Investigation of physical processes limiting plasma density in H-mode on DIII-D

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

Maingi, R.; Mahdavi, M.A.; Jernigan, T.C.

1996-12-01

A series of experiments was conducted on the DIII-D tokamak to investigate the physical processes which limit density in high confinement mode (H-mode) discharges. The typical H-mode to low confinement mode (L-mode) transition limit at high density near the empirical Greenwald density limit was avoided by divertor pumping, which reduced divertor neutral pressure and prevented formation of a high density, intense radiation zone (MARFE) near the X-point. It was determined that the density decay time after pellet injection was independent of density relative to the Greenwald limit and increased non-linearly with the plasma current. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) activity in pellet-fueled plasmasmore » was observed at all power levels, and often caused unacceptable confinement degradation, except when the neutral beam injected (NBI) power was {le} 3 MW. Formation of MARFEs on closed field lines was avoided with low safety factor (q) operation but was observed at high q, qualitatively consistent with theory. By using pellet fueling and optimizing discharge parameters to avoid each of these limits, an operational space was accessed in which density {approximately} 1.5 {times} Greenwald limit was achieved for 600 ms, and good H-mode confinement was maintained for 300 ms of the density flattop. More significantly, the density was successfully increased to the limit where a central radiative collapse was observed, the most fundamental density limit in tokamaks.« less

Multi-device studies of pedestal physics and confinement in the I-mode regime

DOE PAGES

Hubbard, A. E.; Osborne, T.; Ryter, F.; ...

2016-07-05

This paper describes joint ITPA studies of the I-mode regime, which features an edge thermal barrier together with L-mode-like particle and impurity transport and no Edge Localized Modes (ELMs). The regime has been demonstrated on the Alcator C-Mod, ASDEX Upgrade and DIII-D tokamaks, over a wide range of device parameters and pedestal conditions. Dimensionless parameters at the pedestal show overlap across devices and extend to low collisionality. When they are matched, pedestal temperature profiles are also similar. Pedestals are stable to peeling ballooning modes, consistent with lack of ELMs. Access to Imode is independent of heating method (neutral beam injection,more » Ion Cyclotron and/or Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating). Normalized energy confinement H 98,y2 ≥ 1 has been achieved for a range of 3 ≤ q 95 ≤ 4.9 and scales favourably with power. Changes in turbulence in the pedestal region accompany the transition from L-mode to I-mode. The L-I threshold increases with plasma density and current, and with device size, but has a weak dependence on toroidal magnetic field B T. The upper limit of power for I-modes, which is set by I-H transitions, increases with B T and the power range is largest on Alcator C-Mod at B > 5 T. Finally, issues for extrapolation to ITER and other future fusion devices are discussed.« less

Dependence of L-mode confinement on the electron cyclotron power deposition profile in the TCV tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirneva, N. A.; Razumova, K. A.; Pochelon, A.; Behn, R.; Coda, S.; Curchod, L.; Duval, B. P.; Goodman, T. P.; Labit, B.; Karpushov, A. N.; Rancic, M.; Sauter, O.; Silva, M.; TCV Team

2012-01-01

Scenarios with different electron cyclotron heating power profile distributions and widths were compared for the first time in experiments on the Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV). The heating profile was changed from shot to shot over a wide range from localized on-axis, with normalized minor radius half-width at half maximum σ1/2 ~ 0.1, up to a widely distributed heating power profile with σ1/2 ~ 0.4 and finally to a profile peaked far off-axis. The global confinement, MHD activity, density, temperature and electron pressure profile evolution were compared. In particular, the energy confinement properties of discharges with localized on-axis heating and distributed on-axis heating were very similar, with degradation close to that predicted by the ITER L-mode scaling; in the case of off-axis heating, on the other hand, the confinement degradation was even stronger.

Suppression of large edge-localized modes in high-confinement DIII-D plasmas with a stochastic magnetic boundary.

PubMed

Evans, T E; Moyer, R A; Thomas, P R; Watkins, J G; Osborne, T H; Boedo, J A; Doyle, E J; Fenstermacher, M E; Finken, K H; Groebner, R J; Groth, M; Harris, J H; La Haye, R J; Lasnier, C J; Masuzaki, S; Ohyabu, N; Pretty, D G; Rhodes, T L; Reimerdes, H; Rudakov, D L; Schaffer, M J; Wang, G; Zeng, L

2004-06-11

A stochastic magnetic boundary, produced by an applied edge resonant magnetic perturbation, is used to suppress most large edge-localized modes (ELMs) in high confinement (H-mode) plasmas. The resulting H mode displays rapid, small oscillations with a bursty character modulated by a coherent 130 Hz envelope. The H mode transport barrier and core confinement are unaffected by the stochastic boundary, despite a threefold drop in the toroidal rotation. These results demonstrate that stochastic boundaries are compatible with H modes and may be attractive for ELM control in next-step fusion tokamaks.

Impurity confinement and transport in high confinement regimes without edge localized modes on DIII-D [Impurity confinement and transport in high confinement regimes without ELMs on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Grierson, Brian A.; Burrell, Keith H.; Nazikian, Raffi M.; ...

2015-04-17

Here, impurity transport in the DIII-D tokamak is investigated in stationary high confinement (H-mode) regimes without edge localized modes (ELMs). In plasmas maintained by resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) ELM-suppression and QH-mode the confinement time of fluorine (Z=9) is equivalent to that in ELMing discharges with 40 Hz ELMs. For selected discharges with impurity injection the impurity particle confinement time compared to the energy confinement time is in the range of τ p/τ e ≈ 2 $-$ 3. In QH-mode operation the impurity confinement time is shown to be smaller for intense, coherent magnetic and density fluctuations of the edge harmonicmore » oscillation than weaker fluctuations. Transport coefficients are derived from the time evolution of the impurity density profile and compared to neoclassical and turbulent transport models NEO and TGLF. Neoclassical transport of fluorine is found to be small compared to the experimental values. In the ELMing and RMP ELM-suppressed plasma the impurity transport is affected by the presence of tearing modes. For radii larger than the mode radius the TGLF diffusion coefficient is smaller than the experimental value by a factor of 2-3, while the convective velocity is within error estimates. Low levels of diffusion are observed for radii smaller than the tearing mode radius. In the QH-mode plasma investigated, the TGLF diffusion coefficient higher inside of ρ = 0.4 and lower outside of 0.4 than the experiment, and the TGLF convective velocity is more negative by a factor of approximately 1.7.« less

High confinement mode and edge localized mode characteristics in a near-unity aspect ratio tokamak

DOE PAGES

Thome, Kathreen E.; Bongard, Michael W.; Barr, Jayson L.; ...

2016-04-27

Tokamak experiments at near-unity aspect ratio A ≲ 1.2 offer new insights into the self-organized H-mode plasma confinement regime. In contrast to conventional A ~ 3 plasmas, the L–H power threshold P LH is ~15× higher than scaling predictions, and it is insensitive to magnetic topology, consistent with modeling. Edge localized mode (ELM) instabilities shift to lower toroidal mode numbers as A decreases. Furthermore, these ultralow-A operations enable heretofore inaccessible J edge(R,t) measurements through an ELM that show a complex multimodal collapse and the ejection of a current-carrying filament.

Analysis of metallic impurity density profiles in low collisionality Joint European Torus H-mode and L-mode plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puiatti, M. E.; Valisa, M.; Angioni, C.; Garzotti, L.; Mantica, P.; Mattioli, M.; Carraro, L.; Coffey, I.; Sozzi, C.

