Beam current enhancement of microwave plasma ion source utilizing double-port rectangular cavity resonator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Yuna; Park, Yeong-Shin; Jo, Jong-Gab

2012-02-15

Microwave plasma ion source with rectangular cavity resonator has been examined to improve ion beam current by changing wave launcher type from single-port to double-port. The cavity resonators with double-port and single-port wave launchers are designed to get resonance effect at TE-103 mode and TE-102 mode, respectively. In order to confirm that the cavities are acting as resonator, the microwave power for breakdown is measured and compared with the E-field strength estimated from the HFSS (High Frequency Structure Simulator) simulation. Langmuir probe measurements show that double-port cavity enhances central density of plasma ion source by modifying non-uniform plasma density profilemore » of the single-port cavity. Correspondingly, beam current from the plasma ion source utilizing the double-port resonator is measured to be higher than that utilizing single-port resonator. Moreover, the enhancement in plasma density and ion beam current utilizing the double-port resonator is more pronounced as higher microwave power applied to the plasma ion source. Therefore, the rectangular cavity resonator utilizing the double-port is expected to enhance the performance of plasma ion source in terms of ion beam extraction.« less

Beam current enhancement of microwave plasma ion source utilizing double-port rectangular cavity resonator.

PubMed

Lee, Yuna; Park, Yeong-Shin; Jo, Jong-Gab; Yang, J J; Hwang, Y S

2012-02-01

Microwave plasma ion source with rectangular cavity resonator has been examined to improve ion beam current by changing wave launcher type from single-port to double-port. The cavity resonators with double-port and single-port wave launchers are designed to get resonance effect at TE-103 mode and TE-102 mode, respectively. In order to confirm that the cavities are acting as resonator, the microwave power for breakdown is measured and compared with the E-field strength estimated from the HFSS (High Frequency Structure Simulator) simulation. Langmuir probe measurements show that double-port cavity enhances central density of plasma ion source by modifying non-uniform plasma density profile of the single-port cavity. Correspondingly, beam current from the plasma ion source utilizing the double-port resonator is measured to be higher than that utilizing single-port resonator. Moreover, the enhancement in plasma density and ion beam current utilizing the double-port resonator is more pronounced as higher microwave power applied to the plasma ion source. Therefore, the rectangular cavity resonator utilizing the double-port is expected to enhance the performance of plasma ion source in terms of ion beam extraction.

Plasma Flow During RF Discharges in VASIMR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacobson, V. T.; Chang Diaz, F. R.; Squire, J. P.; Ilin, A. V.; Bengtson, R. D.; Carter, M. D.; Goulding, R. H.

1999-01-01

The Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) plasma source consists of a helical antenna, driven at frequencies of 4 to 19 MHz with powers up to 1 kW, in a magnetic field up to 3 kG. Helium is the current test gas, and future experiments with hydrogen are planned. Plasma density and temperature profiles were measured by a reciprocating Langmuir probe, and plasma flow profiles were measured with a reciprocating Mach probe. Both probes were located about 0.5 m downstream from the helical antenna. The plasma source operated in capacitive and inductive modes in addition to a helicon mode. During capacitive and inductive modes, densities were low and plasma flow was < 0.5 Cs. When the plasma operated in a helicon mode, the densities measured downstream from the source were higher [10(exp 12) / cubic cm ] and plasma flow along the magnetic field was of the order Mach 1. Details of the measurements will be shown.

Influence of heat and particle fluxes nonlocality on spatial distribution of plasma density in two-chamber inductively coupled plasma sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kudryavtsev, A. A.; Serditov, K. Yu.

2012-07-01

This study presents 2D simulations of the two-chamber inductively coupled plasma source where power is supplied in the small discharge chamber and extends by electron thermal conductivity mechanism to the big diffusion chamber. Depending on pressure, two main scenarios of plasma density and its spatial distribution behavior were identified. One case is characterized by the localization of plasma in the small driver chamber where power is deposed. Another case describes when the diffusion chamber becomes the main source of plasma with maximum of the electron density. The differences in spatial distribution are caused by local or non-local behavior of electron energy transport in the discharge volume due to different characteristic scale of heat transfer with electronic conductivity.

Counter-facing plasma guns for efficient extreme ultra-violet plasma light source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuroda, Yusuke; Yamamoto, Akiko; Kuwabara, Hajime; Nakajima, Mitsuo; Kawamura, Tohru; Horioka, Kazuhiko

2013-11-01

A plasma focus system composed of a pair of counter-facing coaxial guns was proposed as a long-pulse and/or repetitive high energy density plasma source. We applied Li as the source of plasma for improvement of the conversion efficiency, the spectral purity, and the repetition capability. For operation of the system with ideal counter-facing plasma focus mode, we changed the system from simple coaxial geometry to a multi-channel configuration. We applied a laser trigger to make synchronous multi-channel discharges with low jitter. The results indicated that the configuration is promising to make a high energy density plasma with high spectral efficiency.

RF Plasma Source for Heavy Ion Beam Charge Neutralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Efthimion, P. C.; Gilson, E.; Grisham, L.; Davidson, R. C.

2003-10-01

Highly ionized plasmas are being employed as a medium for charge neutralizing heavy ion beams in order to focus to a small spot size. Calculations suggest that plasma at a density of 1 - 100 times the ion beam density and at a length 0.1-0.5 m would be suitable for achieving a high level of charge neutralization. An ECR source has been built at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in support of the joint Neutralized Transport Experiment (NTX) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to study ion beam neutralization with plasma. The ECR source operates at 13.6 MHz and with solenoid magnetic fields of 0-10 gauss. The goal is to operate the source at pressures 10-5 Torr at full ionization. The initial operation of the source has been at pressures of 10-4 - 10-1 Torr. Electron densities in the range of 10^8 - 10^11 cm-3 have been achieved. Recently, pulsed operation of the source has enabled operation at pressures in the 10-6 Torr range with densities of 10^11 cm-3. Near 100% ionization has been achieved. The source has been integrated with NTX and is being used in the experiments. The plasma is approximately 10 cm in length in the direction of the beam propagation. Modifications to the source will be presented that increase its length in the direction of beam propagation.

Impurities, temperature, and density in a miniature electrostatic plasma and current source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Den Hartog, D.J.; Craig, D.J.; Fiksel, G.

1996-10-01

We have spectroscopically investigated the Sterling Scientific miniature electrostatic plasma source-a plasma gun. This gun is a clean source of high density (10{sup 19} - 10{sup 20} m{sup -3}), low temperature (5 - 15 eV) plasma. A key result of our investigation is that molybdenum from the gun electrodes is largely trapped in the internal gun discharge; only a small amount escapes in the plasma flowing out of the gun. In addition, the gun plasma parameters actually improve (even lower impurity contamination and higher ion temperature) when up to 1 kA of electron current is extracted from the gun viamore » the application of an external bias. This improvement occurs because the internal gun anode no longer acts as the current return for the internal gun discharge. The gun plasma is a virtual plasma electrode capable of sourcing an electron emission current density of 1 kA/cm{sup 2}. The high emission current, small size (3 - 4 cm diameter), and low impurity generation make this gun attractive for a variety of fusion and plasma technology applications.« less

Electron density measurement in gas discharge plasmas by optical and acoustic methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biagioni, A.; Anania, M. P.; Bellaveglia, M.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Di Giovenale, D.; Di Pirro, G.; Ferrario, M.; Filippi, F.; Mostacci, A.; Pompili, R.; Shpakov, V.; Vaccarezza, C.; Villa, F.; Zigler, A.

2016-08-01

Plasma density represents a very important parameter for both laser wakefield and plasma wakefield acceleration, which use a gas-filled capillary plasma source. Several techniques can be used to measure the plasma density within a capillary discharge, which are mainly based on optical diagnostic methods, as for example the well-known spectroscopic method using the Stark broadening effect. In this work, we introduce a preliminary study on an alternative way to detect the plasma density, based on the shock waves produced by gas discharge in a capillary. Firstly, the measurements of the acoustic spectral content relative to the laser-induced plasmas by a solid target allowed us to understand the main properties of the acoustic waves produced during this kind of plasma generation; afterwards, we have extended such acoustic technique to the capillary plasma source in order to calibrate it by comparison with the stark broadening method.

Reduction of plasma density in the Helicity Injected Torus with Steady Inductance experiment by using a helicon pre-ionization source.

PubMed

Hossack, Aaron C; Firman, Taylor; Jarboe, Thomas R; Prager, James R; Victor, Brian S; Wrobel, Jonathan S; Ziemba, Timothy

2013-10-01

A helicon based pre-ionization source has been developed and installed on the Helicity Injected Torus with Steady Inductance (HIT-SI) spheromak. The source initiates plasma breakdown by injecting impurity-free, unmagnetized plasma into the HIT-SI confinement volume. Typical helium spheromaks have electron density reduced from (2-3) × 10(19) m(-3) to 1 × 10(19) m(-3). Deuterium spheromak formation is possible with density as low as 2 × 10(18) m(-3). The source also enables HIT-SI to be operated with only one helicity injector at injector frequencies above 14.5 kHz. A theory explaining the physical mechanism driving the reduction of breakdown density is presented.

Electron-ion hybrid instability experiment upgrades to the Auburn Linear Experiment for Instability Studies.

PubMed

DuBois, A M; Arnold, I; Thomas, E; Tejero, E; Amatucci, W E

2013-04-01

The Auburn Linear EXperiment for Instability Studies (ALEXIS) is a laboratory plasma physics experiment used to study spatially inhomogeneous flows in a magnetized cylindrical plasma column that are driven by crossed electric (E) and magnetic (B) fields. ALEXIS was recently upgraded to include a small, secondary plasma source for a new dual source, interpenetrating plasma experiment. Using two plasma sources allows for highly localized electric fields to be made at the boundary of the two plasmas, inducing strong E × B velocity shear in the plasma, which can give rise to a regime of instabilities that have not previously been studied in ALEXIS. The dual plasma configuration makes it possible to have independent control over the velocity shear and the density gradient. This paper discusses the recent addition of the secondary plasma source to ALEXIS, as well as the plasma diagnostics used to measure electric fields and electron densities.

Numerical Analysis of Plasma Transport in Tandem Volume Magnetic Multicusp Ion Sources

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-03-01

the results of the model are qualitatively correct. Boltzmann Equation, Ion Sources, Plasma Simulation, Electron Temperature, Plasma Density, Ion Temperature, Hydrogen Ions, Magnetic Filters, Hydrogen Plasma Chemistry .

The study of helicon plasma source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miao Tingting; Shang Yong; Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049

2010-02-15

Helicon plasma source is known as efficient generator of uniform and high density plasma. A helicon plasma source was developed for investigation of plasma neutralization and plasma lens in the Institute of Modern Physics in China. In this paper, the characteristics of helicon plasma have been studied by using Langmuir four-probe and a high argon plasma density up to 3.9x10{sup 13} cm{sup -3} have been achieved with the Nagoya type III antenna at the conditions of the magnetic intensity of 200 G, working gas pressure of 2.8x10{sup -3} Pa, and rf power of 1200 W with a frequency of 27.12more » MHz. In the experiment, the important phenomena have been found: for a given magnetic induction intensity, the plasma density became greater with the increase in rf power and tended to saturation, and the helicon mode appeared at the rf power between 200 and 400 W.« less

Turbulence and transport in high density, increased β LAPD plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Giovanni; Carter, Troy; Guice, Danny

2014-10-01

A new LaB6 cathode plasma source has recently been deployed on the Large Plasma Device (LAPD), allowing for the production of significantly higher plasma density (ne ~ 3 ×1013 cm-3) and temperature (Te ~ 12 eV and Ti ~ 6 eV). This source produces a smaller core plasma (~20cm diameter) that can be embedded in the lower temperature, lower density standard LAPD plasma (60 cm diameter, 1012 cm-3, Te ~ 5 eV, Ti ~ 1 eV). We will present first results from experiments exploring the nature of turbulence and transport produced by this high density core plasma. In contrast to the edge of the standard LAPD plasma, coherent fluctuations are observed in the edge of the high density core plasma. These coherent modes are dominant at low field (~400 G) with a transition to a more broadband spectrum at higher fields (~1 kG). The combination of increased density and temperature with lowered field in LAPD leads to significant increases in plasma β (in fact β ~ 1 can be achieved for B ~ 100 G). As the field is lowered, the strength of correlated magnetic fluctuations increases substantially.

Characterization of an electrothermal plasma source for fusion transient simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebhart, T. E.; Baylor, L. R.; Rapp, J.; Winfrey, A. L.

2018-01-01

The realization of fusion energy requires materials that can withstand high heat and particle fluxes at the plasma material interface. In this work, an electrothermal (ET) plasma source has been designed as a transient heat flux source for a linear plasma material interaction device. An ET plasma source operates in the ablative arc regime driven by a DC capacitive discharge. The current channel width is defined by the 4 mm bore of a boron nitride liner. At large plasma currents, the arc impacts the liner wall, leading to high particle and heat fluxes to the liner material, which subsequently ablates and ionizes. This results in a high density plasma with a large unidirectional bulk flow out of the source exit. The pulse length for the ET source has been optimized using a pulse forming network to have durations of 1 and 2 ms. The peak currents and maximum source energies seen in this system are 1.9 kA and 1.2 kJ for the 2 ms pulse and 3.2 kA and 2.1 kJ for the 1 ms pulse, respectively. This work is a proof of the principal project to show that an ET source produces electron densities and heat fluxes comparable to those anticipated in transient events in large future magnetic confinement fusion devices. Heat flux, plasma temperature, and plasma density were determined for each shot using infrared imaging and optical spectroscopy techniques. This paper will discuss the assumptions, methods, and results of the experiments.

Observation of helicon wave with m = 0 antenna in a weakly magnetized inductively coupled plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellingboe, Bert; Sirse, Nishant; Moloney, Rachel; McCarthy, John

2015-09-01

Bounded whistler wave, called ``helicon wave,'' is known to produce high-density plasmas and has been exploited as a high density plasma source for many applications, including electric propulsion for spacecraft. In a helicon plasma source, an antenna wrapped around the magnetized plasma column launches a low frequency wave, ωce/2 >ωhelicon >ωce/100, in the plasma which is responsible for maintaining high density plasma. Several antenna designs have been proposed in order to match efficiently the wave modes. In our experiment, helicon wave mode is observed using an m = 0 antenna. A floating B dot probe, compensated to the capacitively coupled E field, is employed to measure axial-wave-field-profiles (z, r, and θ components) in the plasma at multiple radial positions as a function of rf power and pressure. The Bθ component of the rf-field is observed to be unaffected as the wave propagates in the axial direction. Power coupling between the antenna and the plasma column is identified and agrees with the E, H, and wave coupling regimes previously seen in M =1 antenna systems. That is, the Bz component of the rf-field is observed at low plasma density as the Bz component from the antenna penetrates the plasma. The Bz component becomes very small at medium density due to shielding at the centre of the plasma column; however, with increasing density, a sudden ``jump'' occurs in the Bz component above which a standing wave under the antenna with a propagating wave away from the antenna are observed.

Method of high-precision microsampled blood and plasma mass densitometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinghofer-Szalkay, H.

1986-01-01

The reliability of the mechanical oscillator technique for blood and plasma density measurements on samples of volumes less than 0.1 ml is examined, and a precision of 0.001 g/l is found if plasma-isodensic heparin solution and siliconized densitometers are employed. Sources of measurement errors in the density determinations include storage of plasma samples, inhomogeneity of blood samples, and density reading before adequate temperature equilibration. In tests of plasma sample storage, the best reproducibility was obtained with samples kept at 4 C. Linear correlations were found between plasma density and plasma protein concentration, blood density and blood hemoglobin concentration, and erythrocyte density and MCHC.

Transport of a helicon plasma by a convergent magnetic field for high speed and compact plasma etching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Kazunori; Motomura, Taisei; Ando, Akira; Kasashima, Yuji; Kikunaga, Kazuya; Uesugi, Fumihiko; Hara, Shiro

2014-10-01

A high density argon plasma produced in a compact helicon source is transported by a convergent magnetic field to the central region of a substrate located downstream of the source. The magnetic field converging near the source exit is applied by a solenoid and further converged by installing a permanent magnet (PM) behind the substrate, which is located downstream of the source exit. Then a higher plasma density above 5 × 1012 cm-3 can be obtained in 0.2 Pa argon near the substrate, compared with the case without the PM. As no noticeable changes in the radially integrated density near the substrate and the power transfer efficiency are detected when testing the source with and without the PM, it can be deduced that the convergent field provided by the PM plays a role in constricting the plasma rather than in improving the plasma production. Furthermore it is applied to physical ion etching of silicon and aluminum substrates; then high etching rates of 6.5 µm min-1 and 8 µm min-1 are obtained, respectively.

Studies of waves and instabilities using increased beta, warm ion plasmas in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Troy; Dorfman, Seth; Gekelman, Walter; Vincena, Steve; van Compernolle, Bart; Tripathi, Shreekrishna; Pribyl, Pat; Morales, George

2015-11-01

A new plasma source based on a Lanthanum Hexaboride (LAB6) emissive cathode has been developed and installed on the LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA. The new source provides a much higher discharge current density (compared to the standard LAPD Barium Oxide source) resulting in a factor of ~ 50 increase in plasma density and a factor of ~ 2 - 3 increase in electron temperature. Due to the increased density the ion-electron energy exchange time is shorter in the new plasma, resulting in warm ions (measured spectroscopically to be ~ 5 - 6 eV, up from <~ 1 eV in the standard source plasma). This increased pressure combined with lowered magnetic field provides access to magnetized plasmas with β up to order unity. Topics under investigation include the physics of Alfvén waves in increased β plasmas (dispersion and kinetic damping on ions), electromagnetic effects and magnetic transport in drift-Alfvén wave turbulence, and the excitation of ion-temperature-anisotropy driven modes such as the mirror and firehose instabilities. The capabilities of the new source will be discussed along with initial experimental resuls on electromagnetic drift-Alfvén wave turbulence and Alfvén wave propagation with increased plasma β. Supported by NSF and DOE.

Coupling of RF antennas to large volume helicon plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Lei; Hu, Xinyue; Gao, Lei; Chen, Wei; Wu, Xianming; Sun, Xinfeng; Hu, Ning; Huang, Chongxiang

2018-04-01

Large volume helicon plasma sources are of particular interest for large scale semiconductor processing, high power plasma propulsion and recently plasma-material interaction under fusion conditions. This work is devoted to studying the coupling of four typical RF antennas to helicon plasma with infinite length and diameter of 0.5 m, and exploring its frequency dependence in the range of 13.56-70 MHz for coupling optimization. It is found that loop antenna is more efficient than half helix, Boswell and Nagoya III antennas for power absorption; radially parabolic density profile overwhelms Gaussian density profile in terms of antenna coupling for low-density plasma, but the superiority reverses for high-density plasma. Increasing the driving frequency results in power absorption more near plasma edge, but the overall power absorption increases with frequency. Perpendicular stream plots of wave magnetic field, wave electric field and perturbed current are also presented. This work can serve as an important reference for the experimental design of large volume helicon plasma source with high RF power.

Back-diffusion plasma generator for ionosphere study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, H. K.; Oyama, K.-I.; Chen, A. B.

2017-11-01

To produce ionospheric plasma environments at ground level is essential to get information not only for the development of CubeSat-class spacecraft but also for the design of ionospheric plasma instruments and to confirm their performance. In this paper, we describe the principle of plasma generation and characteristics of the back-diffusion plasma source, which can produce in-lab plasma similar to the Earth’s ionosphere, E and F regions, conditions of electron and ion temperature and density. The ion and electron energy distributions of the plasma generated by a back-diffusion source are measured by means of a cleaned Langmuir probe and gridded particle energy analyzers. The ion motion in front of the source is investigated by a hard-sphere collision model in SIMION software and the simulation results are comparable with the findings of our experiment. Furthermore, plasma densities and ion temperatures at different positions in front of the source are also demonstrated. The back-diffusion source has been accommodated for ionospheric plasma productions in several Asian institutes. The plasma characteristics of the source shown in this paper will benefit space research groups in the development of space plasma instruments.

Characterization of an electrothermal plasma source for fusion transient simulations

DOE PAGES

Gebhart, T. E.; Baylor, Larry R.; Rapp, Juergen; ...

2018-01-21

The realization of fusion energy requires materials that can withstand high heat and particle fluxes at the plasma material interface. Here in this work, an electrothermal (ET) plasma source has been designed as a transient heat flux source for a linear plasma material interaction device. An ET plasma source operates in the ablative arc regime driven by a DC capacitive discharge. The current channel width is defined by the 4 mm bore of a boron nitride liner. At large plasma currents, the arc impacts the liner wall, leading to high particle and heat fluxes to the liner material, which subsequentlymore » ablates and ionizes. This results in a high density plasma with a large unidirectional bulk flow out of the source exit. The pulse length for the ET source has been optimized using a pulse forming network to have durations of 1 and 2 ms. The peak currents and maximum source energies seen in this system are 1.9 kA and 1.2 kJ for the 2 ms pulse and 3.2 kA and 2.1 kJ for the 1 ms pulse, respectively. This work is a proof of the principal project to show that an ET source produces electron densities and heat fluxes comparable to those anticipated in transient events in large future magnetic confinement fusion devices. Heat flux, plasma temperature, and plasma density were determined for each shot using infrared imaging and optical spectroscopy techniques. This paper will discuss the assumptions, methods, and results of the experiments.« less

Characterization of an electrothermal plasma source for fusion transient simulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gebhart, T. E.; Baylor, Larry R.; Rapp, Juergen

The realization of fusion energy requires materials that can withstand high heat and particle fluxes at the plasma material interface. Here in this work, an electrothermal (ET) plasma source has been designed as a transient heat flux source for a linear plasma material interaction device. An ET plasma source operates in the ablative arc regime driven by a DC capacitive discharge. The current channel width is defined by the 4 mm bore of a boron nitride liner. At large plasma currents, the arc impacts the liner wall, leading to high particle and heat fluxes to the liner material, which subsequentlymore » ablates and ionizes. This results in a high density plasma with a large unidirectional bulk flow out of the source exit. The pulse length for the ET source has been optimized using a pulse forming network to have durations of 1 and 2 ms. The peak currents and maximum source energies seen in this system are 1.9 kA and 1.2 kJ for the 2 ms pulse and 3.2 kA and 2.1 kJ for the 1 ms pulse, respectively. This work is a proof of the principal project to show that an ET source produces electron densities and heat fluxes comparable to those anticipated in transient events in large future magnetic confinement fusion devices. Heat flux, plasma temperature, and plasma density were determined for each shot using infrared imaging and optical spectroscopy techniques. This paper will discuss the assumptions, methods, and results of the experiments.« less

Characterization of an atmospheric pressure air plasma source for polymer surface modification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Shujun; Tang, Jiansheng

2013-10-01

An atmospheric pressure air plasma source was generated through dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). It was used to modify polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) surfaces with very high throughput. An equivalent circuit model was used to calculate the peak average electron density. The emission spectrum from the plasma was taken and the main peaks in the spectrum were identified. The ozone density in the down plasma region was estimated by Absorption Spectroscopy. NSF and ARC-ODU

Reduction of plasma density in the Helicity Injected Torus with Steady Inductance experiment by using a helicon pre-ionization source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hossack, Aaron C.; Jarboe, Thomas R.; Victor, Brian S.

2013-10-15

A helicon based pre-ionization source has been developed and installed on the Helicity Injected Torus with Steady Inductance (HIT-SI) spheromak. The source initiates plasma breakdown by injecting impurity-free, unmagnetized plasma into the HIT-SI confinement volume. Typical helium spheromaks have electron density reduced from (2–3) × 10{sup 19} m{sup −3} to 1 × 10{sup 19} m{sup −3}. Deuterium spheromak formation is possible with density as low as 2 × 10{sup 18} m{sup −3}. The source also enables HIT-SI to be operated with only one helicity injector at injector frequencies above 14.5 kHz. A theory explaining the physical mechanism driving the reductionmore » of breakdown density is presented.« less

Behaviors of Absolute Densities of N, H, and NH3 at Remote Region of High-Density Radical Source Employing N2-H2 Mixture Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shang; Kondo, Hiroki; Ishikawa, Kenji; Takeda, Keigo; Sekine, Makoto; Kano, Hiroyuki; Den, Shoji; Hori, Masaru

2011-01-01

For an innovation of molecular-beam-epitaxial (MBE) growth of gallium nitride (GaN), the measurements of absolute densities of N, H, and NH3 at the remote region of the radical source excited by plasmas have become absolutely imperative. By vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy (VUVAS) at a relatively low pressure of about 1 Pa, we obtained a N atom density of 9×1012 cm-3 for a pure nitrogen gas used, a H atom density of 7×1012 cm-3 for a gas composition of 80% hydrogen mixed with nitrogen gas were measured. The maximum density 2×1013 cm-3 of NH3 was measured by quadruple mass spectrometry (QMS) at H2/(N2+H2)=60%. Moreover, we found that N atom density was considerably affected by processing history, where the characteristic instability was observed during the pure nitrogen plasma discharge sequentially after the hydrogen-containing plasma discharge. These results indicate imply the importance of establishing radical-based processes to control precisely the absolute densities of N, H, and NH3 at the remote region of the radical source.

Negative hydrogen ions in a linear helicon plasma device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corr, Cormac; Santoso, Jesse; Samuell, Cameron; Willett, Hannah; Manoharan, Rounak; O'Byrne, Sean

2015-09-01

Low-pressure negative ion sources are of crucial importance to the development of high-energy (>1 MeV) neutral beam injection systems for the ITER experimental tokamak device. Due to their high power coupling efficiency and high plasma densities, helicon devices may be able to reduce power requirements and potentially remove the need for caesium. In helicon sources, the RF power can be coupled efficiently into the plasma and it has been previously observed that the application of a small magnetic field can lead to a significant increase in the plasma density. In this work, we investigate negative ion dynamics in a high-power (20 kW) helicon plasma source. The negative ion fraction is measured by probe-based laser photodetachment, electron density and temperature are determined by a Langmuir probe and tuneable diode laser absorption spectroscopy is used to determine the density of the H(n = 2) excited atomic state and the gas temperature. The negative ion density and excited atomic hydrogen density display a maximum at a low applied magnetic field of 3 mT, while the electron temperature displays a minimum. The negative ion density can be increased by a factor of 8 with the application of the magnetic field. Spatial and temporal measurements will also be presented. The Australian Research Grants Council is acknowledged for funding.

Experiments with planar inductive ion source meant for creation of H+ beams.

PubMed

Vainionpaa, J H; Kalvas, T; Hahto, S K; Reijonen, J

2007-06-01

In this article the effects of different engineering parameters of rf-driven ion sources with an external spiral antenna and a quartz rf window are studied. This article consists of three main topics: the effect of source geometry on the operation gas pressure, the effect of source materials and magnetic confinement on extracted current density and ion species, and the effect of different antenna geometries on the extracted current density. The effect of source geometry was studied using three cylindrical plasma chambers with different inner diameters. The chamber materials were studied using two materials, aluminum (Al) and alumina (Al(2)O(3)). The removable 14 magnet multicusp confinement arrangement enabled us to compare the effects of the two wall materials with and without the magnetic confinement. The highest measured proton fractions were measured using Al(2)O(3) plasma chamber and no multicusp confinement. For the compared ion sources the source with multicusp confinement and Al(2)O(3) plasma chamber yields the highest current densities. Multicusp confinement increased the maximum extracted current by up to a factor of 2. Plasma production with different antenna geometries were also studied. The highest current density was achieved using 4.5 loop solenoid antenna with 6.0 cm diameter. A slightly lower current density with lower pressure was achieved using a tightly wound 3 loop spiral antenna with 3.3 cm inner diameter and 6 cm outer diameter.

Performance of a permanent-magnet helicon source at 27 and 13 MHz

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Francis F.

2012-09-15

A small helicon source is used to create dense plasma and inject it into a large chamber. A permanent magnet is used for the dc magnetic field (B-field), making the system very simple and compact. Though theory predicts that better antenna coupling will occur at 27.12 MHz, it was found that 13.56 MHz surprisingly gives even higher density due to practical effects not included in theory. Complete density n and electron temperature T{sub e} profiles are measured at three distances below the source. The plasma inside the source is also measured with a special probe, even under the antenna. Themore » density there is lower than expected because the plasma created is immediately ejected, filling the experimental chamber. The advantage of helicons over inductively coupled plasmas (with no B-field) increases with RF power. At high B-fields, edge ionization by the Trivelpiece-Gould mode can be seen. These results are useful for design of multiple-tube, large-area helicon sources for plasma etching and deposition because problems are encountered which cannot be foreseen by theory alone.« less

Impedance of an intense plasma-cathode electron source for tokamak startup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinson, E. T.; Barr, J. L.; Bongard, M. W.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Perry, J. M.

2016-05-01

An impedance model is formulated and tested for the ˜1 kV , 1 kA/cm2 , arc-plasma cathode electron source used for local helicity injection tokamak startup. A double layer sheath is established between the high-density arc plasma ( narc≈1021 m-3 ) within the electron source, and the less dense external tokamak edge plasma ( nedge≈1018 m-3 ) into which current is injected at the applied injector voltage, Vinj . Experiments on the Pegasus spherical tokamak show that the injected current, Iinj , increases with Vinj according to the standard double layer scaling Iinj˜Vinj3 /2 at low current and transitions to Iinj˜Vinj1 /2 at high currents. In this high current regime, sheath expansion and/or space charge neutralization impose limits on the beam density nb˜Iinj/Vinj1 /2 . For low tokamak edge density nedge and high Iinj , the inferred beam density nb is consistent with the requirement nb≤nedge imposed by space-charge neutralization of the beam in the tokamak edge plasma. At sufficient edge density, nb˜narc is observed, consistent with a limit to nb imposed by expansion of the double layer sheath. These results suggest that narc is a viable control actuator for the source impedance.

Development of high-density helicon plasma sources and their applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shinohara, Shunjiro; Hada, Tohru; Motomura, Taisei

2009-05-15

We report on the development of unique, high-density helicon plasma sources and describe their applications. Characterization of one of the largest helicon plasma sources yet constructed is made. Scalings of the particle production efficiency are derived from various plasma production devices in open literature and our own data from long and short cylinder devices, i.e., high and low values of the aspect ratio A (the ratio of the axial length to the diameter), considering the power balance in the framework of a simple diffusion model. A high plasma production efficiency is demonstrated, and we clarify the structures of the excitedmore » waves in the low A region down to 0.075 (the large device diameter of 73.8 cm with the axial length as short as 5.5 cm). We describe the application to plasma propulsion using a new concept that employs no electrodes. A very small diameter (2.5 cm) helicon plasma with 10{sup 13} cm{sup -3} density is produced, and the preliminary results of electromagnetic plasma acceleration are briefly described.« less

Operation of the ORNL High Particle Flux Helicon Plasma Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goulding, R. H.; Biewer, T. M.; Caughman, J. B. O.

2011-12-23

A high power, high particle flux rf-based helicon plasma source has been constructed at ORNL and operated at power levels up to 30 kW. High-density hydrogen and helium plasmas have been produced. The source has been designed as the basis for a linear plasma materials interaction (PMI) test facility that will generate particle fluxes {Gamma}{sub p}10{sup 23} m{sup -3} s{sup -1}, and utilize additional ion and electron cyclotron heating to produce high parallel (to the magnetic field) heat fluxes of {approx}10 MW/m{sup 2}. An rf-based source for PMI research is of interest because high plasma densities are generated with nomore » internal electrodes, allowing true steady state operation with minimal impurity generation. The ORNL helicon source has a diameter of 15 cm and to-date has operated at a frequency f = 13.56 MHz, with magnetic field strength |B| in the antenna region up to {approx}0.15 T. Maximum densities of 3x10{sup 19} m{sup -3} in He and 2.5x10{sup 19} m{sup -3} in H have been achieved. Radial density profiles have been seen to be dependent on the axial |B| profile.« less

Operation of the ORNL High Particle Flux Helicon Plasma Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goulding, Richard Howell; Biewer, Theodore M; Caughman, John B

2011-01-01

A high power, high particle flux rf-based helicon plasma source has been constructed at ORNL and operated at power levels up to 30 kW. High-density hydrogen and helium plasmas have been produced. The source has been designed as the basis for a linear plasma materials interaction (PMI) test facility that will generate particle fluxes Gamma(p) > 10(23) M-3 s(-1), and utilize additional ion and electron cyclotron heating to produce high parallel (to the magnetic field) heat fluxes of similar to 10 MW/m(2). An rf-based source for PMI research is of interest because high plasma densities are generated with no internalmore » electrodes, allowing true steady state operation with minimal impurity generation. The ORNL helicon source has a diameter of 15 cm and to-date has operated at a frequency f = 13.56 MHz, with magnetic field strength vertical bar B vertical bar in the antenna region up to similar to 0.15 T. Maximum densities of 3 x 10(19) M-3 in He and 2.5 x 10(19) m(-3) in H have been achieved. Radial density profiles have been seen to be dependent on the axial vertical bar B vertical bar profile.« less

A comparative study of radiofrequency antennas for Helicon plasma sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melazzi, D.; Lancellotti, V.

2015-04-01

Since Helicon plasma sources can efficiently couple power and generate high-density plasma, they have received interest also as spacecraft propulsive devices, among other applications. In order to maximize the power deposited into the plasma, it is necessary to assess the performance of the radiofrequency (RF) antenna that drives the discharge, as typical plasma parameters (e.g. the density) are varied. For this reason, we have conducted a comparative analysis of three Helicon sources which feature different RF antennas, namely, the single-loop, the Nagoya type-III and the fractional helix. These antennas are compared in terms of input impedance and induced current density; in particular, the real part of the impedance constitutes a measure of the antenna ability to couple power into the plasma. The results presented in this work have been obtained through a full-wave approach which (being hinged on the numerical solution of a system of integral equations) allows computing the antenna current and impedance self-consistently. Our findings indicate that certain combinations of plasma parameters can indeed maximize the real part of the input impedance and, thus, the deposited power, and that one of the three antennas analyzed performs best for a given plasma. Furthermore, unlike other strategies which rely on approximate antenna models, our approach enables us to reveal that the antenna current density is not spatially uniform, and that a correlation exists between the plasma parameters and the spatial distribution of the current density.

Turbulent fluctuations during pellet injection into a dipole confined plasma torus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garnier, D. T.; Mauel, M. E.; Roberts, T. M.; Kesner, J.; Woskov, P. P.

2017-01-01

We report measurements of the turbulent evolution of the plasma density profile following the fast injection of lithium pellets into the Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) [Boxer et al., Nat. Phys. 6, 207 (2010)]. As the pellet passes through the plasma, it provides a significant internal particle source and allows investigation of density profile evolution, turbulent relaxation, and turbulent fluctuations. The total electron number within the dipole plasma torus increases by more than a factor of three, and the central density increases by more than a factor of five. During these large changes in density, the shape of the density profile is nearly "stationary" such that the gradient of the particle number within tubes of equal magnetic flux vanishes. In comparison to the usual case, when the particle source is neutral gas at the plasma edge, the internal source from the pellet causes the toroidal phase velocity of the fluctuations to reverse and changes the average particle flux at the plasma edge. An edge particle source creates an inward turbulent pinch, but an internal particle source increases the outward turbulent particle flux. Statistical properties of the turbulence are measured by multiple microwave interferometers and by an array of probes at the edge. The spatial structures of the largest amplitude modes have long radial and toroidal wavelengths. Estimates of the local and toroidally averaged turbulent particle flux show intermittency and a non-Gaussian probability distribution function. The measured fluctuations, both before and during pellet injection, have frequency and wavenumber dispersion consistent with theoretical expectations for interchange and entropy modes excited within a dipole plasma torus having warm electrons and cool ions.

On the density limit in the helicon plasma sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kotelnikov, Igor A., E-mail: I.A.Kotelnikov@inp.nsk.su

2014-12-15

Existence of the density limit in the helicon plasma sources is revisited. The low- and high-frequency regimes of a helicon plasma source operation are distinguished. In the low-frequency regime with ω<√(ω{sub ci}ω{sub ce}), the density limit is deduced from the Golant-Stix criterion of the accessibility of the lower hybrid resonance. In the high-frequency case, ω>√(ω{sub ci}ω{sub ce}), an appropriate limit is given by the Shamrai-Taranov criterion. Both these criteria are closely related to the phenomenon of the coalescence of the helicon wave with the Trivelpiece-Gould mode. We draw a conclusion that the derived density limits are not currently achieved inmore » existing devices, perhaps, because of high energy cost of gas ionization.« less

Helicon plasma generator-assisted surface conversion ion source for the production of H- ion beams at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Centera)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarvainen, O.; Rouleau, G.; Keller, R.; Geros, E.; Stelzer, J.; Ferris, J.

2008-02-01

The converter-type negative ion source currently employed at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) is based on cesium enhanced surface production of H- ion beams in a filament-driven discharge. In this kind of an ion source the extracted H- beam current is limited by the achievable plasma density which depends primarily on the electron emission current from the filaments. The emission current can be increased by increasing the filament temperature but, unfortunately, this leads not only to shorter filament lifetime but also to an increase in metal evaporation from the filament, which deposits on the H- converter surface and degrades its performance. Therefore, we have started an ion source development project focused on replacing these thermionic cathodes (filaments) of the converter source by a helicon plasma generator capable of producing high-density hydrogen plasmas with low electron energy. In our studies which have so far shown that the plasma density of the surface conversion source can be increased significantly by exciting a helicon wave in the plasma, and we expect to improve the performance of the surface converter H- ion source in terms of beam brightness and time between services. The design of this new source and preliminary results are presented, along with a discussion of physical processes relevant for H- ion beam production with this novel design. Ultimately, we perceive this approach as an interim step towards our long-term goal, combining a helicon plasma generator with an SNS-type main discharge chamber, which will allow us to individually optimize the plasma properties of the plasma cathode (helicon) and H- production (main discharge) in order to further improve the brightness of extracted H- ion beams.

Helicon plasma generator-assisted surface conversion ion source for the production of H(-) ion beams at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center.

PubMed

Tarvainen, O; Rouleau, G; Keller, R; Geros, E; Stelzer, J; Ferris, J

2008-02-01

The converter-type negative ion source currently employed at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) is based on cesium enhanced surface production of H(-) ion beams in a filament-driven discharge. In this kind of an ion source the extracted H(-) beam current is limited by the achievable plasma density which depends primarily on the electron emission current from the filaments. The emission current can be increased by increasing the filament temperature but, unfortunately, this leads not only to shorter filament lifetime but also to an increase in metal evaporation from the filament, which deposits on the H(-) converter surface and degrades its performance. Therefore, we have started an ion source development project focused on replacing these thermionic cathodes (filaments) of the converter source by a helicon plasma generator capable of producing high-density hydrogen plasmas with low electron energy. In our studies which have so far shown that the plasma density of the surface conversion source can be increased significantly by exciting a helicon wave in the plasma, and we expect to improve the performance of the surface converter H(-) ion source in terms of beam brightness and time between services. The design of this new source and preliminary results are presented, along with a discussion of physical processes relevant for H(-) ion beam production with this novel design. Ultimately, we perceive this approach as an interim step towards our long-term goal, combining a helicon plasma generator with an SNS-type main discharge chamber, which will allow us to individually optimize the plasma properties of the plasma cathode (helicon) and H(-) production (main discharge) in order to further improve the brightness of extracted H(-) ion beams.

Method and apparatus for upshifting light frequency by rapid plasma creation

DOEpatents

Dawson, John M.; Wilks, Scott C.; Mori, Warren B.; Joshi, Chandrasekhar J.; Sessler, Andrew M.

1990-01-01

Photons of an electromagnetic source wave are frequency-upshifted as a plasma is rapidly created around the path of this propagating source wave. The final frequency can be controlled by adjusting the gas density. A controlled time-varying frequency (chirped) pulse can be produced by using a controlled spatially varying gas density. The plasma must be created in a time which is short compared to the transit time of the light through the plasmas region. For very fast creation over one to at most a few light periods of an overdense plasma, static magnetic fields with short wavelengths are created.

A Source for Fuel Supply to a Fusion Reactor Core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voronin, A. V.; Bakharev, N. N.; Gusev, V. K.; Novokhatskii, A. N.; Ponyaev, S. A.

2018-05-01

We present the results of studies of the plasma source based on the coaxial accelerator with the slothole channel geometry for plasma acceleration and working gas inlet into the accelerator via the electrodynamic valve. The plasma parameters at the output of the accelerator are measured. The slot-hole channel of the accelerator created higher jet pressure, as compared to the coaxial channel, especially at large distances from the source. The jet pressure reached 106 N/m2 at a distance of 0.7 m. The source created moderately pure plasma for a current below 80 kA. The density was (2.5-5) × 1022 m-3, which was higher than the density obtained with the coaxial gun.

Large-Area Permanent-Magnet ECR Plasma Source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foster, John E.

2007-01-01

A 40-cm-diameter plasma device has been developed as a source of ions for material-processing and ion-thruster applications. Like the device described in the immediately preceding article, this device utilizes electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) excited by microwave power in a magnetic field to generate a plasma in an electrodeless (noncontact) manner and without need for an electrically insulating, microwave-transmissive window at the source. Hence, this device offers the same advantages of electrodeless, windowless design - low contamination and long operational life. The device generates a uniform, high-density plasma capable of sustaining uniform ion-current densities at its exit plane while operating at low pressure [<10(exp -4) torr (less than about 1.3 10(exp -2) Pa)] and input power <200 W at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. Though the prototype model operates at 2.45 GHz, operation at higher frequencies can be achieved by straightforward modification to the input microwave waveguide. Higher frequency operation may be desirable in those applications that require even higher background plasma densities. In the design of this ECR plasma source, there are no cumbersome, power-hungry electromagnets. The magnetic field in this device is generated by a permanent-magnet circuit that is optimized to generate resonance surfaces. The microwave power is injected on the centerline of the device. The resulting discharge plasma jumps into a "high mode" when the input power rises above 150 W. This mode is associated with elevated plasma density and high uniformity. The large area and uniformity of the plasma and the low operating pressure are well suited for such material-processing applications as etching and deposition on large silicon wafers. The high exit-plane ion-current density makes it possible to attain a high rate of etching or deposition. The plasma potential is <3 V low enough that there is little likelihood of sputtering, which, in plasma processing, is undesired because it is associated with erosion and contamination. The electron temperature is low and does not vary appreciably with power.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Popovich, P.; Carter, T. A.; Friedman, B.

Numerical simulation of plasma turbulence in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) [W. Gekelman, H. Pfister, Z. Lucky et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 2875 (1991)] is presented. The model, implemented in the BOUndary Turbulence code [M. Umansky, X. Xu, B. Dudson et al., Contrib. Plasma Phys. 180, 887 (2009)], includes three-dimensional (3D) collisional fluid equations for plasma density, electron parallel momentum, and current continuity, and also includes the effects of ion-neutral collisions. In nonlinear simulations using measured LAPD density profiles but assuming constant temperature profile for simplicity, self-consistent evolution of instabilities and nonlinearly generated zonal flows results in a saturatedmore » turbulent state. Comparisons of these simulations with measurements in LAPD plasmas reveal good qualitative and reasonable quantitative agreement, in particular in frequency spectrum, spatial correlation, and amplitude probability distribution function of density fluctuations. For comparison with LAPD measurements, the plasma density profile in simulations is maintained either by direct azimuthal averaging on each time step, or by adding particle source/sink function. The inferred source/sink values are consistent with the estimated ionization source and parallel losses in LAPD. These simulations lay the groundwork for more a comprehensive effort to test fluid turbulence simulation against LAPD data.« less

A hybrid electron cyclotron resonance metal ion source with integrated sputter magnetron for the production of an intense Al{sup +} ion beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weichsel, T., E-mail: tim.weichsel@fep.fraunhofer.de; Hartung, U.; Kopte, T.

2015-09-15

A metal ion source prototype has been developed: a combination of magnetron sputter technology with 2.45 GHz electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source technology—a so called magnetron ECR ion source (MECRIS). An integrated ring-shaped sputter magnetron with an Al target is acting as a powerful metal atom supply in order to produce an intense current of singly charged metal ions. Preliminary experiments show that an Al{sup +} ion current with a density of 167 μA/cm{sup 2} is extracted from the source at an acceleration voltage of 27 kV. Spatially resolved double Langmuir probe measurements and optical emission spectroscopy were usedmore » to study the plasma states of the ion source: sputter magnetron, ECR, and MECRIS plasma. Electron density and temperature as well as Al atom density were determined as a function of microwave and sputter magnetron power. The effect of ECR heating is strongly pronounced in the center of the source. There the electron density is increased by one order of magnitude from 6 × 10{sup 9} cm{sup −3} to 6 × 10{sup 10} cm{sup −3} and the electron temperature is enhanced from about 5 eV to 12 eV, when the ECR plasma is ignited to the magnetron plasma. Operating the magnetron at constant power, it was observed that its discharge current is raised from 1.8 A to 4.8 A, when the ECR discharge was superimposed with a microwave power of 2 kW. At the same time, the discharge voltage decreased from about 560 V to 210 V, clearly indicating a higher plasma density of the MECRIS mode. The optical emission spectrum of the MECRIS plasma is dominated by lines of excited Al atoms and shows a significant contribution of lines arising from singly ionized Al. Plasma emission photography with a CCD camera was used to prove probe measurements and to identify separated plasma emission zones originating from the ECR and magnetron discharge.« less

Neutral source and particle balance in the HSX edge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephey, Laurie; Kumar, Santhosh; Bader, Aaron; Akerson, Adrian; Schmitz, Oliver; Anderson, David; A, Simon; Talmadge, Joseph; Hegna, Chris

2015-11-01

The ability to control the neutral particle and impurity source in fusion devices is critical to obtaining high purity, high confinement plasmas. The neutral particle source defines the edge density gradients and plasma flows. To understand the relationship between the neutral particle source, plasma density gradients and plasma edge and core transport in HSX, a single reservoir particle balance is being used to provide a complete particle inventory. Detailed spectroscopic measurements of hydrogen and helium emission have yielded neutral and plasma profiles and ionization length estimations. The plasma puff source rate has been directly measured. To determine the recycling source rate, two specially designed limiters will be inserted to intercept 99% of the field lines, resulting in a well-defined LCFS and plasma interaction zone. Single limiter insertion resulted in a 50% reduction in global line emission, implying a reduction in wall recycling. Future camera and probe measurements will provide a recycling source rate. HSX neutral physics is also being investigated using EMC3-EIRENE. All results are discussed along with complementary plans for the Wendelstein 7-X startup phase. This work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-93ER54222 and DE-SC0006103.

Density Structures, Dynamics, and Seasonal and Solar Cycle Modulations of Saturn's Inner Plasma Disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmberg, M. K. G.; Shebanits, O.; Wahlund, J.-E.; Morooka, M. W.; Vigren, E.; André, N.; Garnier, P.; Persoon, A. M.; Génot, V.; Gilbert, L. K.

2017-12-01

We present statistical results from the Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) Langmuir probe measurements recorded during the time interval from orbit 3 (1 February 2005) to 237 (29 June 2016). A new and improved data analysis method to obtain ion density from the Cassini LP measurements is used to study the asymmetries and modulations found in the inner plasma disk of Saturn, between 2.5 and 12 Saturn radii (1 RS=60,268 km). The structure of Saturn's plasma disk is mapped, and the plasma density peak, nmax, is shown to be located at ˜4.6 RS and not at the main neutral source region at 3.95 RS. The shift in the location of nmax is due to that the hot electron impact ionization rate peaks at ˜4.6 RS. Cassini RPWS plasma disk measurements show a solar cycle modulation. However, estimates of the change in ion density due to varying EUV flux is not large enough to describe the detected dependency, which implies that an additional mechanism, still unknown, is also affecting the plasma density in the studied region. We also present a dayside/nightside ion density asymmetry, with nightside densities up to a factor of 2 larger than on the dayside. The largest density difference is found in the radial region 4 to 5 RS. The dynamic variation in ion density increases toward Saturn, indicating an internal origin of the large density variability in the plasma disk rather than being caused by an external source origin in the outer magnetosphere.

Characterization of atomic oxygen from an ECR plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naddaf, M.; Bhoraskar, V. N.; Mandale, A. B.; Sainkar, S. R.; Bhoraskar, S. V.

2002-11-01

A low-power microwave-assisted electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma system is shown to be a powerful and effective source of atomic oxygen (AO) useful in material processing. A 2.45 GHz microwave source with maximum power of 600 W was launched into the cavity to generate the ECR plasma. A catalytic nickel probe was used to determine the density of AO. The density of AO is studied as a function of pressure and axial position of the probe in the plasma chamber. It was found to vary from ~1×1020 to ~10×1020 atom m-3 as the plasma pressure was varied from 0.8 to 10 mTorr. The effect of AO in oxidation of silver is investigated by gravimetric analysis. The stoichiometric properties of the oxide are studied using the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as well as energy dispersive x-ray analysis. The degradation of the silver surface due to sputtering effect was viewed by scanning electron spectroscopy. The sputtering yield of oxygen ions in the plasma is calculated using the TRIM code. The effects of plasma pressure and the distance from the ECR zone on the AO density were also investigated. The density of AO measured by oxidation of silver is in good agreement with results obtained from the catalytic nickel probe.

Experimental investigation of standing wave effect in dual-frequency capacitively coupled argon discharges: role of a low-frequency source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Kai; Liu, Yong-Xin; Kawamura, E.; Wen, De-Qi; Lieberman, M. A.; Wang, You-Nian

2018-05-01

It is well known that the plasma non-uniformity caused by the standing wave effect has brought about great challenges for plasma material processing. To improve the plasma uniformity, a low-frequency (LF) power source is introduced into a 100 MHz very-high-frequency (VHF) capacitively coupled argon plasma reactor. The effect of the LF parameters (LF voltage amplitude ϕ L and LF source f L) on the radial profile of plasma density has been investigated by utilizing a hairpin probe. The result at a low pressure (1 Pa) is compared to the one obtained by a 2D fluid-analytical capacitively coupled plasma model, showing good agreement in the plasma density radial profile. The experimental results show that the plasma density profile exhibits different dependences on ϕ L and f L at different gas pressures/electrode driven types (i.e., the two rf sources are applied on one electrode (case I) and separate electrodes (case II)). At low pressures (e.g., 8 Pa), the pronounced standing wave effect revealed in a VHF discharge can be suppressed at a relatively high ϕ L or a low f L in case I, because the HF sheath heating is largely weakened due to strong modulation by the LF source. By contrast, ϕ L and f L play insignificant roles in suppressing the standing wave effect in case II. At high pressures (e.g., 20 Pa), the opposite is true. The plasma density radial profile is more sensitive to ϕ L and f L in case II than in case I. In case II, the standing wave effect is surprisingly enhanced with increasing ϕ L at higher pressures; however, the center-high density profile caused by the standing wave effect can be compensated by increasing f L due to the enhanced electrostatic edge effect dominated by the LF source. In contrast, the density radial profile shows a much weaker dependence on ϕ L and f L in case I at higher pressures. To understand the different roles of ϕ L and f L, the electron excitation dynamics in each case are analyzed based on the measured spatio-temporal distributions of the electron-impact excitation rate by phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy.

Spectral lines and characteristic of temporal variations in photoionized plasmas induced with laser-produced plasma extreme ultraviolet source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saber, I.; Bartnik, A.; Wachulak, P.; Skrzeczanowski, W.; Jarocki, R.; Fiedorowicz, H.

2017-11-01

Spectral lines for Kr/Ne/H2 photoionized plasma in the ultraviolet and visible (UV/Vis) wavelength ranges have been created using a laser-produced plasma (LPP) EUV source. The source is based on a double-stream gas puff target irradiated with a commercial Nd:YAG laser. The laser pulses were focused onto a gas stream, injected into a vacuum chamber synchronously with the EUV pulses. Spectral lines from photoionization in neutral Kr/Ne/H2 and up to few charged states were observed. The intense emission lines were associated with the Kr transition lines. Experimental and theoretical investigations on intensity variations for some ionic lines are presented. A decrease in the intensity with the delay time between the laser pulse and the spectrum acquisition was revealed. Electron temperature and electron density in the photoionized plasma have been estimated from the characteristic emission lines. Temperature was obtained using Boltzmann plot method, assuming that the population density of atoms and ions are considered in a local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). Electron density was calculated from the Stark broadening profile. The temporal evaluation of the plasma and the way of optimizing the radiation intensity of LPP EUV sources is discussed.

Radiation source

DOEpatents

Thode, Lester E.

1981-01-01

A device and method for relativistic electron beam heating of a high-density plasma in a small localized region. A relativistic electron beam generator or accelerator produces a high-voltage electron beam which propagates along a vacuum drift tube and is modulated to initiate electron bunching within the beam. The beam is then directed through a low-density gas chamber which provides isolation between the vacuum modulator and the relativistic electron beam target. The relativistic beam is then applied to a high-density target plasma which typically comprises DT, DD, or similar thermonuclear gas at a density of 10.sup.17 to 10.sup.20 electrons per cubic centimeter. The target gas is ionized prior to application of the relativistic electron beam by means of a laser or other preionization source to form a plasma. Utilizing a relativistic electron beam with an individual particle energy exceeding 3 MeV, classical scattering by relativistic electrons passing through isolation foils is negligible. As a result, relativistic streaming instabilities are initiated within the high-density target plasma causing the relativistic electron beam to efficiently deposit its energy into a small localized region of the high-density plasma target.

Production of high transient heat and particle fluxes in a linear plasma device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Temmerman, G.; Zielinski, J. J.; van der Meiden, H.; Melissen, W.; Rapp, J.

2010-08-01

We report on the generation of high transient heat and particle fluxes in a linear plasma device by pulsed operation of the plasma source. A capacitor bank is discharged into the source to transiently increase the discharge current up to 1.7 kA, allowing peak densities and temperature of 70×1020 m-3 and 6 eV corresponding to a surface power density of about 400 MW m-2.

Development of a compact permanent magnet helicon plasma source for ion beam bioengineering.

PubMed

Kerdtongmee, P; Srinoum, D; Nisoa, M

2011-10-01

A compact helicon plasma source was developed as a millimeter-sized ion source for ion beam bioengineering. By employing a stacked arrangement of annular-shaped permanent magnets, a uniform axial magnetic flux density up to 2.8 kG was obtained. A cost effective 118 MHz RF generator was built for adjusting forward output power from 0 to 40 W. The load impedance and matching network were then analyzed. A single loop antenna and circuit matching elements were placed on a compact printed circuit board for 50 Ω impedance matching. A plasma density up to 1.1 × 10(12) cm(-3) in the 10 mm diameter tube under the magnetic flux density was achieved with 35 W applied RF power.

Preliminary Study of a Hybrid Helicon-ECR Plasma Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

M. Hala, A.; Oksuz, L.; Ximing, Zhu

2016-08-01

A new type of hybrid discharge is experimentally investigated in this work. A helicon source and an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) source were combined to produce plasma. As a preliminary study of this type of plasma, the optical emission spectroscopy (OES) method was used to obtain values of electron temperature and density under a series of typical conditions. Generally, it was observed that the electron temperature decreases and the electron density increases as the pressure increased. When increasing the applied power at a certain pressure, the average electron density at certain positions in the discharge does not increase significantly possibly due to the high degree of neutral depletion. Electron temperature increased with power in the hybrid mode. Possible mechanisms of these preliminary observations are discussed.

Development of a compact permanent magnet helicon plasma source for ion beam bioengineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerdtongmee, P.; Srinoum, D.; Nisoa, M.

2011-10-01

A compact helicon plasma source was developed as a millimeter-sized ion source for ion beam bioengineering. By employing a stacked arrangement of annular-shaped permanent magnets, a uniform axial magnetic flux density up to 2.8 kG was obtained. A cost effective 118 MHz RF generator was built for adjusting forward output power from 0 to 40 W. The load impedance and matching network were then analyzed. A single loop antenna and circuit matching elements were placed on a compact printed circuit board for 50 Ω impedance matching. A plasma density up to 1.1 × 1012 cm-3 in the 10 mm diameter tube under the magnetic flux density was achieved with 35 W applied RF power.

Plasma flow measurements in the Prototype-Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (Proto-MPEX) and comparison with B2.5-Eirene modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kafle, N.; Owen, L. W.; Caneses, J. F.; Biewer, T. M.; Caughman, J. B. O.; Donovan, D. C.; Goulding, R. H.; Rapp, J.

2018-05-01

The Prototype Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (Proto-MPEX) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a linear plasma device that combines a helicon plasma source with additional microwave and radio frequency heating to deliver high plasma heat and particle fluxes to a target. Double Langmuir probes and Thomson scattering are being used to measure local electron temperature and density at various radial and axial locations. A recently constructed Mach-double probe provides the added capability of simultaneously measuring electron temperatures ( T e), electron densities ( n e), and Mach numbers (M). With this diagnostic, it is possible to infer the plasma flow, particle flux, and heat flux at different locations along the plasma column in Proto-MPEX. Preliminary results show Mach numbers of 0.5 (towards the dump plate) and 1.0 (towards the target plate) downstream from the helicon source, and a stagnation point (no flow) near the source for the case where the peak magnetic field was 1.3 T. Measurements of particle flow and ne and Te profiles are discussed. The extensive coverage provided by these diagnostics permits data-constrained B2.5-Eirene modeling of the entire plasma column, and comparison with results of modeling in the high-density helicon plasmas will be presented.

Plasma studies of the permanent magnet electron cyclotron resonance ion source at Peking University.

PubMed

Ren, H T; Peng, S X; Xu, Y; Zhao, J; Lu, P N; Chen, J; Zhang, A L; Zhang, T; Guo, Z Y; Chen, J E

2014-02-01

At Peking University (PKU) we have developed several 2.45 GHz Permanent Magnet Electron Cyclotron Resonance ion sources for PKUNIFTY, SFRFQ, Coupled RFQ&SFRFQ, and Dielectric-Wall Accelerator (DWA) projects (respectively, 50 mA of D(+), 10 mA of O(+), 10 mA of He(+), and 50 mA of H(+)). In order to improve performance of these ion sources, it is necessary to better understand the principal factors that influence the plasma density and the atomic ion fraction. Theoretical analysis about microwave transmission and cut-off inside the discharge chamber were carried out to study the influence of the discharge chamber diameters. As a consequence, experimental studies on plasma density and ion fraction with different discharge chamber sizes have been carried out. Due to the difficulties in measuring plasma density inside the discharge chamber, the output beam current was measured to reflect the plasma density. Experimental results show that the plasma density increases to the maximum and then decreases significantly as the diameter changed from 64 mm to 30 mm, and the atomic ion fraction has the same tendency. The maximum beam intensity was obtained with the diameter of 35 mm, but the maximum atomic ion fraction with a diameter of 40 mm. The experimental results are basically accordant with the theoretical calculation. Details are presented in this paper.

Development of a long-slot microwave plasma source.

PubMed

Kuwata, Y; Kasuya, T; Miyamoto, N; Wada, M

2016-02-01

A 20 cm long 10 cm wide microwave plasma source was realized by inserting two 20 cm long 1.5 mm diameter rod antennas into the plasma. Plasma luminous distributions around the antennas were changed by magnetic field arrangement created by permanent magnets attached to the source. The distributions appeared homogeneous in one direction along the antenna when the spacing between the antenna and the source wall was 7.5 mm for the input microwave frequency of 2.45 GHz. Plasma density and temperature at a plane 20 cm downstream from the microwave shield were measured by a Langmuir probe array at 150 W microwave power input. The measured electron density and temperature varied over space from 3.0 × 10(9) cm(-3) to 5.8 × 10(9) cm(-3), and from 1.1 eV to 2.1 eV, respectively.

Dense Plasma Focus - From Alternative Fusion Source to Versatile High Energy Density Plasma Source for Plasma Nanotechnology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rawat, R. S.

2015-03-01

The dense plasma focus (DPF), a coaxial plasma gun, utilizes pulsed high current electrical discharge to heat and compress the plasma to very high density and temperature with energy densities in the range of 1-10 × 1010 J/m3. The DPF device has always been in the company of several alternative magnetic fusion devices as it produces intense fusion neutrons. Several experiments conducted on many different DPF devices ranging over several order of storage energy have demonstrated that at higher storage energy the neutron production does not follow I4 scaling laws and deteriorate significantly raising concern about the device's capability and relevance for fusion energy. On the other hand, the high energy density pinch plasma in DPF device makes it a multiple radiation source of ions, electron, soft and hard x-rays, and neutrons, making it useful for several applications in many different fields such as lithography, radiography, imaging, activation analysis, radioisotopes production etc. Being a source of hot dense plasma, strong shockwave, intense energetic beams and radiation, etc, the DPF device, additionally, shows tremendous potential for applications in plasma nanoscience and plasma nanotechnology. In the present paper, the key features of plasma focus device are critically discussed to understand the novelties and opportunities that this device offers in processing and synthesis of nanophase materials using, both, the top-down and bottom-up approach. The results of recent key experimental investigations performed on (i) the processing and modification of bulk target substrates for phase change, surface reconstruction and nanostructurization, (ii) the nanostructurization of PLD grown magnetic thin films, and (iii) direct synthesis of nanostructured (nanowire, nanosheets and nanoflowers) materials using anode target material ablation, ablated plasma and background reactive gas based synthesis and purely gas phase synthesis of various different types of nanostructured materials using DPF device will discussed to establish this device as versatile tool for plasma nanotechnology.

Numerical study of plasma generation process and internal antenna heat loadings in J-PARC RF negative ion source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shibata, T., E-mail: shibat@post.j-parc.jp; Ueno, A.; Oguri, H.

A numerical model of plasma transport and electromagnetic field in the J-PARC (Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex) radio frequency ion source has been developed to understand the relation between antenna coil heat loadings and plasma production/transport processes. From the calculation, the local plasma density increase is observed in the region close to the antenna coil. Electrons are magnetized by the magnetic field line with absolute magnetic flux density 30–120 Gauss which leads to high local ionization rate. The results suggest that modification of magnetic configuration can be made to reduce plasma heat flux onto the antenna.

Investigation of the boundary layer during the transition from volume to surface dominated H- production at the BATMAN test facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wimmer, C.; Schiesko, L.; Fantz, U.

2016-02-01

BATMAN (Bavarian Test Machine for Negative ions) is a test facility equipped with a 1/8 scale H- source for the ITER heating neutral beam injection. Several diagnostics in the boundary layer close to the plasma grid (first grid of the accelerator system) followed the transition from volume to surface dominated H- production starting with a Cs-free, cleaned source and subsequent evaporation of caesium, while the source has been operated at ITER relevant pressure of 0.3 Pa: Langmuir probes are used to determine the plasma potential, optical emission spectroscopy is used to follow the caesiation process, and cavity ring-down spectroscopy allows for the measurement of the H- density. The influence on the plasma during the transition from an electron-ion plasma towards an ion-ion plasma, in which negative hydrogen ions become the dominant negatively charged particle species, is seen in a strong increase of the H- density combined with a reduction of the plasma potential. A clear correlation of the extracted current densities (jH-, je) exists with the Cs emission.

Investigation of the boundary layer during the transition from volume to surface dominated H⁻ production at the BATMAN test facility.

PubMed

Wimmer, C; Schiesko, L; Fantz, U

2016-02-01

BATMAN (Bavarian Test Machine for Negative ions) is a test facility equipped with a 18 scale H(-) source for the ITER heating neutral beam injection. Several diagnostics in the boundary layer close to the plasma grid (first grid of the accelerator system) followed the transition from volume to surface dominated H(-) production starting with a Cs-free, cleaned source and subsequent evaporation of caesium, while the source has been operated at ITER relevant pressure of 0.3 Pa: Langmuir probes are used to determine the plasma potential, optical emission spectroscopy is used to follow the caesiation process, and cavity ring-down spectroscopy allows for the measurement of the H(-) density. The influence on the plasma during the transition from an electron-ion plasma towards an ion-ion plasma, in which negative hydrogen ions become the dominant negatively charged particle species, is seen in a strong increase of the H(-) density combined with a reduction of the plasma potential. A clear correlation of the extracted current densities (j(H(-)), j(e)) exists with the Cs emission.

Comparison of ONIX simulation results with experimental data from the BATMAN testbed for the study of negative ion extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mochalskyy, Serhiy; Fantz, Ursel; Wünderlich, Dirk; Minea, Tiberiu

2016-10-01

The development of negative ion (NI) sources for the ITER neutral beam injector is strongly accompanied by modelling activities. The ONIX (Orsay Negative Ion eXtraction) code simulates the formation and extraction of negative hydrogen ions and co-extracted electrons produced in caesiated sources. In this paper the 3D geometry of the BATMAN extraction system, and the source characteristics such as the extraction and bias potential, and the 3D magnetic field were integrated in the model. Calculations were performed using plasma parameters experimentally obtained on BATMAN. The comparison of the ONIX calculated extracted NI density with the experimental results suggests that predictive calculations of the extraction of NIs are possible. The results show that for an ideal status of the Cs conditioning the extracted hydrogen NI current density could reach ~30 mA cm-2 at 10 kV and ~20 mA cm-2 at 5 kV extraction potential, with an electron/NI current density ratio of about 1, as measured in the experiments under the same plasma and source conditions. The dependency of the extracted NI current on the NI density in the bulk plasma region from both the modeling and the experiment was investigated. The separate distributions composing the NI beam originating from the plasma bulk region and the PG surface are presented for different NI plasma volume densities and NI emission rates from the plasma grid (PG) wall, respectively. The extracted current from the NIs produced at the Cs covered PG surface, initially moving towards the bulk plasma and then being bent towards the extraction surfaces, is lower compared to the extracted NI current from directly extracted surface produced ions.

Development of vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy system for wide measurement range of number density using a dual-tube inductively coupled plasma light source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuwahara, Akira; Matsui, Makoto; Yamagiwa, Yoshiki

2012-12-01

A vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy system for a wide measurement range of atomic number densities is developed. Dual-tube inductively coupled plasma was used as a light source. The probe beam profile was optimized for the target number density range by changing the mass flow rate of the inner and outer tubes. This system was verified using cold xenon gas. As a result, the measurement number density range was extended from the conventional two orders to five orders of magnitude.

Process diagnostics and monitoring using the multipole resonance probe in an inhomogeneous plasma for ion-assisted deposition of optical coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Styrnoll, T.; Harhausen, J.; Lapke, M.; Storch, R.; Brinkmann, R. P.; Foest, R.; Ohl, A.; Awakowicz, P.

2013-08-01

The application of a multipole resonance probe (MRP) for diagnostic and monitoring purposes in a plasma ion-assisted deposition (PIAD) process is reported. Recently, the MRP was proposed as an economical and industry compatible plasma diagnostic device (Lapke et al 2011 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 20 042001). The major advantages of the MRP are its robustness against dielectric coating and its high sensitivity to measure the electron density. The PIAD process investigated is driven by the advanced plasma source (APS), which generates an ion beam in the deposition chamber for the production of high performance optical coatings. With a background neutral pressure of p0 ˜ 20 mPa the plasma expands from the source region into the recipient, leading to an inhomogeneous spatial distribution. Electron density and electron temperature vary over the distance from substrate (ne ˜ 109 cm-3 and Te,eff ˜ 2 eV) to the APS (ne ≳ 1012 cm-3 and Te,eff ˜ 20 eV) (Harhausen et al 2012 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 21 035012). This huge variation of the plasma parameters represents a big challenge for plasma diagnostics to operate precisely for all plasma conditions. The results obtained by the MRP are compared to those from a Langmuir probe chosen as reference diagnostics. It is demonstrated that the MRP is suited for the characterization of the PIAD plasma as well as for electron density monitoring. The latter aspect offers the possibility to develop new control schemes for complex industrial plasma environments.

Research progress on ionic plasmas generated in an intense hydrogen negative ion source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takeiri, Y., E-mail: takeiri@nifs.ac.jp; Tsumori, K.; Nagaoka, K.

2015-04-08

Characteristics of ionic plasmas, observed in a high-density hydrogen negative ion source, are investigated with a multi-diagnostics system. The ionic plasma, which consists of hydrogen positive- and negative-ions with a significantly low-density of electrons, is generated in the ion extraction region, from which the negative ions are extracted through the plasma grid. The negative ion density, i.e., the ionic plasma density, as high as the order of 1×10{sup 17}m{sup −3}, is measured with cavity ring-down spectroscopy, while the electron density is lower than 1×10{sup 16}m{sup −3}, which is confirmed with millimeter-wave interferometer. Reduction of the negative ion density is observedmore » at the negative ion extraction, and at that time the electron flow into the ionic plasma region is observed to conserve the charge neutrality. Distribution of the plasma potential is measured in the extraction region in the direction normal to the plasma grid surface with a Langmuir probe, and the results suggest that the sheath is formed at the plasma boundary to the plasma grid to which the bias voltage is applied. The beam extraction should drive the negative ion transport in the ionic plasma across the sheath formed on the extraction surface. Larger reduction of the negative ions at the beam extraction is observed in a region above the extraction aperture on the plasma grid, which is confirmed with 2D image measurement of the Hα emission and cavity ring-down spectroscopy. The electron distribution is also measured near the plasma grid surface. These various properties observed in the ionic plasma are discussed.« less

ECR Plasma Source for Heavy Ion Beam Charge Neutralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Efthimion, P. C.; Gilson, E.; Grishman, L.; Kolchin, P.; Davidson, R. C.

2002-01-01

Highly ionized plasmas are being considered as a medium for charge neutralizing heavy ion beams in order to focus beyond the space-charge limit. Calculations suggest that plasma at a density of 1 - 100 times the ion beam density and at a length of approximately 0.1-2 m would be suitable for achieving a high level of charge neutralization. An ECR source has been built at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) to support a joint Neutralized Transport Experiment (NTX) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to study ion beam neutralization with plasma. The ECR source operates at 13.6 MHz and with solenoid magnetic fields of 1-10 gauss. The goal is to operate the source at pressures of approximately 10-6 torr at full ionization. The initial operation of the source has been at pressures of 10-4 - 10-1. Electron densities in the range of 108 - 1011 per cubic centimeter have been achieved. Low-pressure operation is important to reduce ion beam ionization. A cusp magnetic field has been installed to improve radial confinement and reduce the field strength on the beam axis. In addition, axial confinement is believed to be important to achieve lower-pressure operation. To further improve breakdown at low pressure, a weak electron source will be placed near the end of the ECR source.

