes the importance of measurements with time resolution in understanding the interplay between the edge and the core regions in the plasma. For measurements in the plasma edge region of the TJ-IU torsatron, the turbulent flux does not, in general, show a larger radial coherence than the one associated with the fluctuations. (author). 14 refs, 6 figs.

Does the stellar distribution flare? A comparison of stellar scale heights with LAB H I data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalberla, P. M. W.; Kerp, J.; Dedes, L. [Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn, Auf dem Hügel 71, 53121 Bonn (Germany); Haud, U., E-mail: pkalberla@astro.uni-bonn.de [Tartu Observatory, 61602 Tõravere (Estonia)

2014-10-10

The question of whether the stellar populations in the Milky Way take part in the flaring of scale heights as observed for the H I gas is a matter of debate. Standard mass models for the Milky Way assume a constant scale height for each of the different stellar distributions. However, there is mounting evidence that at least some of the stellar distributions reach, at large galactocentric distances, high altitudes, which are incompatible with a constant scale height. We discuss recent observational evidence for stellar flaring and compare it with H I data from the Leiden/Argentine/Bonn survey. Within the systemic and statistical uncertainties we find a good agreement between both.

Scalings of energy confinement and density limit in stellarator/heliotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sudo, S.; Takeiri, Y.; Zushi, H.; Sano, F.; Itoh, K.; Kondo, K.; Iiyoshi, A.

1989-04-01

Empirical scaling of energy confinement observed experimentally in stellarator/heliotron (Heliotron E, Wendelstein 7A, L2, Heliotron DR) under the condition that plasmas are heated by ECH and/or NbI is proposed. Empirical scaling of density limit obtainable under the optimum condition is proposed. These scalings are compared with those of tokamaks. The energy confinement scaling has similar power dependence as 'L mode scaling' of tokamaks. The density limit scaling seems also to indicate the upper limit of achievable density in many tokamaks. Combining the energy confinement time and the density limit scaling a transport-limited beta value is also deduced. Thus, from the viewpoint of designing a machine, there should be some compromise in determing magnetic field strength on plasma axis, average minor radius and major radius, because their dependence on confinement time and transport-limited beta value is contradicting. (J.P.N.)

On neoclassical impurity transport in stellarator geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

García-Regaña, J M; Kleiber, R; Beidler, C D; Turkin, Y; Maaßberg, H; Helander, P

2013-01-01

The impurity dynamics in stellarators has become an issue of moderate concern due to the inherent tendency of the impurities to accumulate in the core when the neoclassical ambipolar radial electric field points radially inwards (ion root regime). This accumulation can lead to collapse of the plasma due to radiative losses, and thus limit high performance plasma discharges in non-axisymmetric devices. A quantitative description of the neoclassical impurity transport is complicated by the breakdown of the assumption of small E × B drift and trapping due to the electrostatic potential variation on a flux surface Φ-tilde compared with those due to the magnetic field gradient. This work examines the impact of this potential variation on neoclassical impurity transport in the Large Helical Device heliotron. It shows that the neoclassical impurity transport can be strongly affected by Φ-tilde . The central numerical tool used is the δf particle in cell Monte Carlo code EUTERPE. The Φ-tilde used in the calculations is provided by the neoclassical code GSRAKE. The possibility of obtaining a more general Φ-tilde self-consistently with EUTERPE is also addressed and a preliminary calculation is presented. (paper)

First Toroidal Rotation Measurements of Protons and Impurities in the TJ-II Stellarator; Primeras Medidas de Rotacion Toroidal de Protones e Impurezas en el Stellarator TJ-II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rapisarda, D.; Zurro, B.; Baciero, A.

2006-07-01

First absolute toroidal rotation measurements in the TJ-II stellarator, by using passive emission spectroscopy, are presented. The wavelength calibration is performed by using a spectral system which combines the spectra coming from the plasma and from a lamp in real time. Measurements have been made both for protons and some impurity ions (C4+, He+), in discharges created by electron cyclotron resonance heating, and in discharges with neutral beam injection heating. In addition, a description of the systems as well as the calibration procedures an data analysis is addressed. (Author) 10 refs.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of plasma lipoproteins in malignancy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nabholtz, J.M.; Rossignol, A.; Farnier, M.; Gambert, P.; Tremeaux, J.C.; Friedman, S.; Guerrin, J.

1988-01-01

A recent study described a method of detecting malignant tumors by water-supressed proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H NMR) study of plasma. We performed a similar study of the W 1/2, a mean of the full width at half height of the resonances of the methyl and methylene groups of the lipids of plasma lipoproteins which is inversely related to the spin-spin apparent relaxation time (T 2 * ). W 1/2 values were measured at a fixed baseline width of 310 Hz. The study was prospective and blinded and comprised 182 subjects consisting of 40 controls, 68 patients with untreated malignancies, 45 with malignant tumors undergoing therapy and 29 benign tumor patients. No differences were seen between any groups that could serve as a basis for a useful clinical test. The major difficulty in the determination of W 1/2 was due to interference of metabolite protons (particularly lactate) within the lipoprotein resonance signal. Triglyceride level was seen to correlate inversely with W 1/2 within malignant patient groups. These discrepant results may be related to differing triglyceride-rich very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels in the ;atient populations of each study. We conclude that the water-suppressed 1H NMR of plasma lipoproteins is not a valid measurement for assessing malignancy. (orig.)

The Influence of Stellar Spin on Ignition of Thermonuclear Runaways

Science.gov (United States)

Galloway, Duncan K.; in ’t Zand, Jean J. M.; Chenevez, Jérôme; Keek, Laurens; Sanchez-Fernandez, Celia; Worpel, Hauke; Lampe, Nathanael; Kuulkers, Erik; Watts, Anna; Ootes, Laura; The MINBAR collaboration

2018-04-01

Runaway thermonuclear burning of a layer of accumulated fuel on the surface of a compact star provides a brief but intense display of stellar nuclear processes. For neutron stars accreting from a binary companion, these events manifest as thermonuclear (type-I) X-ray bursts, and recur on typical timescales of hours to days. We measured the burst rate as a function of accretion rate, from seven neutron stars with known spin rates, using a burst sample accumulated over several decades. At the highest accretion rates, the burst rate is lower for faster spinning stars. The observations imply that fast (>400 Hz) rotation encourages stabilization of nuclear burning, suggesting a dynamical dependence of nuclear ignition on the spin rate. This dependence is unexpected, because faster rotation entails less shear between the surrounding accretion disk and the star. Large-scale circulation in the fuel layer, leading to enhanced mixing of the burst ashes into the fuel layer, may explain this behavior; further numerical simulations are required to confirm this.