2006-04-01

This paper describes the behavior of nickel in low confinement (L-mode) and high confinement (H-mode) Joint European Torus (JET) discharges [P. J. Lomas, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 31, 1481 (1989)] characterized by the application of radio-frequency (rf) power heating and featuring ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) relevant collisionality. The impurity transport is analyzed on the basis of perturbative experiments (laser blow off injection) and is compared with electron heat and deuterium transport. In the JET plasmas analyzed here, ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) is applied either in mode conversion (MC) to heat the electrons or in minority heating (MH) to heat the ions. The two heating schemes have systematically different effects on nickel transport, yielding flat or slightly hollow nickel density profiles in the case of ICRH in MC and peaked nickel density profiles in the case of rf applied in MH. Accordingly, both diffusion coefficients and pinch velocities of nickel are found to be systematically different. Linear gyrokinetic calculations by means of the code GS2 [M. Kotschenreuther, G. Rewoldt, and W.M. Tang, Comput. Phys. Commun. 88, 128 (1995)] provide a possible explanation of such different behavior by exploring the effects produced by the different microinstabilities present in these plasmas. In particular, trapped electron modes driven by the stronger electron temperature gradients measured in the MC cases, although subdominant, produce a contribution to the impurity pinch directed outwards that is qualitatively in agreement with the pinch reversal found in the experiment. Particle and heat diffusivities appear to be decoupled in MH shots, with χe and DD≫DNi, and are instead quite similar in the MC ones. In the latter case, nickel transport appears to be driven by the same turbulence that drives the electron heat transport and is sensitive to the value of the electron temperature gradient length. These findings give

Modelling of transitions between L- and H-mode in JET high plasma current plasmas and application to ITER scenarios including tungsten behaviour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koechl, F.; Loarte, A.; Parail, V.; Belo, P.; Brix, M.; Corrigan, G.; Harting, D.; Koskela, T.; Kukushkin, A. S.; Polevoi, A. R.; Romanelli, M.; Saibene, G.; Sartori, R.; Eich, T.; Contributors, JET

2017-08-01

The dynamics for the transition from L-mode to a stationary high Q DT H-mode regime in ITER is expected to be qualitatively different to present experiments. Differences may be caused by a low fuelling efficiency of recycling neutrals, that influence the post transition plasma density evolution on the one hand. On the other hand, the effect of the plasma density evolution itself both on the alpha heating power and the edge power flow required to sustain the H-mode confinement itself needs to be considered. This paper presents results of modelling studies of the transition to stationary high Q DT H-mode regime in ITER with the JINTRAC suite of codes, which include optimisation of the plasma density evolution to ensure a robust achievement of high Q DT regimes in ITER on the one hand and the avoidance of tungsten accumulation in this transient phase on the other hand. As a first step, the JINTRAC integrated models have been validated in fully predictive simulations (excluding core momentum transport which is prescribed) against core, pedestal and divertor plasma measurements in JET C-wall experiments for the transition from L-mode to stationary H-mode in partially ITER relevant conditions (highest achievable current and power, H 98,y ~ 1.0, low collisionality, comparable evolution in P net/P L-H, but different ρ *, T i/T e, Mach number and plasma composition compared to ITER expectations). The selection of transport models (core: NCLASS  +  Bohm/gyroBohm in L-mode/GLF23 in H-mode) was determined by a trade-off between model complexity and efficiency. Good agreement between code predictions and measured plasma parameters is obtained if anomalous heat and particle transport in the edge transport barrier are assumed to be reduced at different rates with increasing edge power flow normalised to the H-mode threshold; in particular the increase in edge plasma density is dominated by this edge transport reduction as the calculated neutral influx across the

The quiescent H-mode regime for high performance edge localized mode-stable operation in future burning plasmas [The quiescent H-mode regime for high performance ELM-stable operation in future burning plasmas

DOE PAGES

Garofalo, Andrea M.; Burrell, Keith H.; Eldon, David; ...

2015-05-26

For the first time, DIII-D experiments have achieved stationary quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) operation for many energy confinement times at simultaneous ITER-relevant values of beta, confinement, and safety factor, in an ITER similar shape. QH-mode provides excellent energy confinement, even at very low plasma rotation, while operating without edge localized modes (ELMs) and with strong impurity transport via the benign edge harmonic oscillation (EHO). By tailoring the plasma shape to improve the edge stability, the QH-mode operating space has also been extended to densities exceeding 80% of the Greenwald limit, overcoming the long-standing low-density limit of QH-mode operation. In the theory,more » the density range over which the plasma encounters the kink-peeling boundary widens as the plasma cross-section shaping is increased, thus increasing the QH-mode density threshold. Here, the DIII-D results are in excellent agreement with these predictions, and nonlinear MHD analysis of reconstructed QH-mode equilibria shows unstable low n kink-peeling modes growing to a saturated level, consistent with the theoretical picture of the EHO. Furthermore, high density operation in the QH-mode regime has opened a path to a new, previously predicted region of parameter space, named “Super H-mode” because it is characterized by very high pedestals that can be more than a factor of two above the peeling-ballooning stability limit for similar ELMing H-mode discharges at the same density.« less

H-Mode Behavior Induced by Modulated Toroidal Current on HT-7 and HT-6M Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, J. S.; Luo, J. R.; Xu, Y. H.; Zhao, J. Y.; Zhang, X. M.; Li, J. G.; Zhang, X. M.; Gao, X.; Li, Y. D.; Jie, Y. X.; Wu, Z. W.; Hu, L. Q.; Liu, S. X.; Zhang, X. D.; Bao, Y.; Yang, K.; Wang, G. X.; Chen, L.; Shi, Y. J.; Qin, P. J.; Gu, X. M.; Cui, N. Z.; Fan, H. Y.; Chen, Y. F.; Xia, C. Y.; Ruan, H. L.; Tong, X. D.; Phillips, P. E.

2001-10-01

An improved Ohmic confinement phase (similar to H-mode) has been observed during Modulating Toroidal Current on the Hefei Tokamak-6M (HT-6M) and Hefei super-conducting Tokamak-7 (HT-7). This improved plasma confinement phase is characterized by: (a) an increase in ne and T_e(0); (b) reduced H_α radiation from the edge; (c) steeper density and temperature profiles at the edge; (d) a more negative radial electric field inside the limiter; (e) a deeper electrostatic potential well at the edge; (f) reduced magnetic fluctuations at the edge; (g) MHD suppressing; (h) and by an increase in global energy confinement time, τ _e, by 27%-45%. The well-like structure of the radial electric field E_r, appears at an L-H like transition.

L to H mode transition: Parametric dependencies of the temperature threshold

DOE PAGES

Bourdelle, C.; Chone, L.; Fedorczak, N.; ...

2015-06-15

The L to H mode transition occurs at a critical power which depends on various parameters, such as the magnetic field, the density, etc. Experimental evidence on various tokamaks (JET, ASDEX-Upgrade, DIII-D, Alcator C-Mod) points towards the existence of a critical temperature characterizing the transition. This criterion for the L-H transition is local and is therefore easier to be compared to theoretical approaches. In order to shed light on the mechanisms of the transition, simple theoretical ideas are used to derive a temperature threshold (T th). They are based on the stabilization of the underlying turbulence by a mean radialmore » electric field shear. The nature of the turbulence varies as the collisionality decreases, from resistive ballooning modes to ion temperature gradient and trapped electron modes. The obtained parametric dependencies of the derived T th are tested versus magnetic field, density, effective charge. Furthermore, various robust experimental observations are reproduced, in particular T th increases with magnetic field B and increases with density below the density roll-over observed on the power threshold.« less

The role of turbulence-flow interactions in L- to H-mode transition dynamics: recent progress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitz, L.

2017-02-01

Recent experimental and simulation work has substantially advanced the understanding of L-mode plasma edge turbulence and plasma flows and their mutual interaction across the L-H transition. Flow acceleration and E   ×   B shear flow amplification via the turbulent Reynolds stress have been directly observed in multiple devices, using multi-tip probe arrays, Doppler backscattering, beam emission spectroscopy, and gas puff imaging diagnostics. L-H transitions characterized by limit-cycle oscillations (LCO) allow probing of the trigger dynamics and the synergy of turbulence-driven and pressure-gradient-driven flows with high spatio-temporal resolution. L-mode turbulent structures exhibit characteristic changes in topology (tilting) and temporal and radial correlation preceding the L-H transition. Long-range toroidal flow correlations increase preceding edge-transport-barrier formation. The energy transfer from the turbulence spectrum to large-scale axisymmetric flows has been quantified in L-LCO and fast L-H transitions in several devices. After formation of a transient barrier, the increasing ion pressure gradient (via the E   ×   B flow shear associated with diamagnetic flow) sustains fluctuation suppression and secures the transition to H-mode. Heuristic models of the L-H trigger dynamics have progressed from 0D predator-prey models to 1D extended models, including neoclassical ion flow-damping and pressure-gradient evolution. Initial results from 2D and 3D reduced fluid models have been obtained for high-collisionality regimes.

Impact of perturbative, non-axisymmetric impurity fueling on Alcator C-Mod H-modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinke, M. L.; Lore, J. D.; Terry, J.; Brunner, D.; LaBombard, B.; Lipschultz, B.; Hubbard, A.; Hughes, J. W.; Mumgaard, R.; Pitts, R. A.

2017-12-01

Experiments on Alcator C-Mod have been performed to investigate the impact of toroidally localized impurity injection on H-mode exhaust scenarios. Results help to inform sub-divertor gas injector designs, in particular that of the ITER machine, for which this work was primarily undertaken. In repeated EDA H-modes, the amount of N2 injected into the private flux region was scanned up to levels which strongly impacted normalized energy confinement, H98, and led to an H/L back-transition. Repeated scans increased the toroidal peaking of the gas injection, reducing from five equally spaced locations to a single toroidal and poloidal injector. Results show the impact on the pedestal and core plasma is similar between all cases as long as the total gas injection rate is held constant. An influence on toroidally localized impurity spectroscopy is shown, demonstrating a complication in using such data in interpreting experiments and supporting boundary modeling in cases where there are localized extrinsic or intrinsic impurity sources. These results, along with prior work in this area on Alcator C-Mod, form a comprehensive set of L-mode and H-mode data to be used for validation of 3D boundary physics codes.