Investigation of helicon ion source extraction systems.

PubMed

Mordyk, S; Miroshnichenko, V; Shulha, D; Storizhko, V

2008-02-01

Various versions of an extraction system for a helicon ion source have been investigated in high plasma density (>10(12) cm(-3)) modes. The measurements of the plasma density were carried out with a microwave interferometer. Experiments were performed with hydrogen and helium gases. The preliminary results indicate that specially designed extractors are very promising for improving ion beam paraxial brightness.

Turbulent fluctuations during pellet injection into a dipole confined plasma torus

DOE PAGES

Garnier, D. T.; Mauel, M. E.; Roberts, T. M.; ...

2017-01-01

Here, we report measurements of the turbulent evolution of the plasma density profile following the fast injection of lithium pellets into the Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) [Boxer et al., Nat. Phys. 6, 207 (2010)]. As the pellet passes through the plasma, it provides a significant internal particle source and allows investigation of density profile evolution, turbulent relaxation, and turbulent fluctuations. The total electron number within the dipole plasma torus increases by more than a factor of three, and the central density increases by more than a factor of five. During these large changes in density, the shape of the densitymore » profile is nearly “stationary” such that the gradient of the particle number within tubes of equal magnetic flux vanishes. In comparison to the usual case, when the particle source is neutral gas at the plasma edge, the internal source from the pellet causes the toroidal phase velocity of the fluctuations to reverse and changes the average particle flux at the plasma edge. An edge particle source creates an inward turbulent pinch, but an internal particle source increases the outward turbulent particle flux. Statistical properties of the turbulence are measured by multiple microwave interferometers and by an array of probes at the edge. The spatial structures of the largest amplitude modes have long radial and toroidal wavelengths. Estimates of the local and toroidally averaged turbulent particle flux show intermittency and a non-Gaussian probability distribution function. The measured fluctuations, both before and during pellet injection, have frequency and wave number dispersion consistent with theoretical expectations for interchange and entropy modes excited within a dipole plasma torus having warm electrons and cool ions.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garnier, D. T.; Mauel, M. E.; Roberts, T. M.

Here, we report measurements of the turbulent evolution of the plasma density profile following the fast injection of lithium pellets into the Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) [Boxer et al., Nat. Phys. 6, 207 (2010)]. As the pellet passes through the plasma, it provides a significant internal particle source and allows investigation of density profile evolution, turbulent relaxation, and turbulent fluctuations. The total electron number within the dipole plasma torus increases by more than a factor of three, and the central density increases by more than a factor of five. During these large changes in density, the shape of the densitymore » profile is nearly “stationary” such that the gradient of the particle number within tubes of equal magnetic flux vanishes. In comparison to the usual case, when the particle source is neutral gas at the plasma edge, the internal source from the pellet causes the toroidal phase velocity of the fluctuations to reverse and changes the average particle flux at the plasma edge. An edge particle source creates an inward turbulent pinch, but an internal particle source increases the outward turbulent particle flux. Statistical properties of the turbulence are measured by multiple microwave interferometers and by an array of probes at the edge. The spatial structures of the largest amplitude modes have long radial and toroidal wavelengths. Estimates of the local and toroidally averaged turbulent particle flux show intermittency and a non-Gaussian probability distribution function. The measured fluctuations, both before and during pellet injection, have frequency and wave number dispersion consistent with theoretical expectations for interchange and entropy modes excited within a dipole plasma torus having warm electrons and cool ions.« less

Magnetic Dipole Inflation with Cascaded ARC and Applications to Mini-Magnetospheric Plasma Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giersch, L.; Winglee, R.; Slough, J.; Ziemba, T.; Euripides, P.

2003-01-01

Mini-Magnetospheric Plasma Propulsion (M2P2) seeks to create a plasma-inflated magnetic bubble capable of intercepting significant thrust from the solar wind for the purposes of high speed, high efficiency spacecraft propulsion. Previous laboratory experiments into the M2P2 concept have primarily used helicon plasma sources to inflate the dipole magnetic field. The work presented here uses an alternative plasma source, the cascaded arc, in a geometry similar to that used in previous helicon experiments. Time resolved measurements of the equatorial plasma density have been conducted and the results are discussed. The equatorial plasma density transitions from an initially asymmetric configuration early in the shot to a quasisymmetric configuration during plasma production, and then returns to an asymmetric configuration when the source is shut off. The exact reasons for these changes in configuration are unknown, but convection of the loaded flux tube is suspected. The diffusion time was found to be an order of magnitude longer than the Bohm diffusion time for the period of time after the plasma source was shut off. The data collected indicate the plasma has an electron temperature of approximately 11 eV, an order of magnitude hotter than plasmas generated by cascaded arcs operating under different conditions. In addition, indirect evidence suggests that the plasma has a beta of order unity in the source region.

Impedance of an intense plasma-cathode electron source for tokamak startup

DOE PAGES

Hinson, Edward Thomas; Barr, Jayson L.; Bongard, Michael W.; ...

2016-05-31

In this study, an impedance model is formulated and tested for the ~1kV, ~1kA/cm 2, arc-plasma cathode electron source used for local helicity injection tokamak startup. A double layer sheath is established between the high-density arc plasma (n arc ≈ 10 21 m -3) within the electron source, and the less dense external tokamak edge plasma (n edge ≈ 10 18 m -3) into which current is injected at the applied injector voltage, V inj. Experiments on the Pegasus spherical tokamak show the injected current, I inj, increases with V inj according to the standard double layer scaling I injmore » ~ V inj 3/2 at low current and transitions to I inj ~ V inj 1/2 at high currents. In this high current regime, sheath expansion and/or space charge neutralization impose limits on the beam density n b ~ I inj/V inj 1/2. For low tokamak edge density n edge and high I inj, the inferred beam density n b is consistent with the requirement n b ≤ n edge imposed by space-charge neutralization of the beam in the tokamak edge plasma. At sufficient edge density, n b ~ n arc is observed, consistent with a limit to n b imposed by expansion of the double layer sheath. These results suggest that n arc is a viable control actuator for the source impedance.« less

Emittance measurements for optimum operation of the J-PARC RF-driven H{sup −} ion source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ueno, A., E-mail: akira.ueno@j-parc.jp; Ohkoshi, K.; Ikegami, K.

2015-04-08

In order to satisfy the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) second stage requirements of an H{sup −} ion beam of 60mA within normalized emittances of 1.5πmm•mrad both horizontally and vertically, a flat top beam duty factor of 1.25% (500μs×25Hz) and a life-time of longer than 1month, the J-PARC cesiated RF-driven H{sup −} ion source was developed by using an internal-antenna developed at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). The transverse emittances of the source were measured with various conditions to find out the optimum operation conditions minimizing the horizontal and vertical rms normalized emittances. The transverse emittances were most effectivelymore » reduced by operating the source with the plasma electrode temperature lower than 70°C. The optimum value of the cesium (Cs) density around the beam hole of the plasma electrode seems to be proportional to the plasma electrode temperature. The fine control of the Cs density is indispensable, since the emittances seem to increase proportionally to the excessiveness of the Cs density. Furthermore, the source should be operated with the Cs density beyond a threshold value, since the plasma meniscus shape and the ellipse parameters of the transverse emittances seem to be changed step-function-likely on the threshold Cs value.« less

Waves generated in the plasma plume of helicon magnetic nozzle

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singh, Nagendra; Rao, Sathyanarayan; Ranganath, Praveen

2013-03-15

Experimental measurements have shown that the plasma plume created in a helicon plasma device contains a conical structure in the plasma density and a U-shaped double layer (US-DL) tightly confined near the throat where plasma begins to expand from the source. Recently reported two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations verified these density and US-DL features of the plasma plume. Simulations also showed that the plasma in the plume develops non-thermal feature consisting of radial ion beams with large densities near the conical surface of the density structure. The plasma waves that are generated by the radial ion beams affecting the structure of themore » plasma plume are studied here. We find that most intense waves persist in the high-density regions of the conical density structure, where the transversely accelerated ions in the radial electric fields in the plume are reflected setting up counter-streaming. The waves generated are primarily ion Bernstein modes. The nonlinear evolution of the waves leads to magnetic field-aligned striations in the fields and the plasma near the conical surface of the density structure.« less

High electronegativity multi-dipolar electron cyclotron resonance plasma source for etching by negative ions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stamate, E.; Draghici, M.

2012-04-15

A large area plasma source based on 12 multi-dipolar ECR plasma cells arranged in a 3 x 4 matrix configuration was built and optimized for silicon etching by negative ions. The density ratio of negative ions to electrons has exceeded 300 in Ar/SF{sub 6} gas mixture when a magnetic filter was used to reduce the electron temperature to about 1.2 eV. Mass spectrometry and electrostatic probe were used for plasma diagnostics. The new source is free of density jumps and instabilities and shows a very good stability for plasma potential, and the dominant negative ion species is F{sup -}. Themore » magnetic field in plasma volume is negligible and there is no contamination by filaments. The etching rate by negative ions measured in Ar/SF{sub 6}/O{sub 2} mixtures was almost similar with that by positive ions reaching 700 nm/min.« less

A 1D ion species model for an RF driven negative ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, I.; Holmes, A. J. T.

2017-08-01

A one-dimensional model for an RF driven negative ion source has been developed based on an inductive discharge. The RF source differs from traditional filament and arc ion sources because there are no primary electrons present, and is simply composed of an antenna region (driver) and a main plasma discharge region. However the model does still make use of the classical plasma transport equations for particle energy and flow, which have previously worked well for modelling DC driven sources. The model has been developed primarily to model the Small Negative Ion Facility (SNIF) ion source at CCFE, but may be easily adapted to model other RF sources. Currently the model considers the hydrogen ion species, and provides a detailed description of the plasma parameters along the source axis, i.e. plasma temperature, density and potential, as well as current densities and species fluxes. The inputs to the model are currently the RF power, the magnetic filter field and the source gas pressure. Results from the model are presented and where possible compared to existing experimental data from SNIF, with varying RF power, source pressure.

Modeling and measurement of hydrogen radical densities of in situ plasma-based Sn cleaning source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elg, Daniel T.; Panici, Gianluca A.; Peck, Jason A.; Srivastava, Shailendra N.; Ruzic, David N.

2017-04-01

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography sources expel Sn debris. This debris deposits on the collector optic used to focus the EUV light, lowering its reflectivity and EUV throughput to the wafer. Consequently, the collector must be cleaned, causing source downtime. To solve this, a hydrogen plasma source was developed to clean the collector in situ by using the collector as an antenna to create a hydrogen plasma and create H radicals, which etch Sn as SnH4. This technique has been shown to remove Sn from a 300-mm-diameter stainless steel dummy collector. The H radical density is of key importance in Sn etching. The effects of power, pressure, and flow on radical density are explored. A catalytic probe has been used to measure radical density, and a zero-dimensional model is used to provide the fundamental science behind radical creation and predict radical densities. Model predictions and experimental measurements are in good agreement. The trends observed in radical density, contrasted with measured Sn removal rates, show that radical density is not the limiting factor in this etching system; other factors, such as SnH4 redeposition and energetic ion bombardment, must be more fully understood in order to predict removal rates.

Honeycomblike large area LaB6 plasma source for Multi-Purpose Plasma facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woo, Hyun-Jong; Chung, Kyu-Sun; You, Hyun-Jong; Lee, Myoung-Jae; Lho, Taihyeop; Choh, Kwon Kook; Yoon, Jung-Sik; Jung, Yong Ho; Lee, Bongju; Yoo, Suk Jae; Kwon, Myeon

2007-10-01

A Multi-Purpose Plasma (MP2) facility has been renovated from Hanbit mirror device [Kwon et al., Nucl. Fusion 43, 686 (2003)] by adopting the same philosophy of diversified plasma simulator (DiPS) [Chung et al., Contrib. Plasma Phys. 46, 354 (2006)] by installing two plasma sources: LaB6 (dc) and helicon (rf) plasma sources; and making three distinct simulators: divertor plasma simulator, space propulsion simulator, and astrophysics simulator. During the first renovation stage, a honeycomblike large area LaB6 (HLA-LaB6) cathode was developed for the divertor plasma simulator to improve the resistance against the thermal shock fragility for large and high density plasma generation. A HLA-LaB6 cathode is composed of the one inner cathode with 4in. diameter and the six outer cathodes with 2in. diameter along with separate graphite heaters. The first plasma is generated with Ar gas and its properties are measured by the electric probes with various discharge currents and magnetic field configurations. Plasma density at the middle of central cell reaches up to 2.6×1012 cm-3, while the electron temperature remains around 3-3.5eV at the low discharge current of less than 45A, and the magnetic field intensity of 870G. Unique features of electric property of heaters, plasma density profiles, is explained comparing with those of single LaB6 cathode with 4in. diameter in DiPS.

Honeycomblike large area LaB6 plasma source for Multi-Purpose Plasma facility.

PubMed

Woo, Hyun-Jong; Chung, Kyu-Sun; You, Hyun-Jong; Lee, Myoung-Jae; Lho, Taihyeop; Choh, Kwon Kook; Yoon, Jung-Sik; Jung, Yong Ho; Lee, Bongju; Yoo, Suk Jae; Kwon, Myeon

2007-10-01

A Multi-Purpose Plasma (MP(2)) facility has been renovated from Hanbit mirror device [Kwon et al., Nucl. Fusion 43, 686 (2003)] by adopting the same philosophy of diversified plasma simulator (DiPS) [Chung et al., Contrib. Plasma Phys. 46, 354 (2006)] by installing two plasma sources: LaB(6) (dc) and helicon (rf) plasma sources; and making three distinct simulators: divertor plasma simulator, space propulsion simulator, and astrophysics simulator. During the first renovation stage, a honeycomblike large area LaB(6) (HLA-LaB(6)) cathode was developed for the divertor plasma simulator to improve the resistance against the thermal shock fragility for large and high density plasma generation. A HLA-LaB(6) cathode is composed of the one inner cathode with 4 in. diameter and the six outer cathodes with 2 in. diameter along with separate graphite heaters. The first plasma is generated with Ar gas and its properties are measured by the electric probes with various discharge currents and magnetic field configurations. Plasma density at the middle of central cell reaches up to 2.6 x 10(12) cm(-3), while the electron temperature remains around 3-3.5 eV at the low discharge current of less than 45 A, and the magnetic field intensity of 870 G. Unique features of electric property of heaters, plasma density profiles, is explained comparing with those of single LaB(6) cathode with 4 in. diameter in DiPS.

Mirror-field confined compact plasma source using permanent magnet for plasma processings.

PubMed

Goto, Tetsuya; Sato, Kei-Ichiro; Yabuta, Yuki; Sugawa, Shigetoshi

2016-12-01

A mirror-field confined compact electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source using permanent magnets was developed, aiming for the realization of high-quality plasma processings where high-density reactive species are supplied to a substrate with minimizing the ion bombardment damages. The ECR position was located between a microwave transmissive window and a quartz limiter, and plasmas were transported from the ECR position to a midplane of the magnetic mirror field through the quartz limiter. Thus, a radius of core plasma could be determined by the limiter, which was 15 mm in this study. Plasma parameters were investigated by the Langmuir probe measurement. High-density plasma larger than 10 11 cm -3 could be produced by applying 5.85-GHz microwave power of 10 W or more. For the outside region of the core plasma where a wafer for plasma processings will be set at, the ion current density was decreased dramatically with distance from the core plasma and became smaller by approximately two orders of magnitude that in the core plasma region for the radial position of 40 mm, suggesting the realization of reduction in ion bombardment damages.

Characteristics of the Plasma Source for Ground Ionosphere Simulation Surveyed by Disk-Type Langmuir Probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryu, Kwangsun; Lee, Junchan; Kim, Songoo; Chung, Taejin; Shin, Goo-Hwan; Cha, Wonho; Min, Kyoungwook; Kim, Vitaly P.

2017-12-01

A space plasma facility has been operated with a back-diffusion-type plasma source installed in a mid-sized vacuum chamber with a diameter of 1.5 m located in Satellite Technology Research Center (SaTReC), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). To generate plasma with a temperature and density similar to the ionospheric plasma, nickel wires coated with carbonate solution were used as filaments that emit thermal electrons, and the accelerated thermal electrons emitted from the heated wires collide with the neutral gas to form plasma inside the chamber. By using a disk-type Langmuir probe installed inside the vacuum chamber, the generation of plasma similar to the space environment was validated. The characteristics of the plasma according to the grid and plate anode voltages were investigated. The grid voltage of the plasma source is realized as a suitable parameter for manipulating the electron density, while the plate voltage is suitable for adjusting the electron temperature. A simple physical model based on the collision cross-section of electron impact on nitrogen molecule was established to explain the plasma generation mechanism.

Two new planar coil designs for a high pressure radio frequency plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munsat, T.; Hooke, W. M.; Bozeman, S. P.; Washburn, S.

1995-04-01

Two planar coil designs for a high pressure rf plasma source are investigated using spectroscopic techniques and circuit analysis. In an Ar plasma a truncated version of the commonly used ``spiral'' coil is found to produce improvements in peak electron density of 20% over the full version. A coil with figure-8 geometry is found to move plasma inhomogeneities off of center and produce electron densities comparable to the spiral coils. Both of these characteristics are advantageous in industrial applications. Coil design characteristics for favorable power coupling are also determined, including the necessity of closed hydrodynamic plasma loops and the drawback of closely situated antiparallel coil currents.

ECR Plasma Source for Heavy Ion Beam Charge Neutralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Efthimion, P. C.; Gilson, E.; Grisham, L.; Davidson, R. C.; Yu, S.; Logan, B. G.

2002-11-01

Highly ionized plasmas are being considered as a medium for charge neutralizing heavy ion beams in order to focus beyond the space-charge limit. Calculations suggest that plasma at a density of 1 - 100 times the ion beam density and at a length ˜ 0.1-0.5 m would be suitable for achieving a high level of charge neutralization. An ECR source has been built at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) to support a joint Neutralized Transport Experiment (NTX) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to study ion beam neutralization with plasma. The ECR source operates at 13.6 MHz and with solenoid magnetic fields of 1-10 gauss. The goal is to operate the source at pressures ˜ 10-5 Torr at full ionization. The initial operation of the source has been at pressures of 10-4 - 10-1 Torr. Electron densities in the range of 10^8 - 10^11 cm-3 have been achieved. Low-pressure operation is important to reduce ion beam ionization. A cusp magnetic field has been installed to improve radial confinement and reduce the field strength on the beam axis. In addition, axial confinement is believed to be important to achieve lower-pressure operation. At moderate pressures (> 1 mTorr) the wave damping is collisional, and at low pressures (< 1 mTorr) there is a distinct electron cyclotron resonance. The source has recently been configured to operate with 2.45 GHz microwaves with similar results. At the present operating range the source can simulate the plasma produced by photo-ionization in the target chamber.

Design and development of a low cost, high current density power supply for streamer free atmospheric pressure DBD plasma generation in air.

PubMed

Jain, Vishal; Visani, Anand; Srinivasan, R; Agarwal, Vivek

2018-03-01

This paper presents a new power supply architecture for generating a uniform dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in air medium at atmospheric pressure. It is quite a challenge to generate atmospheric pressure uniform glow discharge plasma, especially in air. This is because air plasma needs very high voltage for initiation of discharge. If the high voltage is used along with high current density, it leads to the formation of streamers, which is undesirable for most applications like textile treatment, etc. Researchers have tried to generate high-density plasma using a RF source, nanosecond pulsed DC source, and medium frequency AC source. However, these solutions suffer from low current discharge and low efficiency due to the addition of an external resistor to control the discharge current. Moreover, they are relatively costly and bulky. This paper presents a new power supply configuration which is very compact and generates high average density (∼0.28 W/cm 2 ) uniform glow DBD plasma in air at atmospheric pressure. The efficiency is also higher as no external resistor is required to control the discharge current. An inherent feature of this topology is that it can drive higher current oscillations (∼50 A peak and 2-3 MHz frequency) into the plasma that damp out due to the plasma dissipation only. A newly proposed model has been used with experimental validation in this paper. Simulations and experimental validation of the proposed topology are included. Also, the application of the generated plasma for polymer film treatment is demonstrated.

Design and development of a low cost, high current density power supply for streamer free atmospheric pressure DBD plasma generation in air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Vishal; Visani, Anand; Srinivasan, R.; Agarwal, Vivek

2018-03-01

This paper presents a new power supply architecture for generating a uniform dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in air medium at atmospheric pressure. It is quite a challenge to generate atmospheric pressure uniform glow discharge plasma, especially in air. This is because air plasma needs very high voltage for initiation of discharge. If the high voltage is used along with high current density, it leads to the formation of streamers, which is undesirable for most applications like textile treatment, etc. Researchers have tried to generate high-density plasma using a RF source, nanosecond pulsed DC source, and medium frequency AC source. However, these solutions suffer from low current discharge and low efficiency due to the addition of an external resistor to control the discharge current. Moreover, they are relatively costly and bulky. This paper presents a new power supply configuration which is very compact and generates high average density (˜0.28 W/cm2) uniform glow DBD plasma in air at atmospheric pressure. The efficiency is also higher as no external resistor is required to control the discharge current. An inherent feature of this topology is that it can drive higher current oscillations (˜50 A peak and 2-3 MHz frequency) into the plasma that damp out due to the plasma dissipation only. A newly proposed model has been used with experimental validation in this paper. Simulations and experimental validation of the proposed topology are included. Also, the application of the generated plasma for polymer film treatment is demonstrated.

Electron cyclotron resonance ion source plasma characterization by X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mascali, David, E-mail: davidmascali@lns.infn.it; Castro, Giuseppe; Celona, Luigi

2016-02-15

An experimental campaign aiming to investigate electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma X-ray emission has been recently carried out at the ECRISs—Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources laboratory of Atomki based on a collaboration between the Debrecen and Catania ECR teams. In a first series, the X-ray spectroscopy was performed through silicon drift detectors and high purity germanium detectors, characterizing the volumetric plasma emission. The on-purpose developed collimation system was suitable for direct plasma density evaluation, performed “on-line” during beam extraction and charge state distribution characterization. A campaign for correlating the plasma density and temperature with the output charge states and themore » beam intensity for different pumping wave frequencies, different magnetic field profiles, and single-gas/gas-mixing configurations was carried out. The results reveal a surprisingly very good agreement between warm-electron density fluctuations, output beam currents, and the calculated electromagnetic modal density of the plasma chamber. A charge-coupled device camera coupled to a small pin-hole allowing X-ray imaging was installed and numerous X-ray photos were taken in order to study the peculiarities of the ECRIS plasma structure.« less

Plasma particle sources due to interactions with neutrals in a turbulent scrape-off layer of a toroidally confined plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thrysøe, A. S.; Løiten, M.; Madsen, J.; Naulin, V.; Nielsen, A. H.; Rasmussen, J. Juul

2018-03-01

The conditions in the edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) of magnetically confined plasmas determine the overall performance of the device, and it is of great importance to study and understand the mechanics that drive transport in those regions. If a significant amount of neutral molecules and atoms is present in the edge and SOL regions, those will influence the plasma parameters and thus the plasma confinement. In this paper, it is displayed how neutrals, described by a fluid model, introduce source terms in a plasma drift-fluid model due to inelastic collisions. The resulting source terms are included in a four-field drift-fluid model, and it is shown how an increasing neutral particle density in the edge and SOL regions influences the plasma particle transport across the last-closed-flux-surface. It is found that an appropriate gas puffing rate allows for the edge density in the simulation to be self-consistently maintained due to ionization of neutrals in the confined region.

X-ray spectroscopy of warm and hot electron components in the CAPRICE source plasma at EIS testbench at GSI.

PubMed

Mascali, D; Celona, L; Maimone, F; Maeder, J; Castro, G; Romano, F P; Musumarra, A; Altana, C; Caliri, C; Torrisi, G; Neri, L; Gammino, S; Tinschert, K; Spaedtke, K P; Rossbach, J; Lang, R; Ciavola, G

2014-02-01

An experimental campaign aiming to detect X radiation emitted by the plasma of the CAPRICE source - operating at GSI, Darmstadt - has been carried out. Two different detectors (a SDD - Silicon Drift Detector and a HpGe - hyper-pure Germanium detector) have been used to characterize the warm (2-30 keV) and hot (30-500 keV) electrons in the plasma, collecting the emission intensity and the energy spectra for different pumping wave frequencies and then correlating them with the CSD of the extracted beam measured by means of a bending magnet. A plasma emissivity model has been used to extract the plasma density along the cone of sight of the SDD and HpGe detectors, which have been placed beyond specific collimators developed on purpose. Results show that the tuning of the pumping frequency considerably modifies the plasma density especially in the warm electron population domain, which is the component responsible for ionization processes: a strong variation of the plasma density near axis region has been detected. Potential correlations with the charge state distribution in the plasma are explored.

Slit shaped microwave induced atmospheric pressure plasma based on a parallel plate transmission line resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, S. K.; Seo, Y. S.; Lee, H. Wk; Aman-ur-Rehman; Kim, G. C.; Lee, J. K.

2011-11-01

A new type of microwave-excited atmospheric pressure plasma source, based on the principle of parallel plate transmission line resonator, is developed for the treatment of large areas in biomedical applications such as skin treatment and wound healing. A stable plasma of 20 mm width is sustained by a small microwave power source operated at a frequency of 700 MHz and a gas flow rate of 0.9 slm. Plasma impedance and plasma density of this plasma source are estimated by fitting the calculated reflection coefficient to the measured one. The estimated plasma impedance shows a decreasing trend while estimated plasma density shows an increasing trend with the increase in the input power. Plasma uniformity is confirmed by temperature and optical emission distribution measurements. Plasma temperature is sustained at less than 40 °C and abundant amounts of reactive species, which are important agents for bacteria inactivation, are detected over the entire plasma region. Large area treatment ability of this newly developed device is verified through bacteria inactivation experiment using E. coli. Sterilization experiment shows a large bacterial killing mark of 25 mm for a plasma treatment time of 10 s.

Ion and electron sheath characteristics in a low density and low temperature plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borgohain, Binita; Bailung, H.

2017-11-01

Ion and electron sheath characteristics in a low electron temperature (Te ˜ 0.25-0.40 eV) and density (ne ˜ 106-107 cm-3) plasma are described. The plasma is produced in the experimental volume through diffusion from a hot cathode discharge plasma source by using a magnetic filter. The electron energy distribution function in the experimental plasma volume is measured to be a narrow Maxwellian distribution indicating the absence of primary and energetic electrons which are decoupled in the source side by the cusp magnetic field near the filter. An emissive probe is used to measure the sheath potential profiles in front of a metal plate biased negative and positive with respect to the plasma potential. For a positive plate bias, the electron density decreases considerably and the electron sheath expands with a longer presheath region compared to the ion sheath. The sheath potential structures are found to follow the Debye sheath model.

Energization of the Ring Current through Convection of Substorm Enhancements of the Plasma Sheet Source.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menz, A.; Kistler, L. M.; Mouikis, C.; Spence, H. E.; Henderson, M. G.; Matsui, H.

2017-12-01

It has been shown that electric field strength and night-side plasma sheet density are the two best predictors of the adiabatic energy gain of the ring current during geomagnetic storms (Liemohn and Khazanov, 2005). While H+ dominates the ring current during quiet times, O+ can contribute substantially during geomagnetic storms. Substorm activity provides a mechanism to enhance the energy density of O+ in the plasma sheet during geomagnetic storms, which is then convected adiabatically into the inner-magnetosphere. Using the Van Allen Probes data in the the plasma sheet source region (defined as L>5.5 during storms) and the inner magnetosphere, along with LANL-GEO data to identify substorm injection times, we show that adiabatic convection of O+ enhancements in the source region can explain the observed enhancements in the inner magnetosphere. We use the UNH-IMEF electric field model to calculate drift times from the source region to the inner magnetosphere to test whether enhancements in the inner-magnetosphere can be explained by dipolarization driven enhancements in the plasma sheet source hours before.

Numerical Simulations of Flow Separation Control in Low-Pressure Turbines using Plasma Actuators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suzen, Y. B.; Huang, P. G.; Ashpis, D. E.

2007-01-01

A recently introduced phenomenological model to simulate flow control applications using plasma actuators has been further developed and improved in order to expand its use to complicated actuator geometries. The new modeling approach eliminates the requirement of an empirical charge density distribution shape by using the embedded electrode as a source for the charge density. The resulting model is validated against a flat plate experiment with quiescent environment. The modeling approach incorporates the effect of the plasma actuators on the external flow into Navier Stokes computations as a body force vector which is obtained as a product of the net charge density and the electric field. The model solves the Maxwell equation to obtain the electric field due to the applied AC voltage at the electrodes and an additional equation for the charge density distribution representing the plasma density. The new modeling approach solves the charge density equation in the computational domain assuming the embedded electrode as a source therefore automatically generating a charge density distribution on the surface exposed to the flow similar to that observed in the experiments without explicitly specifying an empirical distribution. The model is validated against a flat plate experiment with quiescent environment.

Temporal Development of Auroral Acceleration Potentials: High-Altitude Evolutionary Sequences, Drivers and Consequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hull, A. J.; Wilber, M.; Chaston, C.; Bonnell, J.; Mozer, F.; McFadden, J.; Goldstein, M.; Fillingim, M.

2007-12-01

The region above the auroral acceleration region is an integral part of the auroral zone electrodynamic system. At these altitudes (≥ 3 Re) we find the source plasma and fields that determine acceleration processes occurring at lower altitudes, which play a key role in the transport of mass and energy into the ionosphere. Dynamic changes in these high-altitude regions can affect and/or control lower-altitude acceleration processes according to how field-aligned currents and specific plasma sources form and decay and how they are spatially distributed, and through magnetic configuration changes deeper in the magnetotail. Though much progress has been made, the time development and consequential effects of the high-altitude plasma and fields are still not fully understood. We present Cluster multi-point observations at key instances within and above the acceleration region (> 3 RE) of evolving auroral arc current systems. Results are presented from events occurring under different conditions, such as magnetospheric activity, associations with density depletions or gradients, and Alfvenic turbulence. A preliminary survey, primarily at or near the plasma sheet boundary, indicates quasi- static up-down current pair systems are at times associated with density depletions and other instances occur in association with density gradients. The data suggest that such quasi-static current systems may be evolving from structured Alfvenic current systems. We will discuss the temporal development of auroral acceleration potentials, plasma and currents, including quasi-static system formation from turbulent systems of structured Alfvenic field-aligned currents, density depletion and constituent reorganization of the source and ionospheric plasma that transpire in such systems. Of particular emphasis is how temporal changes in magnetospheric source plasma and fields affect the development of auroral acceleration potentials at lower altitudes.

Inductively generated streaming plasma ion source

DOEpatents

Glidden, Steven C.; Sanders, Howard D.; Greenly, John B.

2006-07-25

A novel pulsed, neutralized ion beam source is provided. The source uses pulsed inductive breakdown of neutral gas, and magnetic acceleration and control of the resulting plasma, to form a beam. The beam supplies ions for applications requiring excellent control of ion species, low remittance, high current density, and spatial uniformity.

Enhanced diamagnetic perturbations and electric currents observed downstream of the high power helicon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roberson, B. Race; Winglee, Robert; Prager, James

2011-05-15

The high power helicon (HPH) is capable of producing a high density plasma (10{sup 17}-10{sup 18} m{sup -3}) and directed ion energies greater than 20 eV that continue to increase tens of centimeters downstream of the thruster. In order to understand the coupling mechanism between the helicon antenna and the plasma outside the immediate source region, measurements were made in the plasma plume downstream from the thruster of the propagating wave magnetic field and the perturbation of the axial bulk field using a type 'R' helicon antenna. This magnetic field perturbation ({Delta}B) peaks at more than 15 G in strengthmore » downstream of the plasma source, and is 3-5 times larger than those previously reported from HPH. Taking the curl of this measured magnetic perturbation and assuming azimuthal symmetry suggests that this magnetic field is generated by a (predominantly) azimuthal current ring with a current density on the order of tens of kA m{sup -2}. At this current density the diamagnetic field is intense enough to cancel out the B{sub 0} axial magnetic field near the source region. The presence of the diamagnetic current is important as it demonstrates modification of the vacuum fields well beyond the source region and signifies the presence of a high density, collimated plasma stream. This diamagnetic current also modifies the propagation of the helicon wave, which facilitates a better understanding of coupling between the helicon wave and the resultant plasma acceleration.« less

Study of the operating parameters of a helicon plasma discharge source using PIC-MCC simulation technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaafarian, Rokhsare; Ganjovi, Alireza; Etaati, Gholamreza

2018-01-01

In this work, a Particle in Cell-Monte Carlo Collision simulation technique is used to study the operating parameters of a typical helicon plasma source. These parameters mainly include the gas pressure, externally applied static magnetic field, the length and radius of the helicon antenna, and the frequency and voltage amplitude of the applied RF power on the helicon antenna. It is shown that, while the strong radial gradient of the formed plasma density in the proximity of the plasma surface is substantially proportional to the energy absorption from the existing Trivelpiece-Gould (TG) modes, the observed high electron temperature in the helicon source at lower static magnetic fields is significant evidence for the energy absorption from the helicon modes. Furthermore, it is found that, at higher gas pressures, both the plasma electron density and temperature are reduced. Besides, it is shown that, at higher static magnetic fields, owing to the enhancement of the energy absorption by the plasma charged species, the plasma electron density is linearly increased. Moreover, it is seen that, at the higher spatial dimensions of the antenna, both the plasma electron density and temperature are reduced. Additionally, while, for the applied frequencies of 13.56 MHz and 27.12 MHz on the helicon antenna, the TG modes appear, for the applied frequency of 18.12 MHz on the helicon antenna, the existence of helicon modes is proved. Moreover, by increasing the applied voltage amplitude on the antenna, the generation of mono-energetic electrons is more probable.

Development and studies on a compact electron cyclotron resonance plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganguli, A.; Tarey, R. D.; Arora, N.; Narayanan, R.

2016-04-01

It is well known that electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) produced plasmas are efficient, high-density plasma sources and have many industrial applications. The concept of a portable compact ECR plasma source (CEPS) would thus become important from an application point of view. This paper gives details of such a CEPS that is both portable and easily mountable on a chamber of any size. It uses a fully integrated microwave line operating at 2.45 GHz, up to 800 W, cw. The required magnetic field is produced by a set of suitably designed NdFeB ring magnets; the device has an overall length of  ≈60 cm and weighs  ≈14 kg including the permanent magnets. The CEPS was attached to a small experimental chamber to judge its efficacy for plasma production. In the pressure range of 0.5-10 mTorr and microwave power of  ≈400-500 W the experiments indicate that the CEPS is capable of producing high-density plasma (≈9  ×  1011-1012 cm-3) with bulk electron temperature in the range  ≈2-3 eV. In addition, a warm electron population with density and temperature in the range ≈7  ×  108-109 cm-3 and  ≈45-80 eV, respectively has been detected. This warm population plays an important role at high pressures in maintaining the high-density plasma, when plasma flow from the CEPS into the test chamber is strongly affected.

Dependence of the source performance on plasma parameters at the BATMAN test facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wimmer, C.; Fantz, U.

2015-04-01

The investigation of the dependence of the source performance (high jH-, low je) for optimum Cs conditions on the plasma parameters at the BATMAN (Bavarian Test MAchine for Negative hydrogen ions) test facility is desirable in order to find key parameters for the operation of the source as well as to deepen the physical understanding. The most relevant source physics takes place in the extended boundary layer, which is the plasma layer with a thickness of several cm in front of the plasma grid: the production of H-, its transport through the plasma and its extraction, inevitably accompanied by the co-extraction of electrons. Hence, a link of the source performance with the plasma parameters in the extended boundary layer is expected. In order to characterize electron and negative hydrogen ion fluxes in the extended boundary layer, Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy and Langmuir probes have been applied for the measurement of the H- density and the determination of the plasma density, the plasma potential and the electron temperature, respectively. The plasma potential is of particular importance as it determines the sheath potential profile at the plasma grid: depending on the plasma grid bias relative to the plasma potential, a transition in the plasma sheath from an electron repelling to an electron attracting sheath takes place, influencing strongly the electron fraction of the bias current and thus the amount of co-extracted electrons. Dependencies of the source performance on the determined plasma parameters are presented for the comparison of two source pressures (0.6 Pa, 0.45 Pa) in hydrogen operation. The higher source pressure of 0.6 Pa is a standard point of operation at BATMAN with external magnets, whereas the lower pressure of 0.45 Pa is closer to the ITER requirements (p ≤ 0.3 Pa).

Battery-powered pulsed high density inductively coupled plasma source for pre-ionization in laboratory astrophysics experiments.

PubMed

Chaplin, Vernon H; Bellan, Paul M

2015-07-01

An electrically floating radiofrequency (RF) pre-ionization plasma source has been developed to enable neutral gas breakdown at lower pressures and to access new experimental regimes in the Caltech laboratory astrophysics experiments. The source uses a customized 13.56 MHz class D RF power amplifier that is powered by AA batteries, allowing it to safely float at 3-6 kV with the electrodes of the high voltage pulsed power experiments. The amplifier, which is capable of 3 kW output power in pulsed (<1 ms) operation, couples electrical energy to the plasma through an antenna external to the 1.1 cm radius discharge tube. By comparing the predictions of a global equilibrium discharge model with the measured scalings of plasma density with RF power input and axial magnetic field strength, we demonstrate that inductive coupling (rather than capacitive coupling or wave damping) is the dominant energy transfer mechanism. Peak ion densities exceeding 5 × 10(19) m(-3) in argon gas at 30 mTorr have been achieved with and without a background field. Installation of the pre-ionization source on a magnetohydrodynamically driven jet experiment reduced the breakdown time and jitter and allowed for the creation of hotter, faster argon plasma jets than was previously possible.

Plasma wake field XUV radiation source

DOEpatents

Prono, Daniel S.; Jones, Michael E.

1997-01-01

A XUV radiation source uses an interaction of electron beam pulses with a gas to create a plasma radiator. A flowing gas system (10) defines a circulation loop (12) with a device (14), such as a high pressure pump or the like, for circulating the gas. A nozzle or jet (16) produces a sonic atmospheric pressure flow and increases the density of the gas for interacting with an electron beam. An electron beam is formed by a conventional radio frequency (rf) accelerator (26) and electron pulses are conventionally formed by a beam buncher (28). The rf energy is thus converted to electron beam energy, the beam energy is used to create and then thermalize an atmospheric density flowing gas to a fully ionized plasma by interaction of beam pulses with the plasma wake field, and the energetic plasma then loses energy by line radiation at XUV wavelengths Collection and focusing optics (18) are used to collect XUV radiation emitted as line radiation when the high energy density plasma loses energy that was transferred from the electron beam pulses to the plasma.

Temporal variations of electron density and temperature in Kr/Ne/H2 photoionized plasma induced by nanosecond pulses from extreme ultraviolet source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saber, I.; Bartnik, A.; Wachulak, P.; Skrzeczanowski, W.; Jarocki, R.; Fiedorowicz, H.

2017-06-01

Spectral investigations of low-temperature photoionized plasmas created in a Kr/Ne/H2 gas mixture were performed. The low-temperature plasmas were generated by gas mixture irradiation using extreme ultraviolet pulses from a laser-plasma source. Emission spectra in the ultraviolet/visible range from the photoionized plasmas contained lines that mainly corresponded to neutral atoms and singly charged ions. Temporal variations in the plasma electron temperature and electron density were studied using different characteristic emission lines at various delay times. Results, based on Kr II lines, showed that the electron temperature decreased from 1.7 to 0.9 eV. The electron densities were estimated using different spectral lines at each delay time. In general, except for the Hβ line, in which the electron density decreased from 3.78 × 1016 cm-3 at 200 ns to 5.77 × 1015 cm-3 at 2000 ns, most of the electron density values measured from the different lines were of the order of 1015 cm-3 and decreased slightly while maintaining the same order when the delay time increased. The time dependences of the measured and simulated intensities of a spectral line of interest were also investigated. The validity of the partial or full local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions in plasma was explained based on time-resolved electron density measurements. The partial LTE condition was satisfied for delay times in the 200 ns to 1500 ns range. The results are summarized, and the dominant basic atomic processes in the gas mixture photoionized plasma are discussed.

An amplitude modulated radio frequency plasma generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Fan; Li, Xiaoping; Liu, Yanming; Liu, Donglin; Yang, Min; Xie, Kai; Yao, Bo

2017-04-01

A glow discharge plasma generator and diagnostic system has been developed to study the effects of rapidly variable plasmas on electromagnetic wave propagation, mimicking the plasma sheath conditions encountered in space vehicle reentry. The plasma chamber is 400 mm in diameter and 240 mm in length, with a 300-mm-diameter unobstructed clear aperture. Electron densities produced are in the mid 1010 electrons/cm3. An 800 W radio frequency (RF) generator is capacitively coupled through an RF matcher to an internally cooled stainless steel electrode to form the plasma. The RF power is amplitude modulated by a waveform generator that operates at different frequencies. The resulting plasma contains electron density modulations caused by the varying power levels. A 10 GHz microwave horn antenna pair situated on opposite sides of the chamber serves as the source and detector of probe radiation. The microwave power feed to the source horn is split and one portion is sent directly to a high-speed recording oscilloscope. On mixing this with the signal from the pickup horn antenna, the plasma-induced phase shift between the two signals gives the path-integrated electron density with its complete time dependent variation. Care is taken to avoid microwave reflections and extensive shielding is in place to minimize electronic pickup. Data clearly show the low frequency modulation of the electron density as well as higher harmonics and plasma fluctuations.

Negative hydrogen ion production in a helicon plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santoso, J.; Manoharan, R.; O'Byrne, S.; Corr, C. S.

2015-09-01

In order to develop very high energy (>1 MeV) neutral beam injection systems for applications, such as plasma heating in fusion devices, it is necessary first to develop high throughput negative ion sources. For the ITER reference source, this will be realised using caesiated inductively coupled plasma devices, containing either hydrogen or deuterium discharges, operated with high rf input powers (up to 90 kW per driver). It has been suggested that due to their high power coupling efficiency, helicon devices may be able to reduce power requirements and potentially obviate the need for caesiation due to the high plasma densities achievable. Here, we present measurements of negative ion densities in a hydrogen discharge produced by a helicon device, with externally applied DC magnetic fields ranging from 0 to 8.5 mT at 5 and 10 mTorr fill pressures. These measurements were taken in the magnetised plasma interaction experiment at the Australian National University and were performed using the probe-based laser photodetachment technique, modified for the use in the afterglow of the plasma discharge. A peak in the electron density is observed at ˜3 mT and is correlated with changes in the rf power transfer efficiency. With increasing magnetic field, an increase in the negative ion fraction from 0.04 to 0.10 and negative ion densities from 8 × 1014 m-3 to 7 × 1015 m-3 is observed. It is also shown that the negative ion densities can be increased by a factor of 8 with the application of an external DC magnetic field.

A Variable Frequency, Mis-Match Tolerant, Inductive Plasma Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, Anthony; Kirchner, Don; Skiff, Fred

2014-10-01

Presented here is a survey and analysis of an inductively coupled, magnetically confined, singly ionized Argon plasma generated by a square-wave, variable frequency plasma source. The helicon-style antenna is driven directly by the class ``D'' amplifier without matching network for increased efficiency while maintaining independent control of frequency and applied power at the feed point. The survey is compared to similar data taken using a traditional exciter--power amplifier--matching network source. Specifically, the flexibility of this plasma source in terms of the independent control of electron plasma temperature and density is discussed in comparison to traditional source arrangements. Supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-99ER54543.

Neutral and Plasma Sources in the Saturn's Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jurac, S.; Johnson, R. E.

1999-05-01

The heavy ion plasma in Saturnian inner magnetosphere is derived from the icy satellites and ring particles imbedded in the plasma. Recent Hubble Space Telescope measurements of the densities of neutral OH molecules which co-exist with and are precursors of the plasma ions have constrained models for the plasma sources. Richardson et al (1998) considered all existing HST observations and derived water-like neutral densities and estimated required sources to maintain equilibrium. Their neutral densities show maximum close to Enceladus (where the E-ring density peaks) and their total neutral source rate needed to maintain neutrals in steady state is for an order of magnitude larger than source rate given by Shi et al (1995). We model the sputtering of water-ice using the recently developed Monte-Carlo collisional transport code, and calculate neutral supply rates from sputtering of Enceladus and the E-ring. This collisional code, used previously to evaluate sputtering from the interstellar grains (Jurac et al, 1998) is modified to include electronic processes relevant to water-ice sputtering, and then applied to the E-ring grains. It is shown that the grain erosion rate increases substantially when the ion penetration depth becomes comparable to the grain radius. The sputtering and collection rates for plasma ions and neutrals are evaluated and it is shown that the E-ring might be the dominant source of water-like neutrals in the Saturnian magnetosphere. We also describe competition between grain growth and erosion and discuss implications to the existing E-ring evolutionary models. References: Jurac S., R. E. Johnson, B. Donn; Astroph. J. 503, 247, 1998 Richardson, J. D., A. Eviatar, M. A. McGrath, V. M. Vasyliunas; J. Geophys. Res., 103, 20245, 1998 Shi, M., R.A. Baragiola, D.E. Grosjean, R.E. Johnson, S. Jurac and J. Schou; J. Geophys. Res., 100, 26387, 1995.

Modeling of negative ion extraction from a magnetized plasma source: Derivation of scaling laws and description of the origins of aberrations in the ion beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fubiani, G.; Garrigues, L.; Boeuf, J. P.

2018-02-01

We model the extraction of negative ions from a high brightness high power magnetized negative ion source. The model is a Particle-In-Cell (PIC) algorithm with Monte-Carlo Collisions. The negative ions are generated only on the plasma grid surface (which separates the plasma from the electrostatic accelerator downstream). The scope of this work is to derive scaling laws for the negative ion beam properties versus the extraction voltage (potential of the first grid of the accelerator) and plasma density and investigate the origins of aberrations on the ion beam. We show that a given value of the negative ion beam perveance correlates rather well with the beam profile on the extraction grid independent of the simulated plasma density. Furthermore, the extracted beam current may be scaled to any value of the plasma density. The scaling factor must be derived numerically but the overall gain of computational cost compared to performing a PIC simulation at the real plasma density is significant. Aberrations appear for a meniscus curvature radius of the order of the radius of the grid aperture. These aberrations cannot be cancelled out by switching to a chamfered grid aperture (as in the case of positive ions).

Effect of dietary fat source on lipoprotein composition and plasma lipid concentrations in pigs.

PubMed

Faidley, T D; Luhman, C M; Galloway, S T; Foley, M K; Beitz, D C

1990-10-01

Most studies of the effects of dietary fat sources on plasma lipid components have used diets with extreme fat compositions; the current study was designed to more nearly mimic human dietary fat intake. Young growing pigs were fed diets containing either 20 or 40% of energy as soy oil, beef tallow or a 50/50 blend of soy oil and tallow. Different dietary fats did not affect concentrations of cholesterol, triacylglycerol or protein in plasma or major lipoprotein fractions. The concentration of phospholipid was less in plasma and in very low density lipoproteins with soy oil feeding than with tallow feeding. The weight percentage of cholesteryl ester in the low density lipoprotein fraction tended to be greater with 40% than with 20% tallow and tended to be less with 40% than with 20% soy oil. Phospholipid as a weight percentage of low density lipoprotein was least in pigs fed soy oil. Tallow feeding increased the percentage of myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic and oleic acids in plasma, relative to both other groups. Soy oil feeding increased the percentage of linoleic and linolenic acids. These moderate diets were not hypercholesterolemic, but they did alter plasma fatty acid composition and phospholipid concentrations in plasma and very low density lipoprotein.

ECR plasma source for heavy ion beam charge neutralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Efthimion, Philip C.; Gilson, Erik; Grisham, Larry; Kolchin, Pavel; Davidson, Ronald C.; Yu, Simon; Logan, B. Grant

2003-01-01

Highly ionized plasmas are being considered as a medium for charge neutralizing heavy ion beams in order to focus beyond the space-charge limit. Calculations suggest that plasma at a density of 1 100 times the ion beam density and at a length [similar]0.1 2 m would be suitable for achieving a high level of charge neutralization. An Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) source has been built at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) to support a joint Neutralized Transport Experiment (NTX) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to study ion beam neutralization with plasma. The ECR source operates at 13.6 MHz and with solenoid magnetic fields of 1 10 gauss. The goal is to operate the source at pressures [similar]10[minus sign]6 Torr at full ionization. The initial operation of the source has been at pressures of 10[minus sign]4 10[minus sign]1 Torr. Electron densities in the range of 108 to 1011 cm[minus sign]3 have been achieved. Low-pressure operation is important to reduce ion beam ionization. A cusp magnetic field has been installed to improve radial confinement and reduce the field strength on the beam axis. In addition, axial confinement is believed to be important to achieve lower-pressure operation. To further improve breakdown at low pressure, a weak electron source will be placed near the end of the ECR source. This article also describes the wave damping mechanisms. At moderate pressures (> 1 mTorr), the wave damping is collisional, and at low pressures (< 1 mTorr) there is a distinct electron cyclotron resonance.

A microwave interferometer for small and tenuous plasma density measurements.

PubMed

Tudisco, O; Lucca Fabris, A; Falcetta, C; Accatino, L; De Angelis, R; Manente, M; Ferri, F; Florean, M; Neri, C; Mazzotta, C; Pavarin, D; Pollastrone, F; Rocchi, G; Selmo, A; Tasinato, L; Trezzolani, F; Tuccillo, A A

2013-03-01

The non-intrusive density measurement of the thin plasma produced by a mini-helicon space thruster (HPH.com project) is a challenge, due to the broad density range (between 10(16) m(-3) and 10(19) m(-3)) and the small size of the plasma source (2 cm of diameter). A microwave interferometer has been developed for this purpose. Due to the small size of plasma, the probing beam wavelength must be small (λ = 4 mm), thus a very high sensitivity interferometer is required in order to observe the lower density values. A low noise digital phase detector with a phase noise of 0.02° has been used, corresponding to a density of 0.5 × 10(16) m(-3).

Generation and Sustainment of Plasma Rotation by ICRF Heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perkins, F. W.

2000-10-01

When tokamak plasmas are heated by the fundamental minority ion-cyclotron process, they are observed to rotate toroidally, even though this heating process introduces negligable angular momentum. This work proposes and evaluates a physics mechanism which resolves this apparent conflict. The argument has two elements. First, it is assumed that angular momentum transport is governed by a diffusion equation with a v_tor = 0 boundary condition at the plasma surface and a torque-density source. When the source consists of separated regions of positive and negative torque density, a finite central rotation velocity results, even though the volume integrated torque density - the angular momentum input - vanishes. Secondly, ions energized by the ICRF process can generate separated regions of positive and negative torque density. Heating increases their banana widths which leads to radial energetic-particle transport that must be balanced by neutralizing radial currents and a j_rB_pR torque density in the bulk plasma. Additional, comparable torque density results from collisional transfer of mechanical angular momentum from energetic particles to the bulk plasma and particle loss through banana particles impacting the wall. Monte-Carlo calculations utilizing the ORBIT code evaluate all sources of torque density and rigorously assure that no net angular momentum is introduced. Two models of ICRF heating, diffusive and instantaneous, give similar results. When the resonance location is on the LFS, the calculated rotation has the magnitude, profile, and co-current sense of Alcator C-Mod observations. For HFS resonance locations, the model predicts counter-current rotation. Scans of rotational profiles vs. resonance location, initial energy, particle loss, pitch, and qm will be presented as will the location of the velocity shear layer its scaling to a reactor.

Mode conversion at density irregularities in the LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kersten, Kristopher; Cattell, Cynthia; van Compernolle, Bart; Gekelman, Walter; Pribyl, Pat; Vincena, Steve

2010-11-01

Mode conversion of electrostatic plasma oscillations to electromagnetic radiation is commonly observed in space plasmas as Type II and III radio bursts. Much theoretical work has addressed the phenomenon, but due to the transient nature and generation location of the bursts, experimental verification via in situ observation has proved difficult. The Large Plasma Device (LAPD) provides a reproducible plasma environment that can be tailored for the study of space plasma phenomena. A highly configurable axial magnetic field and flexible diagnostics make the device well suited for the study of plasma instabilities at density gradients. We present preliminary results of mode conversion studies performed at the LAPD. The studies employed an electron beam source configured to drive Langmuir waves towards high density plasma near the cathode discharge. Internal floating potential probes show the expected plasma oscillations ahead of the beam cathode, and external microwave antenna signals reveal a strong band of radiation near the plasma frequency that persists into the low density plasma afterglow.

A radio source occultation experiment with comet Austin 1982g, with unusual results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

De Pater, I.; Ip, W.-H.

1984-01-01

A radio source occultation by comet Austin 1982g was observed on September 15-16, 1982. A change in the apparent position of 1242 + 41 by 1.3 arcsec occurred when the source was 220,000 km away from the cometary ion tail. If this change was due to refraction by the cometary plasma, it indicates an electron density of the plasma of about 10,000/cu cm. When the radio source was on the other side of the plasma tail, at a distance of 230,000 km, the position angle of the electric vector of the radio source changed gradually over about 140 deg within two hours. This observation cannot be explained in terms of ionospheric Faraday rotation, and results from either an intrinsic change in the radio source or Faraday rotation in the cometary plasma due to a change in the direction and/or strength of the magnetic field. In the latter case, the cometary coma must have an electron density and a magnetic field strength orders of magnitude larger than current theories predict.

Measurements of neutral helium density in helicon plasmas.

PubMed

Houshmandyar, Saeid; Sears, Stephanie H; Thakur, Saikat Chakraborty; Carr, Jerry; Galante, Matthew E; Scime, Earl E

2010-10-01

Laser-induced-fluorescence (LIF) is used to measure the density of helium atoms in a helicon plasma source. For a pump wavelength of 587.725 nm (vacuum) and laser injection along the magnetic field, the LIF signal exhibits a signal decrease at the Doppler shifted central wavelength. The drop in signal results from the finite optical depth of the plasma and the magnitude of the decrease is proportional to the density of excited state neutral atoms. Using Langmuir probe measurements of plasma density and electron temperature and a collisional-radiative model, the absolute ground state neutral density is calculated from the optical depth measurements. Optimal plasma performance, i.e., the largest neutral depletion on the axis of the system, is observed for antenna frequencies of 13.0 and 13.5 MHz and magnetic field strengths of 550-600 G.

High current ion source

DOEpatents

Brown, Ian G.; MacGill, Robert A.; Galvin, James E.

1990-01-01

An ion source utilizing a cathode and anode for producing an electric arc therebetween. The arc is sufficient to vaporize a portion of the cathode to form a plasma. The plasma leaves the generation region and expands through another regon. The density profile of the plasma may be flattened using a magnetic field formed within a vacuum chamber. Ions are extracted from the plasma to produce a high current broad on beam.

Effect of plasma distribution on propulsion performance in electrodeless plasma thrusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takao, Yoshinori; Takase, Kazuki; Takahashi, Kazunori

2016-09-01

A helicon plasma thruster consisting of a helicon plasma source and a magnetic nozzle is one of the candidates for long-lifetime thrusters because no electrodes are employed to generate or accelerate plasma. A recent experiment, however, detected the non-negligible axial momentum lost to the lateral wall boundary, which degrades thruster performance, when the source was operated with highly ionized gases. To investigate this mechanism, we have conducted two-dimensional axisymmetric particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations with the neutral distribution obtained by Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. The numerical results have indicated that the axially asymmetric profiles of the plasma density and potential are obtained when the strong decay of neutrals occurs at the source downstream. This asymmetric potential profile leads to the accelerated ion towards the lateral wall, leading to the non-negligible net axial force in the opposite direction of the thrust. Hence, to reduce this asymmetric profile by increasing the neutral density at downstream and/or by confining plasma with external magnetic field would result in improvement of the propulsion performance. These effects are also analyzed by PIC/DSMC simulations.

X-ray spectroscopy of warm and hot electron components in the CAPRICE source plasma at EIS testbench at GSI

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mascali, D., E-mail: davidmascali@lns.infn.it; Celona, L.; Castro, G.

2014-02-15

An experimental campaign aiming to detect X radiation emitted by the plasma of the CAPRICE source – operating at GSI, Darmstadt – has been carried out. Two different detectors (a SDD – Silicon Drift Detector and a HpGe – hyper-pure Germanium detector) have been used to characterize the warm (2–30 keV) and hot (30–500 keV) electrons in the plasma, collecting the emission intensity and the energy spectra for different pumping wave frequencies and then correlating them with the CSD of the extracted beam measured by means of a bending magnet. A plasma emissivity model has been used to extract themore » plasma density along the cone of sight of the SDD and HpGe detectors, which have been placed beyond specific collimators developed on purpose. Results show that the tuning of the pumping frequency considerably modifies the plasma density especially in the warm electron population domain, which is the component responsible for ionization processes: a strong variation of the plasma density near axis region has been detected. Potential correlations with the charge state distribution in the plasma are explored.« less

Investigation of the Electron Acceleration by a High-Power Laser and a Density-Tapered Mixed-Gas Cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jinju; Phung, Vanessa L. J.; Kim, Minseok; Hur, Min-Sup; Suk, Hyyong

2017-10-01

Plasma-based accelerators can generate about 1000 times stronger acceleration field compared with RF-based conventional accelerators, which can be done by high power laser and plasma. There are many issues in this research and one of them is development of a good plasma source for higher electron beam energy. For this purpose, we are investigating a special type of plasma source, which is a density-tapered gas cell with a mixed-gas for easy injection. By this type of special gas cell, we expect higher electron beam energies with easy injection in the wakefield. In this poster, some experimental results for electron beam generation with the density-tapered mixed-gas cell are presented. In addition to the experimental results, CFD (Computational-Fluid-Dynamics) and PIC (Particle-In-Cell) simulation results are also presented for comparison studies.

Microwave frequency sweep interferometer for plasma density measurements in ECR ion sources: Design and preliminary results

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Torrisi, Giuseppe; University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, Reggio Calabria; Mascali, David

2016-02-15

The Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources (ECRISs) development is strictly related to the availability of new diagnostic tools, as the existing ones are not adequate to such compact machines and to their plasma characteristics. Microwave interferometry is a non-invasive method for plasma diagnostics and represents the best candidate for plasma density measurement in hostile environment. Interferometry in ECRISs is a challenging task mainly due to their compact size. The typical density of ECR plasmas is in the range 10{sup 11}–10{sup 13} cm{sup −3} and it needs a probing beam wavelength of the order of few centimetres, comparable to the chambermore » radius. The paper describes the design of a microwave interferometer developed at the LNS-INFN laboratories based on the so-called “frequency sweep” method to filter out the multipath contribution in the detected signals. The measurement technique and the preliminary results (calibration) obtained during the experimental tests will be presented.« less

Electron density measurement of non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma using dispersion interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshimura, Shinji; Kasahara, Hiroshi; Akiyama, Tsuyoshi

2017-10-01

Medical applications of non-equilibrium atmospheric plasmas have recently been attracting a great deal of attention, where many types of plasma sources have been developed to meet the purposes. For example, plasma-activated medium (PAM), which is now being studied for cancer treatment, has been produced by irradiating non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma with ultrahigh electron density to a culture medium. Meanwhile, in order to measure electron density in magnetic confinement plasmas, a CO2 laser dispersion interferometer has been developed and installed on the Large Helical Device (LHD) at the National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan. The dispersion interferometer has advantages that the measurement is insensitive to mechanical vibrations and changes in neutral gas density. Taking advantage of these properties, we applied the dispersion interferometer to electron density diagnostics of atmospheric pressure plasmas produced by the NU-Global HUMAP-WSAP-50 device, which is used for producing PAM. This study was supported by the Grant of Joint Research by the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS).

Analysis of rapid increase in the plasma density during the ramp-up phase in a radio frequency negative ion source by large-scale particle simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasumoto, M.; Ohta, M.; Kawamura, Y.; Hatayama, A.

2014-02-01

Numerical simulations become useful for the developing RF-ICP (Radio Frequency Inductively Coupled Plasma) negative ion sources. We are developing and parallelizing a two-dimensional three velocity electromagnetic Particle-In-Cell code. The result shows rapid increase in the electron density during the density ramp-up phase. A radial electric field due to the space charge is produced with increase in the electron density and the electron transport in the radial direction is suppressed. As a result, electrons stay for a long period in the region where the inductive electric field is strong, and this leads efficient electron acceleration and a rapid increasing of the electron density.

Non-thermal atmospheric pressure HF plasma source: generation of nitric oxide and ozone for bio-medical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kühn, S.; Bibinov, N.; Gesche, R.; Awakowicz, P.

2010-01-01

A new miniature high-frequency (HF) plasma source intended for bio-medical applications is studied using nitrogen/oxygen mixture at atmospheric pressure. This plasma source can be used as an element of a plasma source array for applications in dermatology and surgery. Nitric oxide and ozone which are produced in this plasma source are well-known agents for proliferation of the cells, inhalation therapy for newborn infants, disinfection of wounds and blood ozonation. Using optical emission spectroscopy, microphotography and numerical simulation, the gas temperature in the active plasma region and plasma parameters (electron density and electron distribution function) are determined for varied nitrogen/oxygen flows. The influence of the gas flows on the plasma conditions is studied. Ozone and nitric oxide concentrations in the effluent of the plasma source are measured using absorption spectroscopy and electro-chemical NO-detector at variable gas flows. Correlations between plasma parameters and concentrations of the particles in the effluent of the plasma source are discussed. By varying the gas flows, the HF plasma source can be optimized for nitric oxide or ozone production. Maximum concentrations of 2750 ppm and 400 ppm of NO and O3, correspondingly, are generated.

Measurements and modeling of the impact of weak magnetic fields on the plasma properties of a planar slot antenna driven plasma source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yoshikawa, Jun, E-mail: jun.yoshikawa@tel.com; Susa, Yoshio; Ventzek, Peter L. G.

The radial line slot antenna plasma source is a type of surface wave plasma source driven by a planar slot antenna. Microwave power is transmitted through a slot antenna structure and dielectric window to a plasma characterized by a generation zone adjacent to the window and a diffusion zone that contacts a substrate. The diffusion zone is characterized by a very low electron temperature. This renders the source useful for soft etch applications and thin film deposition processes requiring low ion energy. Another property of the diffusion zone is that the plasma density tends to decrease from the axis tomore » the walls under the action of ambipolar diffusion at distances far from where the plasma is generated. A previous simulation study [Yoshikawa and. Ventzek, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 31, 031306 (2013)] predicted that the anisotropy in transport parameters due to weak static magnetic fields less than 50 G could be leveraged to manipulate the plasma profile in the radial direction. These simulations motivated experimental tests in which weak magnetic fields were applied to a radial line slot antenna source. Plasma absorption probe measurements of electron density and etch rate showed that the magnetic fields remote from the wafer were able to manipulate both parameters. A summary of these results is presented in this paper. Argon plasma simulation trends are compared with experimental plasma and etch rate measurements. A test of the impact of magnetic fields on charge up damage showed no perceptible negative effect.« less

Effect of remote inductively coupled plasma (ICP) on the electron energy probability function of an in-tandem main ICP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jaewon; Kim, Kyung-Hyun; Chung, Chin-Wook

2017-02-01

The remote plasma has been generally used as the auxiliary plasma source for indirect plasma processes such as cleaning or ashing. When tandem plasma sources that contain main and remote plasma sources are discharged, the main plasma is affected by the remote plasma and vice versa. Charged particles can move between two chambers due to the potential difference between the two plasmas. For this reason, the electron energy possibility function of the main plasma can be controlled by adjusting the remote plasma state. In our study, low energy electrons in the main plasma are effectively heated with varying remote plasma powers, and high energy electrons which overcome potential differences between two plasmas—are exchanged with no remarkable change in the plasma density and the effective electron temperature.

A new method for determining the plasma electron density using optical frequency comb interferometer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arakawa, Hiroyuki, E-mail: arakawa@fmt.teikyo-u.ac.jp; Tojo, Hiroshi; Sasao, Hajime

2014-04-15

A new method of plasma electron density measurement using interferometric phases (fractional fringes) of an optical frequency comb interferometer is proposed. Using the characteristics of the optical frequency comb laser, high density measurement can be achieved without fringe counting errors. Simulations show that the short wavelength and wide wavelength range of the laser source and low noise in interferometric phases measurements are effective to reduce ambiguity of measured density.

Numerical simulation of current-free double layers created in a helicon plasma device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Sathyanarayan; Singh, Nagendra

2012-09-01

Two-dimensional simulations reveal that when radially confined source plasma with magnetized electrons and unmagnetized ions expands into diverging magnetic field B, a current-free double layer (CFDL) embedded in a conical density structure forms, as experimentally measured in the Australian helicon plasma device (HPD). The magnetized electrons follow the diverging B while the unmagnetized ions tend to flow directly downstream of the source, resulting in a radial electric field (E⊥) structure, which couples the ion and electron flows. Ions are transversely (radially) accelerated by E⊥ on the high potential side of the double layer in the CFDL. The accelerated ions are trapped near the conical surface, where E⊥ reverses direction. The potential structure of the CFDL is U-shaped and the plasma density is enhanced on the conical surface. The plasma density is severely depleted downstream of the parallel potential drop (φ||o) in the CFDL; the density depletion and the potential drop are related by quasi-neutrality condition, including the divergence in the magnetic field and in the plasma flow in the conical structure. The potential and density structures, the CFDL spatial size, its electric field strengths and the electron and ion velocities and energy distributions in the CFDL are found to be in good agreements with those measured in the Australian experiment. The applicability of our results to measured axial potential profiles in magnetic nozzle experiments in HPDs is discussed.

Modeling MultiCoil ICPs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolobov, V. I.; Vaidya, N.; Krishnan, A.

1998-10-01

Plasma processing of 300 mm wafers and flat panels places stringent demands on plasma uniformity across large surfaces. A natural solution towards an uniform plasma in a minimum discharge volume is to maintain the plasma by an array of individual sources. Although the design of the individual sources can differ considerably, there is a common feature for all such devices which have been recently suggested by several groups: their essentially 3D geometry. Engineering design of these devices is a challenging task and computational modeling could be a very useful tool. CFD Research Corp. has developed a comprehensive software for virtual prototyping of ICP sources designed for complex 3D geometries with unstructured solution-adaptive mesh. In this paper we shall present the results of our simulation of the multipole high density source [1] which is an example of MultiCoil ICP. We shall describe the procedure of solving the electromagnetic part of the problem using magnetic vector potential and analyse design issues such as the size of dielectric windows. We shall present results of parametric studies of the source for different geometries, gas pressures and plasma densities for simple argon chemistry. [1] J.Ogle. Proc. VI Int. Workshop on Advanced Plasma Tools and Process Engineering, pp. 85-90, May 1998, Millbrae, USA.

Analysis of Mid-Latitude Plasma Density Irregularities in the Presence of Finite Larmor Radius Effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sotnikov, V. I.; Kim, T. C.; Mishin, E. V.; Kil, H.; Kwak, Y. S.; Paraschiv, I.

2017-12-01

Ionospheric irregularities cause scintillations of electromagnetic signals that can severely affect navigation and transionospheric communication, in particular during space storms. At mid-latitudes the source of F-region Field Aligned Irregularities (FAI) is yet to be determined. They can be created in enhanced subauroral flow channels (SAI/SUBS), where strong gradients of electric field, density and plasma temperature are present. Another important source of FAI is connected with Medium-scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs). Related shear flows and plasma density troughs point to interchange and Kelvin-Helmholtz type instabilities as a possible source of plasma irregularities. A model of nonlinear development of these instabilities based on the two-fluid hydrodynamic description with inclusion of finite Larmor radius effects will be presented. This approach allows to resolve density irregularities on the meter scale. A numerical code in C language to solve the derived nonlinear equations for analysis of interchange and flow velocity shear instabilities in the ionosphere was developed. This code will be used to analyze competition between interchange and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities in the mid-latitude region. The high-resolution simulations with continuous density and velocity profiles will be driven by the ambient conditions corresponding to the in situ data obtained during the 2016 Daejeon (Korea) and MU (Japan) radar campaign and data collected simultaneously by the Swarm satellites passed over Korea and Japan. PA approved #: 88ABW-2017-3641

Hybrid simulations of solenoidal radio-frequency inductively coupled hydrogen discharges at low pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Wei; Li, Hong; Gao, Fei; Wang, You-Nian

2016-12-01

In this article, we have described a radio-frequency (RF) inductively coupled H2 plasma using a hybrid computational model, incorporating the Maxwell equations and the linear part of the electron Boltzmann equation into global model equations. This report focuses on the effects of RF frequency, gas pressure, and coil current on the spatial profiles of the induced electric field and plasma absorption power density. The plasma parameters, i.e., plasma density, electron temperature, density of negative ion, electronegativity, densities of neutral species, and dissociation degree of H2, as a function of absorption power, are evaluated at different gas pressures. The simulation results show that the utilization efficiency of the RF source characterized by the coupling efficiency of the RF electric field and power to the plasma can be significantly improved at the low RF frequency, gas pressure, and coil current, due to a low plasma density in these cases. The densities of vibrational states of H2 first rapidly increase with increasing absorption power and then tend to saturate. This is because the rapidly increased dissociation degree of H2 with increasing absorption power somewhat suppresses the increase of the vibrational states of H2, thus inhibiting the increase of the H-. The effects of absorption power on the utilization efficiency of the RF source and the production of the vibrational states of H2 should be considered when setting a value of the coil current. To validate the model simulations, the calculated electron density and temperature are compared with experimental measurements, and a reasonable agreement is achieved.