Search for the decay modes B ±→h ±τl

DOE PAGES

Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Tisserand, V.; ...

2012-07-16

We present a search for the lepton flavor violating decay modes B ±→h ±τl (h=K, π; l=e, μ) using the BABAR data sample, which corresponds to 472×10⁶ BB¯¯¯ pairs. The search uses events where one B meson is fully reconstructed in one of several hadronic final states. Using the momenta of the reconstructed B, h, and l candidates, we are able to fully determine the τ four-momentum. The resulting τ candidate mass is our main discriminant against combinatorial background. We see no evidence for B ±→h ±τl decays and set a 90% confidence level upper limit on each branching fractionmore » at the level of a few times 10⁻⁵.« less

Improved H mode with flat central q profile on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Haiqing; Yang, Yao; Gao, Xiang; Zeng, Long; Qian, Jinping; Gong, Xianzu; Wan, Baonian; Ding, Weixing; Brower, David Lyn; EAST Team

2017-10-01

High betaN ( 1.8) plasma with good confinement (H98y2 1.1) on EAST tokamak has been reported recently. These ELMy H-mode plasmas with Bt = 1.6T, Ip = 400 kA and q95 4.5 were heated by lower hybrid wave and neutral beam injection. The internal transport barrier (ITB) and edge transport barrier (ETB) are both observed with m/n =1/1 fishbone, which were identified to clamp central q at values close to unity. Implying an improved H-mode with flat central q profile and absence of sawteeth, like other devices. Accurate q profile, key profile for developing scenarios aim at high performance H mode, were derived by Polarimeter-interferometer (POINT) measurement as constraint. Base on the optimized current profile, better confinement (H98y2 1.4) with an electron ITB was obtained also with flat central q profile and absence of sawteeth at high betaP ( 2) regime with Bt = 2.5T, Ip = 400 kA. Both high betaN regime and high betaP regime H mode, are characterized by a stationary flat central q profile q0 >=1, but typically close to 1, absence of sawteeth, H98(y,2) >1 and simultaneously, with ITB. This work is supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Program of China with Contract No. 2014GB106002 and partly supported by the US D.O.E. contract DESC0010469.

Chaotic density fluctuations in L-mode plasmas of the DIII-D tokamak

DOE PAGES

Maggs, J. E.; Rhodes, Terry L.; Morales, G. J.

2015-03-05

Analysis of the time series obtained with the Doppler backscattering system (DBS) in the DIII-D tokamak shows that intermediate wave number plasma density fluctuations in low confinement (L-mode) tokamak plasmas are chaotic. Here, the supporting evidence is based on the shape of the power spectrum; the location of the signal in the complexity-entropy plane (C-H plane); and the population of the corresponding Bandt-Pompe probability distributions.

L-H transitions driven by ion heating in scrape-off layer turbulence (SOLT) model simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russell, D. A.; D'Ippolito, D. A.; Myra, J. R.

2015-11-01

The original SOLT model now includes the evolution of ion pressure consistent with drift-ordering. It is a two-dimensional, electrostatic reduced model wherein closure relations, obtained by integrating the equations along the B-field, model parallel physics that includes sheath-mediated current and heat flux in the scrape-off-layer and electron drift waves inside the separatrix. Low (L) and high (H) confinement regimes are observed in SOLT simulations, depending on the strength of an ion pressure (i.e., ion heating) source localized inside the separatrix: With increasing heating, particle and energy confinement times at first decrease in the L-mode then rise in the H-mode. The L-H transition is marked by distinct changes in sheared-flow profiles. The addition of ion pressure dynamics enables modeling the self-consistent interaction between the ion diamagnetic drift and the radial electric field (mean and zonal flows). The roles of these sheared flows in mediating the L-H transition are explored. A new diagnostic, based on the density correlation function, is applied to study blob velocities in different regimes. Work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, under Award Number DE-FG02-97ER54392.

Direct observations of L-I-H and H-I-L transitions with the X-point reciprocating probe in ASDEX Upgrade

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

Müller, S. H.; Conway, G. D.; Birkenmeier, G.

A reciprocating Langmuir probe was used to directly measure the behavior of turbulence and flows in the X-point region during transitions between low-(L) and high-confinement (H) mode in ASDEX Upgrade. The probe traverses the divertor horizontally in 140 ms, typically 2–5 cm below the X-point. Toroidal Mach number, density, floating potential (ϕ{sub f}), and electron temperature (T{sub e}) are measured. In the regime accessible to the probe (P{sub inj}<1.5 MW, line-integrated core density <4×10{sup 19} m{sup −2}), the L-H transition features an intermediate phase (I-phase), characterized by limit-cycle oscillations at 0.5–3 kHz [Conway et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 065001 (2011)]. The probe measurements revealmore » that this pulsing affects both the density and the toroidal Mach number. It is present in both the low-(LFS) and high-field sides (HFS) of the scrape-off layer, while high-amplitude broadband turbulence usually dominates the private-flux region. Profile comparisons between L-mode and I-phase show lower density in pulsing regions and small shifts in T{sub e}, directed oppositely on LFS and HFS, which are compensated by shifts in ϕ{sub f} to yield a surprisingly unchanged plasma potential profile. Directly observed L-I-phase transitions reveal that the onset of the pulsing is preceded by a fast 50% density drop in the HFS X-point region. Back transitions to L-mode occur essentially symmetrically, with the pulsing stopping first, followed by a fast recovery to L-mode density levels in the divertor.« less

Investigation of peeling-ballooning stability prior to transient outbursts accompanying transitions out of H-mode in DIII-D

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

Eldon, David; Boivin, Rejean L.; Groebner, Richard J.

Here, the H-mode transport barrier allows confinement of roughly twice as much energy as in an L-mode plasma. Termination of H-mode necessarily requires release of this energy, and the timescale of that release is of critical importance for the lifetimes of plasma facing components in next step tokamaks such as ITER. H-L transition sequences in modern tokamaks often begin with a transient outburst which appears to be superficially similar to and has sometimes been referred to as a type-I edge localized mode (ELM). Type-I ELMs have been shown to be consistent with ideal peeling ballooning instability and are characterized bymore » significant (up to ~50%) reduction of pedestal height on short (~1 ms) timescales. Knowing whether or not this type of instability is present during H-L back transitions will be important for planning for plasma ramp-down in ITER. This paper presents tests of pre-transition experimental data against ideal peeling-ballooning stability calculations with the ELITE code and supports 2 those results with secondary experiments that together show that the transient associated with the H-L transition is not triggered by the same physics as are type-I ELMs.« less

Investigation of peeling-ballooning stability prior to transient outbursts accompanying transitions out of H-mode in DIII-D

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

Eldon, D., E-mail: deldon@princeton.edu; Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08543; Boivin, R. L.

The H-mode transport barrier allows confinement of roughly twice as much energy as in an L-mode plasma. Termination of H-mode necessarily requires release of this energy, and the timescale of that release is of critical importance for the lifetimes of plasma facing components in next step tokamaks such as ITER. H-L transition sequences in modern tokamaks often begin with a transient outburst which appears to be superficially similar to and has sometimes been referred to as a type-I edge localized mode (ELM). Type-I ELMs have been shown to be consistent with ideal peeling ballooning instability and are characterized by significantmore » (up to ∼50%) reduction of pedestal height on short (∼1 ms) timescales. Knowing whether or not this type of instability is present during H-L back transitions will be important of planning for plasma ramp-down in ITER. This paper presents tests of pre-transition experimental data against ideal peeling-ballooning stability calculations with the ELITE code and supports those results with secondary experiments that together show that the transient associated with the H-L transition is not triggered by the same physics as are type-I ELMs.« less

Investigation of peeling-ballooning stability prior to transient outbursts accompanying transitions out of H-mode in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Eldon, David; Boivin, Rejean L.; Groebner, Richard J.; ...