Investigation of large-area multicoil inductively coupled plasma sources using three-dimensional fluid model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brcka, Jozef

2016-07-01

A multi inductively coupled plasma (ICP) system can be used to maintain the plasma uniformity and increase the area processed by a high-density plasma. This article presents a source in two different configurations. The distributed planar multi ICP (DM-ICP) source comprises individual ICP sources that are not overlapped and produce plasma independently. Mutual coupling of the ICPs may affect the distribution of the produced plasma. The integrated multicoil ICP (IMC-ICP) source consists of four low-inductance ICP antennas that are superimposed in an azimuthal manner. The identical geometry of the ICP coils was assumed in this work. Both configurations have highly asymmetric components. A three-dimensional (3D) plasma model of the multicoil ICP configurations with asymmetric features is used to investigate the plasma characteristics in a large chamber and the operation of the sources in inert and reactive gases. The feasibility of the computational calculation, the speed, and the computational resources of the coupled multiphysics solver are investigated in the framework of a large realistic geometry and complex reaction processes. It was determined that additional variables can be used to control large-area plasmas. Both configurations can form a plasma, that azimuthally moves in a controlled manner, the so-called “sweeping mode” (SM) or “polyphase mode” (PPM), and thus they have the potential for large-area and high-density plasma applications. The operation in the azimuthal mode has the potential to adjust the plasma distribution, the reaction chemistry, and increase or modulate the production of the radicals. The intrinsic asymmetry of the individual coils and their combined operation were investigated within a source assembly primarily in argon and CO gases. Limited investigations were also performed on operation in CH4 gas. The plasma parameters and the resulting chemistry are affected by the geometrical relation between individual antennas. The aim of this work is to incorporate the technological, computational, dimensional scaling, and reaction chemistry aspects of the plasma under one computational framework. The 3D simulation is utilized to geometrically scale up the reactive plasma that is produced by multiple ICP sources.

A tandem mirror plasma source for hybrid plume plasma studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, T. F.; Chang, F. R.; Miller, R. H.; Wenzel, K. W.; Krueger, W. A.

1985-01-01

A tandem mirror device to be considered as a hot plasma source for the hybrid plume rocket concept is discussed. The hot plamsa from this device is injected into an exhaust duct, which will interact with an annular hypersonic layer of neutral gas. The device can be used to study the dynamics of the hybrid plume, and to verify the numerical predictions obtained with computer codes. The basic system design is also geared towards low weight and compactness, and high power density at the exhaust. The basic structure of the device consists of four major subsystems: (1) an electric power supply; (2) a low temperature, high density plasma gun, such as a stream gun, an MPD source or gas cell; (3) a power booster in the form of a tandem mirror machine; and (4) an exhaust nozzle arrangement. The configuration of the tandem mirror section is shown.

Characteristics of High-Density Helicon Plasma Sources and Their Application to Electrodeless Electric Propulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinohara, S.; Nishida, H.; Nakamura, T.; Mishio, A.; Ishii, H.; Teshigahara, N.; Fujitsuka, H.; Waseda, S.; Tanikawa, T.; Hada, T.; Otsuka, F.; Funaki, I.; Matsuoka, T.; Shamrai, K.; Rudenko, T.

2012-10-01

High-density but low temperature helicon plasmas have been proved to be very useful for fundamental research as well as for various applications. First, we introduce our very large helicon sources [1] with a diameter up to 74 cm. For the industrial and propulsion applications, we have reduced the aspect ratio (axial length-to-diameter) down to 0.075, and examined the discharge performance and wave characteristics. Then, we discuss our small helicon sources [1] for developing new electrodeless acceleration schemes. Some experimental and theoretical results [2] by applying the rotating magnetic (or electric) fields to the helicon plasma under the divergent magnetic field will be presented, along with other propulsion schemes. In addition, an initial plasma production experiment with very small diameter will be described.[4pt] [1] S. Shinohara et al., Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 35 (1996) 4503; Rev. Sci. Instrum. 75 (2004) 1941; Phys. Plasmas 16 (2009) 057104.[0pt] [2] S. Shinohara et al., 32th Int. Electric Propul. Conf., IEPC-2011-056, 2011.

Negative hydrogen ion production in a helicon plasma source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Santoso, J., E-mail: Jesse.Santoso@anu.edu.au; Corr, C. S.; Manoharan, R.

2015-09-15

In order to develop very high energy (>1 MeV) neutral beam injection systems for applications, such as plasma heating in fusion devices, it is necessary first to develop high throughput negative ion sources. For the ITER reference source, this will be realised using caesiated inductively coupled plasma devices, containing either hydrogen or deuterium discharges, operated with high rf input powers (up to 90 kW per driver). It has been suggested that due to their high power coupling efficiency, helicon devices may be able to reduce power requirements and potentially obviate the need for caesiation due to the high plasma densities achievable. Here,more » we present measurements of negative ion densities in a hydrogen discharge produced by a helicon device, with externally applied DC magnetic fields ranging from 0 to 8.5 mT at 5 and 10 mTorr fill pressures. These measurements were taken in the magnetised plasma interaction experiment at the Australian National University and were performed using the probe-based laser photodetachment technique, modified for the use in the afterglow of the plasma discharge. A peak in the electron density is observed at ∼3 mT and is correlated with changes in the rf power transfer efficiency. With increasing magnetic field, an increase in the negative ion fraction from 0.04 to 0.10 and negative ion densities from 8 × 10{sup 14 }m{sup −3} to 7 × 10{sup 15 }m{sup −3} is observed. It is also shown that the negative ion densities can be increased by a factor of 8 with the application of an external DC magnetic field.« less

Behavior of moving plasma in solenoidal magnetic field in a laser ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeda, S.; Takahashi, K.; Okamura, M.; Horioka, K.

2016-02-01

In a laser ion source, a solenoidal magnetic field is useful to guide the plasma and to control the extracted beam current. However, the behavior of the plasma drifting in the magnetic field has not been well understood. Therefore, to investigate the behavior, we measured the plasma ion current and the total charge within a single pulse in the solenoid by changing the distance from the entrance of the solenoid to a detector. We observed that the decrease of the total charge along the distance became smaller as the magnetic field became larger and then the charge became almost constant with a certain magnetic flux density. The results indicate that the transverse spreading speed of the plasma decreased with increasing the field and the plasma was confined transversely with the magnetic flux density. We found that the reason of the confinement was not magnetization of ions but an influence induced by electrons.

Behavior of moving plasma in solenoidal magnetic field in a laser ion source.

PubMed

Ikeda, S; Takahashi, K; Okamura, M; Horioka, K

2016-02-01

In a laser ion source, a solenoidal magnetic field is useful to guide the plasma and to control the extracted beam current. However, the behavior of the plasma drifting in the magnetic field has not been well understood. Therefore, to investigate the behavior, we measured the plasma ion current and the total charge within a single pulse in the solenoid by changing the distance from the entrance of the solenoid to a detector. We observed that the decrease of the total charge along the distance became smaller as the magnetic field became larger and then the charge became almost constant with a certain magnetic flux density. The results indicate that the transverse spreading speed of the plasma decreased with increasing the field and the plasma was confined transversely with the magnetic flux density. We found that the reason of the confinement was not magnetization of ions but an influence induced by electrons.

Modeling plasma-assisted growth of graphene-carbon nanotube hybrid

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tewari, Aarti

2016-08-15

A theoretical model describing the growth of graphene-CNT hybrid in a plasma medium is presented. Using the model, the growth of carbon nanotube (CNT) on a catalyst particle and thereafter the growth of the graphene on the CNT is studied under the purview of plasma sheath and number density kinetics of different plasma species. It is found that the plasma parameter such as ion density; gas ratios and process parameter such as source power affect the CNT and graphene dimensions. The variation in growth rates of graphene and CNT under different plasma power, gas ratios, and ion densities is analyzed.more » Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that higher hydrocarbon ion densities and gas ratios of hydrocarbon to hydrogen favor the growth of taller CNTs and graphene, respectively. In addition, the CNT tip radius reduces with hydrogen ion density and higher plasma power favors graphene with lesser thickness. The present study can help in better understanding of the graphene-CNT hybrid growth in a plasma medium.« less

Ambipolar ion acceleration in an expanding magnetic nozzle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longmier, Benjamin W.; Bering, Edgar A., III; Carter, Mark D.; Cassady, Leonard D.; Chancery, William J.; Díaz, Franklin R. Chang; Glover, Tim W.; Hershkowitz, Noah; Ilin, Andrew V.; McCaskill, Greg E.; Olsen, Chris S.; Squire, Jared P.

2011-02-01

The helicon plasma stage in the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR®) VX-200i device was used to characterize an axial plasma potential profile within an expanding magnetic nozzle region of the laboratory based device. The ion acceleration mechanism is identified as an ambipolar electric field produced by an electron pressure gradient, resulting in a local axial ion speed of Mach 4 downstream of the magnetic nozzle. A 20 eV argon ion kinetic energy was measured in the helicon source, which had a peak magnetic field strength of 0.17 T. The helicon plasma source was operated with 25 mg s-1 argon propellant and 30 kW of RF power. The maximum measured values of plasma density and electron temperature within the exhaust plume were 1 × 1020 m-3 and 9 eV, respectively. The measured plasma density is nearly an order of magnitude larger than previously reported steady-state helicon plasma sources. The exhaust plume also exhibits a 95% to 100% ionization fraction. The size scale and spatial location of the plasma potential structure in the expanding magnetic nozzle region appear to follow the size scale and spatial location of the expanding magnetic field. The thickness of the potential structure was found to be 104 to 105 λDe depending on the local electron temperature in the magnetic nozzle, many orders of magnitude larger than typical laboratory double layer structures. The background plasma density and neutral argon pressure were 1015 m-3 and 2 × 10-5 Torr, respectively, in a 150 m3 vacuum chamber during operation of the helicon plasma source. The agreement between the measured plasma potential and plasma potential that was calculated from an ambipolar ion acceleration analysis over the bulk of the axial distance where the potential drop was located is a strong confirmation of the ambipolar acceleration process.

Plasma-based wakefield accelerators as sources of axion-like particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burton, David A.; Noble, Adam

2018-03-01

We estimate the average flux density of minimally-coupled axion-like particles (ALPs) generated by a laser-driven plasma wakefield propagating along a constant strong magnetic field. Our calculations suggest that a terrestrial source based on this approach could generate a pulse of ALPs whose flux density is comparable to that of solar ALPs at Earth. This mechanism is optimal for ALPs with mass in the range of interest of contemporary experiments designed to detect dark matter using microwave cavities.

RF plasma modeling of the Linac4 H- ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mattei, S.; Ohta, M.; Hatayama, A.; Lettry, J.; Kawamura, Y.; Yasumoto, M.; Schmitzer, C.

2013-02-01

This study focuses on the modelling of the ICP RF-plasma in the Linac4 H- ion source currently being constructed at CERN. A self-consistent model of the plasma dynamics with the RF electromagnetic field has been developed by a PIC-MCC method. In this paper, the model is applied to the analysis of a low density plasma discharge initiation, with particular interest on the effect of the external magnetic field on the plasma properties, such as wall loss, electron density and electron energy. The employment of a multi-cusp magnetic field effectively limits the wall losses, particularly in the radial direction. Preliminary results however indicate that a reduced heating efficiency results in such a configuration. The effect is possibly due to trapping of electrons in the multi-cusp magnetic field, preventing their continuous acceleration in the azimuthal direction.

X-ray Imaging and preliminary studies of the X-ray self-emission from an innovative plasma-trap based on the Bernstein waves heating mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caliri, C.; Romano, F. P.; Mascali, D.; Gammino, S.; Musumarra, A.; Castro, G.; Celona, L.; Neri, L.; Altana, C.

2013-10-01

Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources (ECRIS) are based on ECR heated plasmas emitting high fluxes of X-rays. Here we illustrate a pilot study of the X-ray emission from a compact plasma-trap in which an off-resonance microwave-plasma interaction has been attempted, highlighting a possible Bernstein-Waves based heating mechanism. EBWs-heating is obtained via the inner plasma EM-to-ES wave conversion and enables to reach densities much larger than the cut-off ones. At LNS-INFN, an innovative diagnostic technique based on the design of a Pinhole Camera (PHC) coupled to a CCD device for X-ray Imaging of the plasma (XRI) has been developed, in order to integrate X-ray traditional diagnostics (XRS). The complementary use of electrostatic probes measurements and X-ray diagnostics enabled us to gain knowledge about the high energy electrons density and temperature and about the spatial structure of the source. The combination of the experimental data with appropriate modeling of the plasma-source allowed to estimate the X-ray emission intensity in different energy domains (ranging from EUV up to Hard X-rays). The use of ECRIS as X-ray source for multidisciplinary applications, is now a concrete perspective due to the intense fluxes produced by the new plasma heating mechanism.

Development and experimental study of large size composite plasma immersion ion implantation device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falun, SONG; Fei, LI; Mingdong, ZHU; Langping, WANG; Beizhen, ZHANG; Haitao, GONG; Yanqing, GAN; Xiao, JIN

2018-01-01

Plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) overcomes the direct exposure limit of traditional beam-line ion implantation, and is suitable for the treatment of complex work-piece with large size. PIII technology is often used for surface modification of metal, plastics and ceramics. Based on the requirement of surface modification of large size insulating material, a composite full-directional PIII device based on RF plasma source and metal plasma source is developed in this paper. This device can not only realize gas ion implantation, but also can realize metal ion implantation, and can also realize gas ion mixing with metal ions injection. This device has two metal plasma sources and each metal source contains three cathodes. Under the condition of keeping the vacuum unchanged, the cathode can be switched freely. The volume of the vacuum chamber is about 0.94 m3, and maximum vacuum degree is about 5 × 10-4 Pa. The density of RF plasma in homogeneous region is about 109 cm-3, and plasma density in the ion implantation region is about 1010 cm-3. This device can be used for large-size sample material PIII treatment, the maximum size of the sample diameter up to 400 mm. The experimental results show that the plasma discharge in the device is stable and can run for a long time. It is suitable for surface treatment of insulating materials.

Simulations of Atmospheric Neutral Wave Coupling to the Ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siefring, C. L.; Bernhardt, P. A.

2005-12-01

The densities in the E- and F-layer plasmas are much less than the density of background neutral atmosphere. Atmospheric neutral waves are primary sources of plasma density fluctuations and are the sources for triggering plasma instabilities. The neutral atmosphere supports acoustic waves, acoustic gravity waves, and Kelvin Helmholtz waves from wind shears. These waves help determine the structure of the ionosphere by changes in neutral density that affect ion-electron recombination and by neutral velocities that couple to the plasma via ion-neutral collisions. Neutral acoustic disturbances can arise from thunderstorms, chemical factory explosions and intentional high-explosive tests. Based on conservation of energy, acoustic waves grow in amplitude as they propagate upwards to lower atmospheric densities. Shock waves can form in an acoustic pulse that is eventually damped by viscosity. Ionospheric effects from acoustic waves include transient perturbations of E- and F-Regions and triggering of E-Region instabilities. Acoustic-gravity waves affect the ionosphere over large distances. Gravity wave sources include thunderstorms, auroral region disturbances, Space Shuttle launches and possibly solar eclipses. Low frequency acoustic-gravity waves propagate to yield traveling ionospheric disturbances (TID's), triggering of Equatorial bubbles, and possible periodic structuring of the E-Region. Gravity wave triggering of equatorial bubbles is studied numerically by solving the equations for plasma continuity and ion velocity along with Ohms law to provide an equation for the induced electric potential. Slow moving gravity waves provide density depressions on bottom of ionosphere and a gravitational Rayleigh-Taylor instability is initiated. Radar scatter detects field aligned irregularities in the resulting plasma bubble. Neutral Kelvin-Helmholtz waves are produced by strong mesospheric wind shears that are also coincident with the formation of intense E-layers. An atmospheric model for periodic structures with Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) wavelengths is used to show the development of quasi-periodic structures in the E-layer. For the model, a background atmosphere near 100 km altitude with a scale height of 12.2 km is subjected to a wind shear profile varying by 100 m/s over a distance of 1.7 km. This neutral speed shear drives the KH instability with a growth time of about 100 seconds. The neutral KH wave is a source of plasma turbulence. The E-layer responds to the KH-Wave structure in the neutral atmosphere as an electrodynamic tracer. The plasma flow leads to small scale plasma field aligned irregularities from a gradient drift, plasma interchange instability (GDI) or a Farley-Buneman, two-stream instability (FBI). These irregularities are detected by radar scatter as quasi-periodic structures. All of these plasma phenomena would not occur without the initiation by neutral atmospheric waves.

Development of a plasma generator for a long pulse ion source for neutral beam injectors.

PubMed

Watanabe, K; Dairaku, M; Tobari, H; Kashiwagi, M; Inoue, T; Hanada, M; Jeong, S H; Chang, D H; Kim, T S; Kim, B R; Seo, C S; Jin, J T; Lee, K W; In, S R; Oh, B H; Kim, J; Bae, Y S

2011-06-01

A plasma generator for a long pulse H(+)/D(+) ion source has been developed. The plasma generator was designed to produce 65 A H(+)/D(+) beams at an energy of 120 keV from an ion extraction area of 12 cm in width and 45 cm in length. Configuration of the plasma generator is a multi-cusp bucket type with SmCo permanent magnets. Dimension of a plasma chamber is 25 cm in width, 59 cm in length, and 32.5 cm in depth. The plasma generator was designed and fabricated at Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Source plasma generation and beam extraction tests for hydrogen coupling with an accelerator of the KSTAR ion source have been performed at the KSTAR neutral beam test stand under the agreement of Japan-Korea collaborative experiment. Spatial uniformity of the source plasma at the extraction region was measured using Langmuir probes and ±7% of the deviation from an averaged ion saturation current density was obtained. A long pulse test of the plasma generation up to 200 s with an arc discharge power of 70 kW has been successfully demonstrated. The arc discharge power satisfies the requirement of the beam production for the KSTAR NBI. A 70 keV, 41 A, 5 s hydrogen ion beam has been extracted with a high arc efficiency of 0.9 -1.1 A/kW at a beam extraction experiment. A deuteron yield of 77% was measured even at a low beam current density of 73 mA/cm(2). © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Design and construction of Keda Space Plasma Experiment (KSPEX) for the investigation of the boundary layer processes of ionospheric depletions.

PubMed

Liu, Yu; Zhang, Zhongkai; Lei, Jiuhou; Cao, Jinxiang; Yu, Pengcheng; Zhang, Xiao; Xu, Liang; Zhao, Yaodong

2016-09-01

In this work, the design and construction of the Keda Space Plasma EXperiment (KSPEX), which aims to study the boundary layer processes of ionospheric depletions, are described in detail. The device is composed of three stainless-steel sections: two source chambers at both ends and an experimental chamber in the center. KSPEX is a steady state experimental device, in which hot filament arrays are used to produce plasmas in the two sources. A Macor-mesh design is adopted to adjust the plasma density and potential difference between the two plasmas, which creates a boundary layer with a controllable electron density gradient and inhomogeneous radial electric field. In addition, attachment chemicals can be released into the plasmas through a tailor-made needle valve which leads to the generation of negative ions plasmas. Ionospheric depletions can be modeled and simulated using KSPEX, and many micro-physical processes of the formation and evolution of an ionospheric depletion can be experimentally studied.

Directional power absorption in helicon plasma sources excited by a half-helix antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afsharmanesh, Mohsen; Habibi, Morteza

2017-10-01

This paper deals with the investigation of the power absorption in helicon plasma excited through a half-helix antenna driven at 13.56 {{MHz}}. The simulations were carried out by means of a code, HELIC. They were carried out by taking into account different inhomogeneous radial density profiles and for a wide range of plasma densities, from {10}11 {{{cm}}}-3 to {10}13 {{{cm}}}-3. The magnetic field was 200, 400, 600 and 1000 {{G}}. A three-parameter function was used for generating various density profiles with different volume gradients, edge gradients and density widths. The density profile had a large effect on the efficient Trivelpiece-Gould (TG) and helicon mode excitation and antenna coupling to the plasma. The fraction of power deposition via the TG mode was extremely dependent on the plasma density near the plasma boundary. Interestingly, the obtained efficient parallel helicon wavelength was close to the anticipated value for Gaussian radial density profile. Power deposition was considerably asymmetric when the \\tfrac{n}{{B}0} ratio was more than a specific value for a determined density width. The longitudinal power absorption was symmetric at approximately {n}0={10}11 {{{cm}}}-3, irrespective of the magnetic field supposed. The asymmetry became more pronounced when the plasma density was {10}12 {{{cm}}}-3. The ratio of density width to the magnetic field was an important parameter in the power coupling. At high magnetic fields, the maximum of the power absorption was reached at higher plasma density widths. There was at least one combination of the plasma density, magnetic field and density width for which the RF power deposition at both side of the tube reached its maximum value.

Electrodeless Plasma Source: Phase II Update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prager, James; Ziemba, Timothy; Miller, Kenneth

2012-10-01

Eagle Harbor Technologies, in collaboration with the University of Washington, has developed a low-impurity, electrode-less plasma source (EPS) for start-up and source plasma injection for fusion science applications. In order to not interfere with the experiment, a pre-ionizer/plasma source must meet a few critical criteria including low impurity production, low electromagnetic interference (EMI), and minimal disruption to the magnetic geometry of the experiment. This system was designed to be UHV compatible and bakable. Here we present the results of the EPS Phase II upgrade. The output plasma density was increased by two orders of magnitude to >10^17 m-3 in hydrogen with no magnetic field injected. EPS system integration with the HIT-SI experiment has begun.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wieser, Patti; Hopkins, David

The DOE Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) collaborates to develop fusion as a safe, clean and abundant energy source for the future. This video discusses PPPL's research and development on plasma, the fourth state of matter. In this simulation of plasma turbulence inside PPPL's National Spherical Torus Experiment, the colorful strings represent higher and lower electron density in turbulent plasma as it circles around a donut-shaped fusion reactor; red and orange are higher density. This image is among those featured in the slide show, "Plasmas are Hot and Fusion is Cool," a production of PPPL and the Princeton University Broadcastmore » Center.« less

Diagnosing the Fine Structure of Electron Energy Within the ECRIT Ion Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yizhou; Yang, Juan; Tang, Mingjie; Luo, Litao; Feng, Bingbing

2016-07-01

The ion source of the electron cyclotron resonance ion thruster (ECRIT) extracts ions from its ECR plasma to generate thrust, and has the property of low gas consumption (2 sccm, standard-state cubic centimeter per minute) and high durability. Due to the indispensable effects of the primary electron in gas discharge, it is important to experimentally clarify the electron energy structure within the ion source of the ECRIT through analyzing the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) of the plasma inside the thruster. In this article the Langmuir probe diagnosing method was used to diagnose the EEDF, from which the effective electron temperature, plasma density and the electron energy probability function (EEPF) were deduced. The experimental results show that the magnetic field influences the curves of EEDF and EEPF and make the effective plasma parameter nonuniform. The diagnosed electron temperature and density from sample points increased from 4 eV/2×1016 m-3 to 10 eV/4×1016 m-3 with increasing distances from both the axis and the screen grid of the ion source. Electron temperature and density peaking near the wall coincided with the discharge process. However, a double Maxwellian electron distribution was unexpectedly observed at the position near the axis of the ion source and about 30 mm from the screen grid. Besides, the double Maxwellian electron distribution was more likely to emerge at high power and a low gas flow rate. These phenomena were believed to relate to the arrangements of the gas inlets and the magnetic field where the double Maxwellian electron distribution exits. The results of this research may enhance the understanding of the plasma generation process in the ion source of this type and help to improve its performance. supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11475137)

Talbot-Lau x-ray deflectometry phase-retrieval methods for electron density diagnostics in high-energy density experiments.

PubMed

Valdivia, Maria Pia; Stutman, Dan; Stoeckl, Christian; Mileham, Chad; Begishev, Ildar A; Bromage, Jake; Regan, Sean P

2018-01-10

Talbot-Lau x-ray interferometry uses incoherent x-ray sources to measure refraction index changes in matter. These measurements can provide accurate electron density mapping through phase retrieval. An adaptation of the interferometer has been developed in order to meet the specific requirements of high-energy density experiments. This adaptation is known as a moiré deflectometer, which allows for single-shot capabilities in the form of interferometric fringe patterns. The moiré x-ray deflectometry technique requires a set of object and reference images in order to provide electron density maps, which can be costly in the high-energy density environment. In particular, synthetic reference phase images obtained ex situ through a phase-scan procedure, can provide a feasible solution. To test this procedure, an object phase map was retrieved from a single-shot moiré image obtained from a plasma-produced x-ray source. A reference phase map was then obtained from phase-stepping measurements using a continuous x-ray tube source in a small laboratory setting. The two phase maps were used to retrieve an electron density map. A comparison of the moiré and phase-stepping phase-retrieval methods was performed to evaluate single-exposure plasma electron density mapping for high-energy density and other transient plasma experiments. It was found that a combination of phase-retrieval methods can deliver accurate refraction angle mapping. Once x-ray backlighter quality is optimized, the ex situ method is expected to deliver electron density mapping with improved resolution. The steps necessary for improved diagnostic performance are discussed.

Device and method for electron beam heating of a high density plasma

DOEpatents

Thode, Lester E.

1981-01-01

A device and method for relativistic electron beam heating of a high density plasma in a small localized region. A relativistic electron beam generator produces a high voltage electron beam which propagates along a vacuum drift tube and is modulated to initiate electron bunching within the beam. The beam is then directed through a low density gas chamber which provides isolation between the vacuum modulator and the relativistic electron beam target. The relativistic beam is then applied to a high density target plasma which typically comprises DT, DD, hydrogen boron or similar thermonuclear gas at a density of 10.sup.17 to 10.sup.20 electrons per cubic centimeter. The target plasma is ionized prior to application of the electron beam by means of a laser or other preionization source. Utilizing a relativistic electron beam with an individual particle energy exceeding 3 MeV, classical scattering by relativistic electrons passing through isolation foils is negligible. As a result, relativistic streaming instabilities are initiated within the high density target plasma causing the relativistic electron beam to efficiently deposit its energy into a small localized region within the high density plasma target.

A final report to the Laboratory Directed Research and Development committee on Project 93-ERP-075: ``X-ray laser propagation and coherence: Diagnosing fast-evolving, high-density laser plasmas using X-ray lasers``

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wan, A.S.; Cauble, R.; Da Silva, L.B.

1996-02-01

This report summarizes the major accomplishments of this three-year Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Exploratory Research Project (ERP) entitled ``X-ray Laser Propagation and Coherence: Diagnosing Fast-evolving, High-density Laser Plasmas Using X-ray Lasers,`` tracking code 93-ERP-075. The most significant accomplishment of this project is the demonstration of a new laser plasma diagnostic: a soft x-ray Mach-Zehnder interferometer using a neonlike yttrium x-ray laser at 155 {angstrom} as the probe source. Detailed comparisons of absolute two-dimensional electron density profiles obtained from soft x-ray laser interferograms and profiles obtained from radiation hydrodynamics codes, such as LASNEX, will allow us to validate andmore » benchmark complex numerical models used to study the physics of laser-plasma interactions. Thus the development of soft x-ray interferometry technique provides a mechanism to probe the deficiencies of the numerical models and is an important tool for, the high-energy density physics and science-based stockpile stewardship programs. The authors have used the soft x-ray interferometer to study a number of high-density, fast evolving, laser-produced plasmas, such as the dynamics of exploding foils and colliding plasmas. They are pursuing the application of the soft x-ray interferometer to study ICF-relevant plasmas, such as capsules and hohlraums, on the Nova 10-beam facility. They have also studied the development of enhanced-coherence, shorter-pulse-duration, and high-brightness x-ray lasers. The utilization of improved x-ray laser sources can ultimately enable them to obtain three-dimensional holographic images of laser-produced plasmas.« less

Two dimensional radial gas flows in atmospheric pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Gwihyun; Park, Seran; Shin, Hyunsu; Song, Seungho; Oh, Hoon-Jung; Ko, Dae Hong; Choi, Jung-Il; Baik, Seung Jae

2017-12-01

Atmospheric pressure (AP) operation of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is one of promising concepts for high quality and low cost processing. Atmospheric plasma discharge requires narrow gap configuration, which causes an inherent feature of AP PECVD. Two dimensional radial gas flows in AP PECVD induces radial variation of mass-transport and that of substrate temperature. The opposite trend of these variations would be the key consideration in the development of uniform deposition process. Another inherent feature of AP PECVD is confined plasma discharge, from which volume power density concept is derived as a key parameter for the control of deposition rate. We investigated deposition rate as a function of volume power density, gas flux, source gas partial pressure, hydrogen partial pressure, plasma source frequency, and substrate temperature; and derived a design guideline of deposition tool and process development in terms of deposition rate and uniformity.

Large-aperture plasma-assisted deposition of inertial confinement fusion laser coatings.

PubMed

Oliver, James B; Kupinski, Pete; Rigatti, Amy L; Schmid, Ansgar W; Lambropoulos, John C; Papernov, Semyon; Kozlov, Alexei; Spaulding, John; Sadowski, Daniel; Chrzan, Z Roman; Hand, Robert D; Gibson, Desmond R; Brinkley, Ian; Placido, Frank

2011-03-20

Plasma-assisted electron-beam evaporation leads to changes in the crystallinity, density, and stresses of thin films. A dual-source plasma system provides stress control of large-aperture, high-fluence coatings used in vacuum for substrates 1m in aperture.

COASTING ARC ION SOURCE

DOEpatents

Foster, J.S. Jr.

1957-09-10

An improved ion source is described and in particular a source in which the ions are efficiently removed. The plasma is generated in a tubular amode structure by the oscillation of electrons in an axial magnetic field, as in the Phillips Ion Gage. The novel aspect of the source is the expansion of the plasma as it leaves the anode structure, so as to reduce the ion density at the axis of the anode and present a uniform area of plasma to an extraction grid. The structure utilized in the present patent to expand the plasma comprises flange members of high permeability at the exitgrid end of the amode to diverge the magnetic field adjacent the exit.

Simultaneous estimation of plasma parameters from spectroscopic data of neutral helium using least square fitting of CR-model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Jalaj; Prakash, Ram; Vyas, Gheesa Lal; Pal, Udit Narayan; Chowdhuri, Malay Bikas; Manchanda, Ranjana; Halder, Nilanjan; Choyal, Yaduvendra

2015-12-01

In the present work an effort has been made to estimate the plasma parameters simultaneously like—electron density, electron temperature, ground state atom density, ground state ion density and metastable state density from the observed visible spectra of penning plasma discharge (PPD) source using least square fitting. The analysis is performed for the prominently observed neutral helium lines. The atomic data and analysis structure (ADAS) database is used to provide the required collisional-radiative (CR) photon emissivity coefficients (PECs) values under the optical thin plasma condition in the analysis. With this condition the estimated plasma temperature from the PPD is found rather high. It is seen that the inclusion of opacity in the observed spectral lines through PECs and addition of diffusion of neutrals and metastable state species in the CR-model code analysis improves the electron temperature estimation in the simultaneous measurement.

Identification of seismic activity sources on the subsatellite track by ionospheric plasma disturbances detected with the Sich-2 onboard probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuvalov, Valentin A.; Lazuchenkov, Dmitry N.; Gorev, Nikolai B.; Kochubei, Galina S.

2018-01-01

Using a cylindrical Langmuir probe and the authors' proprietary two-channel pressure transducer, ionospheric plasma parameter distributions along the orbit of the Sich-2 satellite (Ukraine, 2011-2012) were measured. This paper is concerned with identifying the space-time location of ionospheric plasma disturbance sources, including the epicenters of actual earthquakes (before or during the satellite flyover) and incipient earthquakes on the subsatellite track, from the measured distributions of the electron density and temperature and the neutral particle temperature along the satellite orbit. To do this, the measured ionospheric plasma parameter distributions are connected to the coordinates on the subsatellite track. It is shown that local disturbances in the electron density and temperature and neutral particle temperature distributions in the satellite orbit in the ionosphere may serve as indicators of seismic activity on the subsatellite track. The epicenters of incipient earthquakes may be set off from other plasma parameter disturbance sources associated with seismic activity using information provided by special monitoring and survey centers that monitor the current seismic situation.

Wave modeling in a cylindrical non-uniform helicon discharge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang, L.; Hole, M. J.; Caneses, J. F.

2012-08-15

A radio frequency field solver based on Maxwell's equations and a cold plasma dielectric tensor is employed to describe wave phenomena observed in a cylindrical non-uniform helicon discharge. The experiment is carried out on a recently built linear plasma-material interaction machine: The magnetized plasma interaction experiment [Blackwell et al., Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. (submitted)], in which both plasma density and static magnetic field are functions of axial position. The field strength increases by a factor of 15 from source to target plate, and the plasma density and electron temperature are radially non-uniform. With an enhancement factor of 9.5 to themore » electron-ion Coulomb collision frequency, a 12% reduction in the antenna radius, and the same other conditions as employed in the experiment, the solver produces axial and radial profiles of wave amplitude and phase that are consistent with measurements. A numerical study on the effects of axial gradient in plasma density and static magnetic field on wave propagations is performed, revealing that the helicon wave has weaker attenuation away from the antenna in a focused field compared to a uniform field. This may be consistent with observations of increased ionization efficiency and plasma production in a non-uniform field. We find that the relationship between plasma density, static magnetic field strength, and axial wavelength agrees well with a simple theory developed previously. A numerical scan of the enhancement factor to the electron-ion Coulomb collision frequency from 1 to 15 shows that the wave amplitude is lowered and the power deposited into the core plasma decreases as the enhancement factor increases, possibly due to the stronger edge heating for higher collision frequencies.« less

Device and method for relativistic electron beam heating of a high-density plasma to drive fast liners

DOEpatents

Thode, Lester E.

1981-01-01

A device and method for relativistic electron beam heating of a high-density plasma in a small localized region. A relativistic electron beam generator or accelerator produces a high-voltage electron beam which propagates along a vacuum drift tube and is modulated to initiate electron bunching within the beam. The beam is then directed through a low-density gas chamber which provides isolation between the vacuum modulator and the relativistic electron beam target. The relativistic beam is then applied to a high-density target plasma which typically comprises DT, DD, hydrogen boron or similar thermonuclear gas at a density of 10.sup.17 to 10.sup.20 electrons per cubic centimeter. The target gas is ionized prior to application of the electron beam by means of a laser or other preionization source to form a plasma. Utilizing a relativistic electron beam with an individual particle energy exceeding 3 MeV, classical scattering by relativistic electrons passing through isolation foils is negligible. As a result, relativistic streaming instabilities are initiated within the high-density target plasma causing the relativistic electron beam to efficiently deposit its energy and momentum into a small localized region of the high-density plasma target. Fast liners disposed in the high-density target plasma are explosively or ablatively driven to implosion by a heated annular plasma surrounding the fast liner which is generated by an annular relativistic electron beam. An azimuthal magnetic field produced by axial current flow in the annular plasma, causes the energy in the heated annular plasma to converge on the fast liner.

Progress in the Development of a High Power Helicon Plasma Source for the Materials Plasma Exposure Experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goulding, Richard Howell; Caughman, John B.; Rapp, Juergen

Proto-MPEX is a linear plasma device being used to study a novel RF source concept for the planned Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX), which will address plasma-materials interaction (PMI) for nuclear fusion reactors. Plasmas are produced using a large diameter helicon source operating at a frequency of 13.56 MHz at power levels up to 120 kW. In recent experiments the helicon source has produced deuterium plasmas with densities up to ~6 × 1019 m–3 measured at a location 2 m downstream from the antenna and 0.4 m from the target. Previous plasma production experiments on Proto-MPEX have generated lower densitymore » plasmas with hollow electron temperature profiles and target power deposition peaked far off axis. The latest experiments have produced flat Te profiles with a large portion of the power deposited on the target near the axis. This and other evidence points to the excitation of a helicon mode in this case.« less

A study of single and binary ion plasma expansion into laboratory-generated plasma wakes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Kenneth Herbert, Jr.

1988-01-01

Plasma expansion into the wake of a large rectangular plate immersed in a collisionless, supersonic plasma was investigated in laboratory experiments. The experimental conditions address both single ion and binary ion plasma flows for the case of a body whose size is large in comparison with the Debye length, when the potential difference between the body and the plasma is relatively small. A new plasma source was developed to generate equi-velocity, binary ion plasma flows, which allows access to new parameter space that have previously been unavailable for laboratory studies. Specifically, the new parameters are the ionic mass ratio and the ionic component density ratio. In a series of experiments, a krypton-neon plasma is employed where the ambient density ratio of neon to krypton is varied more than an order of magnitude. The expansion in both the single ion and binary ion plasma cases is limited to early times, i.e., a few ion plasma periods, by the combination of plasma density, plasma drift speed, and vacuum chamber size, which prevented detailed comparison with self-similar theory.

Development of a low-energy and high-current pulsed neutral beam injector with a washer-gun plasma source for high-beta plasma experiments.

PubMed

Ii, Toru; Gi, Keii; Umezawa, Toshiyuki; Asai, Tomohiko; Inomoto, Michiaki; Ono, Yasushi

2012-08-01

We have developed a novel and economical neutral-beam injection system by employing a washer-gun plasma source. It provides a low-cost and maintenance-free ion beam, thus eliminating the need for the filaments and water-cooling systems employed conventionally. In our primary experiments, the washer gun produced a source plasma with an electron temperature of approximately 5 eV and an electron density of 5 × 10(17) m(-3), i.e., conditions suitable for ion-beam extraction. The dependence of the extracted beam current on the acceleration voltage is consistent with space-charge current limitation, because the observed current density is almost proportional to the 3/2 power of the acceleration voltage below approximately 8 kV. By optimizing plasma formation, we successfully achieved beam extraction of up to 40 A at 15 kV and a pulse length in excess of 0.25 ms. Its low-voltage and high-current pulsed-beam properties enable us to apply this high-power neutral beam injection into a high-beta compact torus plasma characterized by a low magnetic field.

Origin and maintenance of the oxygen torus in Saturn's magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morfill, G. E.; Havnes, O.; Goertz, C. K.

1993-01-01

Observations of thermal ions in Saturn's inner magnetosphere suggest distributed local sources rather than diffusive mass loading from a source located further out. We suggest that the plasma is produced and maintained mainly by 'self-sputtering' of E ring dust. Sputtered particles are 'picked up' by the planetary magnetospheric field and accelerated to corotation energies (of the order of 8 eV/amu). The sputter yield for oxygen on ice at, for example, 120 eV is about 5, which implies that an avalanche of self-sputtering occurs. The plasma density is built up until it is balanced by local losses, presumably pitch angle scattering into the loss cone and absorption in the planet's ionosphere. The plasma density determines the distribution of dust in the E ring through plasma drag. Thus a feedback mechanism between the plasma and the E ring dust is established. The model accounts for the principal plasma observations and simultaneously the radial optical depth profile of the E ring.

Ionising sources in the coma of 67P probed by Rosetta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heritier, Kevin; Galand, Marina; Henri, Pierre; Eriksson, Anders; Odelstad, Elias; Altwegg, Kathrin; Beth, Arnaud; Broiles, Thomas; Burch, Jim; Carr, Christopher; Cupido, Emanuele; Glassmeier, Karl-Heinz; Nilsson, Hans; Richter, Ingo; Rubin, Martin; Vallieres, Xavier; Vigren, Erik

2017-04-01

An ionospheric model has been developed in order to quantify the ion number density in the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The model is driven by Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA)/Cometary Pressure Sensor (COPS) neutral density and assumes isentropic expansion for the neutral density profile. The two ionisation sources considered are photo-ionisation by solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation and electron-impact ionisation. The EUV radiation is estimated from fluxes measured by the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED)/ Solar EUV Experiment (SEE), taking into account the phase shift and the heliocentric distance ratio; between Earth and comet 67P. The electron-impact ionisation production rates are derived from Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC)-Ion and Electron Sensor (IES) integrated electron fluxes and corrected for the S/C potential from RPC/LAngmuir Probe (LAP) measurements. Our results are compared with in situ measurements of the plasma density from RPC-Mutual Impedance Probe (MIP) and RPC-LAP. There is a good agreement between the modelled and RPC observed electron densities. The ionospheric model enables to distinguish the relative contributions of the different sources to the total cometary plasma. At high heliocentric distances, electron-impact ionisation becomes the dominant ionisation source and is enhanced over the winter hemisphere. As the solar activity has decreased since the beginning of the mission in 2014, the relative importance of photo-ionisation has decreased as well. However, at low heliocentric distances, photo-ionisation seems to be the most dominant ionising source, in particular through the perihelion period in summer 2015.

Physics of the current injection process during localized helicity injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinson, Edward Thomas

An impedance model has been developed for the arc-plasma cathode electron current source used in localized helicity injection tokamak startup. According to this model, a potential double layer (DL) is established between the high-density arc plasma (narc ˜ 1021 m-3) in the electron source, and the less-dense external tokamak edge plasma (nedge ˜ 10 18 m-3) into which current is injected. The DL launches an electron beam at the applied voltage with cross-sectional area close to that of the source aperture: Ainj ≈ 2 cm 2. The injected current, Iinj, increases with applied voltage, Vinj, according to the standard DL scaling, Iinj ˜ V(3/2/ inj), until the more restrictive of two limits to beam density nb arises, producing Iinj ˜ V(1/2/inj), a scaling with beam drift velocity. For low external tokamak edge density nedge, space-charge neutralization of the intense electron beam restricts the injected beam density to nb ˜ nedge. At high Jinj and sufficient edge density, the injected current is limited by expansion of the DL sheath, which leads to nb ˜ narc. Measurements of narc, Iinj , nedge, Vinj, support these predicted scalings, and suggest narc as a viable control actuator for the source impedance. Magnetic probe signals ≈ 300 degrees toroidally from the injection location are consistent with expectations for a gyrating, coherent electron beam with a compact areal cross-section. Technological development of the source has allowed an extension of the favorable Iinj ˜ V(1/2/inj) to higher power without electrical breakdown.

VLA Measurements of Faraday Rotation through Coronal Mass Ejections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kooi, Jason E.; Fischer, Patrick D.; Buffo, Jacob J.; Spangler, Steven R.

2017-04-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large-scale eruptions of plasma from the Sun, which play an important role in space weather. Faraday rotation is the rotation of the plane of polarization that results when a linearly polarized signal passes through a magnetized plasma such as a CME. Faraday rotation is proportional to the path integral through the plasma of the electron density and the line-of-sight component of the magnetic field. Faraday-rotation observations of a source near the Sun can provide information on the plasma structure of a CME shortly after launch. We report on simultaneous white-light and radio observations made of three CMEs in August 2012. We made sensitive Very Large Array (VLA) full-polarization observations using 1 - 2 GHz frequencies of a constellation of radio sources through the solar corona at heliocentric distances that ranged from 6 - 15 R_{⊙}. Two sources (0842+1835 and 0900+1832) were occulted by a single CME, and one source (0843+1547) was occulted by two CMEs. In addition to our radioastronomical observations, which represent one of the first active hunts for CME Faraday rotation since Bird et al. ( Solar Phys., 98, 341, 1985) and the first active hunt using the VLA, we obtained white-light coronagraph images from the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) C3 instrument to determine the Thomson-scattering brightness [BT], providing a means to independently estimate the plasma density and determine its contribution to the observed Faraday rotation. A constant-density force-free flux rope embedded in the background corona was used to model the effects of the CMEs on BT and Faraday rotation. The plasma densities (6 - 22×103 cm^{-3}) and axial magnetic-field strengths (2 - 12 mG) inferred from our models are consistent with the modeling work of Liu et al. ( Astrophys. J., 665, 1439, 2007) and Jensen and Russell ( Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L02103, 2008), as well as previous CME Faraday-rotation observations by Bird et al. (1985).

Gas-filled capillaries for plasma-based accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippi, F.; Anania, M. P.; Brentegani, E.; Biagioni, A.; Cianchi, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Ferrario, M.; Pompili, R.; Romeo, S.; Zigler, A.

2017-07-01

Plasma Wakefield Accelerators are based on the excitation of large amplitude plasma waves excited by either a laser or a particle driver beam. The amplitude of the waves, as well as their spatial dimensions and the consequent accelerating gradient depend strongly on the background electron density along the path of the accelerated particles. The process needs stable and reliable plasma sources, whose density profile must be controlled and properly engineered to ensure the appropriate accelerating mechanism. Plasma confinement inside gas filled capillaries have been studied in the past since this technique allows to control the evolution of the plasma, ensuring a stable and repeatable plasma density distribution during the interaction with the drivers. Moreover, in a gas filled capillary plasma can be pre-ionized by a current discharge to avoid ionization losses. Different capillary geometries have been studied to allow the proper temporal and spatial evolution of the plasma along the acceleration length. Results of this analysis obtained by varying the length and the number of gas inlets will be presented.

A compact new incoherent Thomson scattering diagnostic for low-temperature plasma studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, Benjamin; Tsikata, Sedina; Mazouffre, Stéphane; Minea, Tiberiu; Fils, Jérôme

2018-05-01

Incoherent Thomson scattering (ITS) has a long history of application for the determination of electron density and temperature in dense fusion plasmas, and in recent years, has been increasingly extended to studies in low-temperature plasma environments. In this work, the design and preliminary implementation of a new, sensitive and uniquely compact ITS platform known as Thomson scattering experiments for low temperature ion sources are described. Measurements have been performed on a hollow cathode plasma source, providing access to electron densities as low as 1016 m‑3 and electron temperatures of a few eV and below. This achievement has been made possible by the implementation of a narrow volume Bragg grating notch filter for the attenuation of stray light, a feature which guarantees compactness and reduced transmission losses in comparison to standard ITS platforms.

Two-Dimensional Microdischarge Jet Array in Air: Characterization and Inactivation of Virus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayak, Gaurav

Cold atmospheric pressure plasmas (CAPs) have proven to be quite effective for surface disinfection, wound healing and even cancer treatment in recent years. One of the major societal challenges faced today is related to illness caused by food-borne bacteria and viruses, particularly in minimally processed, fresh or ready-to-eat foods. Gastroenteritis outbreaks, caused, for example, by the human Norovirus (NV) is a growing concern. Current used technologies seem not to be fully effective. In this work we focus on a possible solution based on CAP technology for surface disinfection. Many discharge sources have been studied for disinfection and the two major challenges faced are the use of expensive noble gases (Ar/He) by many plasma sources and the difficulty to scale up the plasma devices. The efficacies of these devices also vary for different plasma sources, making it difficult to compare results from different research groups. Also, the interaction of plasma with the biological matter is not understood well, particularly for virus. In this work, a two-dimensional array of micro dielectric barrier discharge is used to treat Feline Calicivirus (FCV), which is a surrogate for human Norovirus. The plasma source can be operated with an air flow rate (up to 94 standard liters per minute or slm). The use of such discharge source also raises important scientific questions which are addressed in this work. These questions include the effect of gas flow rate on discharge properties and the production of reactive species responsible for virus inactivation and the underlying inactivation mechanism. The plasma source is characterized via several diagnostic techniques such as current voltage measurements for electrical characterization and power measurements, optical emission spectroscopy (OES) to determine the gas temperature, cross-correlation spectroscopy (CCS) for microdischarge evolution and timescales, UV absorption spectroscopy to measure the O3 density, absolute IR OES to measure the O2(a 1Deltag) density and spectrophotometry to estimate the NOx species density in aqueous medium. The results show that the discharge activity is strongly dependent on the gas flow rate particularly for gas residence times comparable to the applied high voltage cycle. The maximum difference in gas temperature at extreme plasma conditions do not exceed 50 K. The NO density is found to be reducing with smaller gas residence time. It is found that the reduced field E/N is dependent on the flow rate. The observed variation in the electric field is attributed to the change in the neutral gas densities. Both gas residence time and humidity have an impact on the space-charge distribution. The O 3 density is found to increase with increasing power density and saturates at higher power above 12 W, and the maximum density of 1022 m-3 is achieved at an intermediate flow rate of 20 slm. An optimal condition for O2(a 1Deltag) generation is found that is a balance between power and gas residence. Higher specific energy leads to higher increase of O2(a 1Deltag) density as compared to the O3 density. It is also observed that the O2(a 1Deltag) to O3 density ratio could be controlled by the flow rate from 0.7 to almost 0. The discharge source is used for FCV inactivation on surfaces (in the gas phase) and suspended in solution. Discharge power and treatment time have strong effect on the reduction in virus titer, while exposure distance or flow rate have negligible effect. Humidity plays a major effect on FCV inactivation on surfaces, leading to complete inactivation (>4 log10) within 3 minutes of treatment. FCV inactivation can be explained by O3 in gas phase and RNS in liquid phase. Nonetheless synergistic effects of ROS and RNS cannot be excluded, as similar production rates of O3 and NOx in discharge are determined. The O2(a 1Deltag) density at conditions used for FCV treatment is at least 2 orders of magnitude lower than the ozone density and is not a dominant factor in the inactivation.

Distribution of Fe atom density in a dc magnetron sputtering plasma source measured by laser-induced fluorescence imaging spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shibagaki, K.; Nafarizal, N.; Sasaki, K.; Toyoda, H.; Iwata, S.; Kato, T.; Tsunashima, S.; Sugai, H.

2003-10-01

Magnetron sputtering discharge is widely used as an efficient method for thin film fabrication. In order to achieve the optimized fabrication, understanding of the kinetics in plasmas is essential. In the present work, we measured the density distribution of sputtered Fe atoms using laser-induced fluorescence imaging spectroscopy. A dc magnetron plasma source with a Fe target was used. An area of 20 × 2 mm in front of the target was irradiated by a tunable laser beam having a planar shape. The picture of laser-induced fluorescence on the laser beam was taken using an ICCD camera. In this way, we obtained the two-dimensional image of the Fe atom density. As a result, it has been found that the Fe atom density observed at a distance of several centimeters from the target is higher than that adjacent to the target, when the Ar gas pressure was relatively high. It is suggested from this result that some gas-phase production processes of Fe atoms are available in the plasma. This work has been performed under the 21st Century COE Program by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan.

Atomic oxygen behavior at downstream of AC excited atmospheric pressure He plasma jet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeda, Keigo; Ishikawa, Kenji; Tanaka, Hiromasa; Sekine, Makoto; Hori, Masaru

2016-09-01

Applications of atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJ) have been investigated in the plasma medical fields such as cancer therapy, blood coagulation, etc. Reactive species generated by the plasma jet interacts with the biological surface. Therefore, the issue attracts much attentions to investigate the plasma effects on targets. In our group, a spot-size AC excited He APPJ have been used for the plasma medicine. From diagnostics of the APPJ using optical emission spectroscopy, the gas temperature and the electron density was estimated to be 299 K and 3.4 ×1015 cm-3. The AC excited He APPJ which affords high density plasma at room temperature is considered to be a powerful tool for the medical applications. In this study, by using vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, the density of atomic oxygen on a floating copper as a target irradiated by the He APPJ was measured as a function of the distance between the plasma source and the copper wire. The measured density became a maximum value around 8 ×1013 cm-3 at 12 mm distance, and then decreased over the distance. It is considered that the behavior was due to the changes in the plasma density on the copper wire and influence of ambient air.

Plasma channel created by ionization of gas by a surface wave

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Konovalov, V. N.; Kuz’min, G. P.; Minaev, I. M., E-mail: minaev1945@mail.ru

2015-09-15

Conditions for gas ionization in the field of a slow surface wave excited by a microwave source are considered. The gas ionization rate and the plasma density distribution over the radius of the discharge tube were studied by the optical method. The experiments were conducted in a dielectric tube with a radius much smaller than the tube length, the gas pressure being ∼1–3 Torr. It is shown that the stationary distribution of the plasma density is determined by diffusion processes.

Optimizing laser produced plasmas for efficient extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray light sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sizyuk, Tatyana; Hassanein, Ahmed

2014-08-01

Photon sources produced by laser beams with moderate laser intensities, up to 1014 W/cm2, are being developed for many industrial applications. The performance requirements for high volume manufacture devices necessitate extensive experimental research supported by theoretical plasma analysis and modeling predictions. We simulated laser produced plasma sources currently being developed for several applications such as extreme ultraviolet lithography using 13.5% ± 1% nm bandwidth, possibly beyond extreme ultraviolet lithography using 6.× nm wavelengths, and water-window microscopy utilizing 2.48 nm (La-α) and 2.88 nm (He-α) emission. We comprehensively modeled plasma evolution from solid/liquid tin, gadolinium, and nitrogen targets as three promising materials for the above described sources, respectively. Results of our analysis for plasma characteristics during the entire course of plasma evolution showed the dependence of source conversion efficiency (CE), i.e., laser energy to photons at the desired wavelength, on plasma electron density gradient. Our results showed that utilizing laser intensities which produce hotter plasma than the optimum emission temperatures allows increasing CE for all considered sources that, however, restricted by the reabsorption processes around the main emission region and this restriction is especially actual for the 6.× nm sources.

Simultaneous measurements of work function and H‒ density including caesiation of a converter surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cristofaro, S.; Friedl, R.; Fantz, U.

2017-08-01

Negative hydrogen ion sources rely on the surface conversion of neutral atomic hydrogen and positive hydrogen ions to H-. The efficiency of this process depends on the actual work function of the converter surface. By introducing caesium into the source the work function decreases, enhancing the negative ion yield. In order to study the impact of the work function on the H- surface production at similar conditions to the ones in ion sources for fusion devices like ITER and DEMO, fundamental investigations are performed in a flexible laboratory experiment. The work function of the converter surface can be absolutely measured by photoelectric effect, while a newly installed cavity ring-down spectroscopy system (CRDS) measures the H- density. The CRDS is firstly tested and characterized by investigations on H- volume production. Caesiation of a stainless steel sample is then performed in vacuum and the plasma effect on the Cs layer is investigated also for long plasma-on times. A minimum work function of (1.9±0.1) eV is reached after some minutes of plasma treatment, resulting in a reduction by a value of 0.8 eV compared to vacuum measurements. The H- density above the surface is (2.1±0.5)×1015 m-3. With further plasma exposure of the caesiated surface, the work function increases up to 3.75 eV, due to the impinging plasma particles which gradually remove the Cs layer. As a result, the H- density decreases by a factor of at least 2.

Plasma source development for fusion-relevant material testing

DOE PAGES

Caughman, John B. O.; Goulding, Richard H.; Biewer, Theodore M.; ...

2017-05-01

Plasma facing materials in the divertor of a magnetic fusion reactor will have to tolerate steady-state plasma heat fluxes in the range of 10 MW/m2 for ~107 sec, in addition to fusion neutron fluences, which can damage the plasma facing materials to high displacements per atom (dpa) of ~50 dpa . Material solutions needed for the plasma facing components are yet to be developed and tested. The Materials Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) is a newly proposed steady state linear plasma device that is designed to deliver the necessary plasma heat flux to a target for this material testing, including themore » capability to expose a-priori neutron damaged material samples to those plasmas. The requirements of the plasma source needed to deliver this plasma heat flux are being developed on the Proto-MPEX device, which is a linear high-intensity radio frequency (RF) plasma source that combines a high-density helicon plasma generator with electron and ion heating sections. It is being used to study the physics of heating over-dense plasmas in a linear configuration. The helicon plasma is operated at 13.56 MHz with RF power levels up to 120 kW. Microwaves at 28 GHz (~30 kW) are coupled to the electrons in the over-dense helicon plasma via Electron Bernstein Waves (EBW), and ion cyclotron heating at 7-9 MHz (~30 kW) is via a magnetic beach approach. High plasma densities >6x1019/m3 have been produced in deuterium, with electron temperatures that can range from 2 to >10 eV. Operation with on-axis magnetic field strengths between 0.6 and 1.4 T is typical. The plasma heat flux delivered to a target can be > 10 MW/m2, depending on the operating conditions.« less

Plasma source development for fusion-relevant material testing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Caughman, John B. O.; Goulding, Richard H.; Biewer, Theodore M.

Plasma facing materials in the divertor of a magnetic fusion reactor will have to tolerate steady-state plasma heat fluxes in the range of 10 MW/m2 for ~107 sec, in addition to fusion neutron fluences, which can damage the plasma facing materials to high displacements per atom (dpa) of ~50 dpa . Material solutions needed for the plasma facing components are yet to be developed and tested. The Materials Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) is a newly proposed steady state linear plasma device that is designed to deliver the necessary plasma heat flux to a target for this material testing, including themore » capability to expose a-priori neutron damaged material samples to those plasmas. The requirements of the plasma source needed to deliver this plasma heat flux are being developed on the Proto-MPEX device, which is a linear high-intensity radio frequency (RF) plasma source that combines a high-density helicon plasma generator with electron and ion heating sections. It is being used to study the physics of heating over-dense plasmas in a linear configuration. The helicon plasma is operated at 13.56 MHz with RF power levels up to 120 kW. Microwaves at 28 GHz (~30 kW) are coupled to the electrons in the over-dense helicon plasma via Electron Bernstein Waves (EBW), and ion cyclotron heating at 7-9 MHz (~30 kW) is via a magnetic beach approach. High plasma densities >6x1019/m3 have been produced in deuterium, with electron temperatures that can range from 2 to >10 eV. Operation with on-axis magnetic field strengths between 0.6 and 1.4 T is typical. The plasma heat flux delivered to a target can be > 10 MW/m2, depending on the operating conditions.« less

Enhancement of output power in a two-section periodical circular waveguide structure using magnetized plasma and a relativistic electron beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasanbeigi, A.; Ashrafi, A.; Mehdian, H.

2018-02-01

In the present paper, the excitation of electromagnetic wave by relativistic electron beam, as a radiation source, in a two-section periodical plasma waveguide is investigated. The dispersion relation of TM wave is derived and then solved numerically. Next, the effect of plasma, as an extra controlling parameter, on this radiation source is investigated. Results show that the presence of magnetized plasma can lead to significant increase in output power and it can be an extra parameter for tuning the frequency by varying the plasma density.

Numerical simulation of current-free double layers created in a helicon plasma device

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rao, Sathyanarayan; Singh, Nagendra

2012-09-15

Two-dimensional simulations reveal that when radially confined source plasma with magnetized electrons and unmagnetized ions expands into diverging magnetic field B, a current-free double layer (CFDL) embedded in a conical density structure forms, as experimentally measured in the Australian helicon plasma device (HPD). The magnetized electrons follow the diverging B while the unmagnetized ions tend to flow directly downstream of the source, resulting in a radial electric field (E{sub Up-Tack }) structure, which couples the ion and electron flows. Ions are transversely (radially) accelerated by E{sub Up-Tack} on the high potential side of the double layer in the CFDL. Themore » accelerated ions are trapped near the conical surface, where E{sub Up-Tack} reverses direction. The potential structure of the CFDL is U-shaped and the plasma density is enhanced on the conical surface. The plasma density is severely depleted downstream of the parallel potential drop ({phi}{sub Double-Vertical-Line Double-Vertical-Line o}) in the CFDL; the density depletion and the potential drop are related by quasi-neutrality condition, including the divergence in the magnetic field and in the plasma flow in the conical structure. The potential and density structures, the CFDL spatial size, its electric field strengths and the electron and ion velocities and energy distributions in the CFDL are found to be in good agreements with those measured in the Australian experiment. The applicability of our results to measured axial potential profiles in magnetic nozzle experiments in HPDs is discussed.« less

Glow plasma trigger for electron cyclotron resonance ion sources.

PubMed

Vodopianov, A V; Golubev, S V; Izotov, I V; Nikolaev, A G; Oks, E M; Savkin, K P; Yushkov, G Yu

2010-02-01

Electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRISs) are particularly useful for nuclear, atomic, and high energy physics, as unique high current generators of multicharged ion beams. Plasmas of gas discharges in an open magnetic trap heated by pulsed (100 micros and longer) high power (100 kW and higher) high-frequency (greater than 37.5 GHz) microwaves of gyrotrons is promising in the field of research in the development of electron cyclotron resonance sources for high charge state ion beams. Reaching high ion charge states requires a decrease in gas pressure in the magnetic trap, but this method leads to increases in time, in which the microwave discharge develops. The gas breakdown and microwave discharge duration becomes greater than or equal to the microwave pulse duration when the pressure is decreased. This makes reaching the critical plasma density initiate an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) discharge during pulse of microwave gyrotron radiation with gas pressure lower than a certain threshold. In order to reduce losses of microwave power, it is necessary to shorten the time of development of the ECR discharge. For fast triggering of ECR discharge under low pressure in an ECRIS, we initially propose to fill the magnetic trap with the plasmas of auxiliary pulsed discharges in crossed ExB fields. The glow plasma trigger of ECR based on a Penning or magnetron discharge has made it possible not only to fill the trap with plasma with density of 10(12) cm(-3), required for a rapid increase in plasma density and finally for ECR discharge ignition, but also to initially heat the plasma electrons to T(e) approximately = 20 eV.

Spatial distribution of the RF power absorbed in a helicon plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aleksenko, O. V.; Miroshnichenko, V. I.; Mordik, S. N.

2014-08-01

The spatial distributions of the RF power absorbed by plasma electrons in an ion source operating in the helicon mode (ω ci < ω < ω ce < ω pe ) are studied numerically by using a simplified model of an RF plasma source in an external uniform magnetic field. The parameters of the source used in numerical simulations are determined by the necessity of the simultaneous excitation of two types of waves, helicons and Trivelpiece-Gould modes, for which the corresponding transparency diagrams are used. The numerical simulations are carried out for two values of the working gas (helium) pressure and two values of the discharge chamber length under the assumption that symmetric modes are excited. The parameters of the source correspond to those of the injector of the nuclear scanning microprobe operating at the Institute of Applied Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. It is assumed that the mechanism of RF power absorption is based on the acceleration of plasma electrons in the field of a Trivelpiece-Gould mode, which is interrupted by pair collisions of plasma electrons with neutral atoms and ions of the working gas. The simulation results show that the total absorbed RF power at a fixed plasma density depends in a resonant manner on the magnetic field. The resonance is found to become smoother with increasing working gas pressure. The distributions of the absorbed RF power in the discharge chamber are presented. The achievable density of the extracted current is estimated using the Bohm criterion.

MAGNETIC END CLOSURES FOR PLASMA CONFINING AND HEATING DEVICES

DOEpatents

Post, R.F.

1963-08-20

More effective magnetic closure field regions for various open-ended containment magnetic fields used in fusion reactor devices are provided by several spaced, coaxially-aligned solenoids utilized to produce a series of nodal field regions of uniform or, preferably, of incrementally increasing intensity separated by lower intensity regions outwardly from the ends of said containment zone. Plasma sources may also be provided to inject plasma into said lower intensity areas to increase plasma density therein. Plasma may then be transported, by plasma diffusion mechanisms provided by the nodal fields, into the containment field. With correlated plasma densities and nodal field spacings approximating the mean free partl cle collision path length in the zones between the nodal fields, optimum closure effectiveness is obtained. (AEC)

Measurement of electron density and electron temperature of a cascaded arc plasma using laser Thomson scattering compared to an optical emission spectroscopic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yong, WANG; Cong, LI; Jielin, SHI; Xingwei, WU; Hongbin, DING

2017-11-01

As advanced linear plasma sources, cascaded arc plasma devices have been used to generate steady plasma with high electron density, high particle flux and low electron temperature. To measure electron density and electron temperature of the plasma device accurately, a laser Thomson scattering (LTS) system, which is generally recognized as the most precise plasma diagnostic method, has been established in our lab in Dalian University of Technology. The electron density has been measured successfully in the region of 4.5 × 1019 m-3 to 7.1 × 1020 m-3 and electron temperature in the region of 0.18 eV to 0.58 eV. For comparison, an optical emission spectroscopy (OES) system was established as well. The results showed that the electron excitation temperature (configuration temperature) measured by OES is significantly higher than the electron temperature (kinetic electron temperature) measured by LTS by up to 40% in the given discharge conditions. The results indicate that the cascaded arc plasma is recombining plasma and it is not in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). This leads to significant error using OES when characterizing the electron temperature in a non-LTE plasma.

RF-Plasma Source Commissioning in Indian Negative Ion Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, M. J.; Bandyopadhyay, M.; Bansal, G.; Gahlaut, A.; Soni, J.; Kumar, Sunil; Pandya, K.; Parmar, K. G.; Sonara, J.; Yadava, Ratnakar; Chakraborty, A. K.; Kraus, W.; Heinemann, B.; Riedl, R.; Obermayer, S.; Martens, C.; Franzen, P.; Fantz, U.

2011-09-01

The Indian program of the RF based negative ion source has started off with the commissioning of ROBIN, the inductively coupled RF based negative ion source facility under establishment at Institute for Plasma research (IPR), India. The facility is being developed under a technology transfer agreement with IPP Garching. It consists of a single RF driver based beam source (BATMAN replica) coupled to a 100 kW, 1 MHz RF generator with a self excited oscillator, through a matching network, for plasma production and ion extraction and acceleration. The delivery of the RF generator and the RF plasma source without the accelerator, has enabled initiation of plasma production experiments. The recent experimental campaign has established the matching circuit parameters that result in plasma production with density in the range of 0.5-1×1018/m3, at operational gas pressures ranging between 0.4-1 Pa. Various configurations of the matching network have been experimented upon to obtain a stable operation of the set up for RF powers ranging between 25-85 kW and pulse lengths ranging between 4-20 s. It has been observed that the range of the parameters of the matching circuit, over which the frequency of the power supply is stable, is narrow and further experiments with increased number of turns in the coil are in the pipeline to see if the range can be widened. In this paper, the description of the experimental system and the commissioning data related to the optimisation of the various parameters of the matching network, to obtain stable plasma of required density, are presented and discussed.

Ultrashort x-ray backlighters and applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Umstadter, D., University of Michigan

Previously, using ultrashort laser pulses focused onto solid targets, we have experimentally studied a controllable ultrafast broadband radiation source in the extreme ultraviolet for time-resolved dynamical studies in ultrafast science [J. Workman, A. Maksimchuk, X. Llu, U. Ellenberger, J. S. Coe, C.-Y. Chien, and D. Umstadter, ``Control of Bright Picosecond X-Ray Emission from Intense Sub- Picosecond Laser-Plasma Interactions,`` Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 2324 (1995)]. Once armed with a bright ultrafast broadband continuum x-ray source and appropriate detectors, we used the source as a backlighter to study a remotely produced plasma. The application of the source to a problem relevant tomore » high-density matter completes the triad: creating and controlling, efficiently detecting, and applying the source. This work represented the first use of an ultrafast laser- produced x-ray source as a time-resolving probe in an application relevant to atomic, plasma and high-energy-density matter physics. Using the x-ray source as a backlighter, we adopted a pump-probe geometry to investigate the dynamic changes in electronic structure of a thin metallic film as it is perturbed by an ultrashort laser pulse. Because the laser deposits its energy in a skin depth of about 100 {Angstrom} before expansion occurs, up to gigabar pressure shock waves lasting picosecond in duration have been predicted to form in these novel plasmas. This raises the possibility of studying high- energy-density matter relevant to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and astrophysics in small-scale laboratory experiments. In the past, time-resolved measurements of K-edge shifts in plasmas driven by nanosecond pulses have been used to infer conditions in highly compressed materials. In this study, we used 100-fs laser pulses to impulsively drive shocks into a sample (an untamped 1000 {Angstrom} aluminum film on 2000 {Angstrom} of parylene-n), measuring L-edge shifts.« less

White-Light and Radioastronomical Remote-Sensing of Coronal Mass Ejections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kooi, Jason E.; Spangler, Steven R.

2017-01-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large-scale eruptions of plasma from the Sun that play an important role in space weather. Faraday rotation (FR) is the rotation of the plane of polarization that results when a linearly polarized signal passes through a magnetized plasma (such as a CME) and is proportional to the path integral through the plasma of the electron density and the line-of-sight component of the magnetic field. FR observations of a source near the Sun can provide information on the plasma structure of a CME shortly after launch; however, separating the contribution of the plasma density from the line-of-sight magnetic field is challenging.We report on simultaneous white-light and radio observations made of three CMEs in August 2012. We made radio observations using the Very Large Array (VLA) at 1 - 2 GHz frequencies of a "constellation" of radio sources through the solar corona at heliocentric distances that ranged from 6 - 15 solar radii: two sources (0842+1835 and 0900+1832) were occulted by a single CME and one source (0843+1547) was occulted by two CMEs. In addition to our radioastronomical observations, which represent one of the first active hunts for CME Faraday rotation since Bird et al. (1985) and the first active hunt using the VLA, we obtained white-light coronagraph images from the LASCO/C3 instrument to determine the Thomson scattering brightness (BT), providing a means to independently estimate the plasma density and determine its contribution to the observed Faraday rotation.A constant density force-free flux rope embedded in the background corona was used to model the effects of the CMEs on BT and FR and infer the plasma densities (6 - 22 x 103 cm-3) and axial magnetic field strengths (2 - 12 mG) for the three CMEs. A single flux rope model successfully reproduces the observed BT and FR profiles for 0842+1835 and 0900+1832; however 0843+1547 was occulted by two CMEs. Using the multiple viewpoints provided by LASCO/C3 and STEREO-A/COR2, we model observations of 0843+1547 using two flux ropes embedded in the background corona and demonstrate the model's ability to successfully reproduce both BT and FR profiles.

Temperature and density evolution during decay in a 2.45 GHz hydrogen electron cyclotron resonance plasma: off-resonant and resonant cases.

PubMed

Cortázar, O D; Megía-Macías, A; Vizcaíno-de-Julián, A

2013-09-01

Time resolved electron temperature and density measurements during the decay stage in a hydrogen electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma are presented for a resonance and off-resonance magnetic field configurations. The measurements are conducted on a ECR plasma generator excited at 2.45 GHz denominated test-bench for ion-sources plasma studies at ESS Bilbao. The plasma parameters evolution is studied by Langmuir probe diagnostic with synchronized sample technique developed for repetitive pulsed plasmas with a temporal resolution of 200 ns in typical decay processes of about 40 μs. An afterglow transient is clearly observed in the reflected microwave power signal from the plasma. Simultaneously, the electron temperature evolution shows rebounding peaks that may be related to the interplay between density drop and microwave coupling with deep impact on the Electron Energy Distribution Function. The correlation of such structures with the plasma absorbed power and the coupling quality is also reported.