2015-05-14

Here, the H-mode transport barrier allows confinement of roughly twice as much energy as in an L-mode plasma. Termination of H-mode necessarily requires release of this energy, and the timescale of that release is of critical importance for the lifetimes of plasma facing components in next step tokamaks such as ITER. H-L transition sequences in modern tokamaks often begin with a transient outburst which appears to be superficially similar to and has sometimes been referred to as a type-I edge localized mode (ELM). Type-I ELMs have been shown to be consistent with ideal peeling ballooning instability and are characterized bymore » significant (up to ~50%) reduction of pedestal height on short (~1 ms) timescales. Knowing whether or not this type of instability is present during H-L back transitions will be important for planning for plasma ramp-down in ITER. This paper presents tests of pre-transition experimental data against ideal peeling-ballooning stability calculations with the ELITE code and supports 2 those results with secondary experiments that together show that the transient associated with the H-L transition is not triggered by the same physics as are type-I ELMs.« less

Dynamic Confinement of ITER Plasma by O-Mode Driver at Electron Cyclotron Frequency Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stefan, V. Alexander

2009-05-01

A low B-field side launched electron cyclotron O-Mode driver leads to the dynamic rf confinement, in addition to rf turbulent heating, of ITER plasma. The scaling law for the local energy confinement time τE is evaluated (τE ˜ 3neTe/2Q, where (3/2) neTe is the local plasma thermal energy density and Q is the local rf turbulent heating rate). The dynamics of unstable dissipative trapped particle modes (DTPM) strongly coupled to Trivelpiece-Gould (T-G) modes is studied for gyrotron frequency 170GHz; power˜24 MW CW; and on-axis B-field ˜ 10T. In the case of dynamic stabilization of DTPM turbulence and for the heavily damped T-G modes, the energy confinement time scales as τE˜(I0)-2, whereby I0(W/m^2) is the O-Mode driver irradiance. R. Prater et. al., Nucl. Fusion 48, No 3 (March 2008). E. P. Velikhov, History of the Russian Tokamak and the Tokamak Thermonuclear Fusion Research Worldwide That Led to ITER (Documentary movie; Stefan Studios Int'l, La Jolla, CA, 2008; E. P. Velikhov, V. Stefan.) M N Rosenbluth, Phys. Scr. T2A 104-109 1982 B. B. Kadomtsev and O. P. Pogutse, Nucl. Fusion 11, 67 (1971).

Transport simulation of EAST long-pulse H-mode discharge with integrated modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, M. Q.; Li, G. Q.; Chen, J. L.; Du, H. F.; Gao, X.; Ren, Q. L.; Li, K.; Chan, Vincent; Pan, C. K.; Ding, S. Y.; Jian, X.; Zhu, X.; Lian, H.; Qian, J. P.; Gong, X. Z.; Zang, Q.; Duan, Y. M.; Liu, H. Q.; Lyu, B.

2018-04-01

In the 2017 EAST experimental campaign, a steady-state long-pulse H-mode discharge lasting longer than 100 s has been obtained using only radio frequency heating and current drive, and the confinement quality is slightly better than standard H-mode, H98y2 ~ 1.1, with stationary peaked electron temperature profiles. Integrated modeling of one long-pulse H-mode discharge in the 2016 EAST experimental campaign has been performed with equilibrium code EFIT, and transport codes TGYRO and ONETWO under integrated modeling framework OMFIT. The plasma current is fully-noninductively driven with a combination of ~2.2 MW LHW, ~0.3 MW ECH and ~1.1 MW ICRF. Time evolution of the predicted electron and ion temperature profiles through integrated modeling agree closely with that from measurements. The plasma current (I p ~ 0.45 MA) and electron density are kept constantly. A steady-state is achieved using integrated modeling, and the bootstrap current fraction is ~28%, the RF drive current fraction is ~72%. The predicted current density profile matches the experimental one well. Analysis shows that electron cyclotron heating (ECH) makes large contribution to the plasma confinement when heating in the core region while heating in large radius does smaller improvement, also a more peaked LHW driven current profile is got when heating in the core. Linear analysis shows that the high-k modes instability (electron temperature gradient driven modes) is suppressed in the core region where exists weak electron internal transport barriers. The trapped electron modes dominates in the low-k region, which is mainly responsible for driving the electron energy flux. It is found that the ECH heating effect is very local and not the main cause to sustained the good confinement, the peaked current density profile has the most important effect on plasma confinement improvement. Transport analysis of the long-pulse H-mode experiments on EAST will be helpful to build future experiments.

Overview of long pulse H-mode operation on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, X.; Garofalo, A. M.; Wan, B.; Li, J.; Qian, J.; Li, E.; Liu, F.; Zhao, Y.; Wang, M.; Xu, H.; EAST Team

2017-10-01

The EAST research program aims to demonstrate steady-state long-pulse high-performance H-mode operations with ITER-like poloidal configuration and RF-dominated heating schemes. In the recent experimental campaign, a long pulse fully non-inductive H-mode discharge lasting over 100 seconds using the upper ITER-like tungsten divertor has been achieved in EAST. This scenario used only RF heating and current drive, but also benefitted from an integrated control of the wall conditioning, plasma configuration, divertor heat flux, particle exhaust, impurity management and superconducting coils safety. Maintaining effective coupling of multiple RF heating and current drive sources on EAST is a critical ingredient. This long pulse discharge had good energy confinement, H98,y2 1.1-1.2, and all of the plasma parameters reach a true steady-state. Power balance indicates that the confinement improvement is due partly to a significantly reduced core electron transport inside minor radius rho<0.4. This work was supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Program of China Contract No. 2015GB10200 and the US Department of Energy Contract No. DE-SC0010685.

Physics of GAM-initiated L-H transition in a tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Askinazi, L. G.; Belokurov, A. A.; Bulanin, V. V.; Gurchenko, A. D.; Gusakov, E. Z.; Kiviniemi, T. P.; Lebedev, S. V.; Kornev, V. A.; Korpilo, T.; Krikunov, S. V.; Leerink, S.; Machielsen, M.; Niskala, P.; Petrov, A. V.; Tukachinsky, A. S.; Yashin, A. Yu; Zhubr, N. A.

2017-01-01

Based on experimental observations using the TUMAN-3M and FT-2 tokamaks, and the results of gyrokinetic modeling of the interplay between turbulence and the geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) in these installations, a simple model is proposed for the analysis of the conditions required for L-H transition triggering by a burst of radial electric field oscillations in a tokamak. In the framework of this model, one-dimensional density evolution is considered to be governed by an anomalous diffusion coefficient dependent on radial electric field shear. The radial electric field is taken as the sum of the oscillating term and the quasi-stationary one determined by density and ion temperature gradients through a neoclassical formula. If the oscillating field parameters (amplitude, frequency, etc) are properly adjusted, a transport barrier forms at the plasma periphery and sustains after the oscillations are switched off, manifesting a transition into the high confinement mode with a strong inhomogeneous radial electric field and suppressed transport at the plasma edge. The electric field oscillation parameters required for L-H transition triggering are compared with the GAM parameters observed at the TUMAN-3M (in the discharges with ohmic L-H transition) and FT-2 tokamaks (where no clear L-H transition was observed). It is concluded based on this comparison that the GAM may act as a trigger for the L-H transition, provided that certain conditions for GAM oscillation and tokamak discharge are met.

Experimental studies of high-confinement mode plasma response to non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations in ASDEX Upgrade

DOE PAGES

Suttrop, Wolfgang; Kirk, A.; Nazikian, R.; ...

2016-11-22

Here, the interaction of externally applied small non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations (MP) with tokamak high-confinement mode (H-mode) plasmas is reviewed and illustrated by recent experiments in ASDEX Upgrade. The plasma response to the vacuum MP field is amplified by stable ideal kink modes with low toroidal mode number n driven by the H-mode edge pressure gradient (and associated bootstrap current) which is experimentally evidenced by an observable shift of the poloidal mode number m away from field alignment (m = qn, with q being the safety factor) at the response maximum. A torque scan experiment demonstrates the importance of the perpendicular electron flow for shielding of the resonant magnetic perturbation, as expected from a two-fluid MHD picture. Two significant effects of MP occur in H-mode plasmas at low pedestal collisionality,more » $$\

BOUT++ simulations of edge turbulence in Alcator C-Mod's EDA H-mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, E. M.; Porkolab, M.; Hughes, J. W.; Labombard, B.; Snyder, P. B.; Xu, X. Q.; MIT PSFC Team; Atomics Team, General; LLNL Team

2013-10-01

Energy confinement in tokamaks is believed to be strongly controlled by plasma transport in the pedestal. The pedestal of Alcator C-Mod's Enhanced Dα (EDA) H-mode (ν* > 1) is regulated by a quasi-coherent mode (QCM), an edge fluctuation believed to reduce particle confinement and allow steady-state H-mode operation. ELITE calculations indicate that EDA H-modes sit well below the ideal peeling-ballooning instability threshold, in contrast with ELMy H-modes. Here, we use a 3-field reduced MHD model in BOUT++ to study the effects of nonideal and nonlinear physics on EDA H-modes. In particular, incorporation of realistic pedestal resistivity is found to drive resistive ballooning modes (RBMs) and increase linear growth rates above the corresponding ideal rates. These RBMs may ultimately be responsible for constraining the EDA pedestal gradient. However, recent high-fidelity mirror Langmuir probe measurements indicate that the QCM is an electron drift-Alfvén wave - not a RBM. Inclusion of the parallel pressure gradient term in the 3-field reduced MHD Ohm's law and various higher field fluid models are implemented in an effort to capture this drift wave-like response. This work was performed under the auspices of the USDoE under awards DE-FG02-94-ER54235, DE-AC52-07NA27344, DE-AC52-07NA27344, and NNSA SSGF.