Modeling of radiative properties of Sn plasmas for extreme-ultraviolet source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sasaki, Akira; Sunahara, Atsushi; Furukawa, Hiroyuki

Atomic processes in Sn plasmas are investigated for application to extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) light sources used in microlithography. We develop a full collisional radiative (CR) model of Sn plasmas based on calculated atomic data using Hebrew University Lawrence Livermore Atomic Code (HULLAC). Resonance and satellite lines from singly and multiply excited states of Sn ions, which contribute significantly to the EUV emission, are identified and included in the model through a systematic investigation of their effect on the emission spectra. The wavelengths of the 4d-4f+4p-4d transitions of Sn{sup 5+} to Sn{sup 13+} are investigated, because of their importance for determining themore » conversion efficiency of the EUV source, in conjunction with the effect of configuration interaction in the calculation of atomic structure. Calculated emission spectra are compared with those of charge exchange spectroscopy and of laser produced plasma EUV sources. The comparison is also carried out for the opacity of a radiatively heated Sn sample. A reasonable agreement is obtained between calculated and experimental EUV emission spectra observed under the typical condition of EUV sources with the ion density and ionization temperature of the plasma around 10{sup 18} cm{sup -3} and 20 eV, respectively, by applying a wavelength correction to the resonance and satellite lines. Finally, the spectral emissivity and opacity of Sn plasmas are calculated as a function of electron temperature and ion density. The results are useful for radiation hydrodynamics simulations for the optimization of EUV sources.« less

Microwave produced plasma in a Toroidal Device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, A. K.; Edwards, W. F.; Held, E. D.

2010-11-01

A currentless toroidal plasma device exhibits a large range of interesting basic plasma physics phenomena. Such a device is not in equilibrium in a strict magneto hydrodynamic sense. There are many sources of free energy in the form of gradients in plasma density, temperature, the background magnetic field and the curvature of the magnetic field. These free energy sources excite waves and instabilities which have been the focus of studies in several devices in last two decades. A full understanding of these simple plasmas is far from complete. At Utah State University we have recently designed and installed a microwave plasma generation system on a small tokamak borrowed from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. Microwaves are generated at 2.45 GHz in a pulsed dc mode using a magnetron from a commercial kitchen microwave oven. The device is equipped with horizontal and vertical magnetic fields and a transformer to impose a toroidal electric field for current drive. Plasmas can be obtained over a wide range of pressure with and without magnetic fields. We present some preliminary measurements of plasma density and potential profiles. Measurements of plasma temperature at different operating conditions are also presented.

Large area multiarc ion beam source {open_quote}MAIS{close_quote}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Engelko, V.; Giese, H.; Schalk, S.

1996-12-31

A pulsed large area intense ion beam source is described, in which the ion emitting plasma is built up by an array of individual discharge units, homogeneously distributed over the surface of a common discharge electrode. A particularly advantageous feature of the source is that for plasma generation and subsequent acceleration of the ions only one common energy supply is necessary. This allows to simplify the source design and provides inherent synchronization of plasma production and ion extraction. The homogeneity of the plasma density was found to be superior to plasma sources using plasma expanders. Originally conceived for the productionmore » of proton beams, the source can easily be modified for the production of beams composed of carbon and metal ions or mixed ion species. Results of investigations of the source performance for the production of a proton beam are presented. The maximum beam current achieved to date is of the order of 100 A, with a particle kinetic energy of 15 - 30 keV and a pulse length in the range of 10 {mu}s.« less

A contoured gap coaxial plasma gun with injected plasma armature.

PubMed

Witherspoon, F Douglas; Case, Andrew; Messer, Sarah J; Bomgardner, Richard; Phillips, Michael W; Brockington, Samuel; Elton, Raymond

2009-08-01

A new coaxial plasma gun is described. The long term objective is to accelerate 100-200 microg of plasma with density above 10(17) cm(-3) to greater than 200 km/s with a Mach number above 10. Such high velocity dense plasma jets have a number of potential fusion applications, including plasma refueling, magnetized target fusion, injection of angular momentum into centrifugally confined mirrors, high energy density plasmas, and others. The approach uses symmetric injection of high density plasma into a coaxial electromagnetic accelerator having an annular gap geometry tailored to prevent formation of the blow-by instability. The injected plasma is generated by numerous (currently 32) radially oriented capillary discharges arranged uniformly around the circumference of the angled annular injection region of the accelerator. Magnetohydrodynamic modeling identified electrode profiles that can achieve the desired plasma jet parameters. The experimental hardware is described along with initial experimental results in which approximately 200 microg has been accelerated to 100 km/s in a half-scale prototype gun. Initial observations of 64 merging injector jets in a planar cylindrical testing array are presented. Density and velocity are presently limited by available peak current and injection sources. Steps to increase both the drive current and the injected plasma mass are described for next generation experiments.

Physics-electrical hybrid model for real time impedance matching and remote plasma characterization in RF plasma sources.

PubMed

Sudhir, Dass; Bandyopadhyay, M; Chakraborty, A

2016-02-01

Plasma characterization and impedance matching are an integral part of any radio frequency (RF) based plasma source. In long pulse operation, particularly in high power operation where plasma load may vary due to different reasons (e.g. pressure and power), online tuning of impedance matching circuit and remote plasma density estimation are very useful. In some cases, due to remote interfaces, radio activation and, due to maintenance issues, power probes are not allowed to be incorporated in the ion source design for plasma characterization. Therefore, for characterization and impedance matching, more remote schemes are envisaged. Two such schemes by the same authors are suggested in these regards, which are based on air core transformer model of inductive coupled plasma (ICP) [M. Bandyopadhyay et al., Nucl. Fusion 55, 033017 (2015); D. Sudhir et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85, 013510 (2014)]. However, the influence of the RF field interaction with the plasma to determine its impedance, a physics code HELIC [D. Arnush, Phys. Plasmas 7, 3042 (2000)] is coupled with the transformer model. This model can be useful for both types of RF sources, i.e., ICP and helicon sources.

Physics-electrical hybrid model for real time impedance matching and remote plasma characterization in RF plasma sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sudhir, Dass, E-mail: dass.sudhir@iter-india.org; Bandyopadhyay, M.; Chakraborty, A.

2016-02-15

Plasma characterization and impedance matching are an integral part of any radio frequency (RF) based plasma source. In long pulse operation, particularly in high power operation where plasma load may vary due to different reasons (e.g. pressure and power), online tuning of impedance matching circuit and remote plasma density estimation are very useful. In some cases, due to remote interfaces, radio activation and, due to maintenance issues, power probes are not allowed to be incorporated in the ion source design for plasma characterization. Therefore, for characterization and impedance matching, more remote schemes are envisaged. Two such schemes by the samemore » authors are suggested in these regards, which are based on air core transformer model of inductive coupled plasma (ICP) [M. Bandyopadhyay et al., Nucl. Fusion 55, 033017 (2015); D. Sudhir et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85, 013510 (2014)]. However, the influence of the RF field interaction with the plasma to determine its impedance, a physics code HELIC [D. Arnush, Phys. Plasmas 7, 3042 (2000)] is coupled with the transformer model. This model can be useful for both types of RF sources, i.e., ICP and helicon sources.« less

Developing the science and technology for the Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapp, J.; Biewer, T. M.; Bigelow, T. S.; Caneses, J. F.; Caughman, J. B. O.; Diem, S. J.; Goulding, R. H.; Isler, R. C.; Lumsdaine, A.; Beers, C. J.; Bjorholm, T.; Bradley, C.; Canik, J. M.; Donovan, D.; Duckworth, R. C.; Ellis, R. J.; Graves, V.; Giuliano, D.; Green, D. L.; Hillis, D. L.; Howard, R. H.; Kafle, N.; Katoh, Y.; Lasa, A.; Lessard, T.; Martin, E. H.; Meitner, S. J.; Luo, G.-N.; McGinnis, W. D.; Owen, L. W.; Ray, H. B.; Shaw, G. C.; Showers, M.; Varma, V.; the MPEX Team

2017-11-01

Linear plasma generators are cost effective facilities to simulate divertor plasma conditions of present and future fusion reactors. They are used to address important R&D gaps in the science of plasma material interactions and towards viable plasma facing components for fusion reactors. Next generation plasma generators have to be able to access the plasma conditions expected on the divertor targets in ITER and future devices. The steady-state linear plasma device MPEX will address this regime with electron temperatures of 1-10 eV and electron densities of 1021{\\text{}}-1020 m-3 . The resulting heat fluxes are about 10 MW m-2 . MPEX is designed to deliver those plasma conditions with a novel Radio Frequency plasma source able to produce high density plasmas and heat electron and ions separately with electron Bernstein wave (EBW) heating and ion cyclotron resonance heating with a total installed power of 800 kW. The linear device Proto-MPEX, forerunner of MPEX consisting of 12 water-cooled copper coils, has been operational since May 2014. Its helicon antenna (100 kW, 13.56 MHz) and EC heating systems (200 kW, 28 GHz) have been commissioned and 14 MW m-2 was delivered on target. Furthermore, electron temperatures of about 20 eV have been achieved in combined helicon and ECH heating schemes at low electron densities. Overdense heating with EBW was achieved at low heating powers. The operational space of the density production by the helicon antenna was pushed up to 1.1 × 1020 m-3 at high magnetic fields of 1.0 T at the target. The experimental results from Proto-MPEX will be used for code validation to enable predictions of the source and heating performance for MPEX. MPEX, in its last phase, will be capable to expose neutron-irradiated samples. In this concept, targets will be irradiated in ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor and then subsequently exposed to fusion reactor relevant plasmas in MPEX.

Non-invasive probe diagnostic method for electron temperature and ion current density in atmospheric pressure plasma jet source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Young-Cheol; Kim, Yu-Sin; Lee, Hyo-Chang

2015-08-15

The electrical probe diagnostics are very hard to be applied to atmospheric plasmas due to severe perturbation by the electrical probes. To overcome this, the probe for measuring electron temperature and ion current density is indirectly contacted with an atmospheric jet source. The plasma parameters are obtained by using floating harmonic analysis. The probe is mounted on the quartz tube that surrounds plasma. When a sinusoidal voltage is applied to a probe contacting on a quartz tube, the electrons near the sheath at dielectric tube are collected and the probe current has harmonic components due to probe sheath nonlinearity. Frommore » the relation of the harmonic currents and amplitude of the sheath voltage, the electron temperature near the wall can be obtained with collisional sheath model. The electron temperatures and ion current densities measured at the discharge region are in the ranges of 2.7–3.4 eV and 1.7–5.2 mA/cm{sup 2} at various flow rates and input powers.« less

Plasma generating apparatus for large area plasma processing

DOEpatents

Tsai, C.C.; Gorbatkin, S.M.; Berry, L.A.

1991-07-16

A plasma generating apparatus for plasma processing applications is based on a permanent magnet line-cusp plasma confinement chamber coupled to a compact single-coil microwave waveguide launcher. The device creates an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma in the launcher and a second ECR plasma is created in the line cusps due to a 0.0875 tesla magnetic field in that region. Additional special magnetic field configuring reduces the magnetic field at the substrate to below 0.001 tesla. The resulting plasma source is capable of producing large-area (20-cm diam), highly uniform (.+-.5%) ion beams with current densities above 5 mA/cm[sup 2]. The source has been used to etch photoresist on 5-inch diam silicon wafers with good uniformity. 3 figures.

Plasma generating apparatus for large area plasma processing

DOEpatents

Tsai, Chin-Chi; Gorbatkin, Steven M.; Berry, Lee A.

1991-01-01

A plasma generating apparatus for plasma processing applications is based on a permanent magnet line-cusp plasma confinement chamber coupled to a compact single-coil microwave waveguide launcher. The device creates an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma in the launcher and a second ECR plasma is created in the line cusps due to a 0.0875 tesla magnetic field in that region. Additional special magnetic field configuring reduces the magnetic field at the substrate to below 0.001 tesla. The resulting plasma source is capable of producing large-area (20-cm diam), highly uniform (.+-.5%) ion beams with current densities above 5 mA/cm.sup.2. The source has been used to etch photoresist on 5-inch diam silicon wafers with good uniformity.

The Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment and Plasma Source Instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, T. E.; Chappell, C. R.; Chandler, M. O.; Fields, S. A.; Pollock, C. J.; Reasoner, D. L.; Young, D. T.; Burch, J. L.; Eaker, N.; Waite, J. H., Jr.;

Tokamak startup using point-source dc helicity injection.

PubMed

Battaglia, D J; Bongard, M W; Fonck, R J; Redd, A J; Sontag, A C

2009-06-05

Startup of a 0.1 MA tokamak plasma is demonstrated on the ultralow aspect ratio Pegasus Toroidal Experiment using three localized, high-current density sources mounted near the outboard midplane. The injected open field current relaxes via helicity-conserving magnetic turbulence into a tokamaklike magnetic topology where the maximum sustained plasma current is determined by helicity balance and the requirements for magnetic relaxation.

Axial momentum lost to a lateral wall of a helicon plasma source.

PubMed

Takahashi, Kazunori; Chiba, Aiki; Komuro, Atsushi; Ando, Akira

2015-05-15

Momentum exerted to a lateral wall of a helicon plasma source is individually measured for argon, krypton, and xenon gases. A significant loss of the axial plasma momentum to the lateral wall, which has been assumed to be negligible, is experimentally identified when an axially asymmetric density profile is formed in the source. This indicates that the radially lost ions deliver not only the radial momentum but also the axial momentum to the lateral wall. The formation of the axial asymmetry causing the momentum loss is interpreted with competition between the magnetic field and neutral depletion effects.

RFEA measurements of high-energy electrons in a helicon plasma device with expanding magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulbrandsen, Njål; Fredriksen, Åshild

2017-01-01

In the inductively coupled plasma of the Njord helicon device we have, for the same parameters as for which an ion beam exists, measured a downstream population of high-energy electrons emerging from the source. Separated measurements of energetic tail electrons was carried out by Retarding Field Energy Analyzer (RFEA) with a grounded entrance grid, operated in an electron collection mode. In a radial scan with the RFEA pointed toward the source, we found a significant population of high-energy electrons just inside the magnetic field line mapping to the edge of the source. A second peak in high-energy electrons density was observed in a radial position corresponding to the radius of the source. Also, throughout the main column a small contribution of high-energy electrons was observed. In a radial scan with a RFEA biased to collect ions a localized increase in the plasma ion density near the magnetic field line emerging from the plasma near the wall of the source was observed. This is interpreted as a signature of high-energy electrons ionizing the neutral gas. Also, a dip in the floating potential of a Langmuir probe is evident in this region where high-energy electrons is observed.

Device and method for imploding a microsphere with a fast liner

DOEpatents

Thode, Lester E.

1981-01-01

A device and method for relativistic electron beam heating of a high-density plasma in a small localized region. A relativistic electron beam generator or accelerator produces a high-voltage electron beam which propagates along a vacuum drift tube and is modulated to initiate electron bunching within the beam. The beam is then directed through a low-density gas chamber which provides isolation between the vacuum modulator and the relativistic electron beam target. The relativistic beam is then applied to a high-density target plasma which typically comprises DT, DD, hydrogen boron or similar thermonuclear gas at a density of 10.sup.17 to 10.sup.20 electrons per cubic centimeter. The target gas is ionized prior to application of the electron beam by means of a laser or other preionization source to form a plasma. Utilizing a relativistic electron beam with an individual particle energy exceeding 3 MeV, classical scattering by relativistic electrons passing through isolation foils is negligible. As a result, relativistic streaming instabilities are initiated within the high-density target plasma causing the relativistic electron beam to efficiently deposit its energy and momentum into a small localized region of the high-density plasma target. Fast liners disposed in the high-density target plasma are explosively or ablatively driven to implosion by a heated annular plasma surrounding the fast liner generated by an annular relativistic electron beam. An azimuthal magnetic field produced by axial current flow in the annular plasma, causes the energy in the heated annular plasma to converge on the fast liner to drive the fast liner to implode a microsphere.

The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapp, J.; Biewer, T. M.; Bigelow, T. S.; Canik, J.; Caughman, J. B. O.; Duckworth, R. C.; Goulding, R. H.; Hillis, D. L.; Lore, J. D.; Lumsdaine, A.; McGinnis, W. D.; Meitner, S. J.; Owen, L. W.; Shaw, G. C.; Luo, G.-N.

2014-10-01

Next generation plasma generators have to be able to access the plasma conditions expected on the divertor targets in ITER and future devices. The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) will address this regime with electron temperatures of 1--10 eV and electron densities of 1021--1020 m-3. The resulting heat fluxes are about 10 MW/m2. MPEX is designed to deliver those plasma conditions with a novel Radio Frequency plasma source able to produce high density plasmas and heat electron and ions separately with Electron Bernstein Wave (EBW) heating and Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH). Preliminary modeling has been used for pre-design studies of MPEX. MPEX will be capable to expose neutron irradiated samples. In this concept targets will be irradiated in ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) or possibly at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and then subsequently (after a sufficient long cool-down period) exposed to fusion reactor relevant plasmas in MPEX. The current state of the pre-design of MPEX including the concept of handling irradiated samples will be presented. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U.S. DOE under Contract DE-AC-05-00OR22725.

Blobs and drift wave dynamics

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Yanzeng; Krasheninnikov, S. I.

2017-09-29

The modified Hasegawa-Mima equation retaining all nonlinearities is investigated from the point of view of the formation of blobs. The linear analysis shows that the amplitude of the drift wave packet propagating in the direction of decreasing background plasma density increases and eventually saturates due to nonlinear effects. Nonlinear modification of the time averaged plasma density profile results in the formation of large amplitude modes locked in the radial direction, but still propagating in the poloidal direction, which resembles the experimentally observed chain of blobs propagating in the poloidal direction. Such specific density profiles, causing the locking of drift waves,more » could form naturally at the edge of tokamak due to a neutral ionization source. Thus, locked modes can grow in situ due to plasma instabilities, e.g., caused by finite resistivity. Furthermore, the modulation instability (in the poloidal direction) of these locked modes can result in a blob-like burst of plasma density.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biewer, Theodore M.; Bigelow, Tim S.; Caneses Marin, Juan F.

The Prototype Material Plasma Exposure Experiment at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory utilizes a variety of power systems to generate and deliver a high heat flux plasma onto the surface of material targets. In the experiments described here, a deuterium plasma is produced via a ~100 kW, 13.56 MHz RF helicon source, to which ~20 kW of 28 GHz microwave power is applied. The electron density and temperature profiles are measured using a Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic, and indicate that the electron density is centrally peaked. In the core of the plasma column, the electron density is higher than themore » cut-off density (~0.9 × 1019 m -3) for the launched mixture of X- and O-mode electron cyclotron heating waves to propagate. TS measurements indicate electron temperature increases from ~5 eV to ~20 eV during 28 GHz power application when the neutral deuterium pressure is reduced below 0.13 Pa (~1 mTorr.).« less

Development of atomic radical monitoring probe and its application to spatial distribution measurements of H and O atomic radical densities in radical-based plasma processing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takahashi, Shunji; Katagiri Engineering Co., Ltd., 3-5-34 Shitte Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0003; Takashima, Seigo

2009-09-01

Atomic radicals such as hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) play important roles in process plasmas. In a previous study, we developed a system for measuring the absolute density of H, O, nitrogen, and carbon atoms in plasmas using vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy (VUVAS) with a compact light source using an atmospheric pressure microplasma [microdischarge hollow cathode lamp (MHCL)]. In this study, we developed a monitoring probe for atomic radicals employing the VUVAS with the MHCL. The probe size was 2.7 mm in diameter. Using this probe, only a single port needs to be accessed for radical density measurements. We successfullymore » measured the spatial distribution of the absolute densities of H and O atomic radicals in a radical-based plasma processing system by moving the probe along the radial direction of the chamber. This probe allows convenient analysis of atomic radical densities to be carried out for any type of process plasma at any time. We refer to this probe as a ubiquitous monitoring probe for atomic radicals.« less

Development of large volume double ring penning plasma discharge source for efficient light emissions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prakash, Ram; Vyas, Gheesa Lal; Jain, Jalaj

In this paper, the development of large volume double ring Penning plasma discharge source for efficient light emissions is reported. The developed Penning discharge source consists of two cylindrical end cathodes of stainless steel having radius 6 cm and a gap 5.5 cm between them, which are fitted in the top and bottom flanges of the vacuum chamber. Two stainless steel anode rings with thickness 0.4 cm and inner diameters 6.45 cm having separation 2 cm are kept at the discharge centre. Neodymium (Nd{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B) permanent magnets are physically inserted behind the cathodes for producing nearly uniform magnetic fieldmore » of {approx}0.1 T at the center. Experiments and simulations have been performed for single and double anode ring configurations using helium gas discharge, which infer that double ring configuration gives better light emissions in the large volume Penning plasma discharge arrangement. The optical emission spectroscopy measurements are used to complement the observations. The spectral line-ratio technique is utilized to determine the electron plasma density. The estimated electron plasma density in double ring plasma configuration is {approx}2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 11} cm{sup -3}, which is around one order of magnitude larger than that of single ring arrangement.« less

Development of large volume double ring penning plasma discharge source for efficient light emissions.

PubMed

Prakash, Ram; Vyas, Gheesa Lal; Jain, Jalaj; Prajapati, Jitendra; Pal, Udit Narayan; Chowdhuri, Malay Bikas; Manchanda, Ranjana

2012-12-01

In this paper, the development of large volume double ring Penning plasma discharge source for efficient light emissions is reported. The developed Penning discharge source consists of two cylindrical end cathodes of stainless steel having radius 6 cm and a gap 5.5 cm between them, which are fitted in the top and bottom flanges of the vacuum chamber. Two stainless steel anode rings with thickness 0.4 cm and inner diameters 6.45 cm having separation 2 cm are kept at the discharge centre. Neodymium (Nd(2)Fe(14)B) permanent magnets are physically inserted behind the cathodes for producing nearly uniform magnetic field of ~0.1 T at the center. Experiments and simulations have been performed for single and double anode ring configurations using helium gas discharge, which infer that double ring configuration gives better light emissions in the large volume Penning plasma discharge arrangement. The optical emission spectroscopy measurements are used to complement the observations. The spectral line-ratio technique is utilized to determine the electron plasma density. The estimated electron plasma density in double ring plasma configuration is ~2 × 10(11) cm(-3), which is around one order of magnitude larger than that of single ring arrangement.

Low-pressure hydrogen discharge maintenance in a large-size plasma source with localized high radio-frequency power deposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Todorov, D.; Shivarova, A., E-mail: ashiva@phys.uni-sofia.bg; Paunska, Ts.

2015-03-15

The development of the two-dimensional fluid-plasma model of a low-pressure hydrogen discharge, presented in the study, is regarding description of the plasma maintenance in a discharge vessel with the configuration of the SPIDER source. The SPIDER source, planned for the neutral-beam-injection plasma-heating system of ITER, is with localized high RF power deposition to its eight drivers (cylindrical-coil inductive discharges) and a large-area second chamber, common for all the drivers. The continuity equations for the charged particles (electrons and the three types of positive ions) and for the neutral species (atoms and molecules), their momentum equations, the energy balance equations formore » electrons, atoms and molecules and the Poisson equations are involved in the discharge description. In addition to the local processes in the plasma volume, the surface processes of particle reflection and conversion on the walls as well as for a heat exchange with the walls are included in the model. The analysis of the results stresses on the role of the fluxes (particle and energy fluxes) in the formation of the discharge structure. The conclusion is that the discharge behavior is completely obeyed to non-locality. The latter is displayed by: (i) maximum values of plasma parameters (charged particle densities and temperatures of the neutral species) outside the region of the RF power deposition, (ii) shifted maxima of the electron density and temperature, of the plasma potential and of the electron production, (iii) an electron flux, with a vortex structure, strongly exceeding the total ion flux which gives evidence of a discharge regime of non-ambipolarity and (iv) a spatial distribution of the densities of the neutral species resulting from their fluxes.« less

Advanced control of neutral beam injected power in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Pawley, Carl J.; Crowley, Brendan J.; Pace, David C.; ...

2017-03-23

In the DIII-D tokamak, one of the most powerful techniques to control the density, temperature and plasma rotation is by eight independently modulated neutral beam sources with a total power of 20 MW. The rapid modulation requires a high degree of reproducibility and precise control of the ion source plasma and beam acceleration voltage. Recent changes have been made to the controls to provide a new capability to smoothly vary the beam current and beam voltage during a discharge, while maintaining the modulation capability. The ion source plasma inside the arc chamber is controlled through feedback from the Langmuir probesmore » measuring plasma density near the extraction end. To provide the new capability, the plasma control system (PCS) has been enabled to change the Langmuir probe set point and the beam voltage set point in real time. When the PCS varies the Langmuir set point, the plasma density is directly controlled in the arc chamber, thus changing the beam current (perveance) and power going into the tokamak. Alternately, the PCS can sweep the beam voltage set point by 20 kV or more and adjust the Langmuir probe setting to match, keeping the perveance constant and beam divergence at a minimum. This changes the beam power and average neutral particle energy, which changes deposition in the tokamak plasma. The ion separating magnetic field must accurately match the beam voltage to protect the beam line. To do this, the magnet current control accurately tracks the beam voltage set point. In conclusion, these new capabilities allow continuous in-shot variation of neutral beam ion energy to complement« less

Hot and dense plasma probing by soft X-ray lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krůs, M.; Kozlová, M.; Nejdl, J.; Rus, B.

2018-01-01

Soft X-ray lasers, due to their short wavelength, its brightness, and good spatial coherence, are excellent sources for the diagnostics of dense plasmas (up to 1025 cm-3) which are relevant to e.g. inertial fusion. Several techniques and experimental results, which are obtained at the quasi-steady state scheme being collisionally pumped 21.2 nm neon-like zinc laser installed at PALS Research Center, are presented here; among them the plasma density measurement by a double Lloyd mirror interferometer, deflectometer based on Talbot effect measuring plasma density gradients itself, with a following ray tracing postprocessing. Moreover, the high spatial resolution (nm scale) plasma images can be obtained when soft X-ray lasers are used.

Experimental investigation of microwave interaction with magnetoplasma in miniature multipolar configuration using impedance measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dey, Indranuj, E-mail: indranuj@aees.kyushu-u.ac.jp; Toyoda, Yuji; Yamamoto, Naoji

2014-09-15

A miniature microwave plasma source employing both radial and axial magnetic fields for plasma confinement has been developed for micro-propulsion applications. Plasma is initiated by launching microwaves via a short monopole antenna to circumvent geometrical cutoff limitations. The amplitude and phase of the forward and reflected microwave power is measured to obtain the complex reflection coefficient from which the equivalent impedance of the plasma source is determined. Effect of critical plasma density condition is reflected in the measurements and provides insight into the working of the miniature plasma source. A basic impedance calculation model is developed to help in understandingmore » the experimental observations. From experiment and theory, it is seen that the equivalent impedance magnitude is controlled by the coaxial discharge boundary conditions, and the phase is influenced primarily by the plasma immersed antenna impedance.« less

Discontinuous model with semi analytical sheath interface for radio frequency plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyashita, Masaru

2016-09-01

Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. provide many products utilizing plasma. In this study, we focus on the Radio Frequency (RF) plasma source by interior antenna. The plasma source is expected to be high density and low metal contamination. However, the sputtering the antenna cover by high energy ion from sheath voltage still have been problematic. We have developed the new model which can calculate sheath voltage wave form in the RF plasma source for realistic calculation time. This model is discontinuous that electronic fluid equation in plasma connect to usual passion equation in antenna cover and chamber with semi analytical sheath interface. We estimate the sputtering distribution based on calculated sheath voltage waveform by this model, sputtering yield and ion energy distribution function (IEDF) model. The estimated sputtering distribution reproduce the tendency of experimental results.

Laboratory Observation of a Plasma-Flow-State Transition from Diverging to Stretching a Magnetic Nozzle.

PubMed

Takahashi, Kazunori; Ando, Akira

2017-06-02

An axial magnetic field induced by a plasma flow in a divergent magnetic nozzle is measured when injecting the plasma flow from a radio frequency (rf) plasma source located upstream of the nozzle. The source is operated with a pulsed rf power of 5 kW, and the high density plasma flow is sustained only for the initial ∼100  μsec of the discharge. The measurement shows a decrease in the axial magnetic field near the source exit, whereas an increase in the field is detected at the downstream side of the magnetic nozzle. These results demonstrate a spatial transition of the plasma-flow state from diverging to stretching the magnetic nozzle, where the importance of both the Alfvén and ion Mach numbers is shown.

Ion Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haseroth, Helmut; Hora, Heinrich

1993-03-01

Ion sources for accelerators are based on plasma configurations with an extraction system in order to gain a very high number of ions within an appropriately short pulse and of sufficiently high charge number Z for advanced research. Beginning with the duoplasmatron, all established ion sources are based on low-density plasmas, of which the electron beam ionization source (EBIS) and the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) source are the most advanced; for example they result in pulses of nearly 6 × 108 fully stripped sulfur ions per pulse in the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) at CERN with energies of 200 GeV/u. As an example of a forthcoming development, we are reporting about the lead ion source for the same purpose. Contrary to these cases of low-density plasmas, where a rather long time is always necessary to generate sufficiently high charge states, the laser ion source uses very high density plasmas and therefore produced, for example in 1983, single shots of Au51+ ions of high directivity with energies above 300 MeV within 2 ns irradiation time of a gold target with a medium-to-large CO2 laser. Experiments at Dubna and Moscow, using small-size lasers, produced up to one million shots with 1 Hz sequence. After acceleration by a linac or otherwise, ion pulses of up to nearly 5 × 1010 ions of C4+ or Mg12+ with energies in the synchrotrons of up to 2 GeV/u were produced. The physics of the laser generation of the ions is most complex, as we know from laser fusion studies, including non-linear dynamic and dielectric effects, resonances, self-focusing, instabilities, double layers, and an irregular pulsation in the 20 ps range. This explains not only what difficulties are implied with the laser ion source, but also why it opens up a new direction of ion sources.

Simulation of RF power and multi-cusp magnetic field requirement for H- ion sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathak, Manish; Senecha, V. K.; Kumar, Rajnish; Ghodke, Dharmraj. V.

2016-12-01

A computer simulation study for multi-cusp RF based H- ion source has been carried out using energy and particle balance equation for inductively coupled uniformly dense plasma considering sheath formation near the boundary wall of the plasma chamber for RF ion source used as high current injector for 1 Gev H- Linac project for SNS applications. The average reaction rates for different reactions responsible for H- ion production and destruction have been considered in the simulation model. The RF power requirement for the caesium free H- ion source for a maximum possible H- ion beam current has been derived by evaluating the required current and RF voltage fed to the coil antenna using transformer model for Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). Different parameters of RF based H- ion source like excited hydrogen molecular density, H- ion density, RF voltage and current of RF antenna have been calculated through simulations in the presence and absence of multicusp magnetic field to distinctly observe the effect of multicusp field. The RF power evaluated for different H- ion current values have been compared with the experimental reported results showing reasonably good agreement considering the fact that some RF power will be reflected from the plasma medium. The results obtained have helped in understanding the optimum field strength and field free regions suitable for volume emission based H- ion sources. The compact RF ion source exhibits nearly 6 times better efficiency compare to large diameter ion source.

Trap density of GeNx/Ge interface fabricated by electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma nitridation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukuda, Yukio; Otani, Yohei; Toyota, Hiroshi; Ono, Toshiro

2011-07-01

We have investigated GeNx/Ge interface properties using Si3N4(7 nm)/GeNx(2 nm)/Ge metal-insulator-semiconductor structures fabricated by the plasma nitridation of Ge substrates using an electron-cyclotron-resonance-generated nitrogen plasma. The interface trap density (Dit) measured by the conductance method is found to be distributed symmetrically in the Ge band gap with a minimum Dit value lower than 3 × 1011 cm-2eV-1 near the midgap. This result may lead to the development of processes for the fabrication of p- and n-Ge Schottky-barrier (SB) source/drain metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors using chemically and thermally robust GeNx dielectrics as interlayers for SB source/drain contacts and high-κ gate dielectrics.

A Plasma Ultraviolet Source for Short Wavelength Lasers.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-03-10

A high power blue-green laser was pumped with an array of the dense plasma focus . As the result of optimizing the operating conditions of the dense... plasma focus and laser system, the maximum untuned laser output exceeded 2.lmJ corresponding to the energy density 3J/cu cm which is much higher than

Evolution of plasma wakes in density up- and down-ramps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, C. J.; Joshi, C.; Xu, X. L.; Mori, W. B.; Li, F.; Wan, Y.; Hua, J. F.; Pai, C. H.; Wang, J.; Lu, W.

2018-02-01

The time evolution of plasma wakes in density up- and down-ramps is examined through theory and particle-in-cell simulations. Motivated by observation of the reversal of a linear plasma wake in a plasma density upramp in a recent experiment (Zhang et al 2017 Phys. Rev. Lett. 119 064801) we have examined the behaviour of wakes in plasma ramps that always accompany any plasma source used for plasma-based acceleration. In the up-ramp case it is found that, after the passage of the drive pulse, the wavnumber/wavelength of the wake starts to decrease/increase with time until it eventually tends to zero/infinity, then the wake reverses its propagation direction and the wavenunber/wavelength of the wake begins to increase/shrink. The evolutions of the wavenumber and the phase velocity of the wake as functions of time are shown to be significantly different in the up-ramp and the down-ramp cases. In the latter case the wavenumber of the wake at a particular position in the ramp increases until the wake is eventually damped. It is also shown that the waveform of the wake at a particular time after being excited can be precisely controlled by tuning the initial plasma density profile, which may enable a new type of plasma-based ultrafast optics.

Electron density and plasma dynamics of a spherical theta pinch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teske, C.; Liu, Y.; Blaes, S.; Jacoby, J.

2012-03-01

A spherical theta pinch for plasma stripper applications has been developed and investigated regarding the electron density and the plasma confinement during the pinching sequence. The setup consists of a 6 μH induction coil surrounding a 4000 ml spherical discharge vessel and a capacitor bank with interchangeable capacitors leading to an overall capacitance of 34 μF and 50 μF, respectively. A thyristor switch is used for driving the resonant circuit. Pulsed coil currents reached values of up to 26 kA with maximum induction of 500 mT. Typical gas pressures were 0.7 Pa up to 120 Pa with ArH2 (2.8% H2)-gas as a discharge medium. Stark broadening measurements of the Hβ emission line were carried out in order to evaluate the electron density of the discharge. In accordance with the density measurements, the transfer efficiency was estimated and a scaling law between electron density and discharge energy was established for the current setup. The densities reached values of up to 8 × 1022 m-3 for an energy of 1.6 kJ transferred into the plasma. Further, the pinching of the discharge plasma was documented and the different stages of the pinching process were analyzed. The experimental evidence suggests that concerning the recent setup of the spherical theta pinch, a linear scaling law between the transferred energy and the achievable plasma density can be applied for various applications like plasma strippers and pulsed ion sources.

Properties of thermal air plasma with admixing of copper and carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fesenko, S.; Veklich, A.; Boretskij, V.; Cressault, Y.; Gleizes, A.; Teulet, Ph

2014-11-01

This paper deals with investigations of air plasma with admixing of copper and carbon. Model plasma source unit with real breaking arc was used for the simulation of real discharges, which can be occurred during sliding of Cu-C composite electrodes on copper wire at electromotive vehicles. The complex technique of plasma property studies is developed. From one hand, the radial profiles of temperature and electron density in plasma of electric arc discharge in air between Cu-C composite and copper electrodes in air flow were measured by optical spectroscopy techniques. From another hand, the radial profiles of electric conductivity of plasma mixture were calculated by solution of energy balance equation. It was assumed that the thermal conductivity of air plasma is not depending on copper or carbon vapor admixtures. The electron density is obtained from electric conductivity profiles by calculation in assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium in plasma. Computed in such way radial profiles of electron density in plasma of electric arc discharge in air between copper electrodes were compared with experimentally measured profiles. It is concluded that developed techniques of plasma diagnostics can be reasonably used in investigations of thermal plasma with copper and carbon vapors.

Modelling of low-temperature/large-area distributed antenna array microwave-plasma reactor used for nanocrystalline diamond deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bénédic, Fabien; Baudrillart, Benoit; Achard, Jocelyn

2018-02-01

In this paper we investigate a distributed antenna array Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition system, composed of 16 microwave plasma sources arranged in a 2D matrix, which enables the growth of 4-in. diamond films at low pressure and low substrate temperature by using H2/CH4/CO2 gas chemistry. A self-consistent two-dimensional plasma model developed for hydrogen discharges is used to study the discharge behavior. Especially, the gas temperature is estimated close to 350 K at a position corresponding to the substrate location during the growth, which is suitable for low temperature deposition. Multi-source discharge modeling evidences that the uniformity of the plasma sheet formed by the individual plasmas ignited around each elementary microwave source strongly depends on the distance to the antennas. The radial profile of the film thickness homogeneity may be thus linked to the local variations of species density. Contribution to the topical issue "Plasma Sources and Plasma Processes (PSPP)", edited by Luis Lemos Alves, Thierry Belmonte and Tibeinea Minea.

Versatile plasma ion source with an internal evaporator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turek, M.; Prucnal, S.; Drozdziel, A.; Pyszniak, K.

2011-04-01

A novel construction of an ion source with an evaporator placed inside a plasma chamber is presented. The crucible is heated to high temperatures directly by arc discharge, which makes the ion source suitable for substances with high melting points. The compact ion source enables production of intense ion beams for wide spectrum of solid elements with typical separated beam currents of ˜100-150 μA for Al +, Mn +, As + (which corresponds to emission current densities of 15-25 mA/cm 2) for the extraction voltage of 25 kV. The ion source works for approximately 50-70 h at 100% duty cycle, which enables high ion dose implantation. The typical power consumption of the ion source is 350-400 W. The paper presents detailed experimental data (e.g. dependences of ion currents and anode voltages on discharge and filament currents and magnetic flux densities) for Cr, Fe, Al, As, Mn and In. The discussion is supported by results of Monte Carlo method based numerical simulation of ionisation in the ion source.

Observation of large-scale density cavities and parametric-decay instabilities in the high-altitude discrete auroral ionosphere under pulsed electromagnetic radiation.

PubMed

Wong, A Y; Chen, J; Lee, L C; Liu, L Y

2009-03-13

A large density cavity that measured 2000 km across and 500 km in height was observed by DEMETER and Formosat/COSMIC satellites in temporal and spatial relation to a new mode of propagation of electromagnetic (em) pulses between discrete magnetic field-aligned auroral plasmas to high altitudes. Recorded positive plasma potential from satellite probes is consistent with the expulsion of electrons in the creation of density cavities. High-frequency decay spectra support the concept of parametric instabilities fed by free energy sources.

Development of plasma sources for ICRF heating experiment in KMAX mirror device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xuan; Liu, Ming; Yi, Hongshen; Lin, Munan; Shi, Peiyun

2016-10-01

KMAX, Keda Mirror with AXisymmeticity, is a tandem mirror machine with a length of 10 meters and diameters of 1.2 meters in the central cell and 0.3 meters in the mirror throat. In the past experiments, the plasma was generated by helicon wave launched from the west end. We obtained the blue core mode in argon discharge, however, it cannot provide sufficient plasma for hydrogen discharge, which is at least 1012 cm-3 required for effective ICRF heating. Several attempts have thus been tried or under design to increase the central cell's plasma density: (1) a washer gun with aperture of 1cm has been successfully tested, and a plasma density of 1013 cm-3 was achieved in the west cell near the gun, however, the plasma is only 1011 cm-3 in the central cell possible due to the mirror trapping and/or neutral quenching effect (2) a larger washer gun with aperture of 2.5 cm and a higher power capacitor bank are being assembled in order to generate more plasmas. In addition, how to mitigate the neutrals is under consideration (3) A hot cathode is been designed and will be tested in combination with plasma gun or alone. Preliminary results from those plasma sources will be presented and discussed.

Impact of the storm-time plasma sheet ion composition on the ring current energy density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mouikis, C.; Kistler, L. M.; Petrinec, S. M.; Fuselier, S. A.; Cohen, I.

2017-12-01

The adiabatic inward transport of the night-side near-earth ( 6 Re) hot plasma sheet is the dominant contributor to the ring current pressure during storm times. During storm times, the plasma sheet composition in the 6 - 12 Re tail region changes due to O+ entry from the lobes (from the cusp) and the direct feeding from the night side auroral region. In addition, at substorm onset the plasma sheet O+ ions can be preferentially accelerated. We use MMS and observations during two magnetic storms, 5/8/2016 and 7/16/2017, to monitor the composition changes and energization in the 6 - 12 Re plasma sheet region. For both storms the MMS apogee was in the tail. In addition, we use subsequent Van Allen Probe observations (with apogee in the dawn and dusk respectively) to test if the 6-12 Re plasma sheet, observed by MMS, is a sufficient source of the O+ in the ring current. For this we will compare the phase space density (PSD) of the plasma sheet source population and the PSD of the inner magnetosphere at constant magnetic moment values as used in Kistler et al., [2016].

Studies of Ion Beam Charge Neutralization by Ferroelectric Plasma Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stepanov, A.; Gilson, E. P.; Grisham, L.; Davidson, R. C.

2013-10-01

Space-charge forces limit the possible transverse compression of high perveance ion beams that are used in ion-beam-driven high energy density physics applications; the minimum radius to which a beam can be focused is an increasing function of perveance. The limit can be overcome if a plasma is introduced in the beam path between the focusing element and the target in order to neutralize the space charge of the beam. This concept has been implemented on the Neutralized Drift Compression eXperiment (NDCX) at LBNL using Ferroelectric Plasma Sources (FEPS). In our experiment at PPPL, we propagate a perveance-dominated ion beam through a FEPS to study the effect of the neutralizing plasma on the beam envelope and its evolution in time. A 30-60 keV space-charge-dominated Argon beam is focused with an Einzel lens into a FEPS located at the beam waist. The beam is intercepted downstream from the FEPS by a movable Faraday cup that provides time-resolved 2D current density profiles of the beam spot on target. We report results on: (a) dependence of charge neutralization on FEPS plasma density; (b) effects on beam emittance, and (c) time evolution of the beam envelope after the FEPS pulse. Research supported by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Helicon Wave Physics Impacts on Electrodeless Thruster Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilland, James H.

2007-01-01

Effective generation of helicon waves for high density plasma sources is determined by the dispersion relation and plasma power balance. Helicon wave plasma sources inherently require an applied magnetic field of .01-0.1 T, an antenna properly designed to couple to the helicon wave in the plasma, and an rf power source in the 10-100 s of MHz, depending on propellant choice. For a plasma thruster, particularly one with a high specific impulse (>2000 s), the physics of the discharge would also have to address the use of electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) heating and magnetic expansion. In all cases the system design includes an optimized magnetic field coil, plasma source chamber, and antenna. A preliminary analysis of such a system, calling on experimental data where applicable and calculations where required, has been initiated at Glenn Research Center. Analysis results showing the mass scaling of various components as well as thruster performance projections and their impact on thruster size are discussed.

Helicon Wave Physics Impacts on Electrodeless Thruster Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilland, James

2003-01-01

Effective generation of helicon waves for high density plasma sources is determined by the dispersion relation and plasma power balance. Helicon wave plasma sources inherently require an applied magnetic field of .01-0.1 T, an antenna properly designed to couple to the helicon wave in the plasma, and an rf power source in the 10-100 s of MHz, depending on propellant choice. For a plasma thruster, particularly one with a high specific impulse (>2000 s), the physics of the discharge would also have to address the use of electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) heating and magnetic expansion. In all cases the system design includes an optimized magnetic field coil, plasma source chamber, and antenna. A preliminary analysis of such a system, calling on experimental data where applicable and calculations where required, has been initiated at Glenn Research Center. Analysis results showing the mass scaling of various components as well as thruster performance projections and their impact on thruster size are discussed.

Compact, accurate description of diagnostic neutral beam propagation and attenuation in a high temperature plasma for charge exchange recombination spectroscopy analysis.

PubMed

Bespamyatnov, Igor O; Rowan, William L; Granetz, Robert S

2008-10-01

Charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on Alcator C-Mod relies on the use of the diagnostic neutral beam injector as a source of neutral particles which penetrate deep into the plasma. It employs the emission resulting from the interaction of the beam atoms with fully ionized impurity ions. To interpret the emission from a given point in the plasma as the density of emitting impurity ions, the density of beam atoms must be known. Here, an analysis of beam propagation is described which yields the beam density profile throughout the beam trajectory from the neutral beam injector to the core of the plasma. The analysis includes the effects of beam formation, attenuation in the neutral gas surrounding the plasma, and attenuation in the plasma. In the course of this work, a numerical simulation and an analytical approximation for beam divergence are developed. The description is made sufficiently compact to yield accurate results in a time consistent with between-shot analysis.

Optimization of plasma parameters with magnetic filter field and pressure to maximize H{sup −} ion density in a negative hydrogen ion source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cho, Won-Hwi; Dang, Jeong-Jeung; Kim, June Young

2016-02-15

Transverse magnetic filter field as well as operating pressure is considered to be an important control knob to enhance negative hydrogen ion production via plasma parameter optimization in volume-produced negative hydrogen ion sources. Stronger filter field to reduce electron temperature sufficiently in the extraction region is favorable, but generally known to be limited by electron density drop near the extraction region. In this study, unexpected electron density increase instead of density drop is observed in front of the extraction region when the applied transverse filter field increases monotonically toward the extraction aperture. Measurements of plasma parameters with a movable Langmuirmore » probe indicate that the increased electron density may be caused by low energy electron accumulation in the filter region decreasing perpendicular diffusion coefficients across the increasing filter field. Negative hydrogen ion populations are estimated from the measured profiles of electron temperatures and densities and confirmed to be consistent with laser photo-detachment measurements of the H{sup −} populations for various filter field strengths and pressures. Enhanced H{sup −} population near the extraction region due to the increased low energy electrons in the filter region may be utilized to increase negative hydrogen beam currents by moving the extraction position accordingly. This new finding can be used to design efficient H{sup −} sources with an optimal filtering system by maximizing high energy electron filtering while keeping low energy electrons available in the extraction region.« less

3D Global Fluid Simulations of Turbulence in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, Barrett; Ricci, Paolo; Li, Bo

2009-05-01

We present 3D global fluid simulations of the UCLA upgraded Large Plasma Device (LAPD). This device confines an 18-m-long, cylindrically symmetric plasma with a uniform magnetic field. The plasma in the simulations is generated by density and temperature sources inside the computational domain, and sheath boundary conditions are applied at the ends of the plasma column. In 3D simulations of the entire plasma, we observe strong, rotating intermittent density and temperature fluctuations driven by resistive driftwave turbulence with finite parallel wavenumbers. Analogous simulations carried out in the 2D limit (that is, assuming that the motions are purely interchange-like) display much weaker mode activity driven a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. The properties and scaling of the turbulence and transport will be discussed.

Electron current extraction from a permanent magnet waveguide plasma cathode.

PubMed

Weatherford, B R; Foster, J E; Kamhawi, H

2011-09-01

An electron cyclotron resonance plasma produced in a cylindrical waveguide with external permanent magnets was investigated as a possible plasma cathode electron source. The configuration is desirable in that it eliminates the need for a physical antenna inserted into the plasma, the erosion of which limits operating lifetime. Plasma bulk density was found to be overdense in the source. Extraction currents over 4 A were achieved with the device. Measurements of extracted electron currents were similar to calculated currents, which were estimated using Langmuir probe measurements at the plasma cathode orifice and along the length of the external plume. The influence of facility effects and trace ionization in the anode-cathode gap are also discussed. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Millisecond radio spikes from the dwarf M flare star AD Leonis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lang, K. R.; Willson, R. F.

1986-01-01

Arecibo radio observations of millisec bursts of radio signals at 1415 MHz from AD Leonis are reported. The observed burst had an ellipticity of 0.95, 50-100 percent circular polarization, and a flux density maximum of 30 mJy. The 50 sec burst featured five quasi-periodic oscillations with a mean periodicity of about 3.2 sec. A second, less intense burst that occurred 20 sec later was 100 percent circularly polarized. The area emitting the bursts covered an estimated 0.005 of the radius of AD Leonis and had an electron density of 6 billion/cu cm and a longitudinal magnetic field strength of 250 gauss, if the source was an electron-cyclotron maser. A coherent plasma source would require, for the first harmonic, an electron density of 20 billion/cu cm and a magnetic field much less than 500 gauss. A second harmonic of the plasma frequency would require an electron density of 6 billion/cu cm and a field strength much less than 250 gauss. The possibility that the source was periodic oscillations in coronal loops is discussed.

Effect of high density H 2 plasmas on InGaP/GaAs and AlGaAs/GaAs HEMTs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, F.; Kopf, R. F.; Kuo, J. M.; Lothian, J. R.; Lee, J. W.; Pearton, S. J.; Shul, R. J.; Constantine, C.; Johnson, D.

1998-05-01

InGaP/GaAs and AlGaAs/GaAs high electron mobility transistors have been exposed to inductively coupled plasma or electron cyclotron resonance H 2 plasmas as a function of pressure, source power and rf chuck power. The transconductance, gate ideality factor and saturated drain-source current are all degraded by the plasma treatment. Two mechanisms are identified: passivation of Si dopants in the InGaP or AlGaAs donor layers by H 0 and lattice disorder created by H + and H 2+ ion bombardment. HEMTs are found to be more susceptible to plasma-induced degradation than heterojunction bipolar transistors.

X-ray source characterization of aluminum X-pinch plasmas driven by the 0. 5 TW LION accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qi, N.; Hammer, D.A.; Kalantar, D.H.

1989-12-01

Recent experiments at Cornell have been performed to investigate X-pinch plasmas as intense x-ray sources which might be used to pump resonant photoexcitation lasers. Crossed Al wires have been driven by up to 600 kA current for 40 ns. High density bright spots are observed at the crossing point(s). Various diagnostics were used to characterize the X-pinch plasmas as a function of initial mass loading for several specific wire configurations. The optimum mass loading for different ionization stages of Al, and the total x-ray energy yields, which are on the order of hundreds of Joules, were examined. Estimates of plasmamore » density, {similar to}10{sup 20} cm{sup {minus}3}, and temperature, about 400 eV, were obtained.« less

Nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jet using a combination of 50 kHz/2 MHz dual-frequency power sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Yong-Jie; Yuan, Qiang-Hua; Li, Fei

2013-11-15

An atmospheric pressure plasma jet is generated by dual sinusoidal wave (50 kHz and 2 MHz). The dual-frequency plasma jet exhibits the advantages of both low frequency and radio frequency plasmas, namely, the long plasma plume and the high electron density. The radio frequency ignition voltage can be reduced significantly by using dual-frequency excitation compared to the conventional radio frequency without the aid of the low frequency excitation source. A larger operating range of α mode discharge can be obtained using dual-frequency excitation which is important to obtain homogeneous and low-temperature plasma. A larger controllable range of the gas temperaturemore » of atmospheric pressure plasma could also be obtained using dual-frequency excitation.« less

Experimental realization of underdense plasma photocathode wakefield acceleration at FACET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scherkl, Paul

2017-10-01

Novel electron beam sources from compact plasma accelerator concepts currently mature into the driving technology for next generation high-energy physics and light source facilities. Particularly electron beams of ultra-high brightness could pave the way for major advances for both scientific and commercial applications, but their generation remains tremendously challenging. The presentation outlines the experimental demonstration of the world's first bright electron beam source from spatiotemporally synchronized laser pulses injecting electrons into particle-driven plasma wakefields at FACET. Two distinctive types of operation - laser-triggered density downramp injection (``Plasma Torch'') and underdense plasma photocathode acceleration (``Trojan Horse'') - and their intermediate transitions are characterized and contrasted. Extensive particle-in-cell simulations substantiate the presentation of experimental results. In combination with novel techniques to minimize the beam energy spread, the acceleration scheme presented here promises ultra-high beam quality and brightness.

Theoretical and experimental studies of a planar inductive coupled rf plasma source as the driver in simulator facility (ISTAPHM) of interactions of waves with the edge plasma on tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghanei, V.; Nasrabadi, M. N.; Chin, O.-H.; Jayapalan, K. K.

2017-11-01

This research aims to design and build a planar inductive coupled RF plasma source device which is the driver of the simulator project (ISTAPHM) of the interactions between ICRF Antenna and Plasma on tokamak by using the AMPICP model. For this purpose, a theoretical derivation of the distribution of the RF magnetic field in the plasma-filled reactor chamber is presented. An experimental investigation of the field distributions is described and Langmuir measurements are developed numerically. A comparison of theory and experiment provides an evaluation of plasma parameters in the planar ICP reactor. The objective of this study is to characterize the plasma produced by the source alone. We present the results of the first analysis of the plasma characteristics (plasma density, electron temperature, electron-ion collision frequency, particle fluxes and their velocities, stochastic frequency, skin depth and electron energy distribution functions) as function of the operating parameters (injected power, neutral pressure and magnetic field) as measured with fixed and movable Langmuir probes. The plasma is currently produced only by the planar ICP. The exact goal of these experiments is that the produced plasma by external source can exist as a plasma representative of the edge of tokamaks.

Inductive Electron Heating Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuszewski, M.

1996-11-01

Inductively Coupled Plasmas (ICPs) have been studied for over a century. Recently, ICPs have been rediscovered by the multi-billion dollar semiconductor industry as an important class of high-density, low-pressure plasma sources suitable for the manufacture of next-generation integrated circuits. Present low-pressure ICP development is among the most active areas of plasma research. However, this development remains largely empirical, a prohibitively expensive approach for upcoming 300-mm diameter wafers. Hence, there is an urgent need for basic ICP plasma physics research, including experimental characterization and predictive numerical modeling. Inductive radio frequency (rf) power absorption is fundamental to the ICP electron heating and the resulting plasma transport but remains poorly understood. For example, recent experimental measurements and supporting fluid calculationsfootnote M. Tuszewski, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77 in press (1996) on a commercial deposition tool prototype show that the induced rf magnetic fields in the source can cause an order of magnitude reduction in plasma conductivity and in electron heating power density. In some cases, the rf fields penetrate through the entire volume of the ICP discharges while existing models that neglect the induced rf magnetic fields predict rf absorption in a thin skin layer near the plasma surface. The rf magnetic fields also cause more subtle changes in the plasma density and in the electron temperature spatial distributions. These data will be presented and the role of basic research in the applied world of semiconductor manufacturing will be discussed. ^*This research was conducted under the auspices of the U.S. DOE, supported by funds provided by the University of California for discretionary research by Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Scaling of Turbulence and Transport with ρ* in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guice, Daniel; Carter, Troy; Rossi, Giovanni

2014-10-01

The plasma column size of the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) is varied in order to investigate the variation of turbulence and transport with ρ* =ρs / a . The data set includes plasmas produced by the standard BaO plasma source (straight field plasma radius a 30 cm) as well as the new higher density, higher temperature LaB6 plasma source (straight field plasma radius a 10 cm). The size of the plasma column is scaled in order to observe a Bohm to Gyro-Bohm diffusion transition. The main plasma column magnetic field is held fixed while the field in the cathode region is changed in order to map the cathode to different plasma column scales in the main chamber. Past experiments in the LAPD have shown a change in the observed diffusion but no transition to Gyro-Bohm diffusion. Results will be presented from an ongoing campaign to push the LAPD into the Gyro-Bohm diffusion regime.

Modeling of non-stationary local response on impurity penetration in plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokar, M. Z.; Koltunov, M.

2012-04-01

In fusion devices, strongly localized intensive sources of impurities may arise unexpectedly, e.g., if the wall is excessively demolished by hot plasma particles, or can be created deliberately through impurity seeding. The spreading of impurities from such sources both along and perpendicular to the magnetic field is affected by coulomb collisions with background particles, ionization, acceleration by electric field, etc. Simultaneously, the plasma itself can be significantly disturbed by these interactions. To describe self-consistently the impurity spreading process and the plasma response, three-dimensional fluid equations for the particle, parallel momentum, and energy balances of various plasma components are solved by reducing them to ordinary differential equations for the time evolution of several parameters characterizing the solutions in principal details: the maximum densities of impurity ions of different charges, the dimensions both along and across the magnetic field of the shells occupied by these particles, the characteristic temperatures of all plasma components, and the densities of the main ions and electrons in different shells. The results of modeling for penetration of lithium singly charged particles in tokamak edge plasma are presented. A new mechanism for the condensation phenomenon and formation of cold dense plasma structures, implying an outstanding role of coulomb collisions between main and impurity ions, is proposed.

Developing the science and technology for the Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment

DOE PAGES

Rapp, J.; Biewer, T. M.; Bigelow, T. S.; ...

2017-07-27

Linear plasma generators are cost effective facilities to simulate divertor plasma conditions of present and future fusion reactors. They are used to address important R&D gaps in the science of plasma material interactions and towards viable plasma facing components for fusion reactors. Next generation plasma generators have to be able to access the plasma conditions expected on the divertor targets in ITER and future devices. The steady-state linear plasma device MPEX will address this regime with electron temperatures of 1–10 eV and electron densities ofmore » $$10^{21}{\\text{}}\\!-\\!10^{20}$$ $${\\rm m}^{-3}$$. The resulting heat fluxes are about 10 MW $${\\rm m}^{-2}$$ . MPEX is designed to deliver those plasma conditions with a novel Radio Frequency plasma source able to produce high density plasmas and heat electron and ions separately with electron Bernstein wave (EBW) heating and ion cyclotron resonance heating with a total installed power of 800 kW. The linear device Proto-MPEX, forerunner of MPEX consisting of 12 water-cooled copper coils, has been operational since May 2014. Its helicon antenna (100 kW, 13.56 MHz) and EC heating systems (200 kW, 28 GHz) have been commissioned and 14 MW $${\\rm m}^{-2}$$ was delivered on target. Furthermore, electron temperatures of about 20 eV have been achieved in combined helicon and ECH heating schemes at low electron densities. Overdense heating with EBW was achieved at low heating powers. The operational space of the density production by the helicon antenna was pushed up to $$1.1 \\times 10^{20}$$ $${\\rm m}^{-3}$$ at high magnetic fields of 1.0 T at the target. Finally, the experimental results from Proto-MPEX will be used for code validation to enable predictions of the source and heating performance for MPEX. MPEX, in its last phase, will be capable to expose neutron-irradiated samples. In this concept, targets will be irradiated in ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor and then subsequently exposed to fusion reactor relevant plasmas in MPEX.« less

Developing the science and technology for the Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rapp, J.; Biewer, T. M.; Bigelow, T. S.

Linear plasma generators are cost effective facilities to simulate divertor plasma conditions of present and future fusion reactors. They are used to address important R&D gaps in the science of plasma material interactions and towards viable plasma facing components for fusion reactors. Next generation plasma generators have to be able to access the plasma conditions expected on the divertor targets in ITER and future devices. The steady-state linear plasma device MPEX will address this regime with electron temperatures of 1–10 eV and electron densities ofmore » $$10^{21}{\\text{}}\\!-\\!10^{20}$$ $${\\rm m}^{-3}$$. The resulting heat fluxes are about 10 MW $${\\rm m}^{-2}$$ . MPEX is designed to deliver those plasma conditions with a novel Radio Frequency plasma source able to produce high density plasmas and heat electron and ions separately with electron Bernstein wave (EBW) heating and ion cyclotron resonance heating with a total installed power of 800 kW. The linear device Proto-MPEX, forerunner of MPEX consisting of 12 water-cooled copper coils, has been operational since May 2014. Its helicon antenna (100 kW, 13.56 MHz) and EC heating systems (200 kW, 28 GHz) have been commissioned and 14 MW $${\\rm m}^{-2}$$ was delivered on target. Furthermore, electron temperatures of about 20 eV have been achieved in combined helicon and ECH heating schemes at low electron densities. Overdense heating with EBW was achieved at low heating powers. The operational space of the density production by the helicon antenna was pushed up to $$1.1 \\times 10^{20}$$ $${\\rm m}^{-3}$$ at high magnetic fields of 1.0 T at the target. Finally, the experimental results from Proto-MPEX will be used for code validation to enable predictions of the source and heating performance for MPEX. MPEX, in its last phase, will be capable to expose neutron-irradiated samples. In this concept, targets will be irradiated in ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor and then subsequently exposed to fusion reactor relevant plasmas in MPEX.« less

Modeling of electron cyclotron resonance discharges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meyyappan, M.; Govindan, T.R.

The current trend in plasma processing is the development of high density plasma sources to achieve high deposition and etch rates, uniformity over large ares, and low wafer damage. Here, is a simple model to predict the spatially-averaged plasma characteristics of electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) reactors is presented. The model consists of global conservation equations for species concentration, electron density and energy. A gas energy balance is used to predict the neutral temperature self-consistently. The model is demonstrated for an ECR argon discharge. The predicted behavior of the discharge as a function of system variables agrees well with experimental observations.

An experiment to measure the mass density of a plasma armature

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rogers, J.W.; Thomas, K.A.; Clothiaux, E.J.

1991-01-01

In this paper a diagnostic technique for determining the mass density, and possibly the plasma composition, of the plasma armature in the MIDI-3 free-running arc device is described. The armature consists primarily of the components of polythylene and copper, and it can reach velocities in excess of 8 km/sec. The approach in this proof-of-principle experiment utilizes a flash x-ray source with x rays having energies from 3 keV to 20 keV, an elliptical x-ray crystal spectrometer, and an appropriate detector array and data acquisition system.

Axial plasma detachment in helicon plasmas during a global transition due to spontaneous self organization: instabilities, bifurcation and the helicon core formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty Thakur, Saikat; Hong, Rongjie; Tynan, George

2017-10-01

We observe axial plasma detachment in a helicon plasma device that occurs simultaneously along with a spontaneous, self-organized global transition in the plasma dynamics via a transport bifurcation with strong hysteresis, at a certain B_crit. For B B_crit, the plasma exhibits steepened density and ion temperature gradients, strong shearing in the azimuthal and parallel velocities, and multiple, simultaneously present, radially separated plasma instabilities. The axial detachment also follows the same hysteresis curves associated with the transport bifurcation that led to the transition. The value of B_crit depends on the source parameters (pressure, gas flow rate, rf power etc.). This study allows access to new regimes to study plasma turbulence and transport as well as plasma detachment and helicon core formation. We find that the plasma can exist in more than one type of helicon modes.

An inverted cylindrical sputter magnetron as metal vapor supply for electron cyclotron resonance ion sources.

PubMed

Weichsel, T; Hartung, U; Kopte, T; Zschornack, G; Kreller, M; Silze, A

2014-05-01

An inverted cylindrical sputter magnetron device has been developed. The magnetron is acting as a metal vapor supply for an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source. FEM simulation of magnetic flux density was used to ensure that there is no critical interaction between both magnetic fields of magnetron and ECR ion source. Spatially resolved double Langmuir probe and optical emission spectroscopy measurements show an increase in electron density by one order of magnitude from 1 × 10(10) cm(-3) to 1 × 10(11) cm(-3), when the magnetron plasma is exposed to the magnetic mirror field of the ECR ion source. Electron density enhancement is also indicated by magnetron plasma emission photography with a CCD camera. Furthermore, photographs visualize the formation of a localized loss-cone - area, when the magnetron is operated at magnetic mirror field conditions. The inverted cylindrical magnetron supplies a metal atom load rate of R > 1 × 10(18) atoms/s for aluminum, which meets the demand for the production of a milliampere Al(+) ion beam.

Measurements of the cesium flow from a surface-plasma H/sup -/ ion source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, H.V.; Allison, P.W.

1979-01-01

A surface ionization gauge (SIG) was constructed and used to measure the Cs/sup 0/ flow rate through the emission slit of a surface-plasma source (SPS) of H/sup -/ ions with Penning geometry. The equivalent cesium density in the SPS discharge is deduced from these flow measurements. For dc operation the optimum H/sup -/ current occurs at an equivalent cesium density of approx. 7 x 10/sup 12/ cm/sup -3/ (corresponding to an average cesium consumption rate of 0.5 mg/h). For pulsed operation the optimum H/sup -/ current occurs at an equivalent cesium density of approx. 2 x 10/sup 13/ cm/sup -3/more » (1-mg/h average cesium consumption rate). Cesium trapping by the SPS discharge was observed for both dc and pulsed operation. A cesium energy of approx. 0.1 eV is deduced from the observed time of flight to the SIG. In addition to providing information on the physics of the source, the SIG is a useful diagnostic tool for source startup and operation.« less

Investigation on the electron flux to the wall in the VENUS ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thuillier, T.; Angot, J.; Benitez, J. Y.; Hodgkinson, A.; Lyneis, C. M.; Todd, D. S.; Xie, D. Z.

2016-02-01

The long-term operation of high charge state electron cyclotron resonance ion sources fed with high microwave power has caused damage to the plasma chamber wall in several laboratories. Porosity, or a small hole, can be progressively created in the chamber wall which can destroy the plasma chamber over a few year time scale. A burnout of the VENUS plasma chamber is investigated in which the hole formation in relation to the local hot electron power density is studied. First, the results of a simple model assuming that hot electrons are fully magnetized and strictly following magnetic field lines are presented. The model qualitatively reproduces the experimental traces left by the plasma on the wall. However, it is too crude to reproduce the localized electron power density for creating a hole in the chamber wall. Second, the results of a Monte Carlo simulation, following a population of scattering hot electrons, indicate a localized high power deposited to the chamber wall consistent with the hole formation process. Finally, a hypervapotron cooling scheme is proposed to mitigate the hole formation in electron cyclotron resonance plasma chamber wall.

Production of high-density highly-ionized helicon plasmas in the ProtoMPEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caneses, J. F.; Kafle, N.; Showers, M.; Goulding, R. H.; Biewer, T. M.; Caughman, J. B. O.; Bigelow, T.; Rapp, J.

2017-10-01

High-density (2-6e19 m-3) Deuterium helicon plasmas in the ProtoMPEX have been produced that successfully use differential pumping to produce neutral gas pressures suitable for testing the RF electron and ion heating concepts. To minimize collisional losses when heating electrons and ions, plasmas with very low neutral gas content (<< 0.1 Pa) in the heating sections are required. This requirement is typically not compatible with the neutral gas pressures (1-2 Pa) commonly used in high-density light-ion helicon sources. By using skimmers, a suitable gas injection scheme and long duration discharges (>0.3 s), high-density plasmas with very low neutral gas pressures (<< 0.1 Pa) in the RF heating sections have been produced. Measurements indicate the presence of a highly-ionized plasma column and that discharges lasting at least 0.3 s are required to significantly reduce the neutral gas pressure in the RF heating sections to levels suitable for investigating electron/ion RF heating concepts in this linear configuration. This work was supported by the US. D.O.E. contract DE-AC05-00OR22725.

Correlation of wave propagation modes in helicon plasma with source tube lengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Chen; Zhao, Gao; Wang, Yu; Liu, Zhongwei; Chen, Qiang

2017-01-01

Helicon wave plasma demonstrates lots of advantages in high coupling efficiency, high density, and low magnetic field. However, the helicon wave plasma still meets challenges in applications of material deposition, surface treatment, and electromagnetic thrusters owing to the changeable coupled efficiency and the remarkable non-uniformity. In this paper, we explore the wave propagation characterization by the B-dot probe in various lengths of source tubes. We find that in a long source tube the standing wave appears under the antenna zone, while the traveling wave is formed out of the antenna region. The apparent modulation of wave amplitude is formed in upstream rather than in downstream of the antenna. In a short source tube, however, there is only standing wave propagation.

Evaluation of power transfer efficiency for a high power inductively coupled radio-frequency hydrogen ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, P.; Recchia, M.; Cavenago, M.; Fantz, U.; Gaio, E.; Kraus, W.; Maistrello, A.; Veltri, P.

2018-04-01

Neutral beam injection (NBI) for plasma heating and current drive is necessary for International Thermonuclear Experimental reactor (ITER) tokamak. Due to its various advantages, a radio frequency (RF) driven plasma source type was selected as a reference ion source for the ITER heating NBI. The ITER relevant RF negative ion sources are inductively coupled (IC) devices whose operational working frequency has been chosen to be 1 MHz and are characterized by high RF power density (˜9.4 W cm-3) and low operational pressure (around 0.3 Pa). The RF field is produced by a coil in a cylindrical chamber leading to a plasma generation followed by its expansion inside the chamber. This paper recalls different concepts based on which a methodology is developed to evaluate the efficiency of the RF power transfer to hydrogen plasma. This efficiency is then analyzed as a function of the working frequency and in dependence of other operating source and plasma parameters. The study is applied to a high power IC RF hydrogen ion source which is similar to one simplified driver of the ELISE source (half the size of the ITER NBI source).

Parametric emittance measurements of electron beams produced by a laser plasma accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barber, S. K.; van Tilborg, J.; Schroeder, C. B.; Lehe, R.; Tsai, H.-E.; Swanson, K. K.; Steinke, S.; Nakamura, K.; Geddes, C. G. R.; Benedetti, C.; Esarey, E.; Leemans, W. P.

2018-05-01

Laser plasma accelerators (LPA) offer an exciting possibility to deliver high energy, high brightness electrons beams in drastically smaller distance scales than is typical for conventional accelerators. As such, LPAs draw considerable attention as potential drivers for next generation light sources and for a compact linear collider. In order to asses the viability of an LPA source for a particular application, the brightness of the source should be properly characterized. In this paper, we present charge dependent transverse emittance measurements of LPA sources using both ionization injection and shock induced density down ramp injection, with the latter delivering smaller transverse emittances by a factor of two when controlling for charge density. The single shot emittance method is described in detail with a discussion on limitations related to second order transport effects. The direct role of space charge is explored through a series of simulations and found to be consistent with experimental observations.

High-Beta Electromagnetic Turbulence in LAPD Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, G.; Carter, T. A.; Pueschel, M. J.; Jenko, F.; Told, D.; Terry, P. W.