BOUT++ Simulations of Edge Turbulence in Alcator C-Mod's EDA H-Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, E. M.; Porkolab, M.; Hughes, J. W.; Labombard, B.; Snyder, P. B.; Xu, X. Q.

2013-10-01

Energy confinement in tokamaks is believed to be strongly controlled by plasma transport in the pedestal. The pedestal of Alcator C-Mod's Enhanced Dα (EDA) H-mode (ν* > 1) is regulated by a quasi-coherent mode (QCM), an edge fluctuation believed to reduce particle confinement and allow steady-state H-mode operation. ELITE calculations indicate that EDA H-modes sit well below the ideal peeling-ballooning instability threshold, in contrast with ELMy H-modes. Here, we use a 3-field reduced MHD model in BOUT++ to study the effects of nonideal and nonlinear physics on EDA H-modes. In particular, incorporation of realistic pedestal resistivity is found to drive resistive ballooning modes (RBMs) and increase linear growth rates above the corresponding ideal rates. These RBMs may ultimately be responsible for constraining the EDA pedestal gradient. However, recent high-fidelity mirror Langmuir probe measurements indicate that the QCM is an electron drift-Alfvén wave - not a RBM. Inclusion of the parallel pressure gradient term in the 3-field reduced MHD Ohm's law and various higher field fluid models are implemented in an effort to capture this drift wave-like response. This work was performed under the auspices of the USDoE under awards DE-FG02-94-ER54235, DE-AC52-07NA27344, DE-AC52-07NA27344, and NNSA SSGF.

Extending the physics basis of quiescent H-mode toward ITER relevant parameters

DOE PAGES

Solomon, W. M.; Burrell, K. H.; Fenstermacher, M. E.; ...

2015-06-26

Recent experiments on DIII-D have addressed several long-standing issues needed to establish quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) as a viable operating scenario for ITER. In the past, QH-mode was associated with low density operation, but has now been extended to high normalized densities compatible with operation envisioned for ITER. Through the use of strong shaping, QH-mode plasmas have been maintained at high densities, both absolute (more » $$\\bar{n}$$ e ≈ 7 × 10 19 m ₋3) and normalized Greenwald fraction ($$\\bar{n}$$ e/n G > 0.7). In these plasmas, the pedestal can evolve to very high pressure and edge current as the density is increased. High density QH-mode operation with strong shaping has allowed access to a previously predicted regime of very high pedestal dubbed “Super H-mode”. Calculations of the pedestal height and width from the EPED model are quantitatively consistent with the experimentally observed density evolution. The confirmation of the shape dependence of the maximum density threshold for QH-mode helps validate the underlying theoretical model of peeling- ballooning modes for ELM stability. In general, QH-mode is found to achieve ELM- stable operation while maintaining adequate impurity exhaust, due to the enhanced impurity transport from an edge harmonic oscillation, thought to be a saturated kink- peeling mode driven by rotation shear. In addition, the impurity confinement time is not affected by rotation, even though the energy confinement time and measured E×B shear are observed to increase at low toroidal rotation. Together with demonstrations of high beta, high confinement and low q 95 for many energy confinement times, these results suggest QH-mode as a potentially attractive operating scenario for the ITER Q=10 mission.« less

Density-Gradient-Driven trapped-electron-modes in improved-confinement RFP plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duff, James

2016-10-01

Short wavelength density fluctuations in improved-confinement MST plasmas exhibit multiple features characteristic of the trapped-electron-mode (TEM), strong evidence that drift wave turbulence emerges in RFP plasmas when transport associated with MHD tearing is reduced. Core transport in the RFP is normally governed by magnetic stochasticity stemming from long wavelength tearing modes that arise from current profile peaking. Using inductive control, the tearing modes are reduced and global confinement is increased to values expected for a comparable tokamak plasma. The improved confinement is associated with a large increase in the pressure gradient that can destabilize drift waves. The measured density fluctuations have frequencies >50 kHz, wavenumbers k_phi*rho_s<0.14, and propagate in the electron drift direction. Their spectral emergence coincides with a sharp decrease in fluctuations associated with global tearing modes. Their amplitude increases with the local density gradient, and they exhibit a density-gradient threshold at R/L_n 15, higher than in tokamak plasmas by R/a. the GENE code, modified for RFP equilibria, predicts the onset of microinstability for these strong-gradient plasma conditions. The density-gradient-driven TEM is the dominant instability in the region where the measured density fluctuations are largest, and the experimental threshold-gradient is close to the predicted critical gradient for linear stability. While nonlinear analysis shows a large Dimits shift associated with predicted strong zonal flows, the inclusion of residual magnetic fluctuations causes a collapse of the zonal flows and an increase in the predicted transport to a level close to the experimentally measured heat flux. Similar circumstances could occur in the edge region of tokamak plasmas when resonant magnetic perturbations are applied for the control of ELMs. Work supported by US DOE.

Energy exchange dynamics across L-H transitions in NSTX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diallo, A.; Banerjee, S.; Zweben, S. J.; Stoltzfus-Dueck, T.

2017-06-01

We studied the energy exchange dynamics across the low-to-high-confinement (L-H) transition in NSTX discharges using the gas-puff imaging (GPI) diagnostic. The investigation focused on the energy exchange between flows and turbulence to help clarify the mechanism of the L-H transition. We applied this study to three types of heating schemes, including a total of 17 shots from the NSTX 2010 campaign run. Results show that the edge fluctuation characteristics (fluctuation levels, radial and poloidal correlation lengths) measured using GPI do not vary just prior to the H-mode transition, but change after the transition. Using a velocimetry approach (orthogonal-dynamics programming), velocity fields of a 24× 30 cm GPI view during the L-H transition were obtained with good spatial (˜1 cm) and temporal (˜2.5 μs) resolutions. Analysis using these velocity fields shows that the production term is systematically negative just prior to the L-H transition, indicating a transfer from mean flows to turbulence, which is inconsistent with the predator-prey paradigm. Moreover, the inferred absolute value of the production term is two orders of magnitude too small to explain the observed rapid L-H transition. These discrepancies are further reinforced by consideration of the ratio between the kinetic energy in the mean flow to the thermal free energy, which is estimated to be much less than 1, suggesting again that the turbulence depletion mechanism may not play an important role in the transition to the H-mode. Although the Reynolds work therefore appears to be too small to directly deplete the turbulent free energy reservoir, order-of-magnitude analysis shows that the Reynolds stress may still make a non-negligible contribution to the observed poloidal flows.

Role of density gradient driven trapped electron mode turbulence in the H-mode inner core with electron heating

DOE PAGES

Ernst, D. R.; Burrell, K. H.; Guttenfelder, W.; ...

2016-05-10

In a series of DIII-D [J. L. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42 614 (2002)] low torque quiescent H-mode experiments show that density gradient driven TEM (DGTEM) turbulence dominates the inner core of H-Mode plasmas during strong electron cyclotron heating (ECH). By adding 3.4 MW ECH doubles T e/T i from 0.5 to 1.0, which halves the linear DGTEM critical density gradient, locally reducing density peaking, while transport in all channels displays extreme stiffness in the density gradient. This then suggests fusion -heating may degrade inner core confinement in H-Mode plasmas with moderate density peaking and low collisionality, with equal electron andmore » ion temperatures, key conditions expected in burning plasmas. Gyrokinetic simulations using GYRO [J. Candy and R. E. Waltz, J. Comp. Phys. 186 545 (2003)] (and GENE [F. Jenko et al., Phys. Plasmas 7, 1904 (2000)]) closely match not only particle, energy, and momentum fluxes, but also density fluctuation spectra from Doppler Backscattering (DBS), with and without ECH. Inner core DBS density fluctuations display discrete frequencies with adjacent toroidal mode numbers, which we identify as DGTEMs. GS2 [W. Dorland et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 5579 (2000)] predictions show the DGTEM can be suppressed, to avoid degradation with electron heating, by broadening the current density profile to attain q 0 > q min > 1.« less

Collective oscillations and coupled modes in confined microfluidic droplet arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiller, Ulf D.; Fleury, Jean-Baptiste; Seemann, Ralf; Gompper, Gerhard

Microfluidic droplets have a wide range of applications ranging from analytic assays in cellular biology to controlled mixing in chemical engineering. Ensembles of microfluidic droplets are interesting model systems for non-equilibrium many-body phenomena. When flowing in a microchannel, trains of droplets can form microfluidic crystals whose dynamics are governed by long-range hydrodynamic interactions and boundary effects. In this contribution, excitation mechanisms for collective waves in dense and confined microfluidic droplet arrays are investigated by experiments and computer simulations. We demonstrate that distinct modes can be excited by creating specific `defect' patterns in flowing droplet trains. While longitudinal modes exhibit a short-lived cascade of pairs of laterally displacing droplets, transversely excited modes form propagating waves that behave like microfluidic phonons. We show that the confinement induces a coupling between longitudinal and transverse modes. We also investigate the life time of the collective oscillations and discuss possible mechanisms for the onset of instabilities. Our results demonstrate that microfluidic phonons can exhibit effects beyond the linear theory, which can be studied particularly well in dense and confined systems. This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under Grant No. SE 1118/4.

Hybrid surface-phonon-plasmon polariton modes in graphene/monolayer h-BN heterostructures.

PubMed

Brar, Victor W; Jang, Min Seok; Sherrott, Michelle; Kim, Seyoon; Lopez, Josue J; Kim, Laura B; Choi, Mansoo; Atwater, Harry

2014-07-09

Infrared transmission measurements reveal the hybridization of graphene plasmons and the phonons in a monolayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) sheet. Frequency-wavevector dispersion relations of the electromagnetically coupled graphene plasmon/h-BN phonon modes are derived from measurement of nanoresonators with widths varying from 30 to 300 nm. It is shown that the graphene plasmon mode is split into two distinct optical modes that display an anticrossing behavior near the energy of the h-BN optical phonon at 1370 cm(-1). We explain this behavior as a classical electromagnetic strong-coupling with the highly confined near fields of the graphene plasmons allowing for hybridization with the phonons of the atomically thin h-BN layer to create two clearly separated new surface-phonon-plasmon-polariton (SPPP) modes.

Effect of density gradients in confined supersonic shear layers. Part 2: 3-D modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peroomian, Oshin; Kelly, R. E.

1994-11-01

The effect of basic flow density gradients on the supersonic wall modes were investigated in Part 1 of this analysis. In that investigation only the 2-D modes were studied. Tam and Hu investigated the 3-D modes in a confined vortex sheet and reported that the first 2-D Class A mode (A01) had the highest growth rate compared to all other 2-D and 3-D modes present in the vortex sheet for that particular set of flow patterns. They also showed that this result also held true for finite thickness shear layers with delta(sub w) less than 0.125. For free shear layers, Sandham and Reynolds showed that the 3-D K-H mode became the dominant mode for M(sub c) greater than 0.6. Jackson and Grosch investigated the effect of crossflow and obliqueness on the slow and fast odes present in a M(sub c) greater than 1 environment and showed that for certain combination of crossflow and wave angles the growth rates could be increased by up to a factor of 2 with respect to the 2-D case. The case studied here is a confined shear layer shown in Part 1. All solution procedures and basic low profiles are the same as in Part 1. The effect of density gradients on the 3-D modes present in the density ratios considered in Part 1 are investigated.

Unified approach for calculating the number of confined modes in multilayered waveguiding structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruschin, S.; Griffel, G.; Hardy, A.; Croitoru, N.

1986-01-01

A general formalism is developed in order to find the number of modes and mode cutoff conditions in multilayer waveguiding structures. An explicit expression is presented for the number of confined modes that allows the modes to be counted without having to analyze the specific eigenvalue equation of the structure. The method is illustrated by its application to several structures: the buried layer, the directional coupler, and the three-guide symmetrical arrangement. By a suitable extension of the formalism, the number of well-confined modes is found for a four-layer structure.

Response of impurity particle confinement time to external actuators in QH-mode plasmas on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Grierson, Brian A.; Burrell, Keith H.; Garofalo, Andrea M.; ...

2014-11-04

A series of quiescent H-mode discharges have been executed with the specific aim of determining the particle confinement time of impurities in the presence of the edge harmonic oscillation. These discharges utilize non-intrinsic, non-recycling fully-stripped fluorine as the diagnostic species monitored by charge-exchange recombination spectroscopy. It is found that the EHO is an efficient means of impurity expulsion from the core plasma, with impurity exhaust rates comparable to or exceeding those in companion ELMing discharges. Furthermore, as the external torque from neutral beam injection is lowered, the global energy confinement time increases while the impurity confinement time does not displaymore » an increase.« less

Comparison of fusion alpha performance in JET advanced scenario and H-mode plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asunta, O.; Kurki-Suonio, T.; Tala, T.; Sipilä, S.; Salomaa, R.; contributors, JET-EFDA

2008-12-01

Currently, plasmas with internal transport barriers (ITBs) appear the most likely candidates for steady-state scenarios for future fusion reactors. In such plasmas, the broad hot and dense region in the plasma core leads to high fusion gain, while the cool edge protects the integrity of the first wall. Economically desirable large bootstrap current fraction and low inductive current drive may, however, lead to degraded fast ion confinement. In this work the confinement and heating profile of fusion alphas were compared between H-mode and ITB plasmas in realistic JET geometry. The work was carried out using the Monte Carlo-based guiding-center-following code ASCOT. For the same plasma current, the ITB discharges were found to produce four to eight times more fusion power than a comparable ELMy H-mode discharge. Unfortunately, also the alpha particle losses were larger (~16%) compared with the H-mode discharge (7%). In the H-mode discharges, alpha power was deposited to the plasma symmetrically around the magnetic axis, whereas in the current-hole discharge, the power was spread out to a larger volume in the plasma center. This was due to wider particle orbits, and the magnetic structure allowing for a broader hot region in the centre.

Investigation of impurity confinement in lower hybrid wave heated plasma on EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Z.; Wu, Z. W.; Zhang, L.; Gao, W.; Ye, Y.; Chen, K. Y.; Yuan, Y.; Zhang, W.; Yang, X. D.; Chen, Y. J.; Zhang, P. F.; Huang, J.; Wu, C. R.; Morita, S.; Oishi, T.; Zhang, J. Z.; Duan, Y. M.; Zang, Q.; Ding, S. Y.; Liu, H. Q.; Chen, J. L.; Hu, L. Q.; Xu, G. S.; Guo, H. Y.; the EAST Team

2018-01-01

The transient perturbation method with metallic impurities such as iron (Fe, Z  =  26) and copper (Cu, Z  =  29) induced in plasma-material interaction (PMI) procedure is used to investigate the impurity confinement characters in lower hybrid wave (LHW) heated EAST sawtooth-free plasma. The dependence of metallic impurities confinement time on plasma parameters (e.g. plasma current, toroidal magnetic field, electron density and heating power) are investigated in ohmic and LHW heated plasma. It is shown that LHW heating plays an important role in the reduction of the impurity confinement time in L-mode discharges on EAST. The impurity confinement time scaling is given as 42IP0.32Bt0.2\\overline{n}e0.43Ptotal-0.4~ on EAST, which is close to the observed scaling on Tore Supra and JET. Furthermore, the LHW heated high-enhanced-recycling (HER) H-mode discharges with ~25 kHz edge coherent modes (ECM), which have lower impurity confinement time and higher energy confinement time, provide promising candidates for high performance and steady state operation on EAST.

Low to high confinement transition theory of finite-beta drift-wave driven shear flow and its comparison with data from DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzdar, P. N.; Kleva, R. G.; Groebner, R. J.; Gohil, P.

2004-03-01

Shear flow stabilization of edge turbulence in tokamaks has been the accepted paradigm for the improvement in confinement observed in high (H) confinement mode plasmas. Results on the generation of zonal flow and fields in finite β plasmas are presented. This theory yields a criterion for bifurcation from low to high (L-H) confinement mode, proportional to Te/√Ln , where Te is the electron temperature and Ln is the density scale-length at the steepest part of the density gradient. When this parameter exceeds a critical value (mostly determined by the strength of the toroidal magnetic field), the transition occurs. The predicted threshold based on this parameter shows good agreement with edge measurements on discharges undergoing L-H transitions in DIII-D [J. L. Luxon, R. Anderson, F. Batty et al., in Proceedings of the 11th Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Research, 1986 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1987), Vol. I, p. 159]. The observed differences in the transitions with the reversal of the toroidal magnetic field are reconciled in terms of this critical parameter due to the differences in the density gradient scale-lengths in the edge. The theory also provides a possible explanation for lowered threshold power, pellet injection H modes in DIII-D, thereby providing a unified picture of the varied observations on the L-H transition.