2015-11-01

The introduction of a new LaB6 cathode plasma source in the Large Plasma Device has enabled the study of pressure-gradient-driven turbulence and transport variations at significantly higher plasma β. Density fluctuations are observed to decrease with increasing β while magnetic fluctuations increase. Furthermore, the perpendicular magnetic fluctuations are seen to saturate while parallel (compressional) magnetic fluctuations increase continuously with β. These observations are compared to linear and nonlinear simulations with the GENE code. The results are consistent with the linear excitation of a Gradient-driven Drift Coupling mode (GDC) which relies on grad-B drift due to parallel magnetic fluctuations and can be driven by density or temperature gradients.

Can a Penning ionization discharge simulate the tokamak scrape-off plasma conditions?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finkenthal, M.; Littman, A.; Stutman, D.; Kovnovich, S.; Mandelbaum, P.; Schwob, J. L.; Bhatia, A. K.

1990-01-01

The tokamak scrape-off (the region between the vacuum vessel wall and the magnetically confined fusion plasma edge), represents a source/sink for the hot fusion plasma. The electron densities and temperatures are in the ranges 10 to the 11th - 10 to the 13th/cu cm and 1-40 eV, respectively (depending on the size, magnetic field intensity and configuration, plasma current, etc). In the work reported, the electron temperature and density have been estimated in a Penning ionization discharge by comparing its spectroscopic emission in the VUV with that predicted by a collisional radiative model. An attempt to directly compare this emission with that of the tokamak edge is briefly described.

Analysis by oxygen atom number density measurement of high-speed hydrophilic treatment of polyimide using atmospheric pressure microwave plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ono, S.

2015-03-30

This paper describes the fundamental experimental data of the plasma surface modification of the polyimide using atmospheric pressure microwave plasma source. The experimental results were discussed from the point of view of the radical’s behavior, which significantly affects the modification mechanism. The purpose of the study is to examine how the value of the oxygen atom density will affect the hydrophilic treatment in the upstream region of the plasma where gas temperature is very high. The surface modification experiments were performed by setting the polyimide film sample in the downstream region of the plasma. The degree of the modification wasmore » measured by a water contact angle measurement. The water contact angle decreased less than 30 degrees within 1 second treatment time in the upstream region. Very high speed modification was observed. The reason of this high speed modification seems that the high density radical which contributes the surface modification exist in the upstream region of the plasma. This tendency is supposed to the measured relatively high electron density (~10{sup 15}cm{sup −3}) at the center of the plasma. We used the electric heating catalytic probe method for oxygen radical measurement. An absolute value of oxygen radical density was determined by catalytic probe measurement and the results show that ~10{sup 15}cm{sup −3} of the oxygen radical density in the upstream region and decreases toward downstream region. The experimental results of the relation of the oxygen radical density and hydrophilic modification of polyimide was discussed.« less

Parametric scaling of neutral and ion excited state densities in an argon helicon source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarren, D.; Scime, E.

2016-04-01

We report measurements of the absolute density and temperature of ion and neutral excited states in an argon helicon source. The excited ion state density, which depends on ion density, electron density, and electron temperature, increases sharply with increasing magnetic field in the source. The neutral argon metastable density measurements are consistent with an increasing ionization fraction with increasing magnetic field strength. The ion temperature shows no evidence of increased heating with increasing magnetic field strength (which has only been observed in helicon sources operating at driving frequencies close to the lower hybrid frequency). The measurements were obtained through cavity ring down spectroscopy, a measurement technique that does not require the target excited state to be metastable or part of a fluorescence scheme; and is therefore applicable to any laser accessible atomic or ionic transition in a plasma.

Density and beta limits in the Madison Symmetric Torus Reversed-Field Pinch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caspary, Kyle Jonathan

Operational limits and the underlying physics are explored on the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) Reversed-Field Pinch (RFP) using deuterium pellet fueling. The injection of a fast pellet provides a large source of fuel in the plasma edge upon impact with the vessel wall, capable of triggering density limit terminations for the full range of plasma current, up to 600 kA. As the pellet size and plasma density increase, approaching the empirical Greenwald limit, plasma degradation is observed in the form of current decay, increased magnetic activity in the edge and core, increased radiation and plasma cooling. The complete termination of the plasma is consistent with the Greenwald limit; however, a slightly smaller maximum density is observed in discharges without toroidal field reversal. The plasma beta is the ratio of the plasma pressure to the confining magnetic pressure. Beta limits are known to constrain other magnetic confinement devices, but no beta limit has yet been established on the RFP. On MST, the highest beta values are obtained in improved confinement discharges with pellet fueling. By using pellet injection to scan the plasma density during PPCD, we also achieve a scan of Ohmic input power due to the increase in plasma resistivity. We observe a factor of 3 or more increase in Ohmic power as we increase the density from 1*1019 to 3*10 19 m-3. Despite this increased Ohmic power, the electron contribution to beta is constant, suggesting a confinement limited beta for the RFP. The electrons and ions are classically well coupled in these cold, dense pellet fueled plasmas, so the increase in total beta at higher density is primarily due to the increased ion contribution. The interaction of pellet fueling and NBI heating is explored. Modeling of MST's neutral heating beam suggests an optimal density for beam power deposition of 2-3*1019 m-3. Low current, NBI heated discharges show evidence of an increased electron beta in this density range. Additionally, the fast ion population can enhance ablation as well as cause pellet deflection. Other exploratory experiments with the pellet injection system explore additional injection scenarios and expand the injector capabilities.

Observations of electron heating during 28 GHz microwave power application in proto-MPEX

DOE PAGES

Biewer, Theodore M.; Bigelow, Tim S.; Caneses Marin, Juan F.; ...

2018-02-01

The Prototype Material Plasma Exposure Experiment at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory utilizes a variety of power systems to generate and deliver a high heat flux plasma onto the surface of material targets. In the experiments described here, a deuterium plasma is produced via a ~100 kW, 13.56 MHz RF helicon source, to which ~20 kW of 28 GHz microwave power is applied. The electron density and temperature profiles are measured using a Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic, and indicate that the electron density is centrally peaked. In the core of the plasma column, the electron density is higher than themore » cut-off density (~0.9 × 1019 m -3) for the launched mixture of X- and O-mode electron cyclotron heating waves to propagate. TS measurements indicate electron temperature increases from ~5 eV to ~20 eV during 28 GHz power application when the neutral deuterium pressure is reduced below 0.13 Pa (~1 mTorr.).« less

Observations of electron heating during 28 GHz microwave power application in proto-MPEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biewer, T. M.; Bigelow, T. S.; Caneses, J. F.; Diem, S. J.; Green, D. L.; Kafle, N.; Rapp, J.; Proto-MPEX Team

2018-02-01

The Prototype Material Plasma Exposure Experiment at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory utilizes a variety of power systems to generate and deliver a high heat flux plasma onto the surface of material targets. In the experiments described here, a deuterium plasma is produced via a ˜100 kW, 13.56 MHz RF helicon source, to which ˜20 kW of 28 GHz microwave power is applied. The electron density and temperature profiles are measured using a Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic, and indicate that the electron density is centrally peaked. In the core of the plasma column, the electron density is higher than the cut-off density (˜0.9 × 1019 m-3) for the launched mixture of X- and O-mode electron cyclotron heating waves to propagate. TS measurements indicate electron temperature increases from ˜5 eV to ˜20 eV during 28 GHz power application when the neutral deuterium pressure is reduced below 0.13 Pa (˜1 mTorr.).

Bulk plasma fragmentation in a C4F8 inductively coupled plasma: A hybrid modeling study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Shu-Xia; Zhang, Yu-Ru; Gao, Fei; Wang, You-Nian; Bogaerts, Annemie

2015-06-01

A hybrid model is used to investigate the fragmentation of C4F8 inductive discharges. Indeed, the resulting reactive species are crucial for the optimization of the Si-based etching process, since they determine the mechanisms of fluorination, polymerization, and sputtering. In this paper, we present the dissociation degree, the density ratio of F vs. CxFy (i.e., fluorocarbon (fc) neutrals), the neutral vs. positive ion density ratio, details on the neutral and ion components, and fractions of various fc neutrals (or ions) in the total fc neutral (or ion) density in a C4F8 inductively coupled plasma source, as well as the effect of pressure and power on these results. To analyze the fragmentation behavior, the electron density and temperature and electron energy probability function (EEPF) are investigated. Moreover, the main electron-impact generation sources for all considered neutrals and ions are determined from the complicated C4F8 reaction set used in the model. The C4F8 plasma fragmentation is explained, taking into account many factors, such as the EEPF characteristics, the dominance of primary and secondary processes, and the thresholds of dissociation and ionization. The simulation results are compared with experiments from literature, and reasonable agreement is obtained. Some discrepancies are observed, which can probably be attributed to the simplified polymer surface kinetics assumed in the model.

Experimental benchmark of the NINJA code for application to the Linac4 H- ion source plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briefi, S.; Mattei, S.; Rauner, D.; Lettry, J.; Tran, M. Q.; Fantz, U.

2017-10-01

For a dedicated performance optimization of negative hydrogen ion sources applied at particle accelerators, a detailed assessment of the plasma processes is required. Due to the compact design of these sources, diagnostic access is typically limited to optical emission spectroscopy yielding only line-of-sight integrated results. In order to allow for a spatially resolved investigation, the electromagnetic particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision code NINJA has been developed for the Linac4 ion source at CERN. This code considers the RF field generated by the ICP coil as well as the external static magnetic fields and calculates self-consistently the resulting discharge properties. NINJA is benchmarked at the diagnostically well accessible lab experiment CHARLIE (Concept studies for Helicon Assisted RF Low pressure Ion sourcEs) at varying RF power and gas pressure. A good general agreement is observed between experiment and simulation although the simulated electron density trends for varying pressure and power as well as the absolute electron temperature values deviate slightly from the measured ones. This can be explained by the assumption of strong inductive coupling in NINJA, whereas the CHARLIE discharges show the characteristics of loosely coupled plasmas. For the Linac4 plasma, this assumption is valid. Accordingly, both the absolute values of the accessible plasma parameters and their trends for varying RF power agree well in measurement and simulation. At varying RF power, the H- current extracted from the Linac4 source peaks at 40 kW. For volume operation, this is perfectly reflected by assessing the processes in front of the extraction aperture based on the simulation results where the highest H- density is obtained for the same power level. In surface operation, the production of negative hydrogen ions at the converter surface can only be considered by specialized beam formation codes, which require plasma parameters as input. It has been demonstrated that this input can be provided reliably by the NINJA code.

Talbot-Lau x-ray interferometry for high energy density plasma diagnostic.

PubMed

Stutman, D; Finkenthal, M

2011-11-01

High resolution density diagnostics are difficult in high energy density laboratory plasmas (HEDLP) experiments due to the scarcity of probes that can penetrate above solid density plasmas. Hard x-rays are one possible probe for such dense plasmas. We study the possibility of applying an x-ray method recently developed for medical imaging, differential phase-contrast with Talbot-Lau interferometers, for the diagnostic of electron density and small-scale hydrodynamic instabilities in HEDLP experiments. The Talbot method uses micro-periodic gratings to measure the refraction and ultra-small angle scatter of x-rays through an object and is attractive for HEDLP diagnostic due to its capability to work with incoherent and polychromatic x-ray sources such as the laser driven backlighters used for HEDLP radiography. Our paper studies the potential of the Talbot method for HEDLP diagnostic, its adaptation to the HEDLP environment, and its extension of high x-ray energy using micro-periodic mirrors. The analysis is illustrated with experimental results obtained using a laboratory Talbot interferometer. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Auroral kilometric radiation: Wave modes, harmonic and source region electron density structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benson, R. F.

1984-01-01

A change from extraordinary (X) mode to ordinary (0) mode dominance is observed in the auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) detected on ISIS 1 topside sounder ionograms as the source region plasma to gyrofrequency ratio fN/fH varies from 0.1 to 1.3. The X and 0 mode AKR, Z (the slow branch of the X mode) and whistler (W) mode are also observed. The Z mode is typically slightly less intense than the 0-mode. Thw W-mode is confined to frequencies less than fH/2, suggesting that it is the result of field aligned ducted signals reaching the satellite from a source at lower altitudes. Harmonic AKR bands are commonly observed and the 2nd harmonic appears to be due to propagating signals. The deduced (fN/fH) at the bottom of the AKR source region is always less than 0.4 and is typically less than 0.2 during the generation of X-mode AKR, but approaches 0.9 for 0-mode AKR. No large density enhancements were observed within AKR source region density cavities. It is suggested that the observed INTENSE AKR IS cyclotron X-mode radiation rather than plasma frequency 0-mode radiation.

Waves and instabilities in high β, warm ion plasmas in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, T. A.; Dorfman, S. E.; Rossi, G.; Guice, D.

2014-12-01

The LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) has been upgraded with a second LaB6 cathode plasma source that permits the creation of higher density (~ 3×1013 cm-3), higher temperature (Te ~ 12eV), warm ion (Ti ~ 6eV) plasmas. Along with lowered magnetic field, significant increases in plasma β can be achieved with this new source (e.g. at B=100G, β~1). These new plasma conditions permit a range of new experimental opportunities on LAPD including: linear and nonlinear studies of Alfvén waves in warm ion, high β plasmas; pressure-gradient driven instabilities in increased β plasmas and electromagnetic modifications to turbulence and transport; instabilities driven by ion temperature anisotropies (e.g. firehose and mirror instabilities). The characteristics of the new plasma will be presented along with a discussion of these new research areas.

Waves and instabilities in high β, warm ion plasmas in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Troy; Dorfman, Seth; Rossi, Giovanni; Guice, Daniel; Gekelman, Walter; Klein, Kris; Howes, Greg

2014-10-01

The LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) has been upgraded with a second LaB6 cathode plasma source that permits the creation of higher density (~ 3 ×1013 cm-3), higher temperature (Te ~ 12 eV), warm ion (Ti ~ 6 eV) plasmas. Along with lowered magnetic field, significant increases in plasma β can be achieved with this new source (e.g. at B = 100 G , β ~ 1). These new plasma conditions permit a range of new experimental opportunities on LAPD including: linear and nonlinear studies of Alfvén waves in warm ion, high β plasmas; pressure-gradient driven instabilities in increased β plasmas and electromagnetic modifications to turbulence and transport; instabilities driven by ion temperature anisotropies (e.g. firehose and mirror instabilities). The characteristics of the new plasma will be presented along with a discussion of these new research areas.

Multi-species hybrid modeling of plasma interactions at Io and Europa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sebek, O.; Travnicek, P. M.; Walker, R. J.; Hellinger, P.

2017-12-01

We study the plasma interactions of Galilean satellites, Io and Europa, by means of multi-species global hybrid simulations. For both satellites we consider multi-species background plasma composed of oxygen and sulphur ions and multi-component neutral atmospheres. We consider ionization processes of the neutral atmosphere which is then a source of dense population of pick-up ions. We apply variable background plasma conditions (density, temperature, magnetic field magnitude and orientation) in order to cover the variability in conditions experienced by the satellites when located in different regions of the Jovian plasma torus. We examine global structure of the interactions, formation of Alfvén wings, development of temperature anisotropies and corresponding instabilities, and the fine phenomena caused by the multi-specie nature of the plasma. The results are in good agreement with in situ measurements of magnetic field and plasma density made by the Galileo spacecraft.

Plasma sheet density dependence on Interplanetary Magnetic Field and Solar Wind properties: statistical study using 9+ year of THEMIS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nykyri, K.; Chu, C.; Dimmock, A. P.

2017-12-01

Previous studies have shown that plasma sheet in tenuous and hot during southward IMF, whereas northward IMF conditions are associated with cold, dense plasma. The cold, dense plasma sheet (CDPS) has strong influence on magnetospheric dynamics. Closer to Earth, the CDPS could be formed via double high-latitude reconnection, while at increasing tailward distance reconnection, diffusion and kinetic Alfven waves in association with Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability are suggested as dominant source for cold-dense plasma sheet formation. In this paper we present statistical correlation study between Solar Wind, Magnetosheath and Plasma sheet properties using 9+ years of THEMIS data in aberrated GSM frame, and in a normalized coordinate system that takes into account the changes of the magnetopause and bow shock location with respect to changing solar wind conditions. We present statistical results of the plasma sheet density dependence on IMF orientation and other solar wind properties.

Fast wave experiments in LAPD: RF sheaths, convective cells and density modifications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, T. A.; van Compernolle, B.; Martin, M.; Gekelman, W.; Pribyl, P.; van Eester, D.; Crombe, K.; Perkins, R.; Lau, C.; Martin, E.; Caughman, J.; Tripathi, S. K. P.; Vincena, S.

2017-10-01

An overview is presented of recent work on ICRF physics at the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA. The LAPD has typical plasma parameters ne 1012 -1013 cm-3, Te 1 - 10 eV and B 1000 G. A new high-power ( 150 kW) RF system and fast wave antenna have been developed for LAPD. The source runs at a frequency of 2.4 MHz, corresponding to 1 - 7fci , depending on plasma parameters. Evidence of rectified RF sheaths is seen in large increases ( 10Te) in the plasma potential on field lines connected to the antenna. The rectified potential scales linearly with antenna current. The rectified RF sheaths set up convective cells of local E × B flows, measured indirectly by potential measurements, and measured directly with Mach probes. At high antenna powers substantial modifications of the density profile were observed. The plasma density profile initially exhibits transient low frequency oscillations (10 kHz). The amplitude of the fast wave fields in the core plasma is modulated at the same low frequency, suggesting fast wave coupling is affected by the density rearrangement. Work performed at the Basic Plasma Science Facility, supported jointly by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.

Three-dimensional modeling of a negative ion source with a magnetic filter: impact of biasing the plasma electrode on the plasma asymmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fubiani, G.; Boeuf, J. P.

2015-10-01

The effect on the plasma characteristics of biasing positively the plasma electrode (PE) in negative ion sources with a magnetic filter is analysed using a 3D particle-in-cell model with Monte-Carlo collisions (PIC-MCC). We specialize to the one driver (i.e. one inductively coupled radio-frequency discharge) BATMAN negative ion source and the 4-drivers (large volume) ELISE device. Both are ITER prototype high power tandem-type negative ion sources developed for the neutral beam injector (NBI) system. The plasma is generated in the driver and diffuses inside the second chamber which is magnetized. Asymmetric plasma profiles originate from the formation of an electric field transverse to the electron current flowing through the magnetic filter (Hall effect). The model shows that the importance of the asymmetry increases with the PE bias potential, i.e. with the electron flow from the driver to the extraction region and depends on the shape of the magnetic filter field. We find that although the plasma density and potential profiles may be more or less asymmetric depending on the filter field configuration, the electron current to the plasma grid is always strongly asymmetric.

Low pressure and high power rf sources for negative hydrogen ions for fusion applications (ITER neutral beam injection).

PubMed

Fantz, U; Franzen, P; Kraus, W; Falter, H D; Berger, M; Christ-Koch, S; Fröschle, M; Gutser, R; Heinemann, B; Martens, C; McNeely, P; Riedl, R; Speth, E; Wünderlich, D

2008-02-01

The international fusion experiment ITER requires for the plasma heating and current drive a neutral beam injection system based on negative hydrogen ion sources at 0.3 Pa. The ion source must deliver a current of 40 A D(-) for up to 1 h with an accelerated current density of 200 Am/(2) and a ratio of coextracted electrons to ions below 1. The extraction area is 0.2 m(2) from an aperture array with an envelope of 1.5 x 0.6 m(2). A high power rf-driven negative ion source has been successfully developed at the Max-Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) at three test facilities in parallel. Current densities of 330 and 230 Am/(2) have been achieved for hydrogen and deuterium, respectively, at a pressure of 0.3 Pa and an electron/ion ratio below 1 for a small extraction area (0.007 m(2)) and short pulses (<4 s). In the long pulse experiment, equipped with an extraction area of 0.02 m(2), the pulse length has been extended to 3600 s. A large rf source, with the width and half the height of the ITER source but without extraction system, is intended to demonstrate the size scaling and plasma homogeneity of rf ion sources. The source operates routinely now. First results on plasma homogeneity obtained from optical emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probes are very promising. Based on the success of the IPP development program, the high power rf-driven negative ion source has been chosen recently for the ITER beam systems in the ITER design review process.

Interplanetary medium data book, appendix

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, J. H.

1977-01-01

Computer generated listings of hourly average interplanetary plasma and magnetic field parameters are given. Parameters include proton temperature, proton density, bulk speed, an identifier of the source of the plasma data for the hour, average magnetic field magnitude and cartesian components of the magnetic field. Also included are longitude and latitude angles of the vector made up of the average field components, a vector standard deviation, and an identifier of the source of magnetic field data.

Work function measurements during plasma exposition at conditions relevant in negative ion sources for the ITER neutral beam injection.

PubMed

Gutser, R; Wimmer, C; Fantz, U

2011-02-01

Cesium seeded sources for surface generated negative hydrogen ions are major components of neutral beam injection systems in future large-scale fusion experiments such as ITER. The stability and delivered current density depend highly on the work function during vacuum and plasma phases of the ion source. One of the most important quantities that affect the source performance is the work function. A modified photocurrent method was developed to measure the temporal behavior of the work function during and after cesium evaporation. The investigation of cesium exposed Mo and MoLa samples under ITER negative hydrogen ion based neutral beam injection relevant surface and plasma conditions showed the influence of impurities which result in a fast degradation when the plasma exposure or the cesium flux onto the sample is stopped. A minimum work function close to that of bulk cesium was obtained under the influence of the plasma exposition, while a significantly higher work function was observed under ITER-like vacuum conditions.

L-shell spectroscopic diagnostics of radiation from krypton HED plasma sources.

PubMed

Petkov, E E; Safronova, A S; Kantsyrev, V L; Shlyaptseva, V V; Rawat, R S; Tan, K S; Beiersdorfer, P; Hell, N; Brown, G V

2016-11-01

X-ray spectroscopy is a useful tool for diagnosing plasma sources due to its non-invasive nature. One such source is the dense plasma focus (DPF). Recent interest has developed to demonstrate its potential application as a soft x-ray source. We present the first spectroscopic studies of krypton high energy density plasmas produced on a 3 kJ DPF device in Singapore. In order to diagnose spectral features, and to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of plasma parameters, a new non-local thermodynamic equilibrium L-shell kinetic model for krypton was developed. It has the capability of incorporating hot electrons, with different electron distribution functions, in order to examine the effects that they have on emission spectra. To further substantiate the validity of this model, it is also benchmarked with data gathered from experiments on the electron beam ion trap (EBIT) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where data were collected using the high resolution EBIT calorimeter spectrometer.

L-shell spectroscopic diagnostics of radiation from krypton HED plasma sources

DOE PAGES

Petkov, E. E.; Safronova, A. S.; Kantsyrev, V. L.; ...

2016-08-09

We report that X-ray spectroscopy is a useful tool for diagnosing plasma sources due to its non-invasive nature. One such source is the dense plasma focus (DPF). Recent interest has developed to demonstrate its potential application as a soft x-ray source. We present the first spectroscopic studies of krypton high energy density plasmas produced on a 3 kJ DPF device in Singapore. In order to diagnose spectral features, and to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of plasma parameters, a new non-local thermodynamic equilibrium L-shell kinetic model for krypton was developed. It has the capability of incorporating hot electrons, with differentmore » electron distribution functions, in order to examine the effects that they have on emission spectra. Finally, to further substantiate the validity of this model, it is also benchmarked with data gathered from experiments on the electron beam ion trap (EBIT) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where data were collected using the high resolution EBIT calorimeter spectrometer.« less

L-shell spectroscopic diagnostics of radiation from krypton HED plasma sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Petkov, E. E., E-mail: emilp@unr.edu; Safronova, A. S.; Kantsyrev, V. L.

2016-11-15

X-ray spectroscopy is a useful tool for diagnosing plasma sources due to its non-invasive nature. One such source is the dense plasma focus (DPF). Recent interest has developed to demonstrate its potential application as a soft x-ray source. We present the first spectroscopic studies of krypton high energy density plasmas produced on a 3 kJ DPF device in Singapore. In order to diagnose spectral features, and to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of plasma parameters, a new non-local thermodynamic equilibrium L-shell kinetic model for krypton was developed. It has the capability of incorporating hot electrons, with different electron distribution functions,more » in order to examine the effects that they have on emission spectra. To further substantiate the validity of this model, it is also benchmarked with data gathered from experiments on the electron beam ion trap (EBIT) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where data were collected using the high resolution EBIT calorimeter spectrometer.« less

Low and Midlatitude Ionospheric Plasma Density Irregularities and Their Effects on Geomagnetic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yokoyama, Tatsuhiro; Stolle, Claudia

2017-03-01

Earth's magnetic field results from various internal and external sources. The electric currents in the ionosphere are major external sources of the magnetic field in the daytime. High-resolution magnetometers onboard low-Earth-orbit satellites such as CHAMP and Swarm can detect small-scale currents in the nighttime ionosphere, where plasma density gradients often become unstable and form irregular density structures. The magnetic field variations caused by the ionospheric irregularities are comparable to that of the lithospheric contribution. Two phenomena in the nighttime ionosphere that contribute to the magnetic field variation are presented: equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) and medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbance (MSTID). EPB is formed by the generalized Rayleigh-Taylor instability over the dip equator and grows nonlinearly to as high as 2000 km apex altitude. It is characterized by deep plasma density depletions along magnetic flux tubes, where the diamagnetic effect produced by a pressure-gradient-driven current enhances the main field intensity. MSTID is a few hundred kilometer-scale disturbance in the midlatitude ionosphere generated by the coupled electrodynamics between the ionospheric E and F regions. The field-aligned currents associated with EPBs and MSTIDs also have significant signatures in the magnetic field perpendicular to the main field direction. The empirical discovery of the variations in the magnetic field due to plasma irregularities has motivated the inclusion of electrodynamics in the physical modeling of these irregularities. Through an effective comparison between the model results and observations, the physical process involved has been largely understood. The prediction of magnetic signatures due to plasma irregularities has been advanced by modeling studies, and will be helpful in interpreting magnetic field observations from satellites.

Measurement of free radical kinetics in pulsed plasmas by UV and VUV absorption spectroscopy and by modulated beam mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunge, G.; Bodart, P.; Brihoum, M.; Boulard, F.; Chevolleau, T.; Sadeghi, N.

2012-04-01

This paper reviews recent progress in the development of time-resolved diagnostics to probe high-density pulsed plasma sources. We focus on time-resolved measurements of radicals' densities in the afterglow of pulsed discharges to provide useful information on production and loss mechanisms of free radicals. We show that broad-band absorption spectroscopy in the ultraviolet and vacuum ultraviolet spectral domain and threshold ionization modulated beam mass spectrometry are powerful techniques for the determination of the time variation of the radicals' densities in pulsed plasmas. The combination of these complementary techniques allows detection of most of the reactive species present in industrial etching plasmas, giving insights into the physico-chemistry reactions involving these species. As an example, we discuss briefly the radicals' kinetics in the afterglow of a SiCl4/Cl2/Ar discharge.

Plasma devices to guide and collimate a high density of MeV electrons.

PubMed

Kodama, R; Sentoku, Y; Chen, Z L; Kumar, G R; Hatchett, S P; Toyama, Y; Cowan, T E; Freeman, R R; Fuchs, J; Izawa, Y; Key, M H; Kitagawa, Y; Kondo, K; Matsuoka, T; Nakamura, H; Nakatsutsumi, M; Norreys, P A; Norimatsu, T; Snavely, R A; Stephens, R B; Tampo, M; Tanaka, K A; Yabuuchi, T

2004-12-23

The development of ultra-intense lasers has facilitated new studies in laboratory astrophysics and high-density nuclear science, including laser fusion. Such research relies on the efficient generation of enormous numbers of high-energy charged particles. For example, laser-matter interactions at petawatt (10(15) W) power levels can create pulses of MeV electrons with current densities as large as 10(12) A cm(-2). However, the divergence of these particle beams usually reduces the current density to a few times 10(6) A cm(-2) at distances of the order of centimetres from the source. The invention of devices that can direct such intense, pulsed energetic beams will revolutionize their applications. Here we report high-conductivity devices consisting of transient plasmas that increase the energy density of MeV electrons generated in laser-matter interactions by more than one order of magnitude. A plasma fibre created on a hollow-cone target guides and collimates electrons in a manner akin to the control of light by an optical fibre and collimator. Such plasma devices hold promise for applications using high energy-density particles and should trigger growth in charged particle optics.

Development of ion source with a washer gun for pulsed neutral beam injection.

PubMed

Asai, T; Yamaguchi, N; Kajiya, H; Takahashi, T; Imanaka, H; Takase, Y; Ono, Y; Sato, K N

2008-06-01

A new type of economical neutral beam source has been developed by using a single washer gun, pulsed operation, and a simple electrode system. We replaced the conventional hot filaments for arc-discharge-type plasma formation with a single stainless-steel washer gun, eliminating the entire dc power supply for the filaments and the cooling system for the electrodes. Our initial experiments revealed successful beam extraction up to 10 kV and 8.6 A, based on spatial profile measurements of density and temperature in the plasma source. The system also shows the potential to control the beam profile by controlling the plasma parameters in the ion accumulation chamber.

Simulation of cesium injection and distribution in rf-driven ion sources for negative hydrogen ion generation.

PubMed

Gutser, R; Fantz, U; Wünderlich, D

2010-02-01

Cesium seeded sources for surface generated negative hydrogen ions are major components of neutral beam injection systems in future large-scale fusion experiments such as ITER. Stability and delivered current density depend highly on the cesium conditions during plasma-on and plasma-off phases of the ion source. The Monte Carlo code CSFLOW3D was used to study the transport of neutral and ionic cesium in both phases. Homogeneous and intense flows were obtained from two cesium sources in the expansion region of the ion source and from a dispenser array, which is located 10 cm in front of the converter surface.

Variable dual-frequency electrostatic wave launcher for plasma applications.

PubMed

Jorns, Benjamin; Sorenson, Robert; Choueiri, Edgar

2011-12-01

A variable tuning system is presented for launching two electrostatic waves concurrently in a magnetized plasma. The purpose of this system is to satisfy the wave launching requirements for plasma applications where maximal power must be coupled into two carefully tuned electrostatic waves while minimizing erosion to the launching antenna. Two parallel LC traps with fixed inductors and variable capacitors are used to provide an impedance match between a two-wave source and a loop antenna placed outside the plasma. Equivalent circuit analysis is then employed to derive an analytical expression for the normalized, average magnetic flux density produced by the antenna in this system as a function of capacitance and frequency. It is found with this metric that the wave launcher can couple to electrostatic modes at two variable frequencies concurrently while attenuating noise from the source signal at undesired frequencies. An example based on an experiment for plasma heating with two electrostatic waves is used to demonstrate a procedure for tailoring the wave launcher to accommodate the frequency range and flux densities of a specific two-wave application. This example is also used to illustrate a method based on averaging over wave frequencies for evaluating the overall efficacy of the system. The wave launcher is shown to be particularly effective for the illustrative example--generating magnetic flux densities in excess of 50% of the ideal case at two variable frequencies concurrently--with a high adaptability to a number of plasma dynamics and heating applications.

Electron Energy Distribution function in a weakly magnetized expanding helicon plasma discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirse, Nishant; Harvey, Cleo; Gaman, Cezar; Ellingboe, Bert

2016-09-01

Helicon wave heating is well known to produce high-density plasma source for application in plasma thrusters, plasma processing and many more. Our previous study (B Ellingboe et al. APS Gaseous Electronics Conference 2015, abstract #KW2.005) has shown observation of helicon wave in a weakly magnetized inductively coupled plasma source excited by m =0 antenna at 13.56 MHz. In this paper, we investigated the Electron Energy Distribution Function (EEDF) in the same setup by using an RF compensated Langmuir probe. The ac signal superimposition technique (second harmonic technique) is used to determine EEDF. The EEDF is measured for 5-100 mTorr gas pressure, 100 W - 1.5 kW rf power and at different locations in the source chamber, boundary and diffusion chamber. This paper will discuss the change in the shape of EEDF for various heating mode transitions.

Development of CVD Diamond for Industrial Applications Final Report CRADA No. TC-2047-02

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Caplan, M.; Olstad, R.; Jory, H.

2017-09-08

This project was a collaborative effort to develop and demonstrate a new millimeter microwave assisted chemical vapor deposition(CVD) process for manufacturing large diamond disks with greatly reduced processing times and costs from those now available. In the CVD process, carbon based gases (methane) and hydrogen are dissociated into plasma using microwave discharge and then deposited layer by layer as polycrystalline diamond onto a substrate. The available low frequency (2.45GHz) microwave sources used elsewhere (De Beers) result in low density plasmas and low deposition rates: 4 inch diamond disks take 6-8 weeks to process. The new system developed in this projectmore » uses a high frequency 30GHz Gyrotron as the microwave source and a quasi-optical CVD chamber resulting in a much higher density plasma which greatly reduced the diamond processing times (1-2 weeks)« less

Enhanced confinement in electron cyclotron resonance ion source plasma.

PubMed

Schachter, L; Stiebing, K E; Dobrescu, S

2010-02-01

Power loss by plasma-wall interactions may become a limitation for the performance of ECR and fusion plasma devices. Based on our research to optimize the performance of electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) devices by the use of metal-dielectric (MD) structures, the development of the method presented here, allows to significantly improve the confinement of plasma electrons and hence to reduce losses. Dedicated measurements were performed at the Frankfurt 14 GHz ECRIS using argon and helium as working gas and high temperature resistive material for the MD structures. The analyzed charge state distributions and bremsstrahlung radiation spectra (corrected for background) also clearly verify the anticipated increase in the plasma-electron density and hence demonstrate the advantage by the MD-method.

The electrons and ion characteristics of Saturn's plasma disk inside the Enceladus orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morooka, Michiko; Wahlund, Jan-Erik; Ye, Sheng-Yi; Kurth, William; Persoon, Ann; Holmberg, Mika

2017-04-01

Cassini observations revealed that Saturn's icy moon Enceladus and surrounding E ring are the significant plasma source of the magnetosphere. However, the observations sometimes show the electron density enhancement even inside the Enceladus orbiting distance, 4RS. Further plasma contribution from the inner rings, the G and the F rings and main A ring are the natural candidate as an additional plasma source. The Cassini/RPWS Langmuir Probe (LP) measurement provides the characteristics of the electrons and ions independently in a cold dense plasma. The observations near the center of the E ring showed that the ion density being larger than the electron density, indicating that there is additional particle as a negative charge carrier. Those are the small nm and μm sized dust grains that are negatively charged by the electron attachments. The faint F and G rings, located at R=2RS and 3RS, consist of small grains and similar electron/ion density discrepancies can be expected. We will show different types of the LP observations when Cassini traveled the equator region of the plasma disk down to 3RS. One with the electron density increasing inside 4RS, and another with the electron density decreasing inside 4RS. During the orbit 016 (2005 doy-284/285), the electron density continued to increase toward the planet. On the other hand, the ion currents, the LP measured currents from the negative bias voltage, turn to decreasing inside 4RS, implying the density decrease of the ions. By comparing the observed LP ion current characteristics and the modeled values using the obtained electron density, we found that the characteristic ion mass can be several times larger than the water ions (AMU=18) that we expected in this region. During the orbit 015 (2005 doy-266/267), on the other hand, the LP observed sharp electron density drop near 3RS. The dust signals from the RPWS antenna showed the density enhancement of the μm sized grains coincide the electron density drop and we have estimated that the characteristic ion mass can exceed AMU=100. Throughout the whole Cassini observation near the equator inside 4RS, we didn't find the case with the ion densities larger than the electron densities as were found near the E ring and the Enceladus plume. We suggest that Saturn's plasmadisk inside the Enceladus orbit is dynamic in ion characteristics where the water molecules coagulate and grow into a small icy dust grains. In the presentation we discuss the relationship between the electron/ion density and the density of the nm and μm sized grains.

Plasma lipid levels of rats fed a diet containing pork fat as a source of lipids after splenic surgery.

PubMed

Dinis, Ana Paula Gonçalves; Marques, Ruy Garcia; Simões, Fernanda Correia; Diestel, Cristina Fajardo; Caetano, Carlos Eduardo Rodrigues; Secchin, Dióscuro José Ferreira; Neto, José Firmino Nogueira; Portela, Margareth Crisóstomo

2009-06-01

Experimental studies have suggested an important role of the spleen in lipid metabolism, although with controversial results. Our purpose was to analyze the effect of a nutritionally balanced (NB) diet and a diet containing pork fat (PF) as source of lipids on the lipid profile of rats submitted to splenic surgery. Sixty adult male Wistar rats were divided into six groups of 10 animals each: 1 sham-operated, NB diet; 2 sham-operated, PF diet; 3 total splenectomy (TS), NB diet; 4 TS, PF diet; 5 TS followed by splenic autotransplantation (SA), NB diet; and 6 SA, PF diet. Blood samples were collected at the beginning (D0) and after 12 weeks of the experiment (D + 12) for plasma lipid determination. Morphologic regeneration of splenic tissues was observed, with no differences between groups 5 and 6. When D + 12 plasma lipid levels were compared to D0 levels there were no differences in groups 1, 3, and 5, while in groups 2, 4, and 6 total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), and triacylglycerols (TAG) increased, and high density lipoprotein (HDL) decreased. At D + 12, groups 2, 4, and 6 had lower HDL than group 3. In conclusion, regardless of the surgical procedure applied to the spleen, an NB diet maintained plasma lipid levels while a diet with PF as source of lipids changed the animals' lipid profile.

System integration of RF based negative ion experimental facility at IPR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bansal, G.; Bandyopadhyay, M.; Singh, M. J.; Gahlaut, A.; Soni, J.; Pandya, K.; Parmar, K. G.; Sonara, J.; Chakraborty, A.

2010-02-01

The setting up of RF based negative ion experimental facility shall witness the beginning of experiments on the negative ion source fusion applications in India. A 1 MHz RF generator shall launch 100 kW RF power into a single driver on the plasma source to produce a plasma of density ~5 × 1012 cm-3. The source can deliver a negative ion beam of ~10 A with a current density of ~30 mA/cm2 and accelerated to 35 kV through an electrostatic ion accelerator. The experimental system is similar to a RF based negative ion source, BATMAN, presently operating at IPP. The subsystems for source operation are designed and procured principally from indigenous resources, keeping the IPP configuration as a base line. The operation of negative ion source is supported by many subsystems e.g. vacuum pumping system with gate valves, cooling water system, gas feed system, cesium delivery system, RF generator, high voltage power supplies, data acquisition and control system, and different diagnostics. The first experiments of negative ion source are expected to start at IPR from the middle of 2009.

Characterization of pulsed metallic hydride vacuum arc discharge plasmas by optical emission spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Jian; Deng, Chunfeng; Wu, Chunlei; Lu, Biao; Hu, Yonghong

2017-12-01

The characteristics of plasmas in a titanium hydride vacuum arc ion source were experimentally investigated by a temporally- and spatially-integrated optical emission spectroscopy method. A plasma emission spectral fitting model was developed to calculate the plasmas temperature and relative density of each particle component, assuming plasmas were in local thermodynamic equilibrium state and optical thin in this study. The good agreement was founded between the predicted and measured spectra in the interesting regions of 330-340 nm and 498-503 nm for Ti+ ion and Ti atom respectively, while varying the plasma temperature and density. Compared with conventional Boltzmann plot method, this method, therefore, made a significant improvement on the plasma diagnosis in dealing with the spectral profile with many lines overlapped. At the same time, to understand the mechanism of the occluded-gas vacuum arc discharge plasmas, the plasmas emission spectra, ion relative density, and temperature with different discharge conditions were studied. The results indicated that the rate of Ti metal evaporation and H desorption from the electrode would be enhanced with arc current, and the ionization temperature increased with the feed-in power of arc discharge, leading more H+ and Ti+ ions, but reducing the H+ proportion in arc discharged plasmas.

Effect of radial plasma transport at the magnetic throat on axial ion beam formation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Yunchao, E-mail: yunchao.zhang@anu.edu.au; Charles, Christine; Boswell, Rod

2016-08-15

Correlation between radial plasma transport and formation of an axial ion beam has been investigated in a helicon plasma reactor implemented with a convergent-divergent magnetic nozzle. The plasma discharge is sustained under a high magnetic field mode and a low magnetic field mode for which the electron energy probability function, the plasma density, the plasma potential, and the electron temperature are measured at the magnetic throat, and the two field modes show different radial parametric behaviors. Although an axial potential drop occurs in the plasma source for both field modes, an ion beam is only observed in the high fieldmore » mode while not in the low field mode. The transport of energetic ions is characterized downstream of the plasma source using the delimited ion current and nonlocal ion current. A decay of ion beam strength is also observed in the diffusion chamber.« less

Laser Imprint Reduction with a Short Shaping Laser Pulse Incident Upon a Foam-Plastic Target

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-12-01

Corporation, McLean, VA 22150, and Physics Department, Nuclear Research Center Negev , P. O. Box 9001, Beer Sheva, Israel Alexander L. Velikovich and...plasma oscillate rather than grow. Density tailoring seems to improve radiative performance of Z-pinch plasma radiation sources: For example, the cross...efficiency of the density profile shaping described above for laser imprint mitigation. We now use the the FAST2D hydrocode in a 2-D mode. The radiation

Evidence of scattering effects on the sizes of interplanetary Type III radio bursts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinberg, J. L.; Hoang, S.; Dulk, G. A.

1985-01-01

An analysis is conducted of 162 interplanetary Type III radio bursts; some of these bursts have been observed in association with fast electrons and Langmuir wave events at 1 AU and, in addition, have been subjected to in situ plasma parameter measurements. It is noted that the sizes of burst sources are anomalously large, compared to what one would anticipate on the basis of the interplanetary plasma density distribution, and that the variation of source size with frequency, when compared with the plasma frequency variation measured in situ, implies that the source sizes expand with decreasing frequency to fill a cone whose apex is at the sun. It is also found that some local phenomenon near the earth controls the apparent size of low frequency Type III sources.

On the meniscus formation and the negative hydrogen ion extraction from ITER neutral beam injection relevant ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mochalskyy, S.; Wünderlich, D.; Ruf, B.; Fantz, U.; Franzen, P.; Minea, T.

2014-10-01

The development of a large area (Asource,ITER = 0.9 × 2 m2) hydrogen negative ion (NI) source constitutes a crucial step in construction of the neutral beam injectors of the international fusion reactor ITER. To understand the plasma behaviour in the boundary layer close to the extraction system the 3D PIC MCC code ONIX is exploited. Direct cross checked analysis of the simulation and experimental results from the ITER-relevant BATMAN source testbed with a smaller area (Asource,BATMAN ≈ 0.32 × 0.59 m2) has been conducted for a low perveance beam, but for a full set of plasma parameters available. ONIX has been partially benchmarked by comparison to the results obtained using the commercial particle tracing code for positive ion extraction KOBRA3D. Very good agreement has been found in terms of meniscus position and its shape for simulations of different plasma densities. The influence of the initial plasma composition on the final meniscus structure was then investigated for NIs. As expected from the Child-Langmuir law, the results show that not only does the extraction potential play a crucial role on the meniscus formation, but also the initial plasma density and its electronegativity. For the given parameters, the calculated meniscus locates a few mm downstream of the plasma grid aperture provoking a direct NI extraction. Most of the surface produced NIs do not reach the plasma bulk, but move directly towards the extraction grid guided by the extraction field. Even for artificially increased electronegativity of the bulk plasma the extracted NI current from this region is low. This observation indicates a high relevance of the direct NI extraction. These calculations show that the extracted NI current from the bulk region is low even if a complete ion-ion plasma is assumed, meaning that direct extraction from surface produced ions should be present in order to obtain sufficiently high extracted NI current density. The calculated extracted currents, both ions and electrons, agree rather well with the experiment.

Study on an azimuthal line cusp ion source for the KSTAR neutral beam injector.

PubMed

Jeong, Seung Ho; Chang, Doo-Hee; In, Sang Ryul; Lee, Kwang Won; Oh, Byung-Hoon; Yoon, Byung-Joo; Song, Woo Sob; Kim, Jinchoon; Kim, Tae Seong

2008-02-01

In this study it is found that the cusp magnetic field configuration of an anode bucket influences the primary electron behavior. An electron orbit code (ELEORBIT code) showed that an azimuthal line cusp (cusp lines run azimuthally with respect to the beam extraction direction) provides a longer primary electron confinement time than an axial line cusp configuration. Experimentally higher plasma densities were obtained under the same arc power when the azimuthal cusp chamber was used. The newly designed azimuthal cusp bucket has been investigated in an effort to increase the plasma density in its plasma generator per arc power.

On Spatial Structuring of the F2 Layer Studied by the Satellite Radio Sounding of the Ionosphere Disturbed by High-Power HF Radio Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tereshchenko, E. D.; Turyansky, V. A.; Khudukon, B. Z.; Yurik, R. Yu.; Frolov, V. L.

2018-01-01

We present the results of studying the characteristics of the artificial plasma structures excited in the ionospheric F2 region modified by high-power HF radio waves. The experiments were carried out at the Sura heating facility using satellite radio sounding of the ionosphere. The plasma density profile was reconstructed with the highest possible spatial resolution for today, about 4 km. In a direction close to the magnetic zenith of the pump wave, the following phenomena were observed: the formation of a cavity with a 15% lower plasma density at the altitudes of the F2 layer and below; the formation of an area with plasma density increased by 12% at altitudes greater than 400 km. With a long-term quasiperiodic impact of the pump wave on the ionosphere, wavy large-scale electron-density perturbations (the meridional scale λx ≈ 130 km and the vertical scale λz ≈ 440 km) are also formed above the Sura facility. These perturbations can be due to the plasma density modulation by an artificial acoustic-gravity wave with a period of 10.6 m, which was formed by the heat source inside a large-scale cavity with low plasma density; there is generation of the electron density irregularities for the electrons with ΔNe/Ne ≈ 3% in the form of layers having the sizes 10-12 km along and about 24 km across the geomagnetic field, which are found both below and above the F2-layer maximum. The mechanisms of the formation of these plasma structures are discussed.

Development of a large-area planar surface-wave plasma source with a cavity launcher driven by a 915 MHz UHF wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Xijiang; Kunii, Kazuki; Liang, Rongqing; Nagatsu, Masaaki

2013-04-01

A large-area planar surface-wave plasma (SWP) source driven by a 915 MHz ultrahigh frequency (UHF) wave was developed. To avoid using large, thick dielectric plates as vacuum windows, we propose a cavity launcher consisting of a cylindrical cavity with several small quartz discs at the bottom. Three types of launchers with quartz discs located at different positions were tested to compare their plasma production efficiencies and spatial distributions of electron density. With the optimum launcher, large-area plasma discharges with a radial uniformity within ±10% were obtained in a radius of about 25-30 cm in Ar gas at 8 Pa for incident power in the range 0.5-2.5 kW. The maximum electron density and temperature were approximately (0.95-1.1) × 1011 cm-3 and 1.9-2.0 eV, respectively, as measured by a Langmuir probe located 24 cm below the bottom of the cavity launcher. Using an Ar/NH3 SWP with the optimum launcher, we demonstrated large-area amino-group surface modification of polyurethane sheets. Experimental results indicated that a uniform amino-group modification was achieved over a radius of approximately 40 cm, which is slightly larger than the radial uniformity of the electron density distribution.

Quasineutral plasma expansion into infinite vacuum as a model for parallel ELM transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moulton, D.; Ghendrih, Ph; Fundamenski, W.; Manfredi, G.; Tskhakaya, D.

2013-08-01

An analytic solution for the expansion of a plasma into vacuum is assessed for its relevance to the parallel transport of edge localized mode (ELM) filaments along field lines. This solution solves the 1D1V Vlasov-Poisson equations for the adiabatic (instantaneous source), collisionless expansion of a Gaussian plasma bunch into an infinite space in the quasineutral limit. The quasineutral assumption is found to hold as long as λD0/σ0 ≲ 0.01 (where λD0 is the initial Debye length at peak density and σ0 is the parallel length of the Gaussian filament), a condition that is physically realistic. The inclusion of a boundary at x = L and consequent formation of a target sheath is found to have a negligible effect when L/σ0 ≳ 5, a condition that is physically plausible. Under the same condition, the target flux densities predicted by the analytic solution are well approximated by the ‘free-streaming’ equations used in previous experimental studies, strengthening the notion that these simple equations are physically reasonable. Importantly, the analytic solution predicts a zero heat flux density so that a fluid approach to the problem can be used equally well, at least when the source is instantaneous. It is found that, even for JET-like pedestal parameters, collisions can affect the expansion dynamics via electron temperature isotropization, although this is probably a secondary effect. Finally, the effect of a finite duration, τsrc, for the plasma source is investigated. As is found for an instantaneous source, when L/σ0 ≳ 5 the presence of a target sheath has a negligible effect, at least up to the explored range of τsrc = L/cs (where cs is the sound speed at the initial temperature).

Plasma parameters in a multidipole plasma system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruscanu, D.; Anita, V.; Popa, G.

Plasma potential and electron number densities and electron temperatures under bi-Maxwellian approximation for electron distribution function of the multidipole argon plasma source system were measured for a gas pressure ranging between 10-4 and 10-3 mbar and an anode-cathode voltage ranging between 40 and 120 V but a constant discharge current intensity. The first group, as ultimate or cold electrons and main electron plasma population, results by trapping of the slow electrons produced by ionisation process due to primary-neutral collisions. The trapping process is produced by potential well due to positive plasma potential with respect to the anode so that electron temperature of the ultimate electrons does not depend on both the gas pressure and discharge voltage. The second group, as secondary or hot electrons, results as degrading process of the primaries and their number density increases while their temperature decreases with the increase of both the gas pressure and discharge voltage.

Experimental and theoretical investigation for the suppression of the plasma arc drop in the thermionic converter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, D. T.; Manikopoulos, C. N.; Chang, T.; Lee, C. H.; Chiu, N.

1977-01-01

Ion generation and recombination mechanisms in the cesium plasma as they pertain to the advanced mode thermionic energy converter were studied. The decay of highly ionized cesium plasma was studied in the near afterglow to examine the recombination processes. Very low recombination in such a plasma may prove to be of considerable importance in practical converters. The approaches of external cesium generation were vibrationally excited nitrogen as an energy source of ionization of cesium ion, and microwave power as a means of resonant sustenance of the cesium plasma. Experimental data obtained so far show that all three techniques - i.e., the non-LTE high-voltage pulsing, the energy transfer from vibrationally excited diatomic gases, and the external pumping with a microwave resonant cavity - can produce plasmas with their densities significantly higher than the Richardson density. The implication of these findings as related to Lam's theory is discussed.

PASOTRON high-energy microwave source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goebel, Dan M.; Schumacher, Robert W.; Butler, Jennifer M.; Hyman, Jay, Jr.; Santoru, Joseph; Watkins, Ron M.; Harvey, Robin J.; Dolezal, Franklin A.; Eisenhart, Robert L.; Schneider, Authur J.

1992-04-01

A unique, high-energy microwave source, called PASOTRON (Plasma-Assisted Slow-wave Oscillator), has been developed. The PASOTRON utilizes a long-pulse E-gun and plasma- filled slow-wave structure (SWS) to produce high-energy pulses from a simple, lightweight device that utilizes no externally produced magnetic fields. Long pulses are obtained from a novel E-gun that employs a low-pressure glow discharge to provide a stable, high current- density electron source. The electron accelerator consists of a high-perveance, multi-aperture array. The E-beam is operated in the ion-focused regime where the plasma filling the SWS space-charge neutralizes the beam, and the self-pinch force compresses the beamlets and increases the beam current density. A scale-model PASOTRON, operating as a backward- wave oscillator in C-band with a 100-kV E-beam, has produced output powers in the 3 to 5 MW range and pulse lengths of over 100 microsecond(s) ec, corresponding to an integrated energy per pulse of up to 500 J. The E-beam to microwave-radiation power conversion efficiency is about 20%.

Enhancement of axial momentum lost to the radial wall by the upstream magnetic field in a helicon source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Kazunori; Ando, Akira

2017-05-01

Individual measurements of forces exerted to an upstream back wall, a radial source wall, and a magnetic field of a helicon plasma thruster, which has two solenoids upstream and downstream of a radiofrequency antenna, are precisely measured. Two different structures of magnetic field lines in the source are tested, where the solenoid current is supplied to either only the downstream solenoid or to both the solenoids. It is observed that the high density plasma exists upstream of the rf antenna when both the solenoids are powered, while the maximum density exists near the rf antenna when only the downstream solenoid is powered. Although the force exerted to the back wall is increased for the two solenoids case, the axial momentum lost to the radial wall is simultaneously enhanced; then the total force exerted to the whole structure of the thruster is found to be very similar for the two magnetic field configurations. It is shown that the individual force measurement provides useful information on the plasma momentum interacting with the physical boundaries and the magnetic fields.

Novel plasma source for safe beryllium spectral line studies in the presence of beryllium dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stankov, B. D.; Vinić, M.; Gavrilović Božović, M. R.; Ivković, M.

2018-05-01

Plasma source for beryllium spectral line studies in the presence of beryllium dust particles was realised. The guideline during construction was to prevent exposure to formed dust, considering the toxicity of beryllium. Plasma source characterization through determination of optimal working conditions is described. The necessary conditions for Be spectral line appearance and optimal conditions for line shape measurements are found. It is proven experimentally that under these conditions dust appears coincidently with the second current maximum. The electron density measured after discharge current maximum is determined from the peak separation of the hydrogen Balmer beta spectral line, and the electron temperature is determined from the ratios of the relative intensities of Be spectral lines emitted from successive ionized stages of atoms. Maximum values of electron density and temperature are measured to be 9.3 × 1022 m-3 and 16 800 K, respectively. Construction details and testing of the BeO discharge tube in comparison with SiO2 and Al2O3 discharge tubes are also presented in this paper.

Formation of Ion Beam from High Density Plasma of ECR Discharge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Izotov, I.; Razin, S.; Sidorov, A.

2005-03-15

One of the most promising directions of ECR multicharged ion sources evolution is related with increase in frequency of microwave pumping. During last years microwave generators of millimeter wave range - gyrotrons have been used more frequently. Creation of plasma with density 1013 cm-3 with medium charged ions and ion flux density through a plug of a magnetic trap along magnetic field lines on level of a few A/cm2 is possible under pumping by powerful millimeter wave radiation and quasigasdynamic (collisional) regime of plasma confinement in the magnetic trap. Such plasma has great prospects for application in plasma based ionmore » implantation systems for processing of surfaces with complicated and petit relief. Use it for ion beam formation seams to be difficult because of too high ion current density. This paper continues investigations described elsewhere and shows possibility to arrange ion extraction in zone of plasma expansion from the magnetic trap along axis of system and magnetic field lines.Plasma was created at ECR gas discharge by means of millimeter wave radiation of a gyrotron with frequency 37.5 GHz, maximum power 100 kW, pulse duration 1.5 ms. Two and three electrode quasi-Pierce extraction systems were used for ion beam formation.It is demonstrated that there is no changes in ion charge state distribution along expansion routing of plasma under collisional confinement. Also ion flux density decreases with distance from plug of the trap, it allows to control extracting ion current density. Multicharged ion beam of Nitrogen with total current up to 2.5 mA at diameter of extracting hole 1 mm, that corresponds current density 320 mA/cm2, was obtained. Magnitude of total ion current was limited due to extracting voltage (60 kV). Under such conditions characteristic transversal dimension of plasma equaled 4 cm, magnetic field value in extracting zone was about 0.1 T at axisymmetrical configuration.« less

Towards a better comprehension of plasma formation and heating in high performances electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (invited)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mascali, D.; Gammino, S.; Celona, L.

2012-02-15

Further improvements of electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRIS) output currents and average charge state require a deep understanding of electron and ion dynamics in the plasma. This paper will discuss the most recent advances about modeling of non-classical evidences like the sensitivity of electron energy distribution function to the magnetic field detuning, the influence of plasma turbulences on electron heating and ion confinement, the coupling between electron and ion dynamics. All these issues have in common the non-homogeneous distribution of the plasma inside the source: the abrupt density drop at the resonance layer regulates the heating regimes (from collectivemore » to turbulent), the beam formation mechanism and emittance. Possible means to boost the performances of future ECRIS will be proposed. In particular, the use of Bernstein waves, in preliminary experiments performed at Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS) on MDIS (microwave discharge ion sources)-type sources, has permitted to sustain largely overdense plasmas enhancing the warm electron temperature, which will make possible in principle the construction of sources for high intensity multicharged ions beams with simplified magnetic structures.« less

Kinetic modeling of x-ray laser-driven solid Al plasmas via particle-in-cell simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Royle, R.; Sentoku, Y.; Mancini, R. C.; Paraschiv, I.; Johzaki, T.

2017-06-01

Solid-density plasmas driven by intense x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) radiation are seeded by sources of nonthermal photoelectrons and Auger electrons that ionize and heat the target via collisions. Simulation codes that are commonly used to model such plasmas, such as collisional-radiative (CR) codes, typically assume a Maxwellian distribution and thus instantaneous thermalization of the source electrons. In this study, we present a detailed description and initial applications of a collisional particle-in-cell code, picls, that has been extended with a self-consistent radiation transport model and Monte Carlo models for photoionization and K L L Auger ionization, enabling the fully kinetic simulation of XFEL-driven plasmas. The code is used to simulate two experiments previously performed at the Linac Coherent Light Source investigating XFEL-driven solid-density Al plasmas. It is shown that picls-simulated pulse transmissions using the Ecker-Kröll continuum-lowering model agree much better with measurements than do simulations using the Stewart-Pyatt model. Good quantitative agreement is also found between the time-dependent picls results and those of analogous simulations by the CR code scfly, which was used in the analysis of the experiments to accurately reproduce the observed K α emissions and pulse transmissions. Finally, it is shown that the effects of the nonthermal electrons are negligible for the conditions of the particular experiments under investigation.

Studies of RF sheaths and diagnostics on IShTAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crombé, K.; Devaux, S.; D'Inca, R.; Faudot, E.; Faugel, H.; Fünfgelder, H.; Heuraux, S.; Jacquot, J.; Louche, F.; Moritz, J.; Ochoukov, R.; Tripsky, M.; Van Eester, D.; Wauters, T.; Noterdaeme, J.-M.

2015-12-01

IShTAR (Ion cyclotron Sheath Test ARrangement) is a linear magnetised plasma test facility for RF sheaths studies at the Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik in Garching. In contrast to a tokamak, a test stand provides more liberty to impose the parameters and gives better access for the instrumentation and antennas. The project will support the development of diagnostic methods for characterising RF sheaths and validate and improve theoretical predictions. The cylindrical vacuum vessel has a diameter of 1 m and is 1.1 m long. The plasma is created by an external cylindrical plasma source equipped with a helical antenna that has been designed to excite the m=1 helicon mode. In inductive mode, plasma densities and electron temperatures have been characterised with a planar Langmuir probe as a function of gas pressure and input RF power. A 2D array of RF compensated Langmuir probes and a spectrometer are planned. A single strap RF antenna has been designed; the plasma-facing surface is aligned to the cylindrical plasma to ease the modelling. The probes will allow direct measurements of plasma density profiles in front of the RF antenna, and thus a detailed study of the density modifications induced by RF sheaths, which influences the coupling. The RF antenna frequency has been chosen to study different plasma wave interactions: the accessible plasma density range includes an evanescent and propagative behaviour of slow or fast waves, and allows the study of the effect of the lower hybrid resonance layer.

1 μs broadband frequency sweeping reflectometry for plasma density and fluctuation profile measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clairet, F.; Bottereau, C.; Medvedeva, A.; Molina, D.; Conway, G. D.; Silva, A.; Stroth, U.; ASDEX Upgrade Team; Tore Supra Team; Eurofusion Mst1 Team

2017-11-01

Frequency swept reflectometry has reached the symbolic value of 1 μs sweeping time; this performance has been made possible, thanks to an improved control of the ramp voltage driving the frequency source. In parallel, the memory depth of the acquisition system has been upgraded and can provide up to 200 000 signals during a plasma discharge. Additional improvements regarding the trigger delay determination of the acquisition and the voltage ramp linearity required by this ultra-fast technique have been set. While this diagnostic is traditionally dedicated to the plasma electron density profile measurement, such a fast sweeping rate can provide the study of fast plasma events and turbulence with unprecedented time and radial resolution from the edge to the core. Experimental results obtained on ASDEX Upgrade plasmas are presented to demonstrate the performances of the diagnostic.

Development of a low pressure microwave excited plasma and its application to the formation of microcrystalline silicon films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kikukawa, Daisuke; Hori, Masaru; Honma, Koichiro

2006-11-15

Microwave excited plasma source operating at a low pressure of 1.5 Pa was newly developed. This plasma source was successfully applied to the formation of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon films in a glass substrate with a mixture gas of silane (SiH{sub 4}), hydrogen (H{sub 2}), and xenon (Xe). It was found that the crystallinity of films was dramatically improved with decreasing pressure. The crystalline fraction was evaluated to be 82% at a substrate temperature of 400 deg. C, a mixture gas of SiH{sub 4}/H{sub 2}/Xe: 5/200/30 SCCM, and a total pressure of 1.5 Pa by Raman spectroscopy. The absolute density ofmore » hydrogen atoms and the behavior of higher radicals and molecules in the mixture gas were evaluated using vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy and quadrupole mass spectrometer, respectively. H atom densities were of the order of 10{sup 11} cm{sup -3}. The fraction of H atom density increased, while higher radicals and molecules decreased with decrease in the total pressure. The increase in H atom density and decrease in higher radicals and molecules improved the crystallinity of films in low pressures below 10 Pa.« less

Investigation on the electron flux to the wall in the VENUS ion source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thuillier, T.; Angot, J.; Benitez, J. Y.

The long-term operation of high charge state electron cyclotron resonance ion sources fed with high microwave power has caused damage to the plasma chamber wall in several laboratories. Porosity, or a small hole, can be progressively created in the chamber wall which can destroy the plasma chamber over a few year time scale. Here, a burnout of the VENUS plasma chamber is investigated in which the hole formation in relation to the local hot electron power density is studied. First, the results of a simple model assuming that hot electrons are fully magnetized and strictly following magnetic field lines aremore » presented. The model qualitatively reproduces the experimental traces left by the plasma on the wall. However, it is too crude to reproduce the localized electron power density for creating a hole in the chamber wall. Second, the results of a Monte Carlo simulation, following a population of scattering hot electrons, indicate a localized high power deposited to the chamber wall consistent with the hole formation process. Finally, a hypervapotron cooling scheme is proposed to mitigate the hole formation in electron cyclotron resonance plasma chamber wall.« less

Investigation on the electron flux to the wall in the VENUS ion source

DOE PAGES

Thuillier, T.; Angot, J.; Benitez, J. Y.; ...

2015-12-01

The long-term operation of high charge state electron cyclotron resonance ion sources fed with high microwave power has caused damage to the plasma chamber wall in several laboratories. Porosity, or a small hole, can be progressively created in the chamber wall which can destroy the plasma chamber over a few year time scale. Here, a burnout of the VENUS plasma chamber is investigated in which the hole formation in relation to the local hot electron power density is studied. First, the results of a simple model assuming that hot electrons are fully magnetized and strictly following magnetic field lines aremore » presented. The model qualitatively reproduces the experimental traces left by the plasma on the wall. However, it is too crude to reproduce the localized electron power density for creating a hole in the chamber wall. Second, the results of a Monte Carlo simulation, following a population of scattering hot electrons, indicate a localized high power deposited to the chamber wall consistent with the hole formation process. Finally, a hypervapotron cooling scheme is proposed to mitigate the hole formation in electron cyclotron resonance plasma chamber wall.« less

Investigation on the electron flux to the wall in the VENUS ion source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thuillier, T., E-mail: thuillier@lpsc.in2p3.fr; Angot, J.; Benitez, J. Y.

The long-term operation of high charge state electron cyclotron resonance ion sources fed with high microwave power has caused damage to the plasma chamber wall in several laboratories. Porosity, or a small hole, can be progressively created in the chamber wall which can destroy the plasma chamber over a few year time scale. A burnout of the VENUS plasma chamber is investigated in which the hole formation in relation to the local hot electron power density is studied. First, the results of a simple model assuming that hot electrons are fully magnetized and strictly following magnetic field lines are presented.more » The model qualitatively reproduces the experimental traces left by the plasma on the wall. However, it is too crude to reproduce the localized electron power density for creating a hole in the chamber wall. Second, the results of a Monte Carlo simulation, following a population of scattering hot electrons, indicate a localized high power deposited to the chamber wall consistent with the hole formation process. Finally, a hypervapotron cooling scheme is proposed to mitigate the hole formation in electron cyclotron resonance plasma chamber wall.« less

Investigation of a Light Gas Helicon Plasma Source for the VASIMR Space Propulsion System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Squire, J. P.; Chang-Diaz, F. R.; Jacobson, V. T.; Glover, T. W.; Baity, F. W.; Carter, M. D.; Goulding, R. H.; Bengtson, R. D.; Bering, E. A., III

2003-01-01

An efficient plasma source producing a high-density (approx.10(exp 19/cu m) light gas (e.g. H, D, or He) flowing plasma with a high degree of ionization is a critical component of the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) concept. We are developing an antenna to apply ICRF power near the fundamental ion cyclotron resonance to further accelerate the plasma ions to velocities appropriate for space propulsion applications. The high degree of ionization and a low vacuum background pressure are important to eliminate the problem of radial losses due to charge exchange. We have performed parametric (e.g. gas flow, power (0.5 - 3 kW), magnetic field , frequency (25 and 50 MHz)) studies of a helicon operating with gas (H2 D2, He, N2 and Ar) injected at one end with a high magnetic mirror downstream of the antenna. We have explored operation with a cusp and a mirror field upstream. Plasma flows into a low background vacuum (<10(exp -4) torr) at velocities higher than the ion sound speed. High densities (approx. 10(exp 19/cu m) have been achieved at the location where ICRF will be applied, just downstream of the magnetic mirror.

An inverted cylindrical sputter magnetron as metal vapor supply for electron cyclotron resonance ion sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weichsel, T., E-mail: tim.weichsel@fep.fraunhofer.de; Hartung, U.; Kopte, T.

2014-05-15

An inverted cylindrical sputter magnetron device has been developed. The magnetron is acting as a metal vapor supply for an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source. FEM simulation of magnetic flux density was used to ensure that there is no critical interaction between both magnetic fields of magnetron and ECR ion source. Spatially resolved double Langmuir probe and optical emission spectroscopy measurements show an increase in electron density by one order of magnitude from 1 × 10{sup 10} cm{sup −3} to 1 × 10{sup 11} cm{sup −3}, when the magnetron plasma is exposed to the magnetic mirror field of themore » ECR ion source. Electron density enhancement is also indicated by magnetron plasma emission photography with a CCD camera. Furthermore, photographs visualize the formation of a localized loss-cone - area, when the magnetron is operated at magnetic mirror field conditions. The inverted cylindrical magnetron supplies a metal atom load rate of R > 1 × 10{sup 18} atoms/s for aluminum, which meets the demand for the production of a milliampere Al{sup +} ion beam.« less

Occultations of Astrophysical Radio Sources as Probes of Planetary Environments: A Case Study of Jupiter and Possible Applications to Exoplanets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Withers, Paul; Vogt, Marissa F.

Properties of planetary atmospheres, ionospheres, and magnetospheres are difficult to measure from Earth. Radio occultations are a common method for measuring these properties, but they traditionally rely on radio transmissions from a spacecraft near the planet. Here, we explore whether occultations of radio emissions from a distant astrophysical radio source can be used to measure magnetic field strength, plasma density, and neutral density around planets. In a theoretical case study of Jupiter, we find that significant changes in polarization angle due to Faraday rotation occur for radio signals that pass within 10 Jupiter radii of the planet and that significantmore » changes in frequency and power occur from radio signals that pass through the neutral atmosphere. There are sufficient candidate radio sources, such as pulsars, active galactic nuclei, and masers, that occultations are likely to occur at least once per year. For pulsars, time delays in the arrival of their emitted pulses can be used to measure plasma density. Exoplanets, whose physical properties are very challenging to observe, may also occult distant astrophysical radio sources, such as their parent stars.« less

Development of a tactical high-power microwave source using the Plasma Electron Microwave Source (PEMS) concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dandl, R. A.; Guest, G. E.; Jory, H. R.

1990-12-01

The AMPHED facility was used to perform feasibility experiments to explore the generation of high-power microwave pulses from energy stored in a magnetic mirror plasma. The facility uses an open-ended magnetic mirror driven by pulsed or cw c- and x-band sources. Microwave horns were constructed to couple in the frequency range of 2.4 to 4 GHz to whistler waves in the plasma. Spontaneous bursts of microwave radiation in the range of 3 to 5 GHz were observed in the experiments. But the power levels were lower than expected for the whistler wave interaction. It is probable that the hot-electron energy densities achieved were not high enough to approach the threshold of the desired interaction.

Measurement of erosion in helicon plasma thrusters using the VASIMR® VX-CR device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Valle Gamboa, Juan Ignacio; Castro-Nieto, Jose; Squire, Jared; Carter, Mark; Chang-Diaz, Franklin

2015-09-01

The helicon plasma source is one of the principal stages of the high-power VASIMR® electric propulsion system. The VASIMR® VX-CR experiment focuses solely on this stage, exploring the erosion and long-term operation effects of the VASIMR helicon source. We report on the design and operational parameters of the VX-CR experiment, and the development of modeling tools and characterization techniques allowing the study of erosion phenomena in helicon plasma sources in general, and stand-alone helicon plasma thrusters (HPTs) in particular. A thorough understanding of the erosion phenomena within HPTs will enable better predictions of their behavior as well as more accurate estimations of their expected lifetime. We present a simplified model of the plasma-wall interactions within HPTs based on current models of the plasma density distributions in helicon discharges. Results from this modeling tool are used to predict the erosion within the plasma-facing components of the VX-CR device. Experimental techniques to measure actual erosion, including the use of coordinate-measuring machines and microscopy, will be discussed.