Edge Stability and Performance of the ELM-Free Quiescent H-Mode and the Quiescent Double Barrier Mode on DIII-D

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

West, W P; Burrell, K H; Casper, T A

2004-12-03

The quiescent H (QH) mode, an edge localized mode (ELM)-free, high-confinement mode, combines well with an internal transport barrier to form quiescent double barrier (QDB) stationary state, high performance plasmas. The QH-mode edge pedestal pressure is similar to that seen in ELMing phases of the same discharge, with similar global energy confinement. The pedestal density in early ELMing phases of strongly pumped counter injection discharges drops and a transition to QH-mode occurs, leading to lower calculated edge bootstrap current. Plasmas current ramp experiment and ELITE code modeling of edge stability suggest that QH-modes lie near an edge current stability boundary.more » At high triangularity, QH-mode discharges operate at higher pedestal density and pressure, and have achieved ITER level values of {beta}{sub PED} and {nu}*. The QDB achieves performance of {alpha}{sub N}H{sub 89} {approx} 7 in quasi-stationary conditions for a duration of 10 tE, limited by hardware. Recently we demonstrated stationary state QDB discharges with little change in kinetic and q profiles (q{sub 0} > 1) for 2 s, comparable to ELMing ''hybrid scenarios'', yet without the debilitating effects of ELMs. Plasma profile control tools, including electron cyclotron heating and current drive and neutral beam heating, have been demonstrated to control simultaneously the q profile development, the density peaking, impurity accumulation and plasma beta.« less

Confinement improvement in the high poloidal beta regime on DIII-D and application to steady-state H-mode on EAST

DOE PAGES

Ding, Siye; Garofalo, A. M.; Qian, J.; ...

2017-05-03

Systematic experimental and modeling investigations on DIII-D and EAST show attractive transport properties of fully non-inductive high β p plasmas. Experiments on DIII-D show that the large-radius internal transport barrier (ITB), a key feature providing excellent confinement in the high β p regime, is maintained when the scenario is extended from q 95 ~ 12 to 7 and from rapid to near-zero toroidal rotation. The robustness of confinement versus rotation was predicted by gyro fluid modeling showing dominant neoclassical ion energy transport even without E B shear effect. The physics mechanism of turbulence suppression, we found, is the Shafranov shift,more » which is essential and sets a β p threshold for large-radius ITB formation in the high β p scenario on DIII-D. This is confirmed by two different parameter-scan experiments, one for β N scan and the other for q 95 scan. They both give the same p threshold at 1.9 in the experiment. Furthermore, the experiment trend of increasing thermal transport with decreasing β p is consistent with transport modeling. The very first step of extending high β p scenario on DIII-D to long pulse on EAST is to establish long pulse H-mode with ITB on EAST. Our paper shows the first 61 sec fully non-inductive H-mode with stationary ITB feature and actively cooled ITER-like tungsten divertor in the very recent EAST experiment. The successful use of lower hybrid wave (LWH) as a key tool to optimize current profile in EAST experiment is also introduced. Results show that as the electron density is increased, the fully non-inductive current profile broadens on EAST. The improved understanding and modeling capability is also used to develop advanced scenarios for CFETR. These results provide encouragement that the high β p regime can be extended to lower safety factor and very low rotation, providing a potential path to high performance steady state operation in future devices.« less

Confinement improvement in the high poloidal beta regime on DIII-D and application to steady-state H-mode on EAST

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

Ding, Siye; Garofalo, A. M.; Qian, J.

Systematic experimental and modeling investigations on DIII-D and EAST show attractive transport properties of fully non-inductive high β p plasmas. Experiments on DIII-D show that the large-radius internal transport barrier (ITB), a key feature providing excellent confinement in the high β p regime, is maintained when the scenario is extended from q 95 ~ 12 to 7 and from rapid to near-zero toroidal rotation. The robustness of confinement versus rotation was predicted by gyro fluid modeling showing dominant neoclassical ion energy transport even without E B shear effect. The physics mechanism of turbulence suppression, we found, is the Shafranov shift,more » which is essential and sets a β p threshold for large-radius ITB formation in the high β p scenario on DIII-D. This is confirmed by two different parameter-scan experiments, one for β N scan and the other for q 95 scan. They both give the same p threshold at 1.9 in the experiment. Furthermore, the experiment trend of increasing thermal transport with decreasing β p is consistent with transport modeling. The very first step of extending high β p scenario on DIII-D to long pulse on EAST is to establish long pulse H-mode with ITB on EAST. Our paper shows the first 61 sec fully non-inductive H-mode with stationary ITB feature and actively cooled ITER-like tungsten divertor in the very recent EAST experiment. The successful use of lower hybrid wave (LWH) as a key tool to optimize current profile in EAST experiment is also introduced. Results show that as the electron density is increased, the fully non-inductive current profile broadens on EAST. The improved understanding and modeling capability is also used to develop advanced scenarios for CFETR. These results provide encouragement that the high β p regime can be extended to lower safety factor and very low rotation, providing a potential path to high performance steady state operation in future devices.« less

The energy confinement response of DIII-D plasmas to Resonant Magnetic Perturbations

DOE PAGES

Cui, L.; Nazikian, Raffi; Grierson, B. A.; ...

2017-07-11

Here, Resonant Magnetic Perturbations (RMPs) are a leading method for edge localized modes (ELMs) Control in fusion plasmas. However they can also cause a rapid degradation in energy confinement. In this paper we show that the energy confinement in low collisionality (v* e < 0.3) DIII-D ITER Similar Shape (ISS) plasmas often recovers after several energy confinement times for RMP amplitudes up to the threshold for ELM suppression. Immediately following the application of the RMP, the plasma stored energy decreases in proportion to the decrease in the line-averaged density during density "pump-out". Later in the discharge confinement recovery is observedmore » in the thermal ion channel and is correlated with the increase in the ion temperature at the top of the H-mode pedestal. A correlation between the inverse scale length of the ion temperature (α/L Ti) and the E x B shearing rate at the top of the pedestal is seen during the confinement recovery phase. Transport analysis reveals that the confinement improvement in the ion channel results from the self-similarity in the ion temperature profiles in the plasma core combined with the observed increase in α/L Ti in the plasma edge following density pump-out. In contrast the electron temperature scale length (α/L Ti) remains essentially unchanged in response to the application of the RMP. At significantly higher RMP levels the edge EXB shearing rate and α/L Ti does not increase and the confinement does not recover following density pump-out.« less

Confinement & Stability in MAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akers, Rob

2001-10-01

Transition to H-mode has been achieved in the MAST spherical tokamak (ST) for both ohmically and neutral beam heated plasmas (P_NBI ~ 0.5-1.5MW), resulting in double-null diverted discharges containing both regular and irregular edge localised modes (ELMs). The observed L-H power threshold is ~10 times higher than predicted by established empirical scalings. L-H transition in MAST is accompanied by a sharp increase in edge density gradient, the efficient conversion of internal electron Bernstein waves into free space waves, the onset and saturation of edge poloidal rotation and a marked decrease in turbulence. During ELM free periods, a reduction in outboard power deposition width is observed using a Langmuir probe array. A novel divertor structure has been installed to counter the resulting increase in target heat-flux by applying a toroidally varying potential to the divertor plasma, theory suggesting that convective broadening of the scrape off layer will take place. Global confinement in H-mode is found to routinely exceed the international IPB(y,2) scaling, even for discharges approaching the Greenwald density. In an attempt to further extend the density range (densities in excess of Greenwald having been achieved for plasma currents up to 0.8MA) a multi-pellet injector has been installed at the low-field-side. In addition, high field side fuelling can be supplied via a gas-feed located at the centre-column mid-plane, this technique having been found to significantly enhance H-mode accessibility and quality. A range of stability issues will be discussed, including vertical displacement events, the rich variety of high frequency MHD seen in MAST and the physics of the Neoclassical Tearing Mode. This work was funded by the UK Department of Trade and Industry and by EURATOM. The NBI equipment is on loan from ORNL and the pellet injector was provided by FOM.