Controlled injection using a channel pinch in a plasma-channel-guided laser wakefield accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jiaqi; Zhang, Zhijun; Liu, Jiansheng; Li, Wentao; Wang, Wentao; Yu, Changhai; Qi, Rong; Qin, Zhiyong; Fang, Ming; Wu, Ying; Feng, Ke; Ke, Lintong; Wang, Cheng; Li, Ruxin

2018-06-01

Plasma-channel-guided laser plasma accelerators make it possible to drive high-brilliance compact radiation sources and have high-energy physics applications. Achieving tunable internal injection of the electron beam (e beam) inside the plasma channel, which realizes a tunable radiation source, is a challenging method to extend such applications. In this paper, we propose the use of a channel pinch, which is designed as an initial reduction followed by an expansion of the channel radius along the plasma channel, to achieve internal controlled off-axis e beam injection in a channel-guided laser plasma accelerator. The off-axis injection is triggered by bubble deformation in the expansion region. The dynamics of the plasma wake is explored, and the trapping threshold is found to be reduced radially in the channel pinch. Simulation results show that the channel pinch not only triggers injection process localized at the pinch but also modulates the parameters of the e beam by adjusting its density profile, which can additionally accommodate a tunable radiation source via betatron oscillation.

Computer Simulation of Compression and Energy Release upon Laser Irradiation of Cylindrically Symmetric Target

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzenov, V. V.

2017-12-01

The paper is devoted to the theoretical and computational study of compression and energy release for magneto-inertial plasma confinement. This approach makes it possible to create new high-density plasma sources, apply them in materials science experiments, and use them in promising areas of power engineering.

Occurrence of high-beta superthermal plasma events in the close environment of Jupiter's bow shock as observed by Ulysses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marhavilas, P. K.; Sarris, E. T.; Anagnostopoulos, G. C.

2011-01-04

The ratio of the plasma pressure to the magnetic field pressure (or of their energy densities) which is known as the plasma parameter 'beta'({beta}) has important implications to the propagation of energetic particles and the interaction of the solar wind with planetary magnetospheres. Although in the scientific literature the contribution of the superthermal particles to the plasma pressure is generally assumed negligible, we deduced, by analyzing energetic particles and magnetic field measurements recorded by the Ulysses spacecraft, that in a series of events, the energy density contained in the superthermal tail of the particle distribution is comparable to or evenmore » higher than the energy density of the magnetic field, creating conditions of high-beta plasma. More explicitly, in this paper we analyze Ulysses/HI-SCALE measurements of the energy density ratio (parameter {beta}{sub ep}) of the energetic ions'(20 keV to {approx}5 MeV) to the magnetic field's in order to find occurrences of high-beta ({beta}{sub ep}>1) superthermal plasma conditions in the environment of the Jovian magnetosphere, which is an interesting plasma laboratory and an important source of emissions in our solar system. In particular, we examine high-beta ion events close to Jupiter's bow shock, which are produced by two processes: (a) bow shock ion acceleration and (b) ion leakage from the magnetosphere.« less

Refraction-enhanced backlit imaging of axially symmetric inertial confinement fusion plasmas.

PubMed

Koch, Jeffrey A; Landen, Otto L; Suter, Laurence J; Masse, Laurent P; Clark, Daniel S; Ross, James S; Mackinnon, Andrew J; Meezan, Nathan B; Thomas, Cliff A; Ping, Yuan

2013-05-20

X-ray backlit radiographs of dense plasma shells can be significantly altered by refraction of x rays that would otherwise travel straight-ray paths, and this effect can be a powerful tool for diagnosing the spatial structure of the plasma being radiographed. We explore the conditions under which refraction effects may be observed, and we use analytical and numerical approaches to quantify these effects for one-dimensional radial opacity and density profiles characteristic of inertial-confinement fusion (ICF) implosions. We also show how analytical and numerical approaches allow approximate radial plasma opacity and density profiles to be inferred from point-projection refraction-enhanced radiography data. This imaging technique can provide unique data on electron density profiles in ICF plasmas that cannot be obtained using other techniques, and the uniform illumination provided by point-like x-ray backlighters eliminates a significant source of uncertainty in inferences of plasma opacity profiles from area-backlit pinhole imaging data when the backlight spatial profile cannot be independently characterized. The technique is particularly suited to in-flight radiography of imploding low-opacity shells surrounding hydrogen ice, because refraction is sensitive to the electron density of the hydrogen plasma even when it is invisible to absorption radiography. It may also provide an alternative approach to timing shockwaves created by the implosion drive, that are currently invisible to absorption radiography.

Singularity and Bohm criterion in hot positive ion species in the electronegative ion sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aslaninejad, Morteza; Yasserian, Kiomars

2016-05-15

The structure of the discharge for a magnetized electronegative ion source with two species of positive ions is investigated. The thermal motion of hot positive ions and the singularities involved with it are taken into account. By analytical solution of the neutral region, the location of the singular point and also the values of the plasma parameter such as electric potential and ion density at the singular point are obtained. A generalized Bohm criterion is recovered and discussed. In addition, for the non-neutral solution, the numerical method is used. In contrast with cold ion plasma, qualitative changes are observed. Themore » parameter space region within which oscillations in the density and potential can be observed has been scanned and discussed. The space charge behavior in the vicinity of edge of the ion sources has also been discussed in detail.« less

Langmuir probe study of a magnetically enhanced RF plasma source at pressures below 0.1 Pa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kousal, Jaroslav; Tichý, Milan; Šebek, Ondřej; Čechvala, Juraj; Biederman, Hynek

2011-08-01

The majority of plasma polymerization sources operate at pressures higher than 1 Pa. At these pressures most common deposition methods do not show significant directionality. One way of enhancing the directional effects is to decrease the working pressure to increase the mean free path of the reactive molecules. The plasma source used in this work was designed to study the plasma polymerization process at pressures below 0.1 Pa. The source consists of the classical radio frequency (RF) (13.56 MHz, capacitive coupled) tubular reactor enhanced by an external magnetic circuit. The working gas is introduced into the discharge by a capillary. This forms a relatively localized zone of higher pressure where the monomer is activated. Due to the magnetic field, the plasma is constricted near the axis of the reactor with nearly collisionless gas flow. The plasma parameters were obtained using a double Langmuir probe. Plasma density in the range ni = 1013-1016 m-3 was obtained in various parts of the discharge under typical conditions. The presence of the magnetic field led to the presence of relatively strong electric fields (103 V m-1) and relatively high electron energies up to several tens of eV in the plasma.

Studies on the Extraction Region of the Type VI RF Driven H- Ion Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeely, P.; Bandyopadhyay, M.; Franzen, P.; Heinemann, B.; Hu, C.; Kraus, W.; Riedl, R.; Speth, E.; Wilhelm, R.

2002-11-01

IPP Garching has spent several years developing a RF driven H- ion source intended to be an alternative to the current ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) reference design ion source. A RF driven source offers a number of advantages to ITER in terms of reduced costs and maintenance requirements. Although the RF driven ion source has shown itself to be competitive with a standard arc filament ion source for positive ions many questions still remain on the physics behind the production of the H- ion beam extracted from the source. With the improvements that have been implemented to the BATMAN (Bavarian Test Machine for Negative Ions) facility over the last two years it is now possible to study both the extracted ion beam and the plasma in the vicinity of the extraction grid in greater detail. This paper will show the effect of changing the extraction and acceleration voltage on both the current and shape of the beam as measured on the calorimeter some 1.5 m downstream from the source. The extraction voltage required to operate in the plasma limit is 3 kV. The perveance optimum for the extraction system was determined to be 2.2 x 10-6 A/V3/2 and occurs at 2.7 kV extraction voltage. The horizontal and vertical beam half widths vary as a function of the extracted ion current and the horizontal half width is generally smaller than the vertical. The effect of reducing the co-extracted electron current via plasma grid biasing on the H- current extractable and the beam profile from the source is shown. It is possible in the case of a silver contaminated plasma to reduce the co-extracted electron current to 20% of the initial value by applying a bias of 12 V. In the case where argon is present in the plasma, biasing is observed to have minimal effect on the beam half width but in a pure hydrogen plasma the beam half width increases as the bias voltage increases. New Langmuir probe studies that have been carried out parallel to the plasma grid (in the vicinity of the peak of the external magnetic filter field) and changes to source parameters as a function of power, and argon addition are reported. The behaviour of the electron density is different when the plasma is argon seeded showing a strong increase with RF power. The plasma potential is decreased by 2 V when argon is added to the plasma. The effect of the presence of unwanted silver sputtered from the Faraday screen by Ar+ ions on both the source performance and the plasma parameters is also presented. The silver dramatically downgraded source performance in terms of current density and produced an early saturation of current with applied RF power. Recently, collaboration was begun with the Technical University of Augsburg to perform spectroscopic measurements on the Type VI ion source. The final results of this analysis are not yet ready but some interesting initial observations on the gas temperature, disassociation degree and impurity ions will be presented.

Wakefield acceleration in planetary atmospheres: A possible source of MeV electrons. The collisionless case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arrayás, M.; Cubero, D.; Montanya, J.; Seviour, R.; Trueba, J. L.

2018-07-01

Intense electromagnetic pulses interacting with a plasma can create a wake of plasma oscillations. Electrons trapped in such oscillations can be accelerated under certain conditions to very high energies. We study the optimal conditions for the wakefield acceleration to produce MeV electrons in planetary plasmas under collisionless conditions. The conditions for the optimal plasma densities can be found in the Earth atmosphere at higher altitudes than 10-15 km, which are the altitudes where lightning leaders can take place.

Current density distributions and sputter marks in electron cyclotron resonance ion sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Panitzsch, Lauri; Peleikis, Thies; Boettcher, Stephan

2013-01-15

Most electron cyclotron resonance ion sources use hexapolar magnetic fields for the radial confinement of the plasma. The geometry of this magnetic structure is then-induced by charged particles-mapped onto the inner side of the plasma electrode via sputtering and deposition. The resulting structures usually show two different patterns: a sharp triangular one in the central region which in some cases is even sputtered deep into the material (referred to as thin groove or sharp structure), and a blurred but still triangular-like one in the surroundings (referred to as broad halo). Therefore, both patterns seem to have different sources. To investigatemore » their origins we replaced the standard plasma electrode by a custom-built plasma electrode acting as a planar, multi-segment current-detector. For different biased disc voltages, detector positions, and source biases (referred to the detector) we measured the electrical current density distributions in the plane of the plasma electrode. The results show a strong and sharply confined electron population with triangular shape surrounded by less intense and spatially less confined ions. Observed sputter- and deposition marks are related to the analysis of the results. Our measurements suggest that the two different patterns (thin and broad) indeed originate from different particle populations. The thin structures seem to be caused by the hot electron population while the broad marks seem to stem from the medium to highly charged ions. In this paper we present our measurements together with theoretical considerations and substantiate the conclusions drawn above. The validity of these results is also discussed.« less

Study on deposition of Al2O3 films by plasma-assisted atomic layer with different plasma sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haiying, WEI; Hongge, GUO; Lijun, SANG; Xingcun, LI; Qiang, CHEN

2018-04-01

In this paper, Al2O3 thin films are deposited on a hydrogen-terminated Si substrate by using two home-built electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) and magnetic field enhanced radio frequency plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (PA-ALD) devices with Al(CH3)3 (trimethylaluminum, TMA) and oxygen plasma used as precursor and oxidant, respectively. The thickness, chemical composition, surface morphology and group reactions are characterized by in situ spectroscopic ellipsometer, x-ray photoelectric spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, a high-resolution transmission electron microscope and in situ mass spectrometry (MS), respectively. We obtain that both ECR PA-ALD and the magnetic field enhanced PA-ALD can deposit thin films with high density, high purity, and uniformity at a high deposition rate. MS analysis reveals that the Al2O3 deposition reactions are not simple reactions between TMA and oxygen plasma to produce alumina, water and carbon dioxide. In fact, acetylene, carbon monoxide and some other by-products also appear in the exhaustion gas. In addition, the presence of bias voltage has a certain effect on the deposition rate and surface morphology of films, which may be attributed to the presence of bias voltage controlling the plasma energy and density. We conclude that both plasma sources have a different deposition mechanism, which is much more complicated than expected.

Magnetic Field Generation Processes Involving Gravity and Differential Rotation. Solitary Plasma Rings Formation around Black Holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coppi, Bruno

2012-10-01

A clear theoretical framework to describe how magnetic fields are generated and amplified is provided by the magneto-gravitational modes that involve both differential rotation and gravity and for which other factors such as temperature gradients can contribute to their excitation. These modes are shown to be important for the evolution of plasma disks surrounding black holes.footnotetextB. Coppi, Phys. Plasmas 18, 032901 (2011) Non-linear and axi-symmetric plasmas and associated field configurations are found under stationary conditions that do not involve the presence of a pre-existing ``seed'' magnetic field unlike other configurations found previously.footnotetextIbid. The relevant magnetic energy density is of the order of the gravitationally confined plasma pressure. The solitary plasma rings that characterize these configurations are localized radially over regions with vanishing differential rotation and can be envisioned as the saturated state of magneto-gravitational modes. The ``source'' of these configurations is the combination of the gravitational force and of the plasma density gradient orthogonal to it.

Some Thoughts on the Role of non-LTE Physics in ICF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Colvin, J. D.

An effort to develop sub-critical-density high-Z metal-doped and pure metal foams as laser-driven x-ray sources is described. The main idea is that the laser beams preferentially heat the electrons, and if the plasma is sufficiently low density so that the heating rate is greater than the equilibration rate via electron-ion collisions, then the electron temperature in the plasma is much greater than the ion temperature as long as the laser is on. In such a situation the plasma is not in local thermal equilibrium (LTE), it heats supersonically and volumetrically, and the conversion efficiency of laser beam energy to multi-keVmore » L-shell and K-shell radiation is much higher than what it would be in LTE plasma.« less

Battery-Powered RF Pre-Ionization System for the Caltech Magnetohydrodynamically-Driven Jet Experiment: RF Discharge Properties and MHD-Driven Jet Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaplin, Vernon H.

This thesis describes investigations of two classes of laboratory plasmas with rather different properties: partially ionized low pressure radiofrequency (RF) discharges, and fully ionized high density magnetohydrodynamically (MHD)-driven jets. An RF pre-ionization system was developed to enable neutral gas breakdown at lower pressures and create hotter, faster jets in the Caltech MHD-Driven Jet Experiment. The RF plasma source used a custom pulsed 3 kW 13.56 MHz RF power amplifier that was powered by AA batteries, allowing it to safely float at 4-6 kV with the cathode of the jet experiment. The argon RF discharge equilibrium and transport properties were analyzed, and novel jet dynamics were observed. Although the RF plasma source was conceived as a wave-heated helicon source, scaling measurements and numerical modeling showed that inductive coupling was the dominant energy input mechanism. A one-dimensional time-dependent fluid model was developed to quantitatively explain the expansion of the pre-ionized plasma into the jet experiment chamber. The plasma transitioned from an ionizing phase with depressed neutral emission to a recombining phase with enhanced emission during the course of the experiment, causing fast camera images to be a poor indicator of the density distribution. Under certain conditions, the total visible and infrared brightness and the downstream ion density both increased after the RF power was turned off. The time-dependent emission patterns were used for an indirect measurement of the neutral gas pressure. The low-mass jets formed with the aid of the pre-ionization system were extremely narrow and collimated near the electrodes, with peak density exceeding that of jets created without pre-ionization. The initial neutral gas distribution prior to plasma breakdown was found to be critical in determining the ultimate jet structure. The visible radius of the dense central jet column was several times narrower than the axial current channel radius, suggesting that the outer portion of the jet must have been force free, with the current parallel to the magnetic field. The studies of non-equilibrium flows and plasma self-organization being carried out at Caltech are relevant to astrophysical jets and fusion energy research.

Application of Atmospheric-Pressure Microwave Line Plasma for Low Temperature Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Haruka; Nakano, Suguru; Itoh, Hitoshi; Sekine, Makoto; Hori, Masaru; Toyoda, Hirotaka

2015-09-01

Atmospheric pressure (AP) plasmas have been given much attention because of its high cost benefit and a variety of possibilities for industrial applications. In various kinds of plasma production technique, pulsed-microwave discharge plasma using slot antenna is attractive due to its ability of high-density and stable plasma production. In this plasma source, however, size of the plasma has been limited up to a few cm in length due to standing wave inside a waveguide. To solve this, we have proposed a newly-developed AP microwave plasma source that utilizes not standing wave but travelling wave. By using this plasma source, spatially-uniform AP line plasma with 40 cm in length was realized by pure helium discharge in 60 cm slot and with nitrogen gas additive of 1%. Furthermore, gas temperature as low as 400 K was realized in this device. In this study, as an example of low temperature processes, hydrophilic treatment of PET films was performed. Processing speed increased with pulse frequency and a water contact angle of ~20° was easily obtained within 5 s with no thermal damage to the substrate. To evaluate treatment-uniformity of long line length, PET films were treated by 90 cm slot-antenna plasma and uniform treatment performance was confirmed.

Recent progress of RF-dominated experiments on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, F. K.; Zhao, Y. P.; Shan, J. F.; Zhang, X. J.; Ding, B. J.; Wang, X. J.; Wang, M.; Xu, H. D.; Qin, C. M.; Li, M. H.; Gong, X. Z.; Hu, L. Q.; Wan, B. N.; Song, Y. T.; Li, J. G.

2017-10-01

The research of EAST program is mostly focused on the development of high performance steady state scenario with ITER-like poloidal configuration and RF-dominated heating schemes. With the enhanced ITER-relevant auxiliary heating and current drive systems, the plasma profile control by coupling/integration of various combinations has been investigated, including lower hybrid current drive (LHCD), electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH). The 12 MW ICRH system has been installed on EAST. Heating and confinement studies using the Hydrogen Minority Heating scheme have been investigated. One of the importance challenges for EAST is coupling higher power into the core plasma, experiments including changing plasma position, electron density, local gas puffing and antenna phasing scanning were performed to improve ICRF coupling efficiency on EAST. Results show that local gas injection and reducing the k|| can improve the coupling efficiency directly. By means of the 4.6 GHz and 2.45 GHz LHCD systems, H-mode can be obtained and sustained at relatively high density, even up to ne ˜ 4.5 × 1019 m-3, where a current drive effect is still observed. Meanwhile, effect of source frequency (2.45GHz and 4.6GHz) on LHCD characteristic has been studied on EAST, showing that higher frequency improves penetration of the coupled LH (lower hybrid) power into the plasma core and leads to a better effect on plasma characteristics. Studies demonstrate the role of parasitic effects of edge plasma in LHCD and the mitigation by increasing source frequency. Experiments of effect of LH spectrum and plasma density on plasma characteristics are performed, suggesting the possibility of plasma control for high performance. The development of a 4MW ECRH system is in progress for the purpose of plasma heating and MHD control. The built ECRH system with 1MW source power has been successfully put into use on EAST in 2015. H-mode discharges with L-H transition triggered by ECRH injection were obtained and its effects on the electron temperature, particle confinement and the core MHD stabilities were observed. By further exploring and optimizing the RF combination for the sole RF heating and current drive regime, fully non-inductive H-mode discharges with Vloop˜0V has progressed steadily in the 2016 campaign. The overview of the significant progress of RF dominated experiments is presented in this paper.

Progress in the characterization of diamond thin films prepared by a laser plasma discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davanloo, F.; Juengerman, E. M.; Jander, D. R.; Lee, T. J.; Collins, C. B.

Progress in the characterization of diamond thin films produced by a unique laser plasma discharge source at practical growth rates of 0.7 micron/hr is reported. Optical properties, mass densities, and electrical resistivities of deposited films are given and their relationship to the power density of the laser at the graphite target is discussed. Examination of films with scanning tunneling microscopy show the clear prevalence of the structure recently predicted by Angus et al. (1990) in which sp3 clusters are bonded together with the carbon polytypes.

Applied axial magnetic field effects on laboratory plasma jets: Density hollowing, field compression, and azimuthal rotation

DOE PAGES

Byvank, T.; Banasek, J. T.; Potter, W. M.; ...

2017-12-07

We experimentally measure the effects of an applied axial magnetic field (B z) on laboratory plasma jets and compare experimental results with numerical simulations using an extended magnetohydrodynamics code. A 1 MA peak current, 100 ns rise time pulse power machine is used to generate the plasma jet. On application of the axial field, we observe on-axis density hollowing and a conical formation of the jet using interferometry, compression of the applied B z using magnetic B-dot probes, and azimuthal rotation of the jet using Thomson scattering. Experimentally, we find densities ≤ 5×10 17 cm -3 on-axis relative to jetmore » densities of ≥ 3×10 18 cm -3. For aluminum jets, 6.5 ± 0.5 mm above the foil, we find on-axis compression of the applied 1.0 ± 0.1 T B z to a total 2.4 ± 0.3 T, while simulations predict a peak compression to a total 3.4 T at the same location. On the aluminum jet boundary, we find ion azimuthal rotation velocities of 15-20 km/s, while simulations predict 14 km/s at the density peak. We discuss possible sources of discrepancy between the experiments and simulations, including: surface plasma on B-dot probes, optical fiber spatial resolution, simulation density floors, and 2D vs. 3D simulation effects. Lastly, this quantitative comparison between experiments and numerical simulations helps elucidate the underlying physics that determine the plasma dynamics of magnetized plasma jets.« less

Applied axial magnetic field effects on laboratory plasma jets: Density hollowing, field compression, and azimuthal rotation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Byvank, T.; Banasek, J. T.; Potter, W. M.

We experimentally measure the effects of an applied axial magnetic field (B z) on laboratory plasma jets and compare experimental results with numerical simulations using an extended magnetohydrodynamics code. A 1 MA peak current, 100 ns rise time pulse power machine is used to generate the plasma jet. On application of the axial field, we observe on-axis density hollowing and a conical formation of the jet using interferometry, compression of the applied B z using magnetic B-dot probes, and azimuthal rotation of the jet using Thomson scattering. Experimentally, we find densities ≤ 5×10 17 cm -3 on-axis relative to jetmore » densities of ≥ 3×10 18 cm -3. For aluminum jets, 6.5 ± 0.5 mm above the foil, we find on-axis compression of the applied 1.0 ± 0.1 T B z to a total 2.4 ± 0.3 T, while simulations predict a peak compression to a total 3.4 T at the same location. On the aluminum jet boundary, we find ion azimuthal rotation velocities of 15-20 km/s, while simulations predict 14 km/s at the density peak. We discuss possible sources of discrepancy between the experiments and simulations, including: surface plasma on B-dot probes, optical fiber spatial resolution, simulation density floors, and 2D vs. 3D simulation effects. Lastly, this quantitative comparison between experiments and numerical simulations helps elucidate the underlying physics that determine the plasma dynamics of magnetized plasma jets.« less

Microwave Assisted Helicon Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKee, John; Caron, David; Jemiolo, Andrew; Scime, Earl

2017-10-01

The use of two (or more) rf sources at different frequencies is a common technique in the plasma processing industry to control ion energy characteristics separately from plasma generation. A similar approach is presented here with the focus on modifying the electron population in argon and helium plasmas. The plasma is generated by a helicon source at a frequency f0 = 13.56 MHz. Microwaves of frequency f1 = 2.45 GHz are then injected into the helicon source chamber perpendicular to the background magnetic field. The microwaves damp on the electrons via X-mode Electron Cyclotron Heating (ECH) at the upper hybrid resonance, providing additional energy input into the electrons. The effects of this secondary-source heating on electron density, temperature, and energy distribution function are examined and compared to helicon-only single source plasmas as well as numeric models suggesting that the heating is not evenly distributed. Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) is used to examine the impact of the energetic tail of the electron distribution on ion and neutral species via collisional excitation. Large enhancements of neutral spectral lines are observed in both Ar and He. While small enhancement of ion lines is seen in Ar, ion lines not normally present in He are observed during microwave injection. U.S. National Science Foundation Grant No. PHY-1360278.

Spectroscopic characterization of H 2 and D 2 helicon plasmas generated by a resonant antenna for neutral beam applications in fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marini, C.; Agnello, R.; Duval, B. P.; Furno, I.; Howling, A. A.; Jacquier, R.; Karpushov, A. N.; Plyushchev, G.; Verhaegh, K.; Guittienne, Ph.; Fantz, U.; Wünderlich, D.; Béchu, S.; Simonin, A.

2017-03-01

A new generation of neutral beam systems will be required in future fusion reactors, such as DEMO, able to deliver high power (up to 50 MW) with high (800 keV or higher) neutral energy. Only negative ion beams may be able to attain this performance, which has encouraged a strong research focus on negative ion production from both surface and volumetric plasma sources. A novel helicon plasma source, based on the resonant birdcage network antenna configuration, is currently under study at the Swiss Plasma Centre before installation on the Cybele negative ion source at the Institute for Magnetic Fusion Research, CEA, Cadarache, France. This source is driven by up to 10 kW at 13.56 MHz, and is being tested on a linear resonant antenna ion device. Passive spectroscopic measurements of the first three Balmer lines α, β and γ and of the Fulcher-α bands were performed with an f/2 spectrometer, for both hydrogen and deuterium. Multiple viewing lines and an absolute intensity calibration were used to determine the plasma radiance profile, with a spatial resolution  <3 mm. A minimum Fisher regularization algorithm was applied to obtain the absolute emissivity profile for each emission line for cylindrical symmetry, which was experimentally confirmed. An uncertainty estimate of the inverted profiles was performed using a Monte Carlo approach. Finally, a radiofrequency-compensated Langmuir probe was inserted to measured the electron temperature and density profiles. The absolute line emissivities are interpreted using the collisional-radiative code YACORA which estimates the degree of dissociation and the distribution of the atomic and molecular species, including the negative ion density. This paper reports the results of a power scan up to 5 kW in conditions satisfying Cybele requirements for the plasma source, namely a low neutral pressure, p≤slant 0.3 Pa and magnetic field B≤slant 150 G.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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.

Strong Turbulence in Alkali Halide Negative Ion Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheehan, Daniel

1999-11-01

Negative ion plasmas (NIPs) are charge-neutral plasmas in which the negative charge is dominated by negative ions rather than electrons. They are found in laser discharges, combustion products, semiconductor manufacturing processes, stellar atmospheres, pulsar magnetospheres, and the Earth's ionosphere, both naturally and man-made. They often display signatures of strong turbulence^1. Development of a novel, compact, unmagnetized alkali halide (MX) NIP source will be discussed, it incorporating a ohmically-heated incandescent (2500K) tantulum solenoid (3cm dia, 15 cm long) with heat shields. The solenoid ionizes the MX vapor and confines contaminant electrons, allowing a very dry (electron-free) source. Plasma densities of 10^10 cm-3 and positive to negative ion mass ratios of 1 <= fracm_+m- <= 20 are achievable. The source will allow tests of strong turbulence theory^2. 1 Sheehan, D.P., et al., Phys. Fluids B5, 1593 (1993). 2 Tsytovich, V. and Wharton, C.W., Comm. Plasma Phys. Cont. Fusion 4, 91 (1978).

3D Field Modifications of Core Neutral Fueling In the EMC3-EIRENE Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waters, Ian; Frerichs, Heinke; Schmitz, Oliver; Ahn, Joon-Wook; Canal, Gustavo; Evans, Todd; Feng, Yuehe; Kaye, Stanley; Maingi, Rajesh; Soukhanovskii, Vsevolod

2017-10-01

The application of 3-D magnetic field perturbations to the edge plasmas of tokamaks has long been seen as a viable way to control damaging Edge Localized Modes (ELMs). These 3-D fields have also been correlated with a density drop in the core plasmas of tokamaks; known as `pump-out'. While pump-out is typically explained as the result of enhanced outward transport, degraded fueling of the core may also play a role. By altering the temperature and density of the plasma edge, 3-D fields will impact the distribution function of high energy neutral particles produced through ion-neutral energy exchange processes. Starved of the deeply penetrating neutral source, the core density will decrease. Numerical studies carried out with the EMC3-EIRENE code on National Spherical Tokamak eXperiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) equilibria show that this change to core fueling by high energy neutrals may be a significant contributor to the overall particle balance in the NSTX-U tokamak: deep core (Ψ < 0.5) fueling from neutral ionization sources is decreased by 40-60% with RMPs. This work was funded by the US Department of Energy under Grant DE-SC0012315.

4th Generation ECR Ion Sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lyneis, Claude M.; Leitner, D.; Todd, D.S.

2008-12-01

The concepts and technical challenges related to developing a 4th generation ECR ion source with an RF frequency greater than 40 GHz and magnetic confinement fields greater than twice Becr will be explored in this paper. Based on the semi-empirical frequency scaling of ECR plasma density with the square of operating frequency, there should be significant gains in performance over current 3rd generation ECR ion sources, which operate at RF frequencies between 20 and 30 GHz. While the 3rd generation ECR ion sources use NbTi superconducting solenoid and sextupole coils, the new sources will need to use different superconducting materialsmore » such as Nb3Sn to reach the required magnetic confinement, which scales linearly with RF frequency. Additional technical challenges include increased bremsstrahlung production, which may increase faster than the plasma density, bremsstrahlung heating of the cold mass and the availability of high power continuous wave microwave sources at these frequencies. With each generation of ECR ion sources, there are new challenges to be mastered, but the potential for higher performance and reduced cost of the associated accelerator continue to make this a promising avenue for development.« less

Effect of solenoidal magnetic field on drifting laser plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Kazumasa; Okamura, Masahiro; Sekine, Megumi; Cushing, Eric; Jandovitz, Peter

2013-04-01

An ion source for accelerators requires to provide a stable waveform with a certain pulse length appropriate to the application. The pulse length of laser ion source is easy to control because it is expected to be proportional to plasma drifting distance. However, current density decay is proportional to the cube of the drifting distance, so large current loss will occur under unconfined drift. We investigated the stability and current decay of a Nd:YAG laser generated copper plasma confined by a solenoidal field using a Faraday cup to measure the current waveform. It was found that the plasma was unstable at certain magnetic field strengths, so a baffle was introduced to limit the plasma diameter at injection and improve the stability. Magnetic field, solenoid length, and plasma diameter were varied in order to find the conditions that minimize current decay and maximize stability.

On-site SiH4 generator using hydrogen plasma generated in slit-type narrow gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takei, Norihisa; Shinoda, Fumiya; Kakiuchi, Hiroaki; Yasutake, Kiyoshi; Ohmi, Hiromasa

2018-06-01

We have been developing an on-site silane (SiH4) generator based on use of the chemical etching reaction between solid silicon (Si) and the high-density H atoms that are generated in high-pressure H2 plasma. In this study, we have developed a slit-type plasma source for high-efficiency SiH4 generation. High-density H2 plasma was generated in a narrow slit-type discharge gap using a 2.45 GHz microwave power supply. The plasma’s optical emission intensity distribution along the slit was measured and the resulting distribution was reflected by both the electric power distribution and the hydrogen gas flow. Because the Si etching rate strongly affects the SiH4 generation rate, the Si etching behavior was investigated with respect to variations in the experimental parameters. The weight etch rate increased monotonically with increasing input microwave power. However, the weight etch rate decreased with increasing H2 pressure and an increasing plasma gap. This reduction in the etch rate appears to be related to shrinkage of the plasma generation area because increased input power is required to maintain a constant plasma area with increasing H2 pressure and the increasing plasma gap. Additionally, the weight etch rate also increases with increasing H2 flow rate. The SiH4 generation rate of the slit-type plasma source was also evaluated using gas-phase Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy and the material utilization efficiencies of both Si and the H2 gas for SiH4 gas formation were discussed. The main etch product was determined to be SiH4 and the developed plasma source achieved a SiH4 generation rate of 10 sccm (standard cubic centimeters per minute) at an input power of 900 W. In addition, the Si utilization efficiency exceeded 60%.

Investigation of radiofrequency plasma sources for space travel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charles, C.; Boswell, R. W.; Takahashi, K.

2012-12-01

Optimization of radiofrequency (RF) plasma sources for the development of space thrusters differs from other applications such as plasma processing of materials since power efficiency, propellant usage, particle acceleration or heating become driving parameters. The development of two RF (13.56 MHz) plasma sources, the high-pressure (˜1 Torr) capacitively coupled ‘pocket rocket’ plasma micro-thruster and the low-pressure (˜1 mTorr) inductively coupled helicon double layer thruster (HDLT), is discussed within the context of mature and emerging electric propulsion devices. The density gradient in low-pressure expanding RF plasmas creates an electric field that accelerates positive ions out of the plasma. Generally, the total potential drop is similar to that of a wall sheath allowing the plasma electrons to neutralize the ion beam. A high-pressure expansion with no applied magnetic field can result in large dissociation rates and/or a collimated beam of ions of small area and a flowing heated neutral beam (‘pocket rocket’). A low-pressure expansion dominated by a magnetic field can result in the formation of electric double layers which produce a very directed neutralized beam of ions of large area (HDLT).

Analysis of Particle Transport in DIII-D H-mode Plasma with a Generalized Pinch-Diffusion Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owen, L. W.; Stacey, W. M.; Groebner, R. J.; Callen, J. D.; Bonnin, X.

2009-11-01

Interpretative analyses of particle transport in the pedestal region of H-mode plasmas typically yield diffusion coefficients that are very small (<0.1 m^2/s) in the steep gradient region when a purely diffusive particle flux is fitted to the experimental density gradients. Previous evaluation of the particle and momentum balance equations using the experimental data indicated that the pedestal profiles are consistent with transport described by a pinch-diffusion particle flux relation [1]. This type of model is used to calculate the diffusion coefficient and pinch velocity in the core for an inter-ELM H-mode plasma in the DIII-D discharge 98889. Full-plasma SOPLS simulations using neutral beam particle and energy sources from ONETWO calculations and the model transport coefficients show good agreement with the measured density pedestal profile. 6pt [1] W.M. Stacey and R.J. Groebner, Phys. Plasmas 12, 042504 (2005).

Electron diamagnetic effect in a magnetic nozzle on a helicon plasma thruster performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Kazunori; Lafleur, Trevor; Charles, Christine; Alexander, Peter; Boswell, Rod

2012-10-01

The axial force, which is called thrust sometimes, imparted from a magnetically expanding helicon plasma thruster is directly measured and the results are compared with a two-dimensional fluid theory. The force component solely transmitted to the expanding field is directly measured and identified as an axial force produced by the azimuthal current due to an electron diamagnetic drift and the radial component of the applied magnetic field. In this type of configuration, plasma diffusion in magnetic field affects a spatial profile of the plasma density and the resultant axial force onto the magnetic field. It is observed that the force component onto the magnetic field increases with an increase in the magnetic field strength, simultaneously with an increase in the plasma density downstream of the source exit, which could be due to suppression of the cross field diffusion in the magnetic nozzle.

Solitary plasma rings and magnetic field generation involving gravity and differential rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coppi, B.

2012-12-01

A new theoretical framework for describing how magnetic fields are generated and amplified is provided by finding magneto-gravitational modes that involve gravity, density gradients, and differential rotation in an essential way. Other factors, such as the presence of a high temperature particle population or of a temperature gradient, can contribute to their excitation. These modes identified by a linearized analysis are shown to be important for the evolution of plasma disks surrounding black holes toward different configurations. Since the nonlinear development of these modes can lead to radially localized regions with a relatively small differential rotation, new stationary structures have been identified, in the (fully) nonlinear limit, which are localized radially over regions with negligible gradients of the rotation frequency. These structures, characterized by solitary plasma rings, do not involve a pre-existing "seed" magnetic field, unlike other configurations found previously. The relevant magnetic energy density is comparable to the gravitationally confined plasma pressure. The "source" of these configurations is the combination of the gravitational force and of the plasma density gradient orthogonal to it that is an important factor in the theory of magneto-gravitational modes, another important factor being an anisotropy of the plasma pressure.

Tungsten impurity transport experiments in Alcator C-Mod to address high priority research and development for ITER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Loarte, A.; Polevoi, A. R.; Hosokawa, M.

2015-05-15

Experiments in Alcator C-Mod tokamak plasmas in the Enhanced D-alpha H-mode regime with ITER-like mid-radius plasma density peaking and Ion Cyclotron Resonant heating, in which tungsten is introduced by the laser blow-off technique, have demonstrated that accumulation of tungsten in the central region of the plasma does not take place in these conditions. The measurements obtained are consistent with anomalous transport dominating tungsten transport except in the central region of the plasma where tungsten transport is neoclassical, as previously observed in other devices with dominant neutral beam injection heating, such as JET and ASDEX Upgrade. In contrast to such results,more » however, the measured scale lengths for plasma temperature and density in the central region of these Alcator C-Mod plasmas, with density profiles relatively flat in the core region due to the lack of core fuelling, are favourable to prevent inter and intra sawtooth tungsten accumulation in this region under dominance of neoclassical transport. Simulations of ITER H-mode plasmas, including both anomalous (modelled by the Gyro-Landau-Fluid code GLF23) and neoclassical transport for main ions and tungsten and with density profiles of similar peaking to those obtained in Alcator C-Mod show that accumulation of tungsten in the central plasma region is also unlikely to occur in stationary ITER H-mode plasmas due to the low fuelling source by the neutral beam injection (injection energy ∼ 1 MeV), which is in good agreement with findings in the Alcator C-Mod experiments.« less

Studies of RF sheaths and diagnostics on IShTAR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crombé, K., E-mail: Kristel.Crombe@UGent.be; LPP-ERM/KMS, Royal Military Academy, Brussels; Devaux, S.

2015-12-10

IShTAR (Ion cyclotron Sheath Test ARrangement) is a linear magnetised plasma test facility for RF sheaths studies at the Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik in Garching. In contrast to a tokamak, a test stand provides more liberty to impose the parameters and gives better access for the instrumentation and antennas. The project will support the development of diagnostic methods for characterising RF sheaths and validate and improve theoretical predictions. The cylindrical vacuum vessel has a diameter of 1 m and is 1.1 m long. The plasma is created by an external cylindrical plasma source equipped with a helical antenna that has been designed tomore » excite the m=1 helicon mode. In inductive mode, plasma densities and electron temperatures have been characterised with a planar Langmuir probe as a function of gas pressure and input RF power. A 2D array of RF compensated Langmuir probes and a spectrometer are planned. A single strap RF antenna has been designed; the plasma-facing surface is aligned to the cylindrical plasma to ease the modelling. The probes will allow direct measurements of plasma density profiles in front of the RF antenna, and thus a detailed study of the density modifications induced by RF sheaths, which influences the coupling. The RF antenna frequency has been chosen to study different plasma wave interactions: the accessible plasma density range includes an evanescent and propagative behaviour of slow or fast waves, and allows the study of the effect of the lower hybrid resonance layer.« less

Scaling of X pinches from 1 MA to 6 MA.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bland, Simon Nicholas; McBride, Ryan D.; Wenger, David Franklin

This final report for Project 117863 summarizes progress made toward understanding how X-pinch load designs scale to high currents. The X-pinch load geometry was conceived in 1982 as a method to study the formation and properties of bright x-ray spots in z-pinch plasmas. X-pinch plasmas driven by 0.2 MA currents were found to have source sizes of 1 micron, temperatures >1 keV, lifetimes of 10-100 ps, and densities >0.1 times solid density. These conditions are believed to result from the direct magnetic compression of matter. Physical models that capture the behavior of 0.2 MA X pinches predict more extreme parametersmore » at currents >1 MA. This project developed load designs for up to 6 MA on the SATURN facility and attempted to measure the resulting plasma parameters. Source sizes of 5-8 microns were observed in some cases along with evidence for high temperatures (several keV) and short time durations (<500 ps).« less

Perspective on the Role of Negative Ions and Ion-Ion Plasmas in Heavy Ion Fusion Science, Magnetic Fusion Energy,and Related Fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grisham, L. R.; Kwan, J. W.

2008-08-01

Some years ago it was suggested that halogen negative ions could offer a feasible alternative path to positive ions as a heavy ion fusion driver beam which would not suffer degradation due to electron accumulation in the accelerator and beam transport system, and which could be converted to a neutral beam by photodetachment near the chamber entrance if desired. Since then, experiments have demonstrated that negative halogen beams can be extracted and accelerated away from the gas plume near the source with a surviving current density close to what could be achieved with a positive ion of similar mass, andmore » with comparable optical quality. In demonstrating the feasibility of halogen negative ions as heavy ion driver beams, ion - ion plasmas, an interesting and somewhat novel state of matter, were produced. These plasmas, produced near the extractor plane of the sources, appear, based upon many lines of experimental evidence, to consist of almost equal densities of positive and negative chlorine ions, with only a small component of free electrons. Serendipitously, the need to extract beams from this plasma for driver development provides a unique diagnostic tool to investigate the plasma, since each component - positive ions, negative ions, and electrons - can be extracted and measured separately. We discuss the relevance of these observations to understanding negative ion beam extraction from electronegative plasmas such as halogens, or the more familiar hydrogen of magnetic fusion ion sources. We suggest a concept which might improve negative hydrogen extraction by the addition of a halogen. The possibility and challenges of producing ion - ion plasmas with thin targets of halogens or, perhaps, salt, is briefly addressed.« less

Sharpening of the 6.8 nm peak in an Nd:YAG laser produced Gd plasma by using a pre-formed plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tian, Yong; Song, Xiaolin; Xie, Zhuo

For effective use of a laser-produced-plasma (LPP) light source, an LPP is desired to emit a narrow spectral peak because the reflection spectrum of multilayer mirrors for guiding emission from the source is very narrow. While a Gd plasma has been studied extensively as an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source at around 6.8 nm, where La/B{sub 4}C multilayer is reported to have a high reflectivity with a bandwidth of about 0.6 %, all previous works using an Nd:YAG laser reported very broad spectra. This paper reports the first narrowing of the 6.8 nm peak in the case of using anmore » Nd:YAG laser to generate a Gd plasma by using a pre-pulse. The best peak narrowing is observed when a pre-formed plasma is heated by a 1064 nm main laser pulse with a duration of 10 ns at the irradiation density of 4x 10{sup 11} W/cm{sup 2} at a delay time of 50 ns after the pre-pulse irradiation. The observed spectral width of about 0.3 nm is about one fifth of the value for no pre-formed plasma. The peak wavelength of the 6.8 nm band shifted to a longer wavelength side and the peak was broadened both for lower and higher laser irradiation density. It is discussed that this robustness of the peak position of the 6.8 nm Gd peak against temperature change is suitable to achieve a narrow bandwidth from an LPP generated on solid. The observed spectra are compared with those previously reported in various conditions.« less

Intense Pulsed Heavy Ion Beam Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masugata, Katsumi; Ito, Hiroaki

Development of intense pulsed heavy ion beam accelerator technology is described for the application of materials processing. Gas puff plasma gun and vacuum arc discharge plasma gun were developed as an active ion source for magnetically insulated pulsed ion diode. Source plasma of nitrogen and aluminum were successfully produced with the gas puff plasma gun and the vacuum arc plasma gun, respectively. The ion diode was successfully operated with gas puff plasma gun at diode voltage 190 kV, diode current 2.2 kA and nitrogen ion beam of ion current density 27 A/cm2 was obtained. The ion composition was evaluated by a Thomson parabola spectrometer and the purity of the nitrogen ion beam was estimated to be 86%. The diode also operated with aluminum ion source of vacuum arc plasma gun. The ion diode was operated at 200 kV, 12 kA, and aluminum ion beam of current density 230 A/cm2 was obtained. The beam consists of aluminum ions (Al(1-3)+) of energy 60-400 keV, and protons (90-130 keV), and the purity was estimated to be 89 %. The development of the bipolar pulse accelerator (BPA) was reported. A double coaxial type bipolar pulse generator was developed as the power supply of the BPA. The generator was tested with dummy load of 7.5 ohm, bipolar pulses of -138 kV, 72 ns (1st pulse) and +130 kV, 70 ns (2nd pulse) were succesively generated. By applying the bipolar pulse to the drift tube of the BPA, nitrogen ion beam of 2 A/cm2 was observed in the cathode, which suggests the bipolar pulse acceleration.

Laser-plasma extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray sources based on a double stream gas puff target: interaction of the radiation pulses with matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartnik, A.

2015-06-01

In this work a review of investigations concerning interaction of intense extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray (SXR) pulses with matter is presented. The investigations were performed using laser-produced plasma (LPP) EUV/SXR sources based on a double stream gas puff target. The sources are equipped with dedicated collectors allowing for efficient focusing of the EUV/SXR radiation pulses. Intense radiation in a wide spectral range, as well as a quasi-monochromatic radiation can be produced. In the paper different kinds of LPP EUV/SXR sources developed in the Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology are described. Radiation intensities delivered by the sources are sufficient for different kinds of interaction experiments including EUV/SXR induced ablation, surface treatment, EUV fluorescence or photoionized plasma creation. A brief review of the main results concerning this kind of experiments performed by author of the paper are presented. However, since the LPP sources cannot compete with large scale X-ray sources like synchrotrons, free electron lasers or high energy density plasma sources, it was indicated that some investigations not requiring extreme irradiation parameters can be performed using the small scale installations. Some results, especially concerning low temperature photoionized plasmas are very unique and could be hardly obtained using the large facilities.

SOLAR HARD X-RAY SOURCE SIZES IN A BEAM-HEATED AND IONIZED CHROMOSPHERE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Flannagain, Aidan M.; Gallagher, Peter T.; Brown, John C.

2015-02-01

Solar flare hard X-rays (HXRs) are produced as bremsstrahlung when an accelerated population of electrons interacts with the dense chromospheric plasma. HXR observations presented by Kontar et al. using the Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager have shown that HXR source sizes are three to six times more extended in height than those predicted by the standard collisional thick target model (CTTM). Several possible explanations have been put forward including the multi-threaded nature of flare loops, pitch-angle scattering, and magnetic mirroring. However, the nonuniform ionization (NUI) structure along the path of the electron beam has not been fully explored as amore » solution to this problem. Ionized plasma is known to be less effective at producing nonthermal bremsstrahlung HXRs when compared to neutral plasma. If the peak HXR emission was produced in a locally ionized region within the chromosphere, the intensity of emission will be preferentially reduced around this peak, resulting in a more extended source. Due to this effect, along with the associated density enhancement in the upper chromosphere, injection of a beam of electrons into a partially ionized plasma should result in an HXR source that is substantially more vertically extended relative to that for a neutral target. Here we present the results of a modification to the CTTM, which takes into account both a localized form of chromospheric NUI and an increased target density. We find 50 keV HXR source widths, with and without the inclusion of a locally ionized region, of ∼3 Mm and ∼0.7 Mm, respectively. This helps to provide a theoretical solution to the currently open question of overly extended HXR sources.« less

Influence of the configuration of the magnetic filter field on the discharge structure in the RF driven negative ion source prototype for fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lishev, S.; Schiesko, L.; Wünderlich, D.; Fantz, U.

2017-08-01

The study provides results for the influence of the filter field topology on the plasma parameters in the RF prototype negative ion source for ITER NBI. A previously developed 2D fluid plasma model of the prototype source was extended towards accounting for the particles and energy losses along the magnetic field lines and the presence of a magnetic field in the driver which is the case at the BATMAN and ELISE test-beds. The effect of the magnetic field in the driver is shown for the magnetic field configuration of the prototype source (i.e. a magnetic field produced by an external magnet frame) by comparison of plasma parameters without and with the magnetic field in the driver and for different axial positions of the filter. Since the ELISE-like magnetic field (i.e. a magnetic field produced by a current flowing through the plasma grid) is a new feature planned to be installed at the BATMAN test-bed, its effect on the discharge structure was studied for different strengths of the magnetic field. The obtained results show for both configurations of the magnetic filter the same main features in the patterns of the plasma parameters in the expansion chamber: a strong axial drop of the electron temperature and the formation of a groove accompanied with accumulation of electrons in front of the plasma grid. The presence of a magnetic field in the driver has a local impact on the plasma parameters: the formation of a second groove of the electron temperature in the case of BATMAN (due to the reversed direction of the filter field in the driver) and a strong asymmetry of the electron density. Accounting for the additional losses in the third dimension suppresses the drifts across the magnetic field and, thus, the variations of the electron density in the expansion chamber are less pronounced.

Design of a high particle flux hydrogen helicon plasma source for used in plasma materials interaction studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goulding, R. H.; Chen, G.; Meitner, S.

2009-11-26

Existing linear plasma materials interaction (PMI) facilities all use plasma sources with internal electrodes. An rf-based helicon source is of interest because high plasma densities can be generated with no internal electrodes, allowing true steady state operation with minimal impurity generation. Work has begun at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to develop a large (15 cm) diameter helicon source producing hydrogen plasmas with parameters suitable for use in a linear PMI device: n{sub e}{>=}10{sup 19} m{sup -3}, T{sub e} = 4-10 eV, particle flux {gamma}{sub p}>10{sup 23}m{sup -3} s{sup -1}, and magnetic field strength |B| up to 1 T inmore » the source region. The device, whose design is based on a previous hydrogen helicon source operated at ORNL[1], will operate at rf frequencies in the range 10-26 MHz, and power levels up to {approx}100 kW. Limitations in cooling will prevent operation for pulses longer than several seconds, but a major goal will be the measurement of power deposition on device structures so that a later steady state version can be designed. The device design, the diagnostics to be used, and results of rf modeling of the device will be discussed. These include calculations of plasma loading, resulting currents and voltages in antenna structures and the matching network, power deposition profiles, and the effect of high |B| operation on power absorption.« less

Synthetic Microwave Imaging Reflectometry diagnostic using 3D FDTD Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruger, Scott; Jenkins, Thomas; Smithe, David; King, Jacob; Nimrod Team Team

2017-10-01

Microwave Imaging Reflectometry (MIR) has become a standard diagnostic for understanding tokamak edge perturbations, including the edge harmonic oscillations in QH mode operation. These long-wavelength perturbations are larger than the normal turbulent fluctuation levels and thus normal analysis of synthetic signals become more difficult. To investigate, we construct a synthetic MIR diagnostic for exploring density fluctuation amplitudes in the tokamak plasma edge by using the three-dimensional, full-wave FDTD code Vorpal. The source microwave beam for the diagnostic is generated and refelected at the cutoff surface that is distorted by 2D density fluctuations in the edge plasma. Synthetic imaging optics at the detector can be used to understand the fluctuation and background density profiles. We apply the diagnostic to understand the fluctuations in edge plasma density during QH-mode activity in the DIII-D tokamak, as modeled by the NIMROD code. This work was funded under DOE Grant Number DE-FC02-08ER54972.

Plasma upflows and microwave emission in hot supra-arcade structure associated with AN M1.6 limb flare

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, S.; Shibasaki, K.; Bain, H.-M.

2014-04-20

We have investigated a supra-arcade structure associated with an M1.6 flare, which occurred on the south-east limb on 2010 November 4. It is observed in EUV with the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, microwaves at 17 and 34 GHz with the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH), and soft X-rays of 8-20 keV with RHESSI. Interestingly, we found exceptional properties of the supra-arcade thermal plasma from the AIA 131 Å and the NoRH: (1) plasma upflows along large coronal loops and (2) enhancing microwave emission. RHESSI detected two soft X-ray sources, a broad one in the middle ofmore » the supra-arcade structure and a bright one just above the flare-arcade. We estimated the number density and thermal energy for these two source regions during the decay phase of the flare. In the supra-arcade source, we found that there were increases of the thermal energy and the density at the early and last stages, respectively. On the contrary, the density and thermal energy of the source on the top of the flare-arcade decreases throughout. The observed upflows imply that there is continuous energy supply into the supra-arcade structure from below during the decay phase of the flare. It is hard to explain by the standard flare model in which the energy release site is located high in the corona. Thus, we suggest that a potential candidate of the energy source for the hot supra-arcade structure is the flare-arcade, which has exhibited a predominant emission throughout.« less

The Gaussian Plasma Lens in Astrophysics: Refraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clegg, Andrew W.; Fey, Alan L.; Lazio, T. Joseph W.

1998-03-01

We present the geometrical optics for refraction of a distant background radio source by an interstellar plasma lens, with specific application to a lens with a Gaussian profile of free-electron column density. The refractive properties of the lens are specified completely by a dimensionless parameter α, which is a function of the wavelength of observation, the free-electron column density through the lens, the lens-observer distance, and the diameter of the lens transverse to the line of sight. A lens passing between the observer and a background source, due to the relative motions of the observer, lens, and source, produces modulations in the light curve of the background source. Because plasma lenses are diverging, the light curve displays a minimum in the background source's flux density, formed when the lens is on-axis, surrounded by enhancements above the nominal (unlensed) flux density. The exact form of the light curve depends only upon the parameter α and the relative angular sizes of the source and lens as seen by the observer. Other effects due to lensing include the following: (1) the formation of caustic surfaces, upon which the apparent brightness of the background source becomes very large; (2) the possible creation of multiple images of the background source; and (3) angular position wander of the background source. If caustics are formed, the separation of the outer caustics can be used to constrain α, while the separation of the inner caustics can constrain the size of the lens. We apply our analysis to two sources, which have undergone extreme scattering events: (1) 0954+658, a source for which we can identify multiple caustics in its light curve, and (2) 1741-038, for which polarization observations were obtained during and after the scattering event. We find general agreement between modeled and observed light curves at 2.25 GHz, but poor agreement at 8.1 GHz. The discrepancies between the modeled and observed light curves may result from some combination of substructure within the lens, an anisotropic lens shape, a lens which only grazes the source rather than passing completely over it, or unresolved substructure within the extragalactic sources. Our analysis also allows us to place constraints on the physical characteristics of the lens. The inferred properties of the lens responsible for the scattering event toward 0954+658 (1741-038) are that it was 0.38 AU (0.065 AU) in diameter with a peak column density of 0.24 pc cm-3 (10-4 pc cm-3), an electron density within the lens of 105 cm-3 (300 cm-3), and a mass of 6.5 × 10-14 M⊙ (10-18 M⊙). The angular position wander caused by the lens was 250 mas (0.4 mas) at 2.25 GHz. In the case of 1741-038, we can place an upper limit of only 100 mG on the magnetic field within the lens.

A source to deliver mesoscopic particles for laser plasma studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopal, R.; Kumar, R.; Anand, M.; Kulkarni, A.; Singh, D. P.; Krishnan, S. R.; Sharma, V.; Krishnamurthy, M.

2017-02-01

Intense ultrashort laser produced plasmas are a source for high brightness, short burst of X-rays, electrons, and high energy ions. Laser energy absorption and its disbursement strongly depend on the laser parameters and also on the initial size and shape of the target. The ability to change the shape, size, and material composition of the matter that absorbs light is of paramount importance not only from a fundamental physics point of view but also for potentially developing laser plasma sources tailored for specific applications. The idea of preparing mesoscopic particles of desired size/shape and suspending them in vacuum for laser plasma acceleration is a sparsely explored domain. In the following report we outline the development of a delivery mechanism of microparticles into an effusive jet in vacuum for laser plasma studies. We characterise the device in terms of particle density, particle size distribution, and duration of operation under conditions suitable for laser plasma studies. We also present the first results of x-ray emission from micro crystals of boric acid that extends to 100 keV even under relatively mild intensities of 1016 W/cm2.

Self-consistent modeling of electron cyclotron resonance ion sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girard, A.; Hitz, D.; Melin, G.; Serebrennikov, K.; Lécot, C.

2004-05-01

In order to predict the performances of electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS), it is necessary to perfectly model the different parts of these sources: (i) magnetic configuration; (ii) plasma characteristics; (iii) extraction system. The magnetic configuration is easily calculated via commercial codes; different codes also simulate the ion extraction, either in two dimension, or even in three dimension (to take into account the shape of the plasma at the extraction influenced by the hexapole). However the characteristics of the plasma are not always mastered. This article describes the self-consistent modeling of ECRIS: we have developed a code which takes into account the most important construction parameters: the size of the plasma (length, diameter), the mirror ratio and axial magnetic profile, whether a biased probe is installed or not. These input parameters are used to feed a self-consistent code, which calculates the characteristics of the plasma: electron density and energy, charge state distribution, plasma potential. The code is briefly described, and some of its most interesting results are presented. Comparisons are made between the calculations and the results obtained experimentally.

Picosecond excimer laser-plasma x-ray source for microscopy, biochemistry, and lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turcu, I. C. Edmond; Ross, Ian N.; Trenda, P.; Wharton, C. W.; Meldrum, R. A.; Daido, Hiroyuki; Schulz, M. S.; Fluck, P.; Michette, Alan G.; Juna, A. P.; Maldonado, Juan R.; Shields, Harry; Tallents, Gregory J.; Dwivedi, L.; Krishnan, J.; Stevens, D. L.; Jenner, T.; Batani, Dimitri; Goodson, H.

1994-02-01

At Rutherford Appleton Laboratory we developed a high repetition rate, picosecond, excimer laser system which generates a high temperature and density plasma source emitting approximately 200 mW (78 mW/sr) x ray average power at h(nu) approximately 1.2 KeV or 0.28 KeV < h(nu) < 0.53 KeV (the `water window'). At 3.37 nm wavelength the spectral brightness of the source is approximately 9 X 1011 photons/s/mm2/mrad2/0.1% bandwidth. The x-ray source serves a large user community for applications such as: scanning and holographic microscopy, the study of the biochemistry of DNA damage and repair, microlithography and spectroscopy.

Experimental observation of left polarized wave absorption near electron cyclotron resonance frequency in helicon antenna produced plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barada, Kshitish K.; Chattopadhyay, P. K.; Ghosh, J.

2013-01-15

Asymmetry in density peaks on either side of an m = +1 half helical antenna is observed both in terms of peak position and its magnitude with respect to magnetic field variation in a linear helicon plasma device [Barada et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 063501 (2012)]. The plasma is produced by powering the m = +1 half helical antenna with a 2.5 kW, 13.56 MHz radio frequency source. During low magnetic field (B < 100 G) operation, plasma density peaks are observed at critical magnetic fields on either side of the antenna. However, the density peaks occurred at differentmore » critical magnetic fields on both sides of antenna. Depending upon the direction of the magnetic field, in the m = +1 propagation side, the main density peak has been observed around 30 G of magnetic field. On this side, the density peak around 5 G corresponding to electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) is not very pronounced, whereas in the m = -1 propagation side, very pronounced ECR peak has been observed around 5 G. Another prominent density peak around 12 G has also been observed in m = -1 side. However, no peak has been observed around 30 G on this m = -1 side. This asymmetry in the results on both sides is explained on the basis of polarization reversal of left hand polarized waves to right hand polarized waves and vice versa in a bounded plasma system. The density peaking phenomena are likely to be caused by obliquely propagating helicon waves at the resonance cone boundary.« less

Source Region and Growth Analysis of Narrowband Z-mode Emission at Saturn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menietti, J. D.; Pisa, D.; Santolik, O.; Ye, S.; Arridge, C. S.; Coates, A. J.

2015-12-01

Z-mode intensity levels can be significant in the lower density region near the inner edge of the Enceladus torus at Saturn, where these waves may resonate with electrons at MeV energies. The source mechanism of this emission, which is narrow banded and most intense near 5 kHz, is not yet well understood. We survey the Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) data to isolate several probable source regions. Electron phase space distributions are obtained from the Cassini Electron Spectrometer (ELS), a part of the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) investigation. These data are analyzed in seeking the wave source mechanism, free energy source and growth rate of Z-mode observations. We present the first results of our analysis.

Neutral particle dynamics in a high-power RF source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Todorov, D., E-mail: dimitar-tdrv@phys.uni-sofia.bg; Paunska, Ts.; Shivarova, A.

2015-04-08

Previous studies on the spatial discharge structure in the SPIDER source of negative hydrogen/deuterium ions carried out at low applied power are extended towards description of the discharge maintenance under the conditions of the actual rf power deposition of 100 kW planned for a single driver of the source. In addition to the expected higher electron density, the results show strong increase of the electron temperature and of the temperatures of the neutral species (hydrogen atoms and molecules). In the discussions, not only the spatial distribution of the plasma parameters but also that of the fluxes in the discharge (particlemore » and energy fluxes) is involved. The obtained results come in confirmation of basic concepts for low-pressure discharge maintenance: (i) mutually related electron density and temperature as a display of the generalized Schottky condition, (ii) discharge behavior governed by the fluxes, i.e. strong nonlocality in the discharge, and (iii) a non-ambipolarity in the discharge regime, which originates from shifted maxima of the electron density and temperature and shows evidence in a vortex electron flux and in a dc current in a rf discharge, the latter resulting from a shift in the positions of the maxima of the electron density and plasma potential.« less

Faraday Rotation as a Probe of Coronal Mass Ejections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kooi, J. E.; Spangler, S. R.; Kassim, N. E.

2016-12-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large-scale eruptions of plasma from the Sun that play an important role in space weather. Although CMEs have been an active field of research since their discovery in the 1970s, there is still much to understand about the plasma structure of CMEs. Faraday rotation (FR) is the rotation of the plane of polarization that results when a linearly polarized signal passes through a magnetized plasma such as a CME. FR observations of a source near the Sun can provide information on the plasma structure of a CME shortly after launch. We made sensitive Very Large Array (VLA) full-polarization observations in August, 2012, using 1 — 2 GHz frequencies of a "constellation" of radio sources through the solar corona at heliocentric distances that ranged from 6 — 15 solar radii. Of the nine sources observed, three were occulted by CMEs. In addition to our radioastronomical observations, which represent one of the first active hunts for CME Faraday rotation since Bird et al. (1985) and the first active hunt using the VLA, we obtained white-light coronagraph images from the LASCO/C3 instrument to determine the Thomson scattering brightness, BT, providing a means to independently estimate the plasma density and determine its contribution to the observed Faraday rotation. A constant density force-free flux rope embedded in the background corona was used to model the effects of the CMEs on BT and FR. The single flux rope model successfully reproduces the observed BT and FR profiles for two sources. The third source (0843+1547) was occulted by two CMEs and, therefore, we modeled observations of this source using two flux ropes embedded in the background corona. The two flux rope model successfully reproduces both BT and FR profiles for 0843+1547 and, in particular, the two flux rope model successfully replicates the appropriate slope in FR before and after occultation by the second CME and predicts the observed change in sign to FR > 0 at the end of the observing session. The plasma densities (6 — 22 × 103 cm-3) and axial magnetic field strengths (2 — 12 mG) inferred from our models are consistent with the modeling work of Liu et al. (2007) and Jensen et al. (2008), as well as previous CME FR observations by Bird et al. (1985). This work was supported at the University of Iowa by grant ATM09-56901.

Plasma monitoring of the RLVIP-process with a Langmuir probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huber, D.; Hallbauer, A.; Pulker, H. K.

2005-09-01

The aim of this investigation was to study the characteristics of a reactive-low-voltage-high-current-ion-plating plasma and to correlate the observed plasma data with the properties of films deposited under such conditions. A Langmuir probe system (Smart Probe - Scientific Systems) was inserted into a Balzers BAP 800 ion plating plant above the e-gun evaporation source close to the insulated substrate holder. In this position during RLVIP deposition, plasma potential, floating potential, self-bias voltage, electron temperature, ion current density, and particle number density were measured and calculated, respectively. All measurements were performed in dependence of arc current (20-80A) and oxygen partial pressure (1 - 36 x 10-4mbar). With rising arc current the number of charged particles, the self-bias voltage between plasma and substrates as well as the energy of the condensing and bombarding species were increased. These data explain the increase of density, refractive index and mechanical stress of RLVIP-metal-oxide-layers, like Ta2O5 and Nb2O5, deposited with higher arc currents. An increase of gas pressure decreased the energy of the particles and therefore reduced slightly film density and refractive index. However, it improved chemistry and eliminated unwanted residual optical absorption and also decreased compressive mechanical film stress.

Effects of feedstock availability on the negative ion behavior in a C{sub 4}F{sub 8} inductively coupled plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Shu-Xia; Research group PLASMANT, Dept. Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp; Gao, Fei

2015-07-21

In this paper, the negative ion behavior in a C{sub 4}F{sub 8} inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is investigated using a hybrid model. The model predicts a non-monotonic variation of the total negative ion density with power at low pressure (10–30 mTorr), and this trend agrees well with experiments that were carried out in many fluorocarbon (fc) ICP sources, like C{sub 2}F{sub 6}, CHF{sub 3}, and C{sub 4}F{sub 8}. This behavior is explained by the availability of feedstock C{sub 4}F{sub 8} gas as a source of the negative ions, as well as by the presence of low energy electrons due tomore » vibrational excitation at low power. The maximum of the negative ion density shifts to low power values upon decreasing pressure, because of the more pronounced depletion of C{sub 4}F{sub 8} molecules, and at high pressure (∼50 mTorr), the anion density continuously increases with power, which is similar to fc CCP sources. Furthermore, the negative ion composition is identified in this paper. Our work demonstrates that for a clear understanding of the negative ion behavior in radio frequency C{sub 4}F{sub 8} plasma sources, one needs to take into account many factors, like the attachment characteristics, the anion composition, the spatial profiles, and the reactor configuration. Finally, a detailed comparison of our simulation results with experiments is conducted.« less

Magnetothermodynamics: measurements of the thermodynamic properties in a relaxed magnetohydrodynamic plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, M.; Barbano, L. J.; Suen-Lewis, E. M.; Shrock, J. E.; Light, A. D.; Schaffner, D. A.; Brown, M. B.; Woodruff, S.; Meyer, T.

2018-02-01

We have explored the thermodynamics of compressed magnetized plasmas in laboratory experiments and we call these studies `magnetothermodynamics'. The experiments are carried out in the Swarthmore Spheromak eXperiment device. In this device, a magnetized plasma source is located at one end and at the other end, a closed conducting can is installed. We generate parcels of magnetized plasma and observe their compression against the end wall of the conducting cylinder. The plasma parameters such as plasma density, temperature and magnetic field are measured during compression using HeNe laser interferometry, ion Doppler spectroscopy and a linear probe array, respectively. To identify the instances of ion heating during compression, a PV diagram is constructed using measured density, temperature and a proxy for the volume of the magnetized plasma. Different equations of state are analysed to evaluate the adiabatic nature of the compressed plasma. A three-dimensional resistive magnetohydrodynamic code (NIMROD) is employed to simulate the twisted Taylor states and shows stagnation against the end wall of the closed conducting can. The simulation results are consistent to what we observe in our experiments.

Catastrophic global-avalanche of a hollow pressure filament

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Compernolle, B.; Poulos, M. J.; Morales, G. J.

2017-10-01

New results are presented of a basic heat transport experiment performed in the Large Plasma Device at UCLA. A ring-shaped electron beam source injects low energy electrons along a strong magnetic field into a preexisting, large and cold plasma. The injected electrons are thermalized by Coulomb collisions within a short distance and provide an off-axis heat source that results in a long, hollow, cylindrical region of elevated plasma pressure. The off-axis source is active for a period long compared to the density decay time, i.e., as time progresses the power per particle increases. Two distinct regimes are observed to take place, an early regime dominated by multiple avalanches, identified as a sudden intermittent rearrangement of the pressure profile that repeats under sustained heating, and a second regime dominated by broadband drift-Alfvén fluctuations. The transition between the two regimes is sudden and global, both radially and axially. The initial regime is characterized by peaked density and temperature profiles, while only the peaked temperature profile survives in the second regime. Recent measurements at multiple axial locations provide new insight into the axial dynamics of the global avalanche. Sponsored by NSF Grant 1619505 and by DOE/NSF at BaPSF.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baylor, Larry R.; Meitner, Steven J.

Magnetically confined fusion plasmas generate energy from deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion reactions that produce energetic 3.5 MeV alpha particles and 14 MeV neutrons. Since the DT fusion reaction rate is a strong function of plasma density, an efficient fueling source is needed to maintain high plasma density in such systems. Energetic ions in fusion plasmas are able to escape the confining magnetic fields at a much higher rate than the fusion reactions occur, thus dictating the fueling rate needed. These lost ions become neutralized and need to be pumped away as exhaust gas to be reinjected into the plasma as fuelmore » atoms.The technology to fuel and pump fusion plasmas has to be inherently compatible with the tritium fuel. An ideal holistic solution would couple the pumping and fueling such that the pump exhaust is directly fed back into pellet formation without including impurity gases. This would greatly reduce the processing needs for the exhaust. Concepts to accomplish this are discussed along with the fueling and pumping needs for a DT fusion reactor.« less

PULSION® HP: Tunable, High Productivity Plasma Doping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Felch, S. B.; Torregrosa, F.; Etienne, H.; Spiegel, Y.; Roux, L.; Turnbaugh, D.

2011-01-01

Plasma doping has been explored for many implant applications for over two decades and is now being used in semiconductor manufacturing for two applications: DRAM polysilicon counter-doping and contact doping. The PULSION HP is a new plasma doping tool developed by Ion Beam Services for high-volume production that enables customer control of the dominant mechanism—deposition, implant, or etch. The key features of this tool are a proprietary, remote RF plasma source that enables a high density plasma with low chamber pressure, resulting in a wide process space, and special chamber and wafer electrode designs that optimize doping uniformity.

Excitation of plasma waves by nonlinear currents induced by a high-frequency electromagnetic pulse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grishkov, V. E.; Uryupin, S. A.

2017-03-01

Excitation of plasma waves by nonlinear currents induced by a high-frequency electromagnetic pulse is analyzed within the kinetic approach. It is shown that the most efficient source of plasma waves is the nonlinear current arising due to the gradient of the energy density of the high-frequency field. Generation of plasma waves by the drag current is usually less efficient but not negligibly small at relatively high frequencies of electron-ion collisions. The influence of electron collisions on the excitation of plasma waves by pulses of different duration is described quantitatively.

Excitation of plasma waves by nonlinear currents induced by a high-frequency electromagnetic pulse

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grishkov, V. E.; Uryupin, S. A., E-mail: uryupin@sci.lebedev.ru

Excitation of plasma waves by nonlinear currents induced by a high-frequency electromagnetic pulse is analyzed within the kinetic approach. It is shown that the most efficient source of plasma waves is the nonlinear current arising due to the gradient of the energy density of the high-frequency field. Generation of plasma waves by the drag current is usually less efficient but not negligibly small at relatively high frequencies of electron–ion collisions. The influence of electron collisions on the excitation of plasma waves by pulses of different duration is described quantitatively.

Structure and dynamics of the umagnetized plasma around comet 67P/CG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henri, P.; Vallières, X.; Gilet, N.; Hajra, R.; Moré, J.; Goetz, C.; Richter, I.; Glassmeier, K. H.; Galand, M. F.; Heritier, K. L.; Eriksson, A. I.; Nemeth, Z.; Tsurutani, B.; Rubin, M.; Altwegg, K.

2016-12-01

At distances close enough to the Sun, when comets are characterised by a significant outgassing, the cometary neutral density may become large enough for both the cometary plasma and the cometary gas to be coupled, through ion-neutral and electron-neutral collisions. This coupling enables the formation of an unmagnetised expanding cometary ionosphere around the comet nucleus, also called diamagnetic cavity, within which the solar wind magnetic field cannot penetrate. The instruments of the Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC), onboard the Rosetta Orbiter, enable us to better constrain the structure, dynamics and stability of the plasma around comet 67P/CG. Recently, magnetic field measurements (RPC-MAG) have shown the existence of such a diamagnetic region around comet 67P/CG [Götz et al., 2016]. Contrary to a single, large scale, diamagnetic cavity such as what was observed around comet Halley, Rosetta have crossed several diamagnetic structures along its trajectory around comet 67P/CG. Using electron density measurements from the Mutual Impedance Probe (RPC-MIP) during the different diamagnetic cavity crossings, identified by the flux gate magnetometer (RPC-MAG), we map the unmagnetised plasma density around comet 67P/CG. Our aims is to better constrain the structure, dynamics and stability of this inner cometary plasma layer characterised by cold electrons (as witnessed by the Langmuir Probes RPC-LAP). The ionisation ratio in these unmagnetised region(s) is computed from the measured electron (RPC-MIP) and neutral gas (ROSINA/COPS) densities. In order to assess the importance of solar EUV radiation as a source of ionisation, the observed electron density will be compared to a the density expected from an ionospheric model taking into account solar radiation absorption. The crossings of diamagnetic region(s) by Rosetta show that the unmagnetised cometary plasma is particularly homogeneous, compared to the highly dynamical magnetised plasma observed in adjacent magnetised regions. Moreover, during the crossings of multiple, successive diamagnetic region(s) over time scales of tens of minutes or hours, the plasma density is almost identical in the different unmagnetised regions, suggesting that these unmagnetised regions may be a single diamagnetic structure crossed several times by Rosetta.

A Guillemin type E pulse forming network as the driver for a pulsed, high density plasma source.

PubMed

Rathod, Priyavandna J; Anitha, V P; Sholapurwala, Z H; Saxena, Y C

2014-06-01

A Guillemin type E pulse forming network (PFN) has been designed, developed, and tested for its application in generating high density (~1 × 10(18) m(-3)) plasmas. In the present study, plasma thus generated is utilized to investigate the interaction of high power microwaves (HPMs) with plasma in an experimental architecture known as SYMPLE (System for Microwave PLasma Experiment). Plasma discharges of ~100 μs (max) duration are to be produced, by delivering energy of 5 kJ stored in a PFN to the plasma source, a washer gun. The output of the PFN, in terms of its rise time, flat top and amplitude, needs to be tailored, depending on the experimental requirements. An ignitron (NL8900) trigger generator (ITG) is developed in-house to control the PFN discharge through the gun. This ITG is also to be used in a circuit that synchronizes the HPM and plasma shots, to ensure that HPM-plasma interaction takes place during a temporal regime where appropriate parametric conditions are satisfied. Hence it is necessary to retain the jitter within ±2.5 μs. Further, requirement on plasma quiescence (~10%) necessitates maintaining the ripple within 5%. The developmental work of the PFN, keeping in view the above criteria and the test results, is presented in this paper. The parameters of the PFN have been analytically approximated and verified with PSPICE simulation. The test results presented include rise time ~5-8 μs, flat top variable in the range 20-100 μs, ripple within ~1.5%, and jitter within ±2.5 μs, producing quiescent (<10%) plasma discharge meeting the experimental requirements.

Towards higher stability of resonant absorption measurements in pulsed plasmas.

PubMed

Britun, Nikolay; Michiels, Matthieu; Snyders, Rony

2015-12-01

Possible ways to increase the reliability of time-resolved particle density measurements in pulsed gaseous discharges using resonant absorption spectroscopy are proposed. A special synchronization, called "dynamic source triggering," between a gated detector and two pulsed discharges, one representing the discharge of interest and another being used as a reference source, is developed. An internal digital delay generator in the intensified charge coupled device camera, used at the same time as a detector, is utilized for this purpose. According to the proposed scheme, the light pulses from the reference source follow the gates of detector, passing through the discharge of interest only when necessary. This allows for the utilization of short-pulse plasmas as reference sources, which is critical for time-resolved absorption analysis of strongly emitting pulsed discharges. In addition to dynamic source triggering, the reliability of absorption measurements can be further increased using simultaneous detection of spectra relevant for absorption method, which is also demonstrated in this work. The proposed methods are illustrated by the time-resolved measurements of the metal atom density in a high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharge, using either a hollow cathode lamp or another HiPIMS discharge as a pulsed reference source.

Measurements and modeling of radio frequency field structures in a helicon plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, C. A.; Chen, Guangye; Arefiev, A. V.

2011-01-01

Measurements of the radio frequency (rf) field structure, plasma density, and electron temperature are presented for a 1 kW argon helicon plasma source. The measured profiles change considerably when the equilibrium magnetic field is reversed. The measured rf fields are identified as fields of radially localized helicon waves, which propagate in the axial direction. The rf field structure is compared to the results of two-dimensional cold plasma full-wave simulations for the measured density profiles. Electron collision frequency is adjusted in the simulations to match the simulated and measured field profiles. The resulting frequency is anomalously high, which is attributed tomore » the excitation of an ion-acoustic instability. The calculated power deposition is insensitive to the collision frequency and accounts for most of the power supplied by the rf-generator.« less

Quasi-Isentropic Compressibility of Deuterium at a Pressure of 12 TPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mochalov, M. A.; Il'kaev, R. I.; Fortov, V. E.; Mikhailov, A. L.; Arinin, V. A.; Blikov, A. O.; Komrakov, V. A.; Maksimkin, I. P.; Ogorodnikov, V. A.; Ryzhkov, A. V.

2018-04-01

An experimental result for the quasi-isentropic compressibility of a strongly nonideal deuterium plasma compressed in a spherical device by the pressure P = 11400 GPa (114 Mbar) to the density ρ ≈ 10g/cm3 has been reported. The characteristics of the experimental device, diagnostic methods, and experimental results have been described. The trajectory of motion of metallic shells compressing a deuterium plasma has been recorded using intense pulsed sources of X rays with the boundary energy of electrons up to 60 MeV. The deuterium plasma density ρ ≈ 10g/cm3 has been determined from the measured radius of the shell at the time of its "stop." The pressure of the compressed plasma has been determined from gas-dynamic calculations taking into account the real characteristics of the experimental device.

Chemistry of neutral species in the effluent of the micro atmospheric pressure plasma jet in water-helium admixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willems, Gert; Benedikt, Jan; von Keudell, Achim

2016-09-01

A thorough understanding and good control of produced neutral and charged species by cold atmospheric plasmas is essential for potential environmental and/or bio-medical applications. In this study we use the COST reference micro plasma jet (µ-APPJ), which is a radio-frequency capacitive coupled plasma source with 1 mm electrode distance, which has been operated in helium-water vapour mixture and has been studied as a potential source of hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide molecules. The water vapour concentration was up to 1.2%. Molecular Beam mass spectrometry is used as diagnostic tool. An absolute calibration of hydrogen peroxide was conducted using a double bubbler concept, because the ionization cross section for hydrogen peroxide is not available. Additionally the effluent chemistry was investigated by use of a 0D and 2D model. Absolute densities of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals from atmospheric plasma will be presented. Their dependency on water vapour concentration in the carrier gas as well as distance to target have been investigated. The measured density is between 5E-13 cm-3 (2.4ppm) and 1.5E-14 cm-3 (7.2ppm) for both hydrogen peroxide molecules and hydroxyl radicals. The achieved results are in good agreement with other experiments.

OEDGE modeling for the planned tungsten ring experiment on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Elder, J. David; Stangeby, Peter C.; Abrams, Tyler W.; ...

2017-04-19

The OEDGE code is used to model tungsten erosion and transport for DIII-D experiments with toroidal rings of high-Z metal tiles. Such modeling is needed for both experimental and diagnostic design to have estimates of the expected core and edge tungsten density and to understand the various factors contributing to the uncertainties in these calculations. OEDGE simulations are performed using the planned experimental magnetic geometries and plasma conditions typical of both L-mode and inter-ELM H-mode discharges in DIII-D. OEDGE plasma reconstruction based on specific representative discharges for similar geometries is used to determine the plasma conditions applied to tungsten plasmamore » impurity simulations. We developed a new model for tungsten erosion in OEDGE which imports charge-state resolved carbon impurity fluxes and impact energies from a separate OEDGE run which models the carbon production, transport and deposition for the same plasma conditions as the tungsten simulations. Furthermore, these values are then used to calculate the gross tungsten physical sputtering due to carbon plasma impurities which is then added to any sputtering by deuterium ions; tungsten self-sputtering is also included. The code results are found to be dependent on the following factors: divertor geometry and closure, the choice of cross-field anomalous transport coefficients, divertor plasma conditions (affecting both tungsten source strength and transport), the choice of tungsten atomic physics data used in the model (in particular sviz(Te) for W-atoms), and the model of the carbon flux and energy used for 2 calculating the tungsten source due to sputtering. The core tungsten density is found to be of order 10 15 m -3 (excluding effects of any core transport barrier and with significant variability depending on the other factors mentioned) with density decaying into the scrape off layer.« less

Review of ion energy and angular distributions in capacitively coupled RF plasma reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawamura, E.; Lieberman, M.A.; Birdsall, C.K.

1995-12-31

The authors present a historical review and discussion of previous works on ion energy and angular distributions (IED and IAD) arriving at the target in the collisionless regime. This regime is of great interest to experimentalists and modelers studying the new generation of high density sources in which the sheath is much thinner than in the conventional RIE systems. The purpose of the review is to asses what has been done so far, and to clarify some issues about sheaths in high density systems. Having determined the important parameters, the authors show some particle-in-cell simulation results of a dually excitedmore » capacitively coupled plasma in which the sheath ions roughly see the scaling as in high density sources. The results show that when {tau}{sub ion}/{tau}{sub rf} < 1, the oscillating voltage and width of the rf sheath significantly affect the IEDs, where {tau}{sub ion} is the ion transit-time and {tau}{sub rf} is rf period.« less

Density change and viscous flow during structural relaxation of plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor-deposited silicon oxide films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Xin

2004-10-01

The structural relaxation of plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor-deposited (PECVD) silane-based silicon oxide films during thermal cycling and annealing has been studied using wafer curvature measurements. These measurements, which determine stress in the amorphous silicon oxide films, are sensitive to both plastic deformation and density changes. A quantitative case study of such changes has been done based upon the experimental results. A microstructure-based mechanism elucidates seams as a source of density change and voids as a source of plastic deformation, accompanied by a viscous flow. This theory was then used to explain a series of experimental results that are related to thermal cycling as well as annealing of PECVD silicon oxide films including stress hysteresis generation and reduction and coefficient of thermal-expansion changes. In particular, the thickness effect was examined; PECVD silicon oxide films with a thickness varying from 1to40μm were studied, as certain demanding applications in microelectromechanical systems require such thick films serving as heat/electrical insulation layers.

Role of ion magnetization in formation of radial density profile in magnetically expanding plasma produced by helicon antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Sonu; Ghosh, Soumen; Bose, Sayak; Barada, Kshitish K.; Pal, Rabindranath; Chattopadhyay, Prabal K.

2018-04-01

Experimentally, the density profile in the magnetic nozzle of a helicon antenna based plasma device is seen to be modified from being centrally peaked to that of hollow nature as the external magnetic field is increased. It occurs above a characteristic field value when the ions become magnetized in the expansion chamber. The density profile in the source chamber behind the nozzle, however, remains peaked on-axis irrespective of the magnetic field. The electron temperature there is observed to be hollow and this nature is carried to the expansion chamber along the field line. In the electron energy distribution near the off axis peak location, a high energy tail exists. Rotation of these tail electrons in the azimuthal direction due to the gradient-B drift in the expansion chamber leads to an additional off-axis ionization and forms the hollow density profile. It seems that if the ions are not magnetized, then the off-axially produced additional plasma is not confined and the density profile retains the on-axis peak nature. The present experiment successfully demonstrates how the knowledge of the ion magnetization together with tail electrons significantly contributes to the design of an efficient helicon plasma based thruster.

Particle transport characteristics of the RT-1 magnetospheric plasma using gas-puffing modulation technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenmochi, Naoki; Nishiura, Masaki; Yoshida, Zensho; Sugata, Tetsuya; Nakamura, Kaori; Katsura, Shotaro

2017-10-01

The Ring Trap 1 (RT-1) device creates a laboratory magnetosphere that is realized by a levitated superconducting ring magnet in vacuum. The RT-1 experiment has demonstrated the self-organization of a plasma clump with a steep density gradient; a peaked density distribution is spontaneously created through `inward diffusion'. In order to evaluate particle transport characteristics in the RT-1 magnetospheric plasmas which cause these inward diffusion, density modulation experiments were performed in the RT-1. Density modulation is a powerful method for estimating a diffusion coefficient D and a convection velocity V by puffing a periodic neutral gas. The gas puff modulation causes the change in the electron density measured by two chords of microwave interferometer (the radial positions r = 60 and 70 cm, vertical chord). In the case of 2 Hz gas puff modulation, the phase delay and the modulation-amplitude decay at the chord r = 60 cm are obtained with 15 degree and 0.8, respectively, with respect to the phase and the amplitude at r = 70 cm. The particle balance equations are solved on the assumption of profile shapes for D to evaluate D, V and particle source rate. The result suggests the inward convection in high beta magnetospheric plasmas.

A segmented multi-loop antenna for selective excitation of azimuthal mode number in a helicon plasma source.

PubMed

Shinohara, S; Tanikawa, T; Motomura, T

2014-09-01

A flat type, segmented multi-loop antenna was developed in the Tokai Helicon Device, built for producing high-density helicon plasma, with a diameter of 20 cm and an axial length of 100 cm. This antenna, composed of azimuthally splitting segments located on four different radial positions, i.e., r = 2.8, 4.8, 6.8, and 8.8 cm, can excite the azimuthal mode number m of 0, ±1, and ±2 by a proper choice of antenna feeder parts just on the rear side of the antenna. Power dependencies of the electron density ne were investigated with a radio frequency (rf) power less than 3 kW (excitation frequency ranged from 8 to 20 MHz) by the use of various types of antenna segments, and n(e) up to ~5 × 10(12) cm(-3) was obtained after the density jump from inductively coupled plasma to helicon discharges. Radial density profiles of m = 0 and ±1 modes with low and high rf powers were measured. For the cases of these modes after the density jump, the excited mode structures derived from the magnetic probe measurements were consistent with those expected from theory on helicon waves excited in the plasma.

Modeling of Imploded Annular Plasmas.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-05-01

field penetration into the imploding, time- varying plasma influences the thickness of the current-carrying region and the ratio of classical (core... body of the same size (a T e / r r0 ) is plotted for comparison. Using this e(nJ, Te) as a source term the net radiative loss from any plasma density...plasma with n, 1.0- 1019 cm-31 * Prad from an equivalent black body 10 19 1018 / P P Fe 1o17 L $ .01 .02 .03 .04 .06 .08 .10 .2 .3 .4 .6 .8 1.0 2 3

Integral electrical characteristics and local plasma parameters of a RF ion thruster

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Masherov, P. E.; Riaby, V. A., E-mail: riaby2001@yahoo.com; Godyak, V. A.

2016-02-15

Comprehensive diagnostics has been carried out for a RF ion thruster based on inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source with an external flat antenna coil enhanced by ferrite core. The ICP was confined within a cylindrical chamber with low aspect ratio to minimize plasma loss to the chamber wall. Integral diagnostics of the ICP electrical parameters (RF power balance and coil current) allowed for evaluation of the antenna coils, matching networks, and eddy current loss and the true RF power deposited to plasma. Spatially resolved electron energy distribution functions, plasma density, electron temperatures, and plasma potentials were measured with movable Langmuirmore » probes.« less

Fluid-kinetic simulations of the passage of Storm Enhanced Density (SED) plasma flux tubes through the dayside cleft auroral processes region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, W.; Horwitz, J. L.

2007-12-01

Foster et al. [2002] and others have reported on elevated ionospheric density regions being convected from the subauroral plasmaspheric region toward noon, in association with convection of plasmaspheric tails in the dayside magnetosphere. It has been suggested that these so-called Storm Enhanced Density (SED) regions could serve as ionospheric plasma source populations for cleft ion fountain outflows. To investigate this scenario, we have used our Dynamic Fluid Kinetic (DyFK) model to simulate the entry of a high-density "plasmasphere-like" flux tube entering the cleft region and subjected to an episode of wave-driven transverse ion heating. We find that the O+ ion density at higher altitudes increases and the density at lower altitudes decreases, following this heating episode, indicating increased numbers of O+ ions from the ionospheric source gain sufficient energy to reach higher altitudes after the effects of transverse wave heating. We also find that O+- H+ crossing point in topside ionosphere moves upward as the wave heating continues. Foster, J. C., P. J. Erickson, A. J. Coster, J. Goldstein, and F. J. Rich, Ionospheric signatures of plasmaspheric tails, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29(13), 1623, doi:10.1029/2002GL015067, 2002.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

St Lishev, Stiliyan; Shivarova, Antonia P.

The study combines experiments on probe diagnostics with laser-photodetachment-technique and Faraday-cup measurements directed towards determination of the position of the extraction device and its influence on the discharge structure. The measurements have been carried out in the second chamber of an inductively-driven tandem plasma source performed as small scale arrangements, with a magnetic filter located just after the transition between the two chambers of the source. Results for the axial profiles of the plasma parameters display the correlation of the ratio n lowbar /n{sub e} of the densities of the negative hydrogen ions and of the electrons and of themore » concentration of the negative ions with the electron density and temperature: The maxima of the (n lowbar /n{sub e})-ratio and of the density of the negative ions obtained are located at the position of maximum of the electron density behind the filter, in the region of the low electron temperature. Results from probe diagnostics and laser photodetachment measurements at a given axial position for different positions of the Faraday cup show the changes in the spatial distribution of the electron density and temperature and the reduction of the (n lowbar /n{sub e})-ratio and of the density of the negative ions caused by the extraction device.« less

Comparison of measured and modelled negative hydrogen ion densities at the ECR-discharge HOMER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rauner, D.; Kurutz, U.; Fantz, U.

2015-04-01

As the negative hydrogen ion density nH- is a key parameter for the investigation of negative ion sources, its diagnostic quantification is essential in source development and operation as well as for fundamental research. By utilizing the photodetachment process of negative ions, generally two different diagnostic methods can be applied: via laser photodetachment, the density of negative ions is measured locally, but only relatively to the electron density. To obtain absolute densities, the electron density has to be measured additionally, which induces further uncertainties. Via cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS), the absolute density of H- is measured directly, however LOS-averaged over the plasma length. At the ECR-discharge HOMER, where H- is produced in the plasma volume, laser photodetachment is applied as the standard method to measure nH-. The additional application of CRDS provides the possibility to directly obtain absolute values of nH-, thereby successfully bench-marking the laser photodetachment system as both diagnostics are in good agreement. In the investigated pressure range from 0.3 to 3 Pa, the measured negative hydrogen ion density shows a maximum at 1 to 1.5 Pa and an approximately linear response to increasing input microwave powers from 200 up to 500 W. Additionally, the volume production of negative ions is 0-dimensionally modelled by balancing H- production and destruction processes. The modelled densities are adapted to the absolute measurements of nH- via CRDS, allowing to identify collisions of H- with hydrogen atoms (associative and non-associative detachment) to be the dominant loss process of H- in the plasma volume at HOMER. Furthermore, the characteristic peak of nH- observed at 1 to 1.5 Pa is identified to be caused by a comparable behaviour of the electron density with varying pressure, as ne determines the volume production rate via dissociative electron attachment to vibrationally excited hydrogen molecules.

High-energy-density plasma jet generated by laser-cone interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Y. Z.; Yang, X. H.; Ma, Y. Y.; Xu, B. B.; Ge, Z. Y.; Gan, L. F.; Meng, L.; Wang, S. W.; Kawata, S.

2018-04-01

The generation of high-energy-density (HED) plasma jet from a laser ablating thin cone target is studied theoretically and by numerical simulations. Theoretical analysis and 1D simulations show that a maximum kinetic energy conversion efficiency (CE) of 26% can be achieved when nearly 80% of the foil is ablated by laser. A HED plasma jet is generated when an intense laser (˜1015 W/cm2) irradiates the cone target, inducing a great enhancement of energy density compared to that of the planar target, which is attributed to the cumulative effect of the cone shape and the new generation mechanism of jet, i.e., laser directly accelerating the cone wall onto the axis. The characteristic of jet is influenced by the cone geometry, i.e., thickness and cone angle. It is found that a cone with a half opening angle around 70 ° and the optimized thickness (˜5 μm) can induce a jet with a high CE and long duration, whose peak energy density can reach 3.5 × 1015 erg/cm3. The results can be beneficial for laser-driven novel neutron sources and other fusion related experiments, where HED plasma jet can be applied.

Particle-in-cell simulations of bounded plasma discharges applied to low pressure high density sources and positive columns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawamura, Emi

Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of bounded plasma discharges are attractive because the fields and the particle motion can be obtained self-consistently from first principles. Thus, we can accurately model a wide range of nonlocal and kinetic behavior. The only disadvantage is that PIC may be computationally expensive compared to other methods. Fluid codes, for example, may run faster but make assumptions about the bulk plasma velocity distributions and ignore kinetic effects. In Chapter 1, we demonstrate methods of accelerating PIC simulations of bounded plasma discharges. We find that a combination of physical and numerical methods makes run-times for PIC codes much more competitive with other types of codes. In processing plasmas, the ion energy distributions (IEDs) arriving at the wafer target are crucial in determining ion anisotropy and etch rates. The current trend for plasma reactors is towards lower gas pressure and higher plasma density. In Chapter 2, we review and analyze IEDs arriving at the target of low pressure high density rf plasma reactors. In these reactors, the sheath is typically collisionless. We then perform PIC simulations of collisionless rf sheaths and find that the key parameter governing the shape of the TED at the wafer is the ratio of the ion transit time across the sheath over the rf period. Positive columns are the source of illumination in fluorescent mercury-argon lamps. The efficiency of light production increases with decreasing gas pressure and decreasing discharge radius. Most current lamp software is based on the local concept even though low pressure lighting discharges tend to be nonlocal. In Chapter 3, we demonstrate a 1d3v radial PIC model to conduct nonlocal kinetic simulations of low pressure, small radius positive columns. When compared to other available codes, we find that our PIC code makes the least approximations and assumptions and is accurate and stable over a wider parameter range. We analyze the PIC simulation results in detail and find that the radial electron heat flow, which is neglected in local models, plays a major role in maintaining the global power balance. In Chapter 2, we focused on the sheaths of low pressure high density plasma reactors. In Chapter 4, we extend our study to the bulk and presheaths. Typical industrial plasma reactors often use gases with complex chemistries which tend to generate discharges containing negative ions. For high density electronegative plasmas with low gas pressure, we expect Coulomb collisions between positive and negative ions to dominate over collisions between ions and neutrals. We incorporate a Coulomb collision model into our PIC code to study the effect of this ion-ion Coulomb scattering. We find that the Coulomb collisions between the positive and negative ions significantly modify the negative ion flux, density and kinetic energy profiles.

Rocket-borne thermal plasma instrument "MIPEX" for the ionosphere D, E layer in-situ measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, H. K.; Chen, A. B. C.; Lin, C. C. H.; Wu, T. J.; Liu, K. S.; Chuang, C. W.

2017-12-01

In this presentation, the design concepts, performances and status of a thermal plasma particle instrument package "Mesosphere and Ionosphere Plasma Exploration complex (MIPEX)", which is going to be installed onboard a NSPO-funded hybrid rocket, to investigate the electrodynamic processes in ionosphere D, E layers above Taiwan are reported. MIPEX is capable of measuring plasma characteristics including ion temperature, ion composition, ion drift, electron temperature and plasma density at densities as low as 1-10 cm-1. This instrument package consists of an improved retarding potential analyzer with a channel electron multiplier (CEM), a simplified ion drift meter and a planar Langmuir probe. To achieve the working atmospheric pressure of CEM at the height of lower D layer ( 70km), a portable vacuum pump is also placed in the package. A prototype set of the MIPEX has been developed and tested in the Space Plasma Operation Chamber (SPOC) at NCKU, where in ionospheric plasma is generated by back-diffusion plasma sources. A plasma density of 10-106 cm-1, ion temperature of 300-1500 K and electron temperature of 1000-3000K is measured and verified. Limited by the flight platform and the performance of the instruments, the in-situ plasma measurements at the Mesosphere and lower Thermosphere is very challenging and rare. MIPEX is capable of extending the altitude of the effective plasma measurement down to 70 km height and this experiment can provide unique high-quality data of the plasma environment to explore the ion distribution and the electrodynamic processes in the Ionosphere D, E layers at dusk.

An Optical Trap for Relativistic Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ping

2002-11-01

Optical traps have achieved remarkable success recently in confining ultra-cold matter.Traps capable of confining ultra-hot matter, or plasma, have also been built for applications such as basic plasma research and thermonuclear fusion. For instance, low-density plasmas with temperature less than 1 keV have been confined with static magnetic fields in Malmberg-Penning traps. Low-density 10-50 keV plasmas are confined in magnetic mirrors and tokamaks. High density plasmas have been trapped in optical traps with kinetic energies up to 10 keV [J. L. Chaloupka and D. D. Meyerhofer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 4538 (1999)]. We present the results of experiment, theory and numerical simulation on an optical trap capable of confining relativistic plasma. A stationary interference grating with submicron spacing is created when two high-power (terawatt) laser pulses of equal wavelength (1-micron) are focused from orthogonal directions to the same point in space and time in high density underdense plasma. Light pressure gradients bunch electrons into sheets located at the minima of the interference pattern. The density of the bunched electrons is found to be up to ten times the background density, which is orders-of-magnitude above that previously reported for other optical traps or plasma waves. The amplitudes and frequencies of multiple satellites in the scattered spectrum also indicate the presence of a highly nonlinear ion wave and an electron temperature about 100 keV. Energy transfer from the stronger beam to the weaker beam is also observed. Potential applications include a test-bed for detailed studies of relativistic nonlinear scattering, a positron source and an electrostatic wiggler. This research is also relevant to fast igniter fusion or ion acceleration experiments, in which laser pulses with intensities comparable to those used in the experiment may also potentially beat [Y. Sentoku, et al., Appl. Phys. B 74, 207215 (2002)]. The details of a specific application, the injection of electrons into laser-driven plasma waves, will also be presented. With crossed beams, the energy of a laser-accelerated electron beam is increased and its emittance is decreased compared with a single beam, potentially paving the way towards an all-optical monoenergetic electron injector.

Dione's Magnetospheric Interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurth, W. S.; Hospodarsky, G. B.; Schippers, P.; Moncuquet, M.; Lecacheux, A.; Crary, F. J.; Khurana, K. K.; Mitchell, D. G.

2015-12-01

Cassini has executed four close flybys of Dione during its mission at Saturn with one additional flyby planned as of this writing. The Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument observed the plasma wave spectrum during each of the four encounters and plans to make additional observations during the 17 August 2015 flyby. These observations are joined by those from the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS), Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI), and the Magnetometer instrument (MAG), although neither CAPS nor MAG data were available for the fourth flyby. The first and fourth flybys were near polar passes while the second and third were near wake passes. The second flyby occurred during a time of hot plasma injections which are not thought to be specifically related to Dione. The Dione plasma wave environment is characterized by an intensification of the upper hybrid band and whistler mode chorus. The upper hybrid band shows frequency fluctuations with a period of order 1 minute that suggest density variations of up to 10%. These density variations are anti-correlated with the magnetic field magnitude, suggesting a mirror mode wave. Other than these periodic density fluctuations there appears to be no local plasma source which would be observed as a local enhancement in the density although variations in the electron distribution are apparent. Wake passages show a deep density depletion consistent with a plasma cavity downstream of the moon. Energetic particles show portions of the distribution apparently absorbed by the moon leading to anisotropies that likely drive both the intensification of the upper hybrid band as well as the whistler mode emissions. We investigate the role of electron anisotropies and enhanced hot electron fluxes in the intensification of the upper hybrid band and whistler mode emissions.

Method for obtaining electron energy-density functions from Langmuir-probe data using a card-programmable calculator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Longhurst, G.R.

This paper presents a method for obtaining electron energy density functions from Langmuir probe data taken in cool, dense plasmas where thin-sheath criteria apply and where magnetic effects are not severe. Noise is filtered out by using regression of orthogonal polynomials. The method requires only a programmable calculator (TI-59 or equivalent) to implement and can be used for the most general, nonequilibrium electron energy distribution plasmas. Data from a mercury ion source analyzed using this method are presented and compared with results for the same data using standard numerical techniques.

Plasma diagnostics of low pressure high power impulse magnetron sputtering assisted by electron cyclotron wave resonance plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stranak, Vitezslav; University of South Bohemia, Institute of Physics and Biophysics, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice; Herrendorf, Ann-Pierra

2012-11-01

This paper reports on an investigation of the hybrid pulsed sputtering source based on the combination of electron cyclotron wave resonance (ECWR) inductively coupled plasma and high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) of a Ti target. The plasma source, operated in an Ar atmosphere at a very low pressure of 0.03 Pa, provides plasma where the major fraction of sputtered particles is ionized. It was found that ECWR assistance increases the electron temperature during the HiPIMS pulse. The discharge current and electron density can achieve their stable maximum 10 {mu}s after the onset of the HiPIMS pulse. Further, a highmore » concentration of double charged Ti{sup ++} with energies of up to 160 eV was detected. All of these facts were verified experimentally by time-resolved emission spectroscopy, retarding field analyzer measurement, Langmuir probe, and energy-resolved mass spectrometry.« less

Dependence of optimal initial density on laser parameters for multi-keV x-ray radiators generated by nanosecond laser-produced underdense plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Shao-yong; Yuan, Yong-teng; Hu, Guang-yue; Miao, Wen-yong; Zhao, Bin; Zheng, Jian; Jiang, Shao-en; Ding, Yong-kun

2016-01-01

Efficient multi-keV x-ray sources can be produced using nanosecond laser pulse-heated middle-Z underdense plasmas generated using gas or foam. Previous experimental results show that an optimal initial target density exists for efficient multi-keV x-ray emission at which the laser ionization wave is supersonic. Here we explore the influence of the laser intensity and the pulse duration on this optimal initial target density via a one-dimensional radiation hydrodynamic simulation. The simulation shows that the optimal initial density is sensitive to both the laser intensity and the pulse duration. However, the speed of the supersonic ionization wave at the end of the laser irradiation is always maintained at 1.5 to 1.7 times that of the ion acoustic wave under the optimal initial density conditions.

Acceleration and focusing of plasma flows

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Griswold, Martin Elias

The acceleration of flowing plasmas is a fundamental problem that is useful in a wide variety of technological applications. We consider the problem from the perspective of plasma propulsion. Gridded ion thrusters and Hall thrusters are the most commonly used devices to create flowing plasma for space propulsion, but both suffer from fundamental limitations. Gridded ion sources create good quality beams in terms of energy spread and spatial divergence, but the Child-Langmuir law in the non-neutral acceleration region limits the maximum achievable current density. Hall thrusters avoid this limitation by accelerating ions in quasi-neutral plasma but, as a result, producemore » plumes with high spatial divergence and large energy spread. In addition the more complicated magnetized plasma in the Hall Thruster produces oscillations that can reduce the efficiency of the thruster by increasing electron transport to the anode. We present investigations of three techniques to address the fundamental limitations on the performance of each thruster. First, we propose a method to increase the time-averaged current density (and thus thrust density) produced by a gridded ion source above the Child-Langmuir limit by introducing time-varying boundary conditions. Next, we use an electrostatic plasma lens to focus the Hall thruster plume, and finally we develop a technique to suppress a prominent oscillation that degrades the performance of Hall thrusters. The technique to loosen the constraints on current density from gridded ion thrusters actually applies much more broadly to any space charge limited flow. We investigate the technique with a numerical simulation and by proving a theoretical upper bound. While we ultimately conclude that the approach is not suitable for space propulsion, our results proved useful in another area, providing a benchmark for research into the spontaneously time-dependent current that arises in microdiodes. Next, we experimentally demonstrate a novel approach to reducing plume divergence by using a PL located in the plume of the thruster to focus ions after they were ionized and accelerated. Finally we further improve thruster operation by suppressing a prominent low frequency oscillation in the thruster known as the rotating spoke. The suppression leads to decreased electron transport and more control over the operating conditions in the thruster.« less

Experimental measurements of hydrodynamic instabilities on NOVA of relevance to astrophysics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Budil, K S; Cherfils, C; Drake, R P

1998-09-11

Large lasers such as Nova allow the possibility of achieving regimes of high energy densities in plasmas of millimeter spatial scales and nanosecond time scales. In those plasmas where thermal conductivity and viscosity do not play a significant role, the hydrodynamic evolution is suitable for benchmarking hydrodynamics modeling in astrophysical codes. Several experiments on Nova examine hydrodynamically unstable interfaces. A typical Nova experiment uses a gold millimeter-scale hohlraum to convert the laser energy to a 200 eV blackbody source lasting about a nanosecond. The x-rays ablate a planar target, generating a series of shocks and accelerating the target. The evolvingmore » area1 density is diagnosed by time-resolved radiography, using a second x-ray source. Data from several experiments are presented and diagnostic techniques are discussed.« less

New progress of high current gasdynamic ion source (invited).

PubMed

Skalyga, V; Izotov, I; Golubev, S; Sidorov, A; Razin, S; Vodopyanov, A; Tarvainen, O; Koivisto, H; Kalvas, T

2016-02-01

The experimental and theoretical research carried out at the Institute of Applied Physics resulted in development of a new type of electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRISs)-the gasdynamic ECRIS. The gasdynamic ECRIS features a confinement mechanism in a magnetic trap that is different from Geller's ECRIS confinement, i.e., the quasi-gasdynamic one similar to that in fusion mirror traps. Experimental studies of gasdynamic ECRIS were performed at Simple Mirror Ion Source (SMIS) 37 facility. The plasma was created by 37.5 and 75 GHz gyrotron radiation with power up to 100 kW. High frequency microwaves allowed to create and sustain plasma with significant density (up to 8 × 10(13) cm(-3)) and to maintain the main advantages of conventional ECRIS such as high ionization degree and low ion energy. Reaching such high plasma density relies on the fact that the critical density grows with the microwave frequency squared. High microwave power provided the average electron energy on a level of 50-300 eV enough for efficient ionization even at neutral gas pressure range of 10(-4)-10(-3) mbar. Gasdynamic ECRIS has demonstrated a good performance producing high current (100-300 mA) multi-charged ion beams with moderate average charge (Z = 4-5 for argon). Gasdynamic ECRIS has appeared to be especially effective in low emittance hydrogen and deuterium beams formation. Proton beams with current up to 500 emA and RMS emittance below 0.07 π ⋅ mm ⋅ mrad have been demonstrated in recent experiments.

Modeling of negative ion transport in a plasma source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Riz, David; Departement de Recherches sur la Fusion Controelee CE Cadarache, 13108 St Paul lez Durance; Pamela, Jerome

1998-08-20

A code called NIETZSCHE has been developed to simulate the negative ion transport in a plasma source, from their birth place to the extraction holes. The ion trajectory is calculated by numerically solving the 3-D motion equation, while the atomic processes of destruction, of elastic collision H{sup -}/H{sup +} and of charge exchange H{sup -}/H{sup 0} are handled at each time step by a Monte-Carlo procedure. This code can be used to calculate the extraction probability of a negative ion produced at any location inside the source. Calculations performed with NIETZSCHE have allowed to explain, either quantitatively or qualitatively, severalmore » phenomena observed in negative ion sources, such as the isotopic H{sup -}/D{sup -} effect, and the influence of the plasma grid bias or of the magnetic filter on the negative ion extraction. The code has also shown that in the type of sources contemplated for ITER, which operate at large arc power densities (>1 W cm{sup -3}), negative ions can reach the extraction region provided if they are produced at a distance lower than 2 cm from the plasma grid in the case of 'volume production' (dissociative attachment processes), or if they are produced at the plasma grid surface, in the vicinity of the extraction holes.« less

Modeling of negative ion transport in a plasma source (invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riz, David; Paméla, Jérôme

1998-02-01

A code called NIETZSCHE has been developed to simulate the negative ion transport in a plasma source, from their birth place to the extraction holes. The H-/D- trajectory is calculated by numerically solving the 3D motion equation, while the atomic processes of destruction, of elastic collision with H+/D+ and of charge exchange with H0/D0 are handled at each time step by a Monte Carlo procedure. This code can be used to calculate the extraction probability of a negative ion produced at any location inside the source. Calculations performed with NIETZSCHE have been allowed to explain, either quantitatively or qualitatively, several phenomena observed in negative ion sources, such as the isotopic H-/D- effect, and the influence of the plasma grid bias or of the magnetic filter on the negative ion extraction. The code has also shown that, in the type of sources contemplated for ITER, which operate at large arc power densities (>1 W cm-3), negative ions can reach the extraction region provided they are produced at a distance lower than 2 cm from the plasma grid in the case of volume production (dissociative attachment processes), or if they are produced at the plasma grid surface, in the vicinity of the extraction holes.

Modeling of negative ion transport in a plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riz, David; Paméla, Jérôme

1998-08-01

A code called NIETZSCHE has been developed to simulate the negative ion transport in a plasma source, from their birth place to the extraction holes. The ion trajectory is calculated by numerically solving the 3-D motion equation, while the atomic processes of destruction, of elastic collision H-/H+ and of charge exchange H-/H0 are handled at each time step by a Monte-Carlo procedure. This code can be used to calculate the extraction probability of a negative ion produced at any location inside the source. Calculations performed with NIETZSCHE have allowed to explain, either quantitatively or qualitatively, several phenomena observed in negative ion sources, such as the isotopic H-/D- effect, and the influence of the plasma grid bias or of the magnetic filter on the negative ion extraction. The code has also shown that in the type of sources contemplated for ITER, which operate at large arc power densities (>1 W cm-3), negative ions can reach the extraction region provided if they are produced at a distance lower than 2 cm from the plasma grid in the case of «volume production» (dissociative attachment processes), or if they are produced at the plasma grid surface, in the vicinity of the extraction holes.

Diagnostic for Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition and Etch Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cappelli, Mark A.

1999-01-01

In order to meet NASA's requirements for the rapid development and validation of future generation electronic devices as well as associated materials and processes, enabling technologies ion the processing of semiconductor materials arising from understanding etch chemistries are being developed through a research collaboration between Stanford University and NASA-Ames Research Center, Although a great deal of laboratory-scale research has been performed on many of materials processing plasmas, little is known about the gas-phase and surface chemical reactions that are critical in many etch and deposition processes, and how these reactions are influenced by the variation in operating conditions. In addition, many plasma-based processes suffer from stability and reliability problems leading to a compromise in performance and a potentially increased cost for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Such a lack of understanding has hindered the development of process models that can aid in the scaling and improvement of plasma etch and deposition systems. The research described involves the study of plasmas used in semiconductor processes. An inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source in place of the standard upper electrode assembly of the Gaseous Electronics Conference (GEC) radio-frequency (RF) Reference Cell is used to investigate the discharge characteristics and chemistries. This ICP source generates plasmas with higher electron densities (approximately 10(exp 12)/cu cm) and lower operating pressures (approximately 7 mTorr) than obtainable with the original parallel-plate version of the GEC Cell. This expanded operating regime is more relevant to new generations of industrial plasma systems being used by the microelectronics industry. The motivation for this study is to develop an understanding of the physical phenomena involved in plasma processing and to measure much needed fundamental parameters, such as gas-phase and surface reaction rates. species concentration, temperature, ion energy distribution, and electron number density. A wide variety of diagnostic techniques are under development through this consortium grant to measure these parameters. including molecular beam mass spectrometry (MBMS). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, broadband ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectroscopy, a compensated Langmuir probe. Additional diagnostics. Such as microwave interferometry and microwave absorption for measurements of plasma density and radical concentrations are also planned.

The evolution of the storm-time ring current in response to different characteristics of the plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemon, C.; Chen, M.; O'Brien, T. P.; Toffoletto, F.; Sazykin, S.; Wolf, R.; Kumar, V.

2006-12-01

We present simulation results of the Rice Convection Model-Equilibrium (RCM-E) that test and compare the effect on the storm time ring current of varying the plasma sheet source population characteristics at 6.6 Re during magnetic storms. Previous work has shown that direct injection of ionospheric plasma into the ring current is not a significant source of ring current plasma, suggesting that the plasma sheet is the only source. However, storm time processes in the plasma sheet and inner magnetosphere are very complex, due in large part to the feedback interactions between the plasma distribution, magnetic field, and electric field. We are particularly interested in understanding the role of the plasma sheet entropy parameter (PV^{5/3}, where V=\\int ds/B) in determining the strength and distribution of the ring current in both the main and recovery phases of a storm. Plasma temperature and density can be measured from geosynchrorous orbiting satellites, and these are often used to provide boundary conditions for ring current simulations. However, magnetic field measurements in this region are less commonly available, and there is a relatively poor understanding of the interplay between the plasma and the magnetic field during magnetic storms. The entropy parameter is a quantity that incorporates both the plasma and the magnetic field, and understanding its role in the ring current injection and recovery is essential to describing the processes that are occuring during magnetic storms. The RCM-E includes the physics of feedback between the plasma and both the electric and magnetic fields, and is therefore a valuable tool for understanding these complex storm-time processes. By contrasting the effects of different plasma boundary conditions at geosynchronous orbit, we shed light on the physical processes involved in ring current injection and recovery.

Electromagnetic turbulence and transport in increased β LAPD Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Giovanni; Carter, Troy; Pueschel, Mj; Jenko, Frank; Terry, Paul; Told, Daniel

2016-10-01

The new LaB6 plasma source in LAPD has enabled the production of magnetized, increased β plasmas (up to 15%). We report on the modifications of pressure-gradient-driven turbulence and transport with increased plasma β. Density fluctuations decrease with increasing β while magnetic fluctuations increase. B ⊥ fluctuations saturate while parallel (compressional) magnetic fluctuations increase continuously with β. At the highest β values Î δ ||/ δ B ⊥ 2 and δ B/B 1%. The measurements are consistent with the excitation of the Gradient-driven Drift Coupling (GDC). This instability prefers k|| = 0 and grows in finite β plasmas due to density and temperature gradients through the production of parallel magnetic field fluctuations and resulting ⊥ B|| drifts. Comparisons between experimental measurements and theoretical predictions for the GDC will be shown. Direct measurements of electrostatic particle flux have been performed and show a strong reduction with increasing β. No evidence is found (e.g. density profile shape) of enhanced confinement, suggesting that other transport mechanisms are active. Preliminary measurements indicate that electromagnetic transport due to parallel magnetic field fluctuations at first increases with β but is subsequently suppressed at higher β values.

Model for a transformer-coupled toroidal plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rauf, Shahid; Balakrishna, Ajit; Chen, Zhigang; Collins, Ken

2012-01-01

A two-dimensional fluid plasma model for a transformer-coupled toroidal plasma source is described. Ferrites are used in this device to improve the electromagnetic coupling between the primary coils carrying radio frequency (rf) current and a secondary plasma loop. Appropriate components of the Maxwell equations are solved to determine the electromagnetic fields and electron power deposition in the model. The effect of gas flow on species transport is also considered. The model is applied to 1 Torr Ar/NH3 plasma in this article. Rf electric field lines form a loop in the vacuum chamber and generate a plasma ring. Due to rapid dissociation of NH3, NHx+ ions are more prevalent near the gas inlet and Ar+ ions are the dominant ions farther downstream. NH3 and its by-products rapidly dissociate into small fragments as the gas flows through the plasma. With increasing source power, NH3 dissociates more readily and NHx+ ions are more tightly confined near the gas inlet. Gas flow rate significantly influences the plasma characteristics. With increasing gas flow rate, NH3 dissociation occurs farther from the gas inlet in regions with higher electron density. Consequently, more NH4+ ions are produced and dissociation by-products have higher concentrations near the outlet.

An X-ray/SDSS sample. II. AGN-driven outflowing gas plasma properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perna, M.; Lanzuisi, G.; Brusa, M.; Cresci, G.; Mignoli, M.

2017-10-01

Aims: Galaxy-scale outflows are currently observed in many active galactic nuclei (AGNs); however, characterisation of them in terms of their (multi-) phase nature, amount of flowing material, and effects on their host galaxy is still unresolved. In particular, ionised gas mass outflow rate and related energetics are still affected by many sources of uncertainty. In this respect, outflowing gas plasma conditions, being largely unknown, play a crucial role. Methods: We have analysed stacked spectra and sub-samples of sources with high signal-to-noise temperature- and density-sensitive emission lines to derive the plasma properties of the outflowing ionised gas component. We did this by taking advantage of the spectroscopic analysis results we obtained while studying the X-ray/SDSS sample of 563 AGNs at z < 0.8 presented in our companion paper. For these sources, we also studied in detail various diagnostic diagrams to infer information about outflowing gas ionisation mechanisms. Results: We derive, for the first time, median values for electron temperature and density of outflowing gas from medium-size samples ( 30 targets) and stacked spectra of AGNs. Evidence of shock excitation are found for outflowing gas. Conclusions: We measure electron temperatures of the order of 1.7 × 104 K and densities of 1200 cm-3 for faint and moderately luminous AGNs (intrinsic X-ray luminosity 40.5 < log (LX) < 44 in the 2-10 keV band). We note that the electron density that is usually assumed (Ne = 100 cm-3) in ejected material might result in relevant overestimates of flow mass rates and energetics and, as a consequence, of the effects of AGN-driven outflows on the host galaxy.

Concept of a tunable source of coherent THz radiation driven by a plasma modulated electron beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, H.; Konoplev, I. V.; Doucas, G.; Smith, J.

2018-04-01

We have carried out numerical studies which consider the modulation of a picosecond long relativistic electron beam in a plasma channel and the generation of a micro-bunched train. The subsequent propagation of the micro-bunched beam in the vacuum area was also investigated. The same numerical model was then used to simulate the radiation arising from the interaction of the micro-bunched beam with a metallic grating. The dependence of the radiation spectrum on the parameters of the micro-bunched beam has been studied and the tunability of the radiation by the variation of the micro-bunch spacing has been demonstrated. The micro-bunch spacing can be changed easily by altering the plasma density without changing the beam energy or current. Using the results of these studies, we develop a conceptual design of a tunable source of coherent terahertz (THz) radiation driven by a plasma modulated beam. Such a source would be a potential and useful alternative to conventional vacuum THz tubes and THz free-electron laser sources.

Experimental Analysis of Pseudospark Sourced Electron Beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Niraj; Pal, U. N.; Verma, D. K.; Prajapati, J.; Kumar, M.; Meena, B. L.; Tyagi, M. S.; Srivastava, V.

2011-12-01

The pseudospark (PS) discharge has been shown to be a promising source of high brightness, high intensity electron beam pulses. The PS discharge sourced electron beam has potential applications in plasma filled microwave sources where normal material cathode cannot be used. Analysis of the electron beam profile has been done experimentally for different applied voltages. The investigation has been carried out at different axial and radial location inside the drift space in argon atmosphere. This paper represents experimentally found axial and radial variation of the beam current inside the drift tube of PS discharge based plasma cathode electron (PCE) gun. With the help of current density estimation the focusing and defocusing point of electron beam in axial direction can be analyzed.

Mitigation of hot electrons from laser-plasma instabilities in high-Z, highly ionized plasmas

DOE PAGES

Fein, J. R.; Holloway, J. P.; Trantham, M. R.; ...

2017-03-20

Intense lasers interacting with under-dense plasma can drive laser-plasma instabilities (LPIs) that generate largeamplitude electron plasma waves (EPWs). Suprathermal or “hot” electrons produced in the EPWs are detrimental to inertial confinement fusion (ICF), by reducing capsule implosion efficiency through preheat, and also present an unwanted source of background on x-ray diagnostics. Mitigation of hot electrons was demonstrated in the past by altering plasma conditions near the quarter-critical density, n c/4, with the interpretation of reduced growth of the twoplasmon decay (TPD) instability. Here, we present measurements of hot electrons generated in laser-irradiated planar foils of material ranging from low- tomore » high-Z, where the fraction of laser energy converted to hot electrons, fhot was reduced by a factor of 10 3 going from CH to Au. This correlates with steepening density gradient length-scales that were also measured. Radiation hydrodynamic simulations produced electron density profiles in reasonable agreement with our measurements. According to the simulations, both multi-beam TPD and stimulated Raman scattering were predicted to be above threshold with linear threshold parameters that decreased with increasing Z due to steepening length-scales, as well as enhanced laser absorption and increased EPW collisional and Landau damping.« less

Mitigation of hot electrons from laser-plasma instabilities in high-Z, highly ionized plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fein, J. R.; Holloway, J. P.; Trantham, M. R.

Intense lasers interacting with under-dense plasma can drive laser-plasma instabilities (LPIs) that generate largeamplitude electron plasma waves (EPWs). Suprathermal or “hot” electrons produced in the EPWs are detrimental to inertial confinement fusion (ICF), by reducing capsule implosion efficiency through preheat, and also present an unwanted source of background on x-ray diagnostics. Mitigation of hot electrons was demonstrated in the past by altering plasma conditions near the quarter-critical density, n c/4, with the interpretation of reduced growth of the twoplasmon decay (TPD) instability. Here, we present measurements of hot electrons generated in laser-irradiated planar foils of material ranging from low- tomore » high-Z, where the fraction of laser energy converted to hot electrons, fhot was reduced by a factor of 10 3 going from CH to Au. This correlates with steepening density gradient length-scales that were also measured. Radiation hydrodynamic simulations produced electron density profiles in reasonable agreement with our measurements. According to the simulations, both multi-beam TPD and stimulated Raman scattering were predicted to be above threshold with linear threshold parameters that decreased with increasing Z due to steepening length-scales, as well as enhanced laser absorption and increased EPW collisional and Landau damping.« less

Mode conversion and heating in a UCLA-high schools collaborative experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Miana; Buckley-Bonnano, Samuel; Pribyl, Patrick; Gekelman, Walter; Wise, Joe; Baker, Bob; Marmie, Ken

2016-10-01

A small plasma device is in operation for use by undergraduates and high school students at UCLA. Magnetic field up to 100 G, with density 108 <=ne <=1011cm-3 and temperature Te < 3eV are available in a 50 cm diameter plasma 2 meters long. The plasma is generated by an ICP source at one end operating at about 500 kHz. For this experiment, a small plate located near the edge of the plasma column is used as an electrostatic launcher. High frequency waves ωce < ω < 3ωce are launched radially from the plate in the low-density region, with electric field perpendicular to B and to the density gradient. A Langmuir probe located some distance away axially measures plasma heating along a field line that passes several cm in front of the launcher, localized in radius with δr 1cm Absorption and strong electron heating are observed at the plasma resonant layer. We explore the ``double resonance condition at which ωpe = 2ωce . Here strong interaction with electron Bernstein waves is expected. The Bernstein waves are also launched at low power and their dispersion relation verified. Work done at the BaPSF at UCLA which is supported by the DOE/NSF.

Polar Plasma at Ganymede: Ionospheric outflow and discovery of the plasma sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collinson, G.; Paterson, W.; Dorelli, J.; Glocer, A.; Sarantos, M.; Wilson, R. J.; Bard, C.

2017-12-01

On the 27th of June 1996, the NASA Galileo spacecraft made humanities first flyby of Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, discovering that it is unique to science in being the only moon known to possess an internally generated magnetic dynamo field. Although Galileo carried a plasma spectrometer, the Plasma Subsystem (PLS), converting its highly complex raw data stream into meaningful plasma moments (density, temperature, velocity) is extremely challenging, and was only ever performed for the second (out of six) Ganymede flybys. Resurrecting the original Galileo PLS data analysis software, we processed the raw PLS data from G01, and for the first time present the properties of plasmas encountered. Dense, cold ions were observed outflowing from the moon's north pole (presumed to be dominated by H+ from the icy surface), with more diffuse, warmer field-aligned outflows in the lobes. Dropouts in plasma density combined with velocity perturbations either side of this suggest that Galileo briefly crossed the cusps onto closed magnetic field lines. PLS observations show that upon entry into the magnetosphere, Galileo crossed through the plasma sheet, observing plasma flows consistent with reconnection-driven convection, highly energized 105 eV ions, and a reversal in the magnetic field. The densities of plasmas flowing upwards from Ganymede's ionosphere were higher on open "lobe" field lines than on closed field lines, suggesting that the ionospheric source of these plasmas may be denser at the poles, there may be additional acceleration mechanisms at play, or the balance of ions were outside the energy range of PLS.

Measurement of ion density in an atmospheric pressure argon with pin-to-plate dielectric barrier discharge by resonance of plasma radiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qi, Bing, E-mail: qibing@szu.edu.cn; Pan, Lizhu; Zhou, Qiujiao

2014-12-15

The measurements of the ion densities in the atmospheric AC barrier corona argon discharge are carried out by receiving and analyzing the frequencies of the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the plasma. An auxiliary excitation source composed of a pin-to-pin discharge system is introduced to excite the oscillations of the main discharge. To analyze the resonance mechanism, a complemented model based on a one-dimensional description of forced vibrations is given. Calculations indicate that Ar{sub 2}{sup +} is the dominant ion (∼89% in number density). By analyzing resonance frequencies, the ion densities of Ar{sub 2}{sup +} are in the order of 10{supmore » 19}∼10{sup 20}m{sup −3} and increase slowly as the applied voltage increases.« less

Effect of source frequency and pulsing on the SiO2 etching characteristics of dual-frequency capacitive coupled plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hoe Jun; Jeon, Min Hwan; Mishra, Anurag Kumar; Kim, In Jun; Sin, Tae Ho; Yeom, Geun Young

2015-01-01

A SiO2 layer masked with an amorphous carbon layer (ACL) has been etched in an Ar/C4F8 gas mixture with dual frequency capacitively coupled plasmas under variable frequency (13.56-60 MHz)/pulsed rf source power and 2 MHz continuous wave (CW) rf bias power, the effects of the frequency and pulsing of the source rf power on the SiO2 etch characteristics were investigated. By pulsing the rf power, an increased SiO2 etch selectivity was observed with decreasing SiO2 etch rate. However, when the rf power frequency was increased, not only a higher SiO2 etch rate but also higher SiO2 etch selectivity was observed for both CW and pulse modes. A higher CF2/F ratio and lower electron temperature were observed for both a higher source frequency mode and a pulsed plasma mode. Therefore, when the C 1s binding states of the etched SiO2 surfaces were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the increase of C-Fx bonding on the SiO2 surface was observed for a higher source frequency operation similar to a pulsed plasma condition indicating the increase of SiO2 etch selectivity over the ACL. The increase of the SiO2 etch rate with increasing etch selectivity for the higher source frequency operation appears to be related to the increase of the total plasma density with increasing CF2/F ratio in the plasma. The SiO2 etch profile was also improved not only by using the pulsed plasma but also by increasing the source frequency.

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

DOE PAGES

Cerjan, Ch J.; Bernstein, L.; Hopkins, L. Berzak; ...

2017-08-16

We present 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 capturemore » 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. Lastly, achieving enhanced understanding of many of these effects will also significantly advance fusion energy research and challenge existing theoretical models.« less

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

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cerjan, Ch J.; Bernstein, L.; Hopkins, L. Berzak

We present 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 capturemore » 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. Lastly, achieving enhanced understanding of many of these effects will also significantly advance fusion energy research and challenge existing theoretical models.« less

Calibrated simulations of Z opacity experiments that reproduce the experimentally measured plasma conditions

DOE PAGES

Nagayama, T.; Bailey, J. E.; Loisel, G.; ...

2016-02-05

Recently, frequency-resolved iron opacity measurements at electron temperatures of 170–200 eV and electron densities of (0.7 – 4.0) × 10 22 cm –3 revealed a 30–400% disagreement with the calculated opacities [J. E. Bailey et al., Nature (London) 517, 56 (2015)]. The discrepancies have a high impact on astrophysics, atomic physics, and high-energy density physics, and it is important to verify our understanding of the experimental platform with simulations. Reliable simulations are challenging because the temporal and spatial evolution of the source radiation and of the sample plasma are both complex and incompletely diagnosed. In this article, we describe simulationsmore » that reproduce the measured temperature and density in recent iron opacity experiments performed at the Sandia National Laboratories Z facility. The time-dependent spectral irradiance at the sample is estimated using the measured time- and space-dependent source radiation distribution, in situ source-to-sample distance measurements, and a three-dimensional (3D) view-factor code. The inferred spectral irradiance is used to drive 1D sample radiation hydrodynamics simulations. The images recorded by slit-imaged space-resolved spectrometers are modeled by solving radiation transport of the source radiation through the sample. We find that the same drive radiation time history successfully reproduces the measured plasma conditions for eight different opacity experiments. These results provide a quantitative physical explanation for the observed dependence of both temperature and density on the sample configuration. Simulated spectral images for the experiments without the FeMg sample show quantitative agreement with the measured spectral images. The agreement in spectral profile, spatial profile, and brightness provides further confidence in our understanding of the backlight-radiation time history and image formation. Furthermore, these simulations bridge the static-uniform picture of the data interpretation and the dynamic-gradient reality of the experiments, and they will allow us to quantitatively assess the impact of effects neglected in the data interpretation.« less

Vertical structure of the near-surface expanding ionosphere of comet 67P probed by Rosetta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heritier, K. L.; Henri, P.; Vallières, X.; Galand, M.; Odelstad, E.; Eriksson, A. I.; Johansson, F. L.; Altwegg, K.; Behar, E.; Beth, A.; Broiles, T. W.; Burch, J. L.; Carr, C. M.; Cupido, E.; Nilsson, H.; Rubin, M.; Vigren, E.

2017-07-01

The plasma environment has been measured for the first time near the surface of a comet. This unique data set has been acquired at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during ESA/Rosetta spacecraft's final descent on 2016 September 30. The heliocentric distance was 3.8 au and the comet was weakly outgassing. Electron density was continuously measured with Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC)-Mutual Impedance Probe (MIP) and RPC-LAngmuir Probe (LAP) during the descent from a cometocentric distance of 20 km down to the surface. Data set from both instruments have been cross-calibrated for redundancy and accuracy. To analyse this data set, we have developed a model driven by Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis-COmetary Pressure Sensor total neutral density. The two ionization sources considered are solar extreme ultraviolet radiation and energetic electrons. The latter are estimated from the RPC-Ion and Electron Sensor (IES) and corrected for the spacecraft potential probed by RPC-LAP. We have compared the results of the model to the electron densities measured by RPC-MIP and RPC-LAP at the location of the spacecraft. We find good agreement between observed and modelled electron densities. The energetic electrons have access to the surface of the nucleus and contribute as the main ionization source. As predicted, the measurements exhibit a peak in the ionospheric density close to the surface. The location and magnitude of the peak are estimated analytically. The measured ionospheric densities cannot be explained with a constant outflow velocity model. The use of a neutral model with an expanding outflow is critical to explain the plasma observations.

Characterization and Performance of a High-Current-Density Ion Implanter with Magnetized Hollow-Cathode Plasma Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falkenstein, Zoran; Rej, Donald; Gavrilov, Nikolai

1998-10-01

In a collaboration between the Institute of Electrophysics (IEP) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the IEP has developed an industrial scalable, high-power, large-area ion source for the surface modification of materials. The plasma source of the ion beam source can be described as a pulsed glow discharge with a cold, hollow-cathode in a weak magnetic field. Extraction and focusing of positive ions by an acceleration and ion-optical plate system renders the generation of a homogeneous, large-area ion beam with an averaged total ion current of up to 50 mA at acceleration voltages of up to 50 kV. The principle set-up of the ion beam source as well as some electrical characteristics (gas discharge current and the extracted ion beam current) are presented for a lab-scale prototype. Measurements of the radial ion current density profiles within the ion beam for various discharge parameters, as well as results on surface modification by ion implantation of nitrogen into aluminum and chromium are presented. Finally, a comparison of the applied ion dose with the retained ion doses is given.

Inductively coupled Cl2/Ar plasma: Experimental investigation and modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Efremov, A. M.; Kim, Dong-Pyo; Kim, Chang-Il

2003-07-01

Electrophysical and kinetic characteristics of Cl2/Ar plasma were investigated to understand the influence of the addition of Ar on the volume densities and fluxes of active particles, both neutral and charged. Our analysis combined both experimental methods and plasma modeling. It was found that addition of Ar to Cl2 leads to deformation of the electron energy distribution function and an increase of the electron mean energy due to the ``transparency'' effect. Direct electron impact dissociation of Cl2 molecules represents the main source of chlorine atoms in the plasma volume. The contributions of stepwise dissociation and ionization involving Ar metastable atoms were found to be negligible. Addition of Ar to Cl2 causes the decrease of both electron and ion densities due to a decrease in the total ionization rate and the acceleration of heterogeneous decay of charged particles.

Local time dependence of turbulent magnetic fields in Saturn's magnetodisc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaminker, V.; Delamere, P. A.; Ng, C. S.; Dennis, T.; Otto, A.; Ma, X.

2017-04-01

Net plasma transport in magnetodiscs around giant planets is outward. Observations of plasma temperature have shown that the expanding plasma is heating nonadiabatically during this process. Turbulence has been suggested as a source of heating. However, the mechanism and distribution of magnetic fluctuations in giant magnetospheres are poorly understood. In this study we attempt to quantify the radial and local time dependence of fluctuating magnetic field signatures that are suggestive of turbulence, quantifying the fluctuations in terms of a plasma heating rate density. In addition, the inferred heating rate density is correlated with magnetic field configurations that include azimuthal bend forward/back and magnitude of the equatorial normal component of magnetic field relative to the dipole. We find a significant local time dependence in magnetic fluctuations that is consistent with flux transport triggered in the subsolar and dusk sectors due to magnetodisc reconnection.

Modulated electron cyclotron drift instability in a high-power pulsed magnetron discharge.

PubMed

Tsikata, Sedina; Minea, Tiberiu

2015-05-08

The electron cyclotron drift instability, implicated in electron heating and anomalous transport, is detected in the plasma of a planar magnetron. Electron density fluctuations associated with the mode are identified via an adapted coherent Thomson scattering diagnostic, under direct current and high-power pulsed magnetron operation. Time-resolved analysis of the mode amplitude reveals that the instability, found at MHz frequencies and millimeter scales, also exhibits a kHz-scale modulation consistent with the observation of larger-scale plasma density nonuniformities, such as the rotating spoke. Sharply collimated axial fluctuations observed at the magnetron axis are consistent with the presence of escaping electrons in a region where the magnetic and electric fields are antiparallel. These results distinguish aspects of magnetron physics from other plasma sources of similar geometry, such as the Hall thruster, and broaden the scope of instabilities which may be considered to dictate magnetron plasma features.

Behavior of Excited Argon Atoms in Inductively Driven Plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

HEBNER,GREGORY A.; MILLER,PAUL A.

1999-12-07

Laser induced fluorescence has been used to measure the spatial distribution of the two lowest energy argon excited states, 1s{sub 5} and 1s{sub 4}, in inductively driven plasmas containing argon, chlorine and boron trichloride. The behavior of the two energy levels with plasma conditions was significantly different, probably because the 1s{sub 5} level is metastable and the 1s{sub 4} level is radiatively coupled to the ground state but is radiation trapped. The argon data is compared with a global model to identify the relative importance of processes such as electron collisional mixing and radiation trapping. The trends in the datamore » suggest that both processes play a major role in determining the excited state density. At lower rfpower and pressure, excited state spatial distributions in pure argon were peaked in the center of the discharge, with an approximately Gaussian profile. However, for the highest rfpowers and pressures investigated, the spatial distributions tended to flatten in the center of the discharge while the density at the edge of the discharge was unaffected. The spatially resolved excited state density measurements were combined with previous line integrated measurements in the same discharge geometry to derive spatially resolved, absolute densities of the 1s{sub 5} and 1s{sub 4} argon excited states and gas temperature spatial distributions. Fluorescence lifetime was a strong fi.mction of the rf power, pressure, argon fraction and spatial location. Increasing the power or pressure resulted in a factor of two decrease in the fluorescence lifetime while adding Cl{sub 2} or BCl{sub 3} increased the fluorescence lifetime. Excited state quenching rates are derived from the data. When Cl{sub 2} or BCl{sub 3} was added to the plasma, the maximum argon metastable density depended on the gas and ratio. When chlorine was added to the argon plasma, the spatial density profiles were independent of chlorine fraction. While it is energetically possible for argon excited states to dissociate some of the molecular species present in this discharge, it does not appear to be a significant source of dissociation. The major source of interaction between the argon and the molecular species BCl{sub 3} and Cl{sub 2} appears to be through modification of the electron density.« less

The Study of Compact Plasma Source of SXR of Vacuum Spark Type with Capillary Concentrator and It's Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kantsyrev, V. L.; Kopytok, K. I.; Shlyaptseva, A. S.

1994-03-01

The results are presented dealing with the working out and study of the plasma source of soft X-ray (SXR) of the new type. Experimental set up included compact low-inductance vacuum spark (LIVS) with initial energy supply equal up to 2.5 kJ and glass-capillary concentrator (GCC) of SXR. The characteristics of SXR of vacuum spark and properties of SXR were studied using diagnostic complex. The coefficient of conversion of initial energy supply into SXR (η) amounted to 0.01 in range 1.2nm. Value η had peak dependence on atomic number of anode Za. The spectra were recorded belonging to Ne-like, F-like ions of Fe, Cu ions and He-like, H-like ions of Al, Ti, Fe. Glass capillary concentrator consists of about several hundreds glass capillaries Flux density of SXR in focusing spot was up to 105-106 Wt/cm, density of energy is up to 20-30 mJ/cm2 at diameter of SXR focusing spot equal to about 2-3mm in the range 0.7-1.0 nm. The plasma source of the new type is intended for X-ray microscopy, study of influence of SXR on the surface of solid state. It allows to carry out experiments making only on electron synchrotronic sources of SXR.

Neutron generator for BNCT based on high current ECR ion source with gyrotron plasma heating.

PubMed

Skalyga, V; Izotov, I; Golubev, S; Razin, S; Sidorov, A; Maslennikova, A; Volovecky, A; Kalvas, T; Koivisto, H; Tarvainen, O

2015-12-01

BNCT development nowadays is constrained by a progress in neutron sources design. Creation of a cheap and compact intense neutron source would significantly simplify trial treatments avoiding use of expensive and complicated nuclear reactors and accelerators. D-D or D-T neutron generator is one of alternative types of such sources for. A so-called high current quasi-gasdynamic ECR ion source with plasma heating by millimeter wave gyrotron radiation is suggested to be used in a scheme of D-D neutron generator in the present work. Ion source of that type was developed in the Institute of Applied Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia). It can produce deuteron ion beams with current density up to 700-800 mA/cm(2). Generation of the neutron flux with density at the level of 7-8·10(10) s(-1) cm(-2) at the target surface could be obtained in case of TiD2 target bombardment with deuteron beam accelerated to 100 keV. Estimations show that it is enough for formation of epithermal neutron flux with density higher than 10(9) s(-1) cm(-2) suitable for BNCT. Important advantage of described approach is absence of Tritium in the scheme. First experiments performed in pulsed regime with 300 mA, 45 kV deuteron beam directed to D2O target demonstrated 10(9) s(-1) neutron flux. This value corresponds to theoretical estimations and proofs prospects of neutron generator development based on high current quasi-gasdynamic ECR ion source. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A tandem mirror plasma source for a hybrid plume plasma propulsion concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, T. F.; Miller, R. H.; Wenzel, K. W.; Krueger, W. A.; Chang, F. R.

1985-01-01

This paper describes a tandem mirror magnetic plasma confinement device to be considered as a hot plasma source for the hybrid plume rocket concept. The hot plasma from this device is injected into an exhaust duct, which will interact with an annular layer of hypersonic neutral gas. Such a device can be used to study the dynamics of the hybrid plume and to experimentally verify the numerical predictions obtained with computer codes. The basic system design is also geared toward being lightweight and compact, as well as having high power density (i.e., several kW/sq cm) at the exhaust. This feature is aimed toward the feasibility of 'space testing'. The plasma is heated by microwaves. A 50 percent heating efficiency can be obtained by using two half-circle antennas. The preliminary Monte Carlo modeling of test particles result reported here indicates that interaction does take place in the exhaust duct. Neutrals gain energy from the ion, which confirms the hybrid plume concept.

The radiofrequency magnetic dipole discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martines, E.; Zuin, M.; Marcante, M.; Cavazzana, R.; Fassina, A.; Spolaore, M.

2016-05-01

This paper describes a novel and simple concept of plasma source, which is able to produce a radiofrequency magnetized discharge with minimal power requirements. The source is based on the magnetron concept and uses a permanent magnet as an active electrode. The dipolar field produced by the magnet confines the electrons, which cause further ionization, thus producing a toroidally shaped plasma in the equatorial region around the electrode. A plasma can be ignited with such scheme with power levels as low as 5 W. Paschen curves have been built for four different working gases, showing that in Helium or Neon, plasma breakdown is easily obtained also at atmospheric pressure. The plasma properties have been measured using a balanced Langmuir probe, showing that the electron temperature is around 3-4 eV and higher in the cathode proximity. Plasma densities of the order of 1016 m-3 have been obtained, with a good positive scaling with applied power. Overall, the electron pressure appears to be strongly correlated with the magnetic field magnitude in the measurement point.

Using a 2D Model of the Io Plasma Torus to Investigate the Effects of Density Variations on the Morphology and Intensity of the Io Footprint

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Payan, A. P.; Rajendar, A.; Paty, C. S.; Bonfond, B.; Crary, F.

2012-12-01

Io is the primary source of plasma in the Jovian magnetosphere, continuously releasing approximately 1 ton/s of SO2 from volcanic eruptions. The interaction of Io with Jupiter's magnetosphere is strongly influenced by the density structure of the resulting plasma torus and the position of Io relative to the center of the torus [Bonfond et al. 2008]. This unusual interaction produces a complex auroral feature on Jupiter's ionosphere known as the Io footprint. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of Jupiter's far-UV aurora during spring 2007 showed an increased number of isolated auroral blobs along with a continuous expansion of Jupiter's main auroral oval over a few months. These blobs were associated with several large injections of hot plasma between 9 and 27 Jovian radii. These events coincided with a large volcanic eruption of the Tvashtar Paterae on Io, as observed by the New Horizons spacecraft [Spencer et al., 2007]. This, in turn, may have resulted in a significant increase in the plasma torus density. Besides, on June 7th, 2007, the Io footprint momentarily became so faint that it disappeared under a diffuse patch of emission remaining from an injection blob [Bonfond et al., 2012]. The goal of the present study is to examine the relationship between the increased density of the plasma torus and the dimming of the Io footprint. We implement a 2D model of the Io plasma torus that treats the variable-density torus as being composed of discrete layers of uniform density. As the co-rotating plasma in the plasma torus impinges on Io, Alfvén waves are launched at a pushback angle obtained from Gurnett and Goertz [1981]. The waves propagate inside the plasma torus through reflection and refraction at density discontinuities where they lose some of their initial energy. Using the above model, we can track the Alfvén wave fronts in the plasma torus and determine the longitude at which they exit the torus along with the corresponding remaining energy. Since Alfvén waves are capable of accelerating charged particles along magnetic field lines, we assume that the discrete Io footprint features are created at these longitudes, and that the intensity of each of these features is positively correlated to the energy transported by the wave front as it exits the plasma torus. Therefore, the model allows us to investigate both the effects of density changes and of Io's position in the plasma torus on the intensity and the morphology of the Io footprint. In this context, the model enables us to determine the density increase in the plasma torus required to explain the apparent disappearance of Io footprint given its position at that time.

Concerning neutral flux shielding in the U-3M torsatron

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dreval, N. B., E-mail: mdreval@kipt.kharkov.ua

2015-03-15

The volume of the torsatron U-3M vacuum chamber is about 70 m{sup 3}, whereas the plasma volume is about 0.3 m{sup 3}. The large buffer volume of the chamber serves as a source of a substantial neutral flux into the U-3M plasma. A fraction of this flux falls onto the torsatron helical coils located in front of the plasma, due to which the dynamics of neutral influx into the plasma modifies. The shielding of the molecular flux from the buffer volume into the plasma is estimated using numerical calculations. Only about 10% of the incident flux reaches the plasma volume.more » Estimates show that about 20% of atoms escape beyond the helical coils without colliding with them. Under these conditions, the helical coils substantially affect the neutral flux. A discharge regime with a hot low-density plasma produced by a frame antenna is considered. The spatial distribution of the molecular density produced in this regime by the molecular flux from the chamber buffer volume after it has passed between the helical coils is calculated. The contributions of the fluxes emerging from the side and inner surfaces of the helical coils are considered. The calculations show that the shape of the spatial distribution of the molecular density differs substantially from the shape of the magnetic surfaces.« less

Impact of a cometary outburst on its ionosphere. Rosetta Plasma Consortium observations of the outburst exhibited by comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 19 February 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hajra, R.; Henri, P.; Vallières, X.; Galand, M.; Héritier, K.; Eriksson, A. I.; Odelstad, E.; Edberg, N. J. T.; Burch, J. L.; Broiles, T.; Goldstein, R.; Glassmeier, K. H.; Richter, I.; Goetz, C.; Tsurutani, B. T.; Nilsson, H.; Altwegg, K.; Rubin, M.

2017-11-01

We present a detailed study of the cometary ionospheric response to a cometary brightness outburst using in situ measurements for the first time. The comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) at a heliocentric distance of 2.4 AU from the Sun, exhibited an outburst at 1000 UT on 19 February 2016, characterized by an increase in the coma surface brightness of two orders of magnitude. The Rosetta spacecraft monitored the plasma environment of 67P from a distance of 30 km, orbiting with a relative speed of 0.2 m s-1. The onset of the outburst was preceded by pre-outburst decreases in neutral gas density at Rosetta, in local plasma density, and in negative spacecraft potential at 0950 UT. In response to the outburst, the neutral density increased by a factor of 1.8 and the local plasma density increased by a factor of 3, driving the spacecraft potential more negative. The energetic electrons (tens of eV) exhibited decreases in the flux of factors of 2 to 9, depending on the energy of the electrons. The local magnetic field exhibited a slight increase in amplitude ( 5 nT) and an abrupt rotation ( 36.4°) in response to the outburst. A weakening of 10-100 mHz magnetic field fluctuations was also noted during the outburst, suggesting alteration of the origin of the wave activity by the outburst. The plasma and magnetic field effects lasted for about 4 h, from 1000 UT to 1400 UT. The plasma densities are compared with an ionospheric model. This shows that while photoionization is the main source of electrons, electron-impact ionization and a reduction in the ion outflow velocity need to be accounted for in order to explain the plasma density enhancement near the outburst peak.

Nanoelectronics and Plasma Processing---The Next 15 Years and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lieberman, Michael A.

2006-10-01

The number of transistors per chip has doubled every 2 years since 1959, and this doubling will continue over the next 15 years as transistor sizes shrink. There has been a 25 million-fold decrease in cost for the same performance, and in 15 years a desktop computer will be hundreds of times more powerful than one today. Transistors now have 37 nm (120 atoms) gate lengths and 1.5 nm (5 atoms) gate oxide thicknesses. The smallest working transistor has a 5 nm (17 atoms) gate length, close to the limiting gate length, from simulations, of about 4 nm. Plasma discharges are used to fabricate hundreds of billions of these nano-size transistors on a silicon wafer. These discharges have evolved from a first generation of ``low density'' reactors capacitively driven by a single source, to a second generation of ``high density'' reactors (inductive and electron cyclotron resonance) having two rf power sources, in order to control independently the ion flux and ion bombarding energy to the substrate. A third generation of ``moderate density'' reactors, driven capacitively by one high and one low frequency rf source, is now widely used. Recently, triple frequency and combined dc/dual frequency discharges have been investigated, to further control processing characteristics, such as ion energy distributions, uniformity, and plasma etch selectivities. There are many interesting physics issues associated with these discharges, including stochastic heating of discharge electrons by dual frequency sheaths, nonlinear frequency interactions, powers supplied by the multi-frequency sources, and electromagnetic effects such as standing waves and skin effects. Beyond the 4 nm transistor limit lies a decade of further performance improvements for conventional nanoelectronics, and beyond that, a dimly-seen future of spintronics, single-electron transistors, cross-bar latches, and molecular electronics.

Ion propagation in an aluminum hollow cylinder target laser ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saquilayan, Glynnis Mae Q.; Wada, Motoi

2018-01-01

Experimental results for the laser produced plasma in an aluminum hollow cylinder target are presented. Observing the plasma formation inside the cylinder, a high-speed camera captured the images of the plasma expanding towards the adjacent walls of target. The optical emission spectrum is obtained for the plasma inside the hollow cylinder and positive singly charged aluminum ions and neutrals are identified from emission spectral lines. Time dependent current signals of the Faraday cup displayed an enlarged signal intensity as the laser power density is increased up to 6.5 GW/cm2. Signal arrival times corresponding to fast ions appeared at the onset of the current waveforms when the laser power density exceeded 4.7 GW/cm2. For the mass analysis of plasma, an accelerating electric field was applied to separate the ions and the time-of-flight measurements showed positive ion signals with an identified peak to have an estimated mass of 350 amu.

Computational studies for a multiple-frequency electron cyclotron resonance ion source (abstract)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alton, G.D.

1996-03-01

The number density of electrons, the energy (electron temperature), and energy distribution are three of the fundamental properties which govern the performance of electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources in terms of their capability to produce high charge state ions. The maximum electron energy is affected by several processes including the ability of the plasma to absorb power. In principle, the performances of an ECR ion source can be realized by increasing the physical size of the ECR zone in relation to the total plasma volume. The ECR zones can be increased either in the spatial or frequency domains inmore » any ECR ion source based on B-minimum plasma confinement principles. The former technique requires the design of a carefully tailored magnetic field geometry so that the central region of the plasma volume is a large, uniformly distributed plasma volume which surrounds the axis of symmetry, as proposed in Ref. . Present art forms of the ECR source utilize single frequency microwave power supplies to maintain the plasma discharge; because the magnetic field distribution continually changes in this source design, the ECR zones are relegated to thin {open_quote}{open_quote}surfaces{close_quote}{close_quote} which surround the axis of symmetry. As a consequence of the small ECR zone in relation to the total plasma volume, the probability for stochastic heating of the electrons is quite low, thereby compromising the source performance. This handicap can be overcome by use of broadband, multiple frequency microwave power as evidenced by the enhanced performances of the CAPRICE and AECR ion sources when two frequency microwave power was utilized. We have used particle-in-cell codes to simulate the magnetic field distributions in these sources and to demonstrate the advantages of using multiple, discrete frequencies over single frequencies to power conventional ECR ion sources. (Abstract Truncated)« less

Intrinsic suppression of turbulence in linear plasma devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leddy, J.; Dudson, B.

2017-12-01

Plasma turbulence is the dominant transport mechanism for heat and particles in magnetised plasmas in linear devices and tokamaks, so the study of turbulence is important in limiting and controlling this transport. Linear devices provide an axial magnetic field that serves to confine a plasma in cylindrical geometry as it travels along the magnetic field from the source to the strike point. Due to perpendicular transport, the plasma density and temperature have a roughly Gaussian radial profile with gradients that drive instabilities, such as resistive drift-waves and Kelvin-Helmholtz. If unstable, these instabilities cause perturbations to grow resulting in saturated turbulence, increasing the cross-field transport of heat and particles. When the plasma emerges from the source, there is a time, {τ }\\parallel , that describes the lifetime of the plasma based on parallel velocity and length of the device. As the plasma moves down the device, it also moves azimuthally according to E × B and diamagnetic velocities. There is a balance point in these parallel and perpendicular times that sets the stabilisation threshold. We simulate plasmas with a variety of parallel lengths and magnetic fields to vary the parallel and perpendicular lifetimes, respectively, and find that there is a clear correlation between the saturated RMS density perturbation level and the balance between these lifetimes. The threshold of marginal stability is seen to exist where {τ }\\parallel ≈ 11{τ }\\perp . This is also associated with the product {τ }\\parallel {γ }* , where {γ }* is the drift-wave linear growth rate, indicating that the instability must exist for roughly 100 times the growth time for the instability to enter the nonlinear growth phase. We explore the root of this correlation and the implications for linear device design.

Experimental Characterization of Magnetogasdynamic Phenomena in Ultra-High Velocity Pulsed Plasma Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loebner, Keith; Wang, Benjamin; Cappelli, Mark

2014-10-01

The formation and propagation of high velocity plasma jets in a pulsed, coaxial, deflagration-type discharge is examined experimentally. A sensitive, miniaturized, immersed probe array is used to map out magnetic flux density and associated radial current density as a function of time and axial position. This array is also used to probe the magnetic field gradient across the exit of the accelerator and in the jet formation region. Sensitive interferometry via a continuous-wave helium-neon laser source is used to probe the structure of the plasma jet over multiple chords and axial locations. A two dimensional plasma density gradient profile at an instant in time during jet formation is compiled via Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor analysis. The qualitative characteristics of rarefaction and/or shock wave formation as a function of chamber back-pressure is examined via fast-framing ICCD imaging. These measurements are compared to existing resistive MHD simulations of the coaxial deflagration accelerator and the ensuing rarefaction jet that is expelled from the electrode assembly. The physical mechanisms governing the behavior of the discharge and the formation of these high energy density plasma jets are proposed and validated against both theoretical models and numerically simulated behavior. This research was conducted with Government support under and awarded by DoD, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship, 32 CFR 168a.

Interplanetary scintillation at large elongation angles: Response to solar wind density structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Erskine, F.T.; Cronyn, W.M.; Shawhan, S.D.

1978-09-01

Synoptic interplanetary scintillation (IPS) index measurements were taken at 34.3 MHz during May-December 1974 using the University of Iowa Coca Cross radiotelescope on a 'grid' of 150 selected radio sources covering solar elongation angles up to 180/sup 0/. Over 80 of these sources displayed definite IPS. The solar elongation dependence of the 34.3-MHz IPS index is consistent with the elongation angle dependence measured at higher frequencies. Large enhancements (factors of> or approx. =2) of the IPS index are found to coincide with the solar wind (proton density increases greater than 10 cm/sup -3/ as measured by Imp 7 and 8more » for nearly all observed IPS sources throughout the sky. These 'all-sky' IPS enhancements appear to be caused by incresed contributions to the scintillation power by turbulent plasma in regions close to the earth (< or approx. =0.3AU) in all directions. Correlation analysis confirms the IPS response to solar wind density and indicates that the events are due primarily to the corotating solar wind turbulent plasma structures which dominated the interplanetary medium during 1974. The expected IPS space-time signature for a simple model of an approaching corotating turbulent structure is not apparent in our observations. In some cases, the enhancement variatons can be attributed to structural differences in the solar wind density turbulence in and out of the ecliptic.« less

N-Doped Graphene with Low Intrinsic Defect Densities via a Solid Source Doping Technique.

PubMed

Liu, Bo; Yang, Chia-Ming; Liu, Zhiwei; Lai, Chao-Sung

2017-09-30

N-doped graphene with low intrinsic defect densities was obtained by combining a solid source doping technique and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The solid source for N-doping was embedded into the copper substrate by NH₃ plasma immersion. During the treatment, NH₃ plasma radicals not only flattened the Cu substrate such that the root-mean-square roughness value gradually decreased from 51.9 nm to 15.5 nm but also enhanced the nitrogen content in the Cu substrate. The smooth surface of copper enables good control of graphene growth and the decoupling of height fluctuations and ripple effects, which compensate for the Coulomb scattering by nitrogen incorporation. On the other hand, the nitrogen atoms on the pre-treated Cu surface enable nitrogen incorporation with low defect densities, causing less damage to the graphene structure during the process. Most incorporated nitrogen atoms are found in the pyrrolic configuration, with the nitrogen fraction ranging from 1.64% to 3.05%, while the samples exhibit low defect densities, as revealed by Raman spectroscopy. In the top-gated graphene transistor measurement, N-doped graphene exhibits n-type behavior, and the obtained carrier mobilities are greater than 1100 cm²·V -1 ·s -1 . In this study, an efficient and minimally damaging n-doping approach was proposed for graphene nanoelectronic applications.

Plasma rotation in the Peking University Plasma Test device.

PubMed

Xiao, Chijie; Chen, Yihang; Yang, Xiaoyi; Xu, Tianchao; Wang, Long; Xu, Min; Guo, Dong; Yu, Yi; Lin, Chen

2016-11-01

Some preliminary results of plasma rotations in a linear plasma experiment device, Peking University Plasma Test (PPT) device, are reported in this paper. PPT has a cylindrical vacuum chamber with 500 mm diameter and 1000 mm length, and a pair of Helmholtz coils which can generate cylindrical or cusp magnetic geometry with magnitude from 0 to 2000 G. Plasma was generated by a helicon source and the typical density is about 10 13 cm -3 for the argon plasma. Some Langmuir probes, magnetic probes, and one high-speed camera are set up to diagnose the rotational plasmas. The preliminary results show that magnetic fluctuations exist during some plasma rotation processes with both cylindrical and cusp magnetic geometries, which might be related to some electromagnetic processes and need further studies.

Chromospheric evaporation and decimetric radio emission in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aschwanden, Markus J.; Benz, Arnold O.

1995-01-01

We have discovered decimetric signatures of the chromospheric evaporation process. Evidence for the radio detection of chromospheric evaporation is based on the radio-inferred values of (1) the electron density, (2) the propagation speed, and (3) the timing, which are found to be in good agreement with statistical values inferred from the blueshifted Ca XIX soft X-ray line. The physical basis of our model is that free-free absorption of plasma emission is strongly modified by the steep density gradient and the large temperature increase in the upflowing flare plasma. The steplike density increase at the chromospheric evaporation front causes a local discontinuity in the plasma frequency, manifested as almost infinite drift rate in decimetric type III bursts. The large temperature increase of the upflowing plasma considerably reduces the local free-free opacity (due to the T(exp -3/2) dependence) and thus enhances the brightness of radio bursts emitted at the local plasma frequency near the chromospheric evaporation front, while a high-frequency cutoff is expected in the high-density regions behind the front, which can be used to infer the velocity of the upflowing plasma. From model calculations we find strong evidence that decimetric bursts with a slowly drifting high-frequency cutoff are produced by fundamental plasma emission, contrary to the widespread belief that decimetric bursts are preferentially emitted at the harmonic plasma level. We analyze 21 flare episodes from 1991-1993 for which broadband (100-3000 MHz) radio dynamic spectra from Pheonix, hard X-ray data from (BATSE/CGRO) and soft X-ray data from Burst and Transient Source Experiment/Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GOES) were available.

X-ray line emission from the Puppis A supernova remnant - Oxygen lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winkler, P. F.; Clark, G. W.; Markert, T. H.; Petre, R.; Canizares, C. R.

1981-01-01

Six prominent X-ray emission lines of O VII and O VIII have been detected from a portion of the Puppis A supernova remnant in observations with the Einstein Observatory Focal Plane Crystal Spectrometer. The lines are sufficiently well resolved to serve as diagnostics of the emitting plasma. From the relative intensities of the lines, it is inferred that the population of O VIII is about 1.5 times that of O VII, and that electron collisions are the dominant excitation mechanism in the plasma. A locus of allowed electron temperatures and interstellar-absorption column densities is derived: 1.5 x 10 to the 6th K, and (2-6) x 10 to the 21st per sq cm. The data are consistent with either a thin plasma source in equilibrium at a temperature of 2.2 x 10 to the 6th K with a column density of 4 x 10 to the 21st per sq cm, or with a nonequilibrium source in which the electrons have been shock-heated to a higher temperature and oxygen is underionized.

Compton scattering measurements from dense plasmas

DOE PAGES

Glenzer, S. H.; Neumayer, P.; Doppner, T.; ...

2008-06-12

Here, Compton scattering techniques have been developed for accurate measurements of densities and temperatures in dense plasmas. One future challenge is the application of this technique to characterize compressed matter on the National Ignition Facility where hydrogen and beryllium will approach extremely dense states of matter of up to 1000 g/cc. In this regime, the density, compressibility, and capsule fuel adiabat may be directly measured from the Compton scattered spectrum of a high-energy x-ray line source. Specifically, the scattered spectra directly reflect the electron velocity distribution. In non-degenerate plasmas, the width provides an accurate measure of the electron temperatures, whilemore » in partially Fermi degenerate systems that occur in laser-compressed matter it provides the Fermi energy and hence the electron density. Both of these regimes have been accessed in experiments at the Omega laser by employing isochorically heated solid-density beryllium and moderately compressed beryllium foil targets. In the latter experiment, compressions by a factor of 3 at pressures of 40 Mbar have been measured in excellent agreement with radiation hydrodynamic modeling.« less

Modeling the Plasmasphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gallagher, Dennis L

1998-01-01

The plasmasphere has often been considered one of the more boring regions in the magnetosphere. Its low energy plasma doesn't begin to compete against the free sources of energy available in the ring current, auroral zone, or plasma sheet. Its best known feature is its relatively highly density, archived as a result of prolonged accumulation of ionospheric outflow onto corotating flux tubes. On second look, however, the plasmasphere can be found to exhibit a remarkable influence on its more energetic cousins and display convection behavior indicative of physical processes acting throughout the magnetosphere for which we have no explanation. Plasmaspheric plasma densities and composition of heavy ions are particularly sensitive to heating by processes active in the ionosphere and all along field lines. Wave propagation and instabilities, collisional losses in the ring current, and heat transport from superthermal electrons are all equally sensitive to dense, heavy plasmaspheric densities and density gradients. It is in this context that we seek to characterize plasmaspheric populations using event based, empirical, and physical modeling methods. The modeling approaches, the challenges, and some of the results of these efforts will be presented.

Experimental investigations of electron density and ion energy distributions in dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas for Ar/CF{sub 4} and Ar/O{sub 2}/CF{sub 4} discharges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Jia; Liu, Yong-Xin; Gao, Fei

2014-01-07

The electron density and ion energy distribution (IED) are investigated in low-pressure dual-frequency capacitively coupled Ar/CF{sub 4} (90%/10%) and Ar/O{sub 2}/CF{sub 4} (80%/10%/10%) plasmas. The relations between controllable parameters, such as high-frequency (HF) power, low-frequency (LF) power and gas pressure, and plasma parameters, such as electron density and IEDs, are studied in detail by utilizing a floating hairpin probe and an energy resolved quadrupole mass spectrometer, respectively. In our experiment, the electron density is mainly determined by the HF power and slightly influenced by the LF power. With increasing gas pressure, the electron density first goes up rapidly to amore » maximum value and then decreases at various HF and LF powers. The HF power also plays a considerable role in affecting the IEDs under certain conditions and the ion energy independently controlled by the LF source is discussed here. For clarity, some numerical results obtained from a two-dimensional fluid model are presented.« less

Diagnostics of AC excited Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet with He for Biomedical Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hori, Masaru; Takeda, Keigo; Kumakura, Takumi; Ishikawa, Kenji; Tanaka, Hiromasa; Kondo, Hiroki; Sekine, Makoto; Nakai, Yoshihiro

2014-10-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJ) are frequently used for biomedical applications. Reactive species generated by the APPJ play important roles for treatments of biomedical samples. Therefore, high density APPJ sources are required to realize the high performance. Our group has developed AC excited Ar APPJ with electron density as high as 1015 cm-3, and realized the selective killing of cancer cells and the inactivate spores of Penicillium digitatum. Recently, a new spot-size AC excited APPJ with He gas have been developed. In this study, the He APPJ was characterized by using spectroscopy. The plasma was discharged at a He flow rate of 5 slm and a discharge voltage of AC 9 kV. Gas temperature and electron density of the APPJ were measured by optical emission spectroscopy. From theoretical fitting of 2nd positive system of N2 emission (380.4 nm) and Stark broadening of Balmer β line of H atom (486.1 nm), the gas temperature and the electron density was estimated to be 299 K and 3.4. × 1015 cm-3. The AC excited He APPJ has a potential to realize high density with room temperature and become a very powerful tool for biomedical applications.

Pulsed Plasma Electron Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasik, Yakov

2008-11-01

Pulsed (˜10-7 s) electron beams with high current density (>10^2 A/cm^2) are generated in diodes with electric field of E > 10^6 V/cm. The source of electrons in these diodes is explosive emission plasma, which limits pulse duration; in the case E < 10^5 V/cm this plasma is not uniform and there is a time delay in its formation. Thus, there is a continuous interest in research of electron sources which can be used for generation of uniform electron beams produced at E <= 10^5 V/cm. In the present report, several types of plasma electron source (PES) will be considered. The first type of PES is fiber-based cathodes, with and without CsI coating. The operation of these cathodes is governed by the formation of the flashover plasma which serves as a source of electrons. The second type of PES is the ferroelectric plasma source (FPS). The operation of FPS, characterized by the formation of dense surface flashover plasma is accompanied also by the generation of fast microparticles and energetic neutrals. The latter was explained by Coulomb micro-explosions of the ferroelectric surface due to an large time-varying electric field at the front of the expanding plasma. A short review of recent achievements in the operation of a multi-FPS-assisted hollow anode to generate a large area electron beam will be presented as well. Finally, parameters of the plasma produced by a multi-capillary cathode with FPS and velvet igniters will be discussed. Ya. E. Krasik, J. Z. Gleizer, D. Yarmolich, A. Krokhmal, V. Ts. Gurovich, S.Efimov, J. Felsteiner V. Bernshtam, and Yu. M. Saveliev, J. Appl. Phys. 98, 093308 (2005). Ya. E. Krasik, A. Dunaevsky, and J. Felsteiner, Phys. Plasmas 8, 2466 (2001). D. Yarmolich, V. Vekselman, V. Tz. Gurovich, and Ya. E. Krasik, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 075004 (2008). J. Z. Gleizer, Y. Hadas and Ya. E. Krasik, Europhysics Lett. 82, 55001 (2008).

Numerical Model of the Plasma Sheath Generated by the Plasma Source Instrument Aboard the Polar Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leung, Wing C.; Singh, Nagendra; Moore, Thomas E.; Craven, Paul D.

2000-01-01

The plasma sheath generated by the operation of the Plasma Source Instrument (PSI) aboard the POLAR satellite is studied by using a 3-dimensional Particle-In-Cell (PIC) code. When the satellite passes through the region of low density plasma, the satellite charges to positive potentials as high as 4050Volts due to the photoelectrons emission. In such a case, ambient core ions cannot accurately be measured or detected. The goal of the onboard PSI is to reduce the floating potential of the satellite to a sufficiently low value so that the ions in the polar wind become detectable. When the PSI is operated, an ion-rich Xenon plasma is ejected from the satellite, such that the floating potential of the satellite is reduced and is maintained at about 2Volts. Accordingly, in our 3-dimensional PIC simulation, we considered that the potential of the satellite is 2Volts as a fixed bias. Considering the relatively high density of the Xenon plasma in the sheath (approx. 10 - 10(exp 3)/cc), the ambient plasma of low density (less than 1/cc) is neglected. In the simulations, the electric fields and plasma dynamics are calculated self-consistently. We found that an "Apple" shape positive potential sheath forms surrounding the satellite. In the region near the PSI emission, a high positive potential hill develops. Near the Thermal Ion Detection Experiment (TIDE) detector away from the PSI, the potentials are sufficiently low for the ambient polar wind ions to reach it. In the simulations, it takes about a hundred electron gyroperiods for the sheath to reach a quasi-steady state. This time is approximately the time taken by the heavy Xe(+) ions to expand up to about one average Larmor radius of electrons from the satellite surface. Using the steady state sheath, we performed trajectory calculations to characterize the detector response to a highly supersonic polar wind flow. The detected ions' velocity distribution shows significant deviations from a shifted Maxwellian in the ambient polar wind population. The deviations are caused by the effects of electric fields on the ions' motion as they traverse the sheath.

A segmented multi-loop antenna for selective excitation of azimuthal mode number in a helicon plasma source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shinohara, S., E-mail: sshinoha@cc.tuat.ac.jp; Tanikawa, T.; Motomura, T.

2014-09-15

A flat type, segmented multi-loop antenna was developed in the Tokai Helicon Device, built for producing high-density helicon plasma, with a diameter of 20 cm and an axial length of 100 cm. This antenna, composed of azimuthally splitting segments located on four different radial positions, i.e., r = 2.8, 4.8, 6.8, and 8.8 cm, can excite the azimuthal mode number m of 0, ±1, and ±2 by a proper choice of antenna feeder parts just on the rear side of the antenna. Power dependencies of the electron density n{sub e} were investigated with a radio frequency (rf) power less thanmore » 3 kW (excitation frequency ranged from 8 to 20 MHz) by the use of various types of antenna segments, and n{sub e} up to ∼5 × 10{sup 12} cm{sup −3} was obtained after the density jump from inductively coupled plasma to helicon discharges. Radial density profiles of m = 0 and ±1 modes with low and high rf powers were measured. For the cases of these modes after the density jump, the excited mode structures derived from the magnetic probe measurements were consistent with those expected from theory on helicon waves excited in the plasma.« less

Neutralization of an ion beam from the end-Hall ion source by a plasma electron source based on a discharge in crossed E × H fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dostanko, A. P.; Golosov, D. A.

2009-10-01

The possibility of using a plasma electron source (PES) with a discharge in crossed E × H field for compensating the ion beam from an end-Hall ion source (EHIS) is analyzed. The PES used as a neutralizer is mounted in the immediate vicinity of the EHIS ion generation and acceleration region at 90° to the source axis. The behavior of the discharge and emission parameters of the EHIS is determined for operation with a filament neutralizer and a plasma electron source. It is found that the maximal discharge current from the ion source attains a value of 3.8 A for operation with a PES and 4 A for operation with a filament compensator. It is established that the maximal discharge current for the ion source strongly depends on the working gas flow rate for low flow rates (up to 10 ml/min) in the EHIS; for higher flow rates, the maximum discharge current in the EHIS depends only on the emissivity of the PES. Analysis of the emission parameters of EHISs with filament and plasma neutralizers shows that the ion beam current and the ion current density distribution profile are independent of the type of the electron source and the ion current density can be as high as 0.2 mA/cm2 at a distance of 25 cm from the EHIS anode. The balance of currents in the ion source-electron source system is considered on the basis of analysis of operation of EHISs with various sources of electrons. It is concluded that the neutralization current required for operation of an ion source in the discharge compensation mode must be equal to or larger than the discharge current of the ion source. The use of PES for compensating the ion beam from an end-Hall ion source proved to be effective in processes of ion-assisted deposition of thin films using reactive gases like O2 or N2. The application of the PES technique makes it possible to increase the lifetime of the ion-assisted deposition system by an order of magnitude (the lifetime with a Ti cathode is at least 60 h and is limited by the replacement life of the deposited cathode insertion).

Study of dual radio frequency capacitively coupled plasma: an analytical treatment matched to an experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saikia, P.; Bhuyan, H.; Escalona, M.; Favre, M.; Wyndham, E.; Maze, J.; Schulze, J.

2018-01-01

The behavior of a dual frequency capacitively coupled plasma (2f CCP) driven by 2.26 and 13.56 MHz radio frequency (rf) source is investigated using an approach that integrates a theoretical model and experimental data. The basis of the theoretical analysis is a time dependent dual frequency analytical sheath model that casts the relation between the instantaneous sheath potential and plasma parameters. The parameters used in the model are obtained by operating the 2f CCP experiment (2.26 MHz + 13.56 MHz) in argon at a working pressure of 50 mTorr. Experimentally measured plasma parameters such as the electron density, electron temperature, as well as the rf current density ratios are the inputs of the theoretical model. Subsequently, a convenient analytical solution for the output sheath potential and sheath thickness was derived. A comparison of the present numerical results is done with the results obtained in another 2f CCP experiment conducted by Semmler et al (2007 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 16 839). A good quantitative correspondence is obtained. The numerical solution shows the variation of sheath potential with the low and high frequency (HF) rf powers. In the low pressure plasma, the sheath potential is a qualitative measure of DC self-bias which in turn determines the ion energy. Thus, using this analytical model, the measured values of the DC self-bias as a function of low and HF rf powers are explained in detail.

Plasma Irregularity Production in the Polar Cap F-Region Ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamarche, Leslie

Plasma in the Earth's ionosphere is highly irregular on scales ranging between a few centimeters and hundreds of kilometers. Small-scale irregularities or plasma waves can scatter radio waves resulting in a loss of signal for navigation and communication networks. The polar region is particularly susceptible to strong disturbances due to its direct connection with the Sun's magnetic field and energetic particles. In this thesis, factors that contribute to the production of decameter-scale plasma irregularities in the polar F region ionosphere are investigated. Both global and local control of irregularity production are studied, i.e. we consider global solar control through solar illumination and solar wind as well as much more local control by plasma density gradients and convection electric field. In the first experimental study, solar control of irregularity production is investigated using the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) radar at McMurdo, Antarctica. The occurrence trends for irregularities are analyzed statistically and a model is developed that describes the location of radar echoes within the radar's field-of-view. The trends are explained through variations in background plasma density with solar illumination affecting radar beam propagation. However, it is found that the irregularity occurrence during the night is higher than expected from ray tracing simulations based on a standard ionospheric density model. The high occurrence at night implies an additional source of plasma density and it is proposed that large-scale density enhancements called polar patches may be the source of this density. Additionally, occurrence maximizes around the terminator due to different competing irregularity production processes that favor a more or less sunlit ionosphere. The second study is concerned with modeling irregularity characteristics near a large-scale density gradient reversal, such as those expected near polar patches, with a particular focus on the asymmetry of the irregularity growth rate across the gradient reversal. Directional dependencies on the plasma density gradient, plasma drift, and wavevector are analyzed in the context of the recently developed general fluid theory of the gradient-drift instability. In the ionospheric F region, the strongest asymmetry is found when an elongated structure is oriented along the radar's boresight and moving perpendicular to its direction of elongation. These results have important implications for finding optimal configurations for oblique-scanning ionospheric radars such as SuperDARN to observe gradient reversals. To test the predictions of the developed model and the general theory of the gradient-drift instability, an experimental investigation is presented focusing on decameter-scale irregularities near a polar patch and the previously uninvestigated directional dependence of irregularity characteristics. Backscatter power and occurrence of irregularities are analyzed using measurements from the SuperDARN radar at Rankin Inlet, Canada, while background density gradients and convection electric fields are found from the north face of the Resolute Bay Incoherent Scatter Radar. It is shown that irregularity occurrence tends to follow the expected trends better than irregularity power, suggesting that while the gradient-drift instability may be a dominant process in generating small-scale irregularities, other mechanisms such as a shear-driven instability or nonlinear process may exert greater control over their intensity. It is concluded from this body of work that the production of small-scale plasma irregularities in the polar F-region ionosphere is controlled both by global factors such as solar illumination as well as local plasma density gradients and electric fields. In general, linear gradient-drift instability theory describes small-scale irregularity production well, particularly for low-amplitude perturbations. The production of irregularities is complex, and while ground-based radars are invaluable tools to study the ionosphere, care must be taken to interpret results correctly.

Whistlers in Neptune's magnetosphere: Evidence of atmospheric lightning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gurnett, D. A.; Kurth, W. S.; Cairns, I. H.; Granroth, L. J.

1990-01-01

During the Voyager 2 flyby of Neptune, a series of 16 whistler-like events were detected by the plasma wave instrument near closest approach. These events were observed at radial distances from 1.30 to 1.99 R sub N and magnetic latitudes from -7 to 33 deg. The frequencies ranged from 6.1 to 12.0 kHz, and the dispersions fit the Eckersley law for lightning-generated whistlers. Lightning in the atmosphere of Neptune is the only known source of such signals. The frequency range of the whistlers (up to 12 kHz) indicates that the local electron densities are substantially higher (N sub e greater than 30 t0 100 per cu cm) than indicated by the in situ plasma measurements. The dispersion of the whistlers is very large, typically 26,000 sec Hz(exp 0.5). Based on existing plasma density models and measurements, the dispersions are too large to be accounted for by a single direct path from the lightning source to the spacecraft. Therefore, multiple bounces from one hemisphere to the other are required. The most likely propagation path probably involves a lightning source on the dayside of the planet, with repeated bounces through the dense dayside ionosphere at low L-values.

Nonlinear increase of X-ray intensities from thin foils irradiated with a 200 TW femtosecond laser

PubMed Central

Faenov, A. Ya.; Colgan, J.; Hansen, S. B.; Zhidkov, A.; Pikuz, T. A.; Nishiuchi, M.; Pikuz, S. A.; Skobelev, I. Yu.; Abdallah, J.; Sakaki, H.; Sagisaka, A.; Pirozhkov, A. S.; Ogura, K.; Fukuda, Y.; Kanasaki, M.; Hasegawa, N.; Nishikino, M.; Kando, M.; Watanabe, Y.; Kawachi, T.; Masuda, S.; Hosokai, T.; Kodama, R.; Kondo, K.

2015-01-01

We report, for the first time, that the energy of femtosecond optical laser pulses, E, with relativistic intensities I > 1021  W/cm2 is efficiently converted to X-ray radiation, which is emitted by “hot” electron component in collision-less processes and heats the solid density plasma periphery. As shown by direct high-resolution spectroscopic measurements X-ray radiation from plasma periphery exhibits unusual non-linear growth ~E4–5 of its power. The non-linear power growth occurs far earlier than the known regime when the radiation reaction dominates particle motion (RDR). Nevertheless, the radiation is shown to dominate the kinetics of the plasma periphery, changing in this regime (now labeled RDKR) the physical picture of the laser plasma interaction. Although in the experiments reported here we demonstrated by observation of KK hollow ions that X-ray intensities in the keV range exceeds ~1017  W/cm2, there is no theoretical limit of the radiation power. Therefore, such powerful X-ray sources can produce and probe exotic material states with high densities and multiple inner-shell electron excitations even for higher Z elements. Femtosecond laser-produced plasmas may thus provide unique ultra-bright X-ray sources, for future studies of matter in extreme conditions, material science studies, and radiography of biological systems. PMID:26330230

Design and simulation of control algorithms for stored energy and plasma current in non-inductive scenarios on NSTX-U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, Mark; Andre, Robert; Gates, David; Gerhardt, Stefan; Menard, Jonathan; Poli, Francesca

2015-11-01

One of the major goals of NSTX-U is to demonstrate non-inductive operation. To facilitate this and other program goals, the center stack has been upgraded and a second neutral beam line has been added with three sources aimed more tangentially to provide higher current drive efficiency and the ability to shape the current drive profile. While non-inductive start-up and ramp-up scenarios are being developed, initial non-inductive studies will likely rely on clamping the Ohmic coil current after the plasma current has been established inductively. In this work the ability to maintain control of stored energy and plasma current once the Ohmic coil has been clamped is explored. The six neutral beam sources and the mid-plane outer gap of the plasma are considered as actuators. System identification is done using TRANSP simulations in which the actuators are modulated around a reference shot. The resulting reduced model is used to design an optimal control law with anti-windup and a recently developed framework for closed loop simulations in TRANSP is used to test the control. Limitations due to actuator saturation are assessed and robustness to beam modulation, changes in the plasma density and confinement, and changes in density and temperature profile shapes are studied. Supported by US DOE contract DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Nonlinear increase of X-ray intensities from thin foils irradiated with a 200 TW femtosecond laser

DOE PAGES

Faenov, A. Ya.; Colgan, J.; Hansen, S. B.; ...

2015-09-02

We report, for the first time, that the energy of femtosecond optical laser pulses, E, with relativistic intensities I > 10 21 W/cm 2 is efficiently converted to X-ray radiation, which is emitted by “hot” electron component in collision-less processes and heats the solid density plasma periphery. As shown by direct high-resolution spectroscopic measurements X-ray radiation from plasma periphery exhibits unusual non-linear growth ~E 4–5 of its power. The non-linear power growth occurs far earlier than the known regime when the radiation reaction dominates particle motion (RDR). Nevertheless, the radiation is shown to dominate the kinetics of the plasma periphery,more » changing in this regime (now labeled RDKR) the physical picture of the laser plasma interaction. Although in the experiments reported here we demonstrated by observation of KK hollow ions that X-ray intensities in the keV range exceeds ~10 17 W/cm 2, there is no theoretical limit of the radiation power. Therefore, such powerful X-ray sources can produce and probe exotic material states with high densities and multiple inner-shell electron excitations even for higher Z elements. As a result, femtosecond laser-produced plasmas may thus provide unique ultra-bright X-ray sources, for future studies of matter in extreme conditions, material science studies, and radiography of biological systems.« less

The Basic Plasma Science Facility: a platform for studying plasma processes relevant to space and astrophysical settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, T. A.

2017-10-01

The Basic Plasma Science Facility at UCLA is a national user facility for studies of fundamental processes in magnetized plasmas. The centerpiece is the Large Plasma Device, a 20 m, magnetized linear plasma device. Two hot cathode plasma sources are available. A Barium Oxide coated cathode produces plasmas with n 1012 cm-3, Te 5 eV, Ti < 1 eV with magnetic field from 400G-2kG. This low- β plasma has been used to study fundamental processes, including: dispersion and damping of kinetic and inertial Alfvén waves, flux ropes and magnetic reconnection, three-wave interactions and parametric instabilities of Alfvén waves, turbulence and transport, and interactions of energetic ions and electrons with plasma waves. A new Lanthanum Hexaboride (LaB6) cathode is now available which produces significantly higher densities and temperatures: n < 5 ×1013 cm-3, Te 12 eV, Ti 6 eV. This higher pressure plasma source enabled the observation of laser-driven collisionless magnetized shocks and, with lowered magnetic field, provides magnetized plasmas with β approaching or possibly exceeding unity. This opens up opportunities for investigating processes relevant to the solar wind and astrophysical plasmas. BaPSF is jointly supported by US DOE and NSF.

Improved Confinement Regimes and the Ignitor Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bombarda, F.; Coppi, B.; Detragiache, P.

2013-10-01

The Ignitor experiment is the only one designed and planned to reach ignition under controlled DT burning conditions. The machine prameters have been established on the basis of existing knowledge of the confinement properties of high density plasmas. The optimal plasma evolution in order to reach ignition by means of Ohmic heating only, without the contribution of transport barriers has been identified. Improved confinement regimes are expected to be accessible by means of the available ICRH additional heating power and the injection of pellets for density profile control. Moreover, ECRH of the outer edge of the (toroidal) plasma column has been proposed using very high frequency sources developed in Russia. Ignition can then be reached at slightly reduced machine parameters. Significant exploration of the behavior of burning, sub-ignited plasmas can be carried out in less demanding operational conditions than those needed for ignition with plasmas accessing the I or H-regimes. These conditions will be discussed together with the provisions made in order to maintain the required (for ignition) degree of plasma purity. Sponsored in part by the U.S. DOE.

Pressure dependence of an ion beam accelerating structure in an expanding helicon plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiao; Aguirre, Evan; Thompson, Derek S.; McKee, John; Henriquez, Miguel; Scime, Earl E.

2018-02-01

We present measurements of the parallel ion velocity distribution function and electric field in an expanding helicon source plasma plume as a function of downstream gas pressure and radial and axial positions. The ion beam that appears spontaneously in the plume persists for all downstream pressures investigated, with the largest parallel ion beam velocities obtained for the lowest downstream pressures. However, the change in ion beam velocity exceeds what would be expected simply for a change in the collisionality of the system. Electric field measurements confirm that it is the magnitude of the potential structure responsible for accelerating the ion beam that changes with downstream pressure. Interestingly, the ion density radial profile is hollow close to the end of the plasma source for all pressures, but it is hollow at downstream distances far from the source only at the highest downstream neutral pressures.

Antiproton powered propulsion with magnetically confined plasma engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lapointe, Michael R.

1989-01-01

Matter-antimatter annihilation releases more energy per unit mass than any other method of energy production, making it an attractive energy source for spacecraft propulsion. In the magnetically confined plasma engine, antiproton beams are injected axially into a pulsed magnetic mirror system, where they annihilate with an initially neutral hydrogen gas. The resulting charged annihilation products transfer energy to the hydrogen propellant, which is then exhausted through one end of the pulsed mirror system to provide thrust. The calculated energy transfer efficiencies for a low number density (10(14)/cu cm) hydrogen propellant are insufficient to warrant operating the engine in this mode. Efficiencies are improved using moderate propellant number densities (10(16)/cu cm), but the energy transferred to the plasma in a realistic magnetic mirror system is generally limited to less than 2 percent of the initial proton-antiproton annihilation energy. The energy transfer efficiencies are highest for high number density (10(18)/cu cm) propellants, but plasma temperatures are reduced by excessive radiation losses. Low to moderate thrust over a wide range of specific impulse can be generated with moderate propellant number densities, while higher thrust but lower specific impulse may be generated using high propellant number densities. Significant mass will be required to shield the superconducting magnet coils from the high energy gamma radiation emitted by neutral pion decay. The mass of such a radiation shield may dominate the total engine mass, and could severely diminish the performance of antiproton powered engines which utilize magnetic confinement. The problem is compounded in the antiproton powered plasma engine, where lower energy plasma bremsstrahlung radiation may cause shield surface ablation and degradation.

Control of quasi-monoenergetic electron beams from laser-plasma accelerators with adjustable shock density profile

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tsai, Hai-En; Swanson, Kelly K.; Barber, Sam K.

The injection physics in a shock-induced density down-ramp injector was characterized, demonstrating precise control of a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA). Using a jet-blade assembly, experiments systematically v aried the shock injector profile, including shock angle, shock position, up-ramp width, and acceleration length. Our work demonstrates that beam energy, energy spread, and pointing can be controlled by adjusting these parameters. As a result, an electron beam that was highly tunable from 25 to 300 MeV with 8% energy spread (ΔE FWHM/E), 1.5 mrad divergence, and 0.35 mrad pointing fluctuation was produced. Particle-in-cell simulation characterized how variation in the shock angle and up-rampmore » width impacted the injection process. This highly controllable LPA represents a suitable, compact electron beam source for LPA applications such as Thomson sources and free-electron lasers.« less

Application of laser driven fast high density plasma blocks for ion implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sari, Amir H.; Osman, F.; Doolan, K. R.; Ghoranneviss, M.; Hora, H.; Höpfl, R.; Benstetter, G.; Hantehzadeh, M. H.

2005-10-01

The measurement of very narrow high density plasma blocks of high ion energy from targets irradiated with ps-TW laser pulses based on a new skin depth interaction process is an ideal tool for application of ion implantation in materials, especially of silicon, GaAs, or conducting polymers, for micro-electronics as well as for low cost solar cells. A further application is for ion sources in accelerators with most specifications of many orders of magnitudes advances against classical ion sources. We report on near band gap generation of defects by implantation of ions as measured by optical absorption spectra. A further connection is given for studying the particle beam transforming of n-type semiconductors into p-type and vice versa as known from sub-threshold particle beams. The advantage consists in the use of avoiding aggressive or rare chemical materials when using the beam techniques for industrial applications.

Control of quasi-monoenergetic electron beams from laser-plasma accelerators with adjustable shock density profile

DOE PAGES

Tsai, Hai-En; Swanson, Kelly K.; Barber, Sam K.; ...

2018-04-13

The injection physics in a shock-induced density down-ramp injector was characterized, demonstrating precise control of a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA). Using a jet-blade assembly, experiments systematically v aried the shock injector profile, including shock angle, shock position, up-ramp width, and acceleration length. Our work demonstrates that beam energy, energy spread, and pointing can be controlled by adjusting these parameters. As a result, an electron beam that was highly tunable from 25 to 300 MeV with 8% energy spread (ΔE FWHM/E), 1.5 mrad divergence, and 0.35 mrad pointing fluctuation was produced. Particle-in-cell simulation characterized how variation in the shock angle and up-rampmore » width impacted the injection process. This highly controllable LPA represents a suitable, compact electron beam source for LPA applications such as Thomson sources and free-electron lasers.« less

Control of quasi-monoenergetic electron beams from laser-plasma accelerators with adjustable shock density profile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Hai-En; Swanson, Kelly K.; Barber, Sam K.; Lehe, Remi; Mao, Hann-Shin; Mittelberger, Daniel E.; Steinke, Sven; Nakamura, Kei; van Tilborg, Jeroen; Schroeder, Carl; Esarey, Eric; Geddes, Cameron G. R.; Leemans, Wim

2018-04-01

The injection physics in a shock-induced density down-ramp injector was characterized, demonstrating precise control of a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA). Using a jet-blade assembly, experiments systematically varied the shock injector profile, including shock angle, shock position, up-ramp width, and acceleration length. Our work demonstrates that beam energy, energy spread, and pointing can be controlled by adjusting these parameters. As a result, an electron beam that was highly tunable from 25 to 300 MeV with 8% energy spread (ΔEFWHM/E), 1.5 mrad divergence, and 0.35 mrad pointing fluctuation was produced. Particle-in-cell simulation characterized how variation in the shock angle and up-ramp width impacted the injection process. This highly controllable LPA represents a suitable, compact electron beam source for LPA applications such as Thomson sources and free-electron lasers.

Initial Results of the Spread F Experiment (SpreadFEx): Overview and Evidence of Possible Gravity Wave Excitation of Equatorial Plasma Bubbles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fritts, D. C.

2007-05-01

The Spread F Experiment (SpreadFEx) was performed in Brazil by Brazilian and U.S. researchers during two ~20- day periods extending from September to November 2005. We employed extensive ground-based and space- based observations of gravity waves, plasma structures, electron densities, and mean atmospheric and ionospheric conditions using airglow, digisonde, VHF and meteor radar, balloon, GPS and satellite instrumentation at multiple sites in Brazil and with GUVI aboard the TIMED satellite. These measurements focused on deep convection, gravity waves, and plasma bubble structures. This comprehensive data set has provided the first promising indications of the specific roles of gravity waves arising from deep convection and other sources in contributing to the seeding of equatorial spread F and plasma bubbles extending to high altitudes. This talk will summarize the campaign results related to possible neutral atmosphere seeding of spread F and plasma bubbles during these observations. Specifically, our measurements have revealed significant neutral density (and related wind and temperature) perturbations extending from ~80 km well into the thermosphere and ionosphere. Many of these appear to arise from deep convection over the Amazon basin. Others occurring at larger scales under magnetically-disturbed conditions may have auroral or other higher-latitude sources. Both appear to lead, on occasion, to sufficiently large perturbations of the bottomside F layer to trigger plasma bubbles extending to much higher altitudes thereafter. Upon completion of our analyses, we believe that these observations will yield the first persuasive evidence of the role of neutral atmosphere gravity waves in the seeding of equatorial plasma bubbles.

Conceptual Design of Electron-Beam Generated Plasma Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwal, Ankur; Rauf, Shahid; Dorf, Leonid; Collins, Ken; Boris, David; Walton, Scott

2015-09-01

Realization of the next generation of high-density nanostructured devices is predicated on etching features with atomic layer resolution, no damage and high selectivity. High energy electron beams generate plasmas with unique features that make them attractive for applications requiring monolayer precision. In these plasmas, high energy beam electrons ionize the background gas and the resultant daughter electrons cool to low temperatures via collisions with gas molecules and lack of any accelerating fields. For example, an electron temperature of <0.6 eV with densities comparable to conventional plasma sources can be obtained in molecular gases. The chemistry in such plasmas can significantly differ from RF plasmas as the ions/radicals are produced primarily by beam electrons rather than those in the tail of a low energy distribution. In this work, we will discuss the conceptual design of an electron beam based plasma processing system. Plasma properties will be discussed for Ar, Ar/N2, and O2 plasmas using a computational plasma model, and comparisons made to experiments. The fluid plasma model is coupled to a Monte Carlo kinetic model for beam electrons which considers gas phase collisions and the effect of electric and magnetic fields on electron motion. The impact of critical operating parameters such as magnetic field, beam energy, and gas pressure on plasma characteristics in electron-beam plasma processing systems will be discussed. Partially supported by the NRL base program.

Long Term Monitoring of the Io Plasma Torus During the Galileo Encounter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Michael E.

2002-01-01

In the fall of 1999, the Galileo spacecraft made four passes into the Io plasma torus, obtaining the best in situ measurements ever of the particle and field environment in this densest region of the Jovian magnetosphere. Supporting observations from the ground are vital for understanding the global and temporal context of the in situ observations. We conducted a three-month-long Io plasma torus monitoring campaign centered on the time of the Galileo plasma torus passes to support this aspect of the Galileo mission. The almost-daily plasma density and temperature measurements obtained from our campaign allow the much more sparse but also much more detailed Galileo data to be used to address the issues of the structure of the Io plasma torus, the stability mechanism of the Jovian magnetosphere, the transport of material from the source region near Io, and the nature and source of persistent longitudinal variations. Combining the ground-based monitoring data with the detailed in situ data offers the only possibility for answering some of the most fundamental questions about the nature of the Io plasma torus.

Estimation of optimum density and temperature for maximum efficiency of tin ions in Z discharge extreme ultraviolet sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Masnavi, Majid; Nakajima, Mitsuo; Hotta, Eiki

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) discharge-based lamps for EUV lithography need to generate extremely high power in the narrow spectrum band of 13.5{+-}0.135 nm. A simplified collisional-radiative model and radiative transfer solution for an isotropic medium were utilized to investigate the wavelength-integrated light outputs in tin (Sn) plasma. Detailed calculations using the Hebrew University-Lawrence Livermore atomic code were employed for determination of necessary atomic data of the Sn{sup 4+} to Sn{sup 13+} charge states. The result of model is compared with experimental spectra from a Sn-based discharge-produced plasma. The analysis reveals that considerably larger efficiency compared to the so-called efficiency of amore » black-body radiator is formed for the electron density {approx_equal}10{sup 18} cm{sup -3}. For higher electron density, the spectral efficiency of Sn plasma reduces due to the saturation of resonance transitions.« less

Storm Enhanced Density (SED) plumes as possible suppliers of dayside cleft ion fountain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horwitz, James

Foster et al. [2002] have observed elevated ionospheric density regions being convected from the subauroral plasmaspheric region toward noon, in association with convection of plasmaspheric tails in the dayside magnetosphere. These so-called Storm Enhanced Density (SED) regions could serve as ionospheric plasma source populations for cleft ion fountain outflows. Here we examine this scenario and employ our fluid-kinetic ionospheric plasma transport code to simulate the entry of a high-density "plasmasphere-like" flux tube entering the cleft region and subjected to an episode of wave-driven transverse ion heating. We find that such pronounced intervals of SED at F-region and topside altitudes passing through regions of CIF processes indeed appear capable of supporting episodes of strong CIF outflows. Foster, J. C., P. J. Erickson, A. J. Coster, J. Goldstein, and F. J. Rich, Ionospheric signatures of plasmaspheric tails, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29(13), 1623, doi:10.1029/2002GL015067, 2002.

Semi-analytical study of the tokamak pedestal density profile in a single-null diverted plasma with puffing-recycling gas sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Bingren

2010-10-01

The tokamak pedestal density structure is generally studied using a diffusion-dominant model. Recent investigations (Stacey and Groebner 2009 Phys. Plasmas 16 102504) from first principle based physics have shown a plausible existence of large inward convection in the pedestal region. The diffusion-convection equation with rapidly varying convection and diffusion coefficients in the near edge region and model puffing-recycling neutral particles is studied in this paper. A peculiar property of its solution for the existence of the large convection case is that the pedestal width of the density profile, qualitatively different from the diffusion-dominant case, depends mainly on the width of the inward convection and only weakly on the neutral penetration length and its injection position.

The ionization length in plasmas with finite temperature ion sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jelic, N.; Kos, L.; Duhovnik, J.

2009-12-15

The ionization length is an important quantity which up to now has been precisely determined only in plasmas which assume that the ions are born at rest, i.e., in discharges known as 'cold ion-source' plasmas. Presented here are the results of our calculations of the ionization lengths in plasmas with an arbitrary ion source temperature. Harrison and Thompson (H and T) [Proc. Phys. Soc. 74, 145 (1959)] found the values of this quantity for the cases of several ion strength potential profiles in the well-known Tonks-Langmuir [Phys. Rev. 34, 876 (1929)] discharge, which is characterized by 'cold' ion temperature. Thismore » scenario is also known as the 'singular' ion-source discharge. The H and T analytic result covers cases of ion sources proportional to exp(betaPHI) with PHI the normalized plasma potential and beta=0,1,2 values, which correspond to particular physical scenarios. Many years following H and T's work, Bissell and Johnson (B and J) [Phys. Fluids 30, 779 (1987)] developed a model with the so-called 'warm' ion-source temperature, i.e., 'regular' ion source, under B and J's particular assumption that the ionization strength is proportional to the local electron density. However, it appears that B and J were not interested in determining the ionization length at all. The importance of this quantity to theoretical modeling was recognized by Riemann, who recently answered all the questions of the most advanced up-to-date plasma-sheath boundary theory with cold ions [K.-U. Riemann, Phys. Plasmas 13, 063508 (2006)] but still without the stiff warm ion-source case solution, which is highly resistant to solution via any available analytic method. The present article is an extension of H and T's results obtained for a single point only with ion source temperature T{sub n}=0 to arbitrary finite ion source temperatures. The approach applied in this work is based on the method recently developed by Kos et al. [Phys. Plasmas 16, 093503 (2009)].« less

Overview of ion source characterization diagnostics in INTF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bandyopadhyay, M., E-mail: mainak@iter-india.org; Sudhir, Dass; Bhuyan, M.

2016-02-15

INdian Test Facility (INTF) is envisaged to characterize ITER diagnostic neutral beam system and to establish the functionality of its eight inductively coupled RF plasma driver based negative hydrogen ion source and its beamline components. The beam quality mainly depends on the ion source performance and therefore, its diagnostics plays an important role for its safe and optimized operation. A number of diagnostics are planned in INTF to characterize the ion source performance. Negative ions and its cesium contents in the source will be monitored by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and cavity ring down spectroscopy. Plasma near the extraction regionmore » will be studied using standard electrostatic probes. The beam divergence and negative ion stripping losses are planned to be measured using Doppler shift spectroscopy. During initial phase of ion beam characterization, carbon fiber composite based infrared imaging diagnostics will be used. Safe operation of the beam will be ensured by using standard thermocouples and electrical voltage-current measurement sensors. A novel concept, based on plasma density dependent plasma impedance measurement using RF electrical impedance matching parameters to characterize the RF driver plasma, will be tested in INTF and will be validated with OES data. The paper will discuss about the overview of the complete INTF diagnostics including its present status of procurement, experimentation, interface with mechanical systems in INTF, and integration with INTF data acquisition and control systems.« less

Overview of ion source characterization diagnostics in INTF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandyopadhyay, M.; Sudhir, Dass; Bhuyan, M.; Soni, J.; Tyagi, H.; Joshi, J.; Yadav, A.; Rotti, C.; Parmar, Deepak; Patel, H.; Pillai, S.; Chakraborty, A.

2016-02-01

INdian Test Facility (INTF) is envisaged to characterize ITER diagnostic neutral beam system and to establish the functionality of its eight inductively coupled RF plasma driver based negative hydrogen ion source and its beamline components. The beam quality mainly depends on the ion source performance and therefore, its diagnostics plays an important role for its safe and optimized operation. A number of diagnostics are planned in INTF to characterize the ion source performance. Negative ions and its cesium contents in the source will be monitored by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and cavity ring down spectroscopy. Plasma near the extraction region will be studied using standard electrostatic probes. The beam divergence and negative ion stripping losses are planned to be measured using Doppler shift spectroscopy. During initial phase of ion beam characterization, carbon fiber composite based infrared imaging diagnostics will be used. Safe operation of the beam will be ensured by using standard thermocouples and electrical voltage-current measurement sensors. A novel concept, based on plasma density dependent plasma impedance measurement using RF electrical impedance matching parameters to characterize the RF driver plasma, will be tested in INTF and will be validated with OES data. The paper will discuss about the overview of the complete INTF diagnostics including its present status of procurement, experimentation, interface with mechanical systems in INTF, and integration with INTF data acquisition and control systems.

New progress of high current gasdynamic ion source (invited)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Skalyga, V., E-mail: skalyga@ipfran.ru; Sidorov, A.; Vodopyanov, A.

2016-02-15

The experimental and theoretical research carried out at the Institute of Applied Physics resulted in development of a new type of electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRISs)—the gasdynamic ECRIS. The gasdynamic ECRIS features a confinement mechanism in a magnetic trap that is different from Geller’s ECRIS confinement, i.e., the quasi-gasdynamic one similar to that in fusion mirror traps. Experimental studies of gasdynamic ECRIS were performed at Simple Mirror Ion Source (SMIS) 37 facility. The plasma was created by 37.5 and 75 GHz gyrotron radiation with power up to 100 kW. High frequency microwaves allowed to create and sustain plasma withmore » significant density (up to 8 × 10{sup 13} cm{sup −3}) and to maintain the main advantages of conventional ECRIS such as high ionization degree and low ion energy. Reaching such high plasma density relies on the fact that the critical density grows with the microwave frequency squared. High microwave power provided the average electron energy on a level of 50-300 eV enough for efficient ionization even at neutral gas pressure range of 10{sup −4}–10{sup −3} mbar. Gasdynamic ECRIS has demonstrated a good performance producing high current (100-300 mA) multi-charged ion beams with moderate average charge (Z = 4-5 for argon). Gasdynamic ECRIS has appeared to be especially effective in low emittance hydrogen and deuterium beams formation. Proton beams with current up to 500 emA and RMS emittance below 0.07 π ⋅ mm ⋅ mrad have been demonstrated in recent experiments.« less

Background gas density and beam losses in NIO1 beam source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sartori, E.; Veltri, P.; Cavenago, M.; Serianni, G.

2016-02-01

NIO1 (Negative Ion Optimization 1) is a versatile ion source designed to study the physics of production and acceleration of H- beams up to 60 keV. In ion sources, the gas is steadily injected in the plasma source to sustain the discharge, while high vacuum is maintained by a dedicated pumping system located in the vessel. In this paper, the three dimensional gas flow in NIO1 is studied in the molecular flow regime by the Avocado code. The analysis of the gas density profile along the accelerator considers the influence of effective gas temperature in the source, of the gas temperature accommodation by collisions at walls, and of the gas particle mass. The calculated source and vessel pressures are compared with experimental measurements in NIO1 during steady gas injection.

A new linear plasma device for various edge plasma studies at SWIP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Min; Zheng, Pengfei; Tynan, George; Che, Tong; Wang, Zhanhui; Guo, Dong; Wei, Ran

2017-10-01

To facilitate the plasma-material interactions (PMI) studies, Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP) has constructed a linear plasma device. It is comprised of a source chamber (Φ 0.4 m), a target chamber (Φ 0.9 m), 15 magnets with different sizes, and power supplies with the total power of a few hundred kilowatts, etc. A maximum magnetic field of 0.3 Tesla along the axial direction can be produced. The current of each of the 15 magnets can be independently controlled. More than 60 ports are available for diagnostics, with the sizes vary from Φ 50 mm to Φ 150 mm. Rectangular ports of 190 mm × 270 mm are also available. 12 ports looking at the sample holder are specially designed for ion beam injection, of which the axes are 25 to the chamber axis. The device is equipped with a LaB6 hot cathode plasma source, which is able to generate steady-state H/D/He plasmas with a diameter of Φ 100 mm, density of 1x1019 /m3 , and a particle flux of 1022 1023 n/m2 .s. The electron temperature is usually a few eV. Further, a Helicon RF plasma source is also planned for plasma transport studies. Int'l Sci & Tech Cooperation Program of China (No. 2015DFA61760).

Model for a transformer-coupled toroidal plasma source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rauf, Shahid; Balakrishna, Ajit; Chen Zhigang

2012-01-15

A two-dimensional fluid plasma model for a transformer-coupled toroidal plasma source is described. Ferrites are used in this device to improve the electromagnetic coupling between the primary coils carrying radio frequency (rf) current and a secondary plasma loop. Appropriate components of the Maxwell equations are solved to determine the electromagnetic fields and electron power deposition in the model. The effect of gas flow on species transport is also considered. The model is applied to 1 Torr Ar/NH{sub 3} plasma in this article. Rf electric field lines form a loop in the vacuum chamber and generate a plasma ring. Due tomore » rapid dissociation of NH{sub 3}, NH{sub x}{sup +} ions are more prevalent near the gas inlet and Ar{sup +} ions are the dominant ions farther downstream. NH{sub 3} and its by-products rapidly dissociate into small fragments as the gas flows through the plasma. With increasing source power, NH{sub 3} dissociates more readily and NH{sub x}{sup +} ions are more tightly confined near the gas inlet. Gas flow rate significantly influences the plasma characteristics. With increasing gas flow rate, NH{sub 3} dissociation occurs farther from the gas inlet in regions with higher electron density. Consequently, more NH{sub 4}{sup +} ions are produced and dissociation by-products have higher concentrations near the outlet.« less

Comparison between off-resonance and electron Bernstein waves heating regime in a microwave discharge ion source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Castro, G.; Di Giugno, R.; Miracoli, R.

2012-02-15

A microwave discharge ion source (MDIS) operating at the Laboratori Nazionali del Sud of INFN, Catania has been used to compare the traditional electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) heating with an innovative mechanisms of plasma ignition based on the electrostatic Bernstein waves (EBW). EBW are obtained via the inner plasma electromagnetic-to-electrostatic wave conversion and they are absorbed by the plasma at cyclotron resonance harmonics. The heating of plasma by means of EBW at particular frequencies enabled us to reach densities much larger than the cutoff ones. Evidences of EBW generation and absorption together with X-ray emissions due to high energy electronsmore » will be shown. A characterization of the discharge heating process in MDISs as a generalization of the ECR heating mechanism by means of ray tracing will be shown in order to highlight the fundamental physical differences between ECR and EBW heating.« less

Plasma Doping—Enabling Technology for High Dose Logic and Memory Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, T.; Godet, L.; Papasouliotis, G. D.; Singh, V.

2008-11-01

As logic and memory device dimensions shrink with each generation, there are more high dose implants at lower energies. Examples include dual poly gate (also referred to as counter-doped poly), elevated source drain and contact plug implants. Plasma Doping technology throughput and dopant profile benefits at these ultra high dose and lower energy conditions have been well established [1,2,3]. For the first time a production-worthy plasma doping implanter, the VIISta PLAD tool, has been developed with unique architecture suited for precise and repeatable dopant placement. Critical elements of the architecture include pulsed DC wafer bias, closed-loop dosimetry and a uniform low energy, high density plasma source. In this paper key performance metrics such as dose uniformity, dose repeatability and dopant profile control will be presented that demonstrate the production-worthiness of the VIISta PLAD tool for several high dose applications.

Large area plasma source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foster, John (Inventor); Patterson, Michael (Inventor)

2008-01-01

An all permanent magnet Electron Cyclotron Resonance, large diameter (e.g., 40 cm) plasma source suitable for ion/plasma processing or electric propulsion, is capable of producing uniform ion current densities at its exit plane at very low power (e.g., below 200 W), and is electrodeless to avoid sputtering or contamination issues. Microwave input power is efficiently coupled with an ionizing gas without using a dielectric microwave window and without developing a throat plasma by providing a ferromagnetic cylindrical chamber wall with a conical end narrowing to an axial entrance hole for microwaves supplied on-axis from an open-ended waveguide. Permanent magnet rings are attached inside the wall with alternating polarities against the wall. An entrance magnet ring surrounding the entrance hole has a ferromagnetic pole piece that extends into the chamber from the entrance hole to a continuing second face that extends radially across an inner pole of the entrance magnet ring.

Single element of the matrix source of negative hydrogen ions: Measurements of the extracted currents combined with diagnostics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yordanov, D., E-mail: yordanov@phys.uni-sofia.bg; Lishev, St.; Shivarova, A.

2016-02-15

Combining measurements of the extracted currents with probe and laser-photodetachment diagnostics, the study is an extension of recent tests of factors and gas-discharge conditions stimulating the extraction of volume produced negative ions. The experiment is in a single element of a rf source with the design of a matrix of small-radius inductively driven discharges. The results are for the electron and negative-ion densities, for the plasma potential and for the electronegativity in the vicinity of the plasma electrode as well as for the currents of the extracted negative ions and electrons. The plasma-electrode bias and the rf power have beenmore » varied. Necessity of a high bias to the plasma electrode and stable linear increase of the extracted currents with the rf power are the main conclusions.« less

LPWA using supersonic gas jet with tailored density profile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kononenko, O.; Bohlen, S.; Dale, J.; D'Arcy, R.; Dinter, M.; Erbe, J. H.; Indorf, G.; di Lucchio, L.; Goldberg, L.; Gruse, J. N.; Karstensen, S.; Libov, V.; Ludwig, K.; Martinez de La Ossa, A.; Marutzky, F.; Niroula, A.; Osterhoff, J.; Quast, M.; Schaper, L.; Schwinkendorf, J.-P.; Streeter, M.; Tauscher, G.; Weichert, S.; Palmer, C.; Horbatiuk, Taras

2016-10-01

Laser driven plasma wakefield accelerators have been explored as a potential compact, reproducible source of relativistic electron bunches, utilising an electric field of many GV/m. Control over injection of electrons into the wakefield is of crucial importance in producing stable, mono-energetic electron bunches. Density tailoring of the target, to control the acceleration process, can also be used to improve the quality of the bunch. By using gas jets to provide tailored targets it is possible to provide good access for plasma diagnostics while also producing sharp density gradients for density down-ramp injection. OpenFOAM hydrodynamic simulations were used to investigate the possibility of producing tailored density targets in a supersonic gas jet. Particle-in-cell simulations of the resulting density profiles modelled the effect of the tailored density on the properties of the accelerated electron bunch. Here, we present the simulation results together with preliminary experimental measurements of electron and x-ray properties from LPWA experiments using gas jet targets and a 25 TW, 25 fs Ti:Sa laser system at DESY.

Further Studies of the Inhomgeneous Sheath as the Source of Collisionless Resistance in Plasmas in Spherical Geometry*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, D. N.; Fernsler, R. F.; Blackwell, D. D.; Amatucci, W. E.; Messer, S. J.

2006-05-01

In a recently published work1 we use a simpler derivation of collisionless resistance in spherical geometry than previous authors, relying primarily on Gauss' law along with the continuity and cold fluid equations. The accompanying experimental work is based on measurements of the rf impedance characteristics of a small spherical probe immersed in a laboratory plasma. The data taken are from network analyzer measurements of the reflection coefficient obtained when applying a low level rf signal to the probe which is either near floating potential or negatively dc-biased in a low pressure plasma. The reduced density in the sheath alters the plasma impedance which becomes resistive, in spite of collisionless conditions, and hence the characterization of energy absorption as collisionless arises. Consistent with earlier work, the solutions obtained indicate that the plasma resistance is inversely proportional to the plasma density gradient evaluated at the location where the plasma frequency is equal to the applied frequency. Significant energy absorption is predicted and observed at frequencies generally near one-half the plasma frequency. *Work supported by ONR 1 Walker, D.N., R.F. Fernsler, D.D. Blackwell, W.A. Amatucci, S.J. Messer, Phys of Plasmas, To Appear 3/2006