Experimental studies of high-confinement mode plasma response to non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations in ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suttrop, W.; Kirk, A.; Nazikian, R.; Leuthold, N.; Strumberger, E.; Willensdorfer, M.; Cavedon, M.; Dunne, M.; Fischer, R.; Fietz, S.; Fuchs, J. C.; Liu, Y. Q.; McDermott, R. M.; Orain, F.; Ryan, D. A.; Viezzer, E.; The ASDEX Upgrade Team; The DIII-D Team; The Eurofusion MST1 Team

2017-01-01

The interaction of externally applied small non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations (MP) with tokamak high-confinement mode (H-mode) plasmas is reviewed and illustrated by recent experiments in ASDEX Upgrade. The plasma response to the vacuum MP field is amplified by stable ideal kink modes with low toroidal mode number n driven by the H-mode edge pressure gradient (and associated bootstrap current) which is experimentally evidenced by an observable shift of the poloidal mode number m away from field alignment (m  =  qn, with q being the safety factor) at the response maximum. A torque scan experiment demonstrates the importance of the perpendicular electron flow for shielding of the resonant magnetic perturbation, as expected from a two-fluid MHD picture. Two significant effects of MP occur in H-mode plasmas at low pedestal collisionality, ν \\text{ped}\\ast≤slant 0.4 : (a) a reduction of the global plasma density by up to 61 % and (b) a reduction of the energy loss associated with edge localised modes (ELMs) by a factor of up to 9. A comprehensive database of ELM mitigation pulses at low {ν\\ast} in ASDEX Upgrade shows that the degree of ELM mitigation correlates with the reduction of pedestal pressure which in turn is limited and defined by the onset of ELMs, i. e. a modification of the ELM stability limit by the magnetic perturbation.

Physics and performance of the I-mode regime over an expanded operating space on Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubbard, A. E.; Baek, S.-G.; Brunner, D.; Creely, A. J.; Cziegler, I.; Edlund, E.; Hughes, J. W.; LaBombard, B.; Lin, Y.; Liu, Z.; Marmar, E. S.; Reinke, M. L.; Rice, J. E.; Sorbom, B.; Sung, C.; Terry, J.; Theiler, C.; Tolman, E. A.; Walk, J. R.; White, A. E.; Whyte, D.; Wolfe, S. M.; Wukitch, S.; Xu, X. Q.; the Alcator C-Mod Team

2017-12-01

New results on the I-mode regime of operation on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak are reported. This ELM-free regime features high energy confinement and a steep temperature pedestal, while particle confinement remains at L-mode levels, giving stationary density and avoiding impurity accumulation. I-mode has now been obtained over nearly all of the magnetic fields and currents possible in this high field tokamak (I p 0.55-1.7 MA, B T 2.8-8 T) using a configuration with B  ×  ∇ B drift away from the X-point. Results at 8 T confirm that the L-I power threshold varies only weakly with B T, and that the power range for I-mode increases with B T; no 8 T discharges transitioned to H-mode. Parameter dependences of energy confinement are investigated. Core transport simulations are giving insight into the observed turbulence reduction, profile stiffness and confinement improvement. Pedestal models explain the observed stability to ELMs, and can simulate the observed weakly coherent mode. Conditions for I-H transitions have complex dependences on density as well as power. I-modes have now been maintained in near-DN configurations, leading to improved divertor power flux sharing. Prospects for I-mode on future fusion devices such as ITER and ARC are encouraging. Further experiments on other tokamaks are needed to improve confidence in extrapolation.

Distinct turbulence sources and confinement features in the spherical tokamak plasma regime

DOE PAGES

Wang, W. X.; Ethier, S.; Ren, Y.; ...

2015-10-30

New turbulence contributions to plasma transport and confinement in the spherical tokamak (ST) regime are identified through nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations. The drift wave Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) mode characterized by intrinsic mode asymmetry is shown to drive significant ion thermal transport in strongly rotating national spherical torus experiment (NSTX) L-modes. The long wavelength, quasi-coherent dissipative trapped electron mode (TEM) is destabilized in NSTX H-modes despite the presence of strong E x B shear, providing a robust turbulence source dominant over collisionless TEM. Dissipative trapped electron mode (DTEM)-driven transport in the NSTX parametric regime is shown to increase with electron collision frequency, offeringmore » one possible source for the confinement scaling observed in experiments. There exists a turbulence-free regime in the collision-induced collisionless trapped electron mode to DTEM transition for ST plasmas. In conclusion, this predicts a natural access to a minimum transport state in the low collisionality regime that future advanced STs may cover.« less

Public Data Set: High Confinement Mode and Edge Localized Mode Characteristics in a Near-Unity Aspect Ratio Tokamak

DOE Data Explorer

Thome, Kathreen E. [University of Wisconsin-Madison] (ORCID:0000000248013922); Bongard, Michael W. [University of Wisconsin-Madison] (ORCID:0000000231609746); Barr, Jayson L. [University of Wisconsin-Madison] (ORCID:0000000177685931); Bodner, Grant M. [University of Wisconsin-Madison] (ORCID:0000000324979172); Burke, Marcus G. [University of Wisconsin-Madison] (ORCID:0000000176193724); Fonck, Raymond J. [University of Wisconsin-Madison] (ORCID:0000000294386762); Kriete, David M. [University of Wisconsin-Madison] (ORCID:0000000236572911); Perry, Justin M. [University of Wisconsin-Madison] (ORCID:0000000171228609); Schlossberg, David J. [University of Wisconsin-Madison] (ORCID:0000000287139448)

2016-04-27

This data set contains openly-documented, machine readable digital research data corresponding to figures published in K.E. Thome et al., 'High Confinement Mode and Edge Localized Mode Characteristics in a Near-Unity Aspect Ratio Tokamak,' Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 175001 (2016).

Stability of drift-cyclotron loss-cone waves in H-mode plasmas

DOE PAGES

Farmer, W. A.; Morales, G. J.

2016-05-24

The drift-cyclotron loss-cone mode was first studied in mirror machines. In such devices, particles with small pitch angles are not confined, creating a hole in the velocity distribution function that is a source of free energy and leads to micro-instabilities in the cyclotron-range of frequencies. In the edge region of tokamak devices operating under H-mode conditions, ion loss also occurs. In this case, gradient drift carries ions moving opposite to the plasma current preferentially into the divertor, creating a one-sided loss cone. A simple analysis shows that for the quiescent H-mode plasmas in DIII-D the critical gradient for instability ismore » exceeded within 2 cm of the separatrix, and the maximum growth rate at the separatrix is 3×10 7 s -1.« less

Confinement improvement in the high poloidal beta regime on DIII-D and application to steady-state H-mode on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, S.; Garofalo, A. M.; Qian, J.; Cui, L.; McClenaghan, J. T.; Pan, C.; Chen, J.; Zhai, X.; McKee, G.; Ren, Q.; Gong, X.; Holcomb, C. T.; Guo, W.; Lao, L.; Ferron, J.; Hyatt, A.; Staebler, G.; Solomon, W.; Du, H.; Zang, Q.; Huang, J.; Wan, B.

2017-05-01

Systematic experimental and modeling investigations on DIII-D show attractive transport properties of fully non-inductive high βp plasmas. Experiments on DIII-D show that the large-radius internal transport barrier (ITB), a key feature providing excellent confinement in the high βp regime, is maintained when the scenario is extended from q95 ˜ 12 to 7 and from rapid to near-zero toroidal rotation. The robustness of confinement versus rotation was predicted by gyrofluid modeling showing dominant neoclassical ion energy transport even without the E × B shear effect. The physics mechanism of turbulence suppression, we found, is the Shafranov shift, which is essential and sets a βp threshold for large-radius ITB formation in the high βp scenario on DIII-D. This is confirmed by two different parameter-scan experiments, one for a βN scan and the other for a q95 scan. They both give the same βp threshold at 1.9 in the experiment. The experimental trend of increasing thermal transport with decreasing βp is consistent with transport modeling. The progress toward the high βp scenario on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is reported. The very first step of extending the high βp scenario on DIII-D to long pulse on EAST is to establish a long pulse H-mode with ITB on EAST. This paper shows the first 61 s fully non-inductive H-mode with stationary ITB feature and actively cooled ITER-like tungsten divertor in the very recent EAST experiment. The successful use of lower hybrid wave as a key tool to optimize the current profile in the EAST experiment is also introduced. Results show that as the electron density is increased, the fully non-inductive current profile broadens on EAST. The improved understanding and modeling capability are also used to develop advanced scenarios for the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor. Overall, these results provide encouragement that the high βp regime can be extended to a lower safety factor and very low rotation

Fusion Plasma Performance and Confinement Studies on JT-60 and JT-60U

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

Kamada, Y.; Fujita, T.; Ishida, S.

2002-09-15

Fusion plasma performance and confinement studies on JT-60 and JT-60U are reviewed. With the main aim of providing a physics basis for ITER and the steady-state tokamak reactors, JT-60/JT-60U has been developing and optimizing the operational concepts, and extending the discharge regimes toward sustainment of high integrated performance in the reactor relevant parameter regime. In addition to achievement of high fusion plasma performances such as the equivalent breakeven condition (Q{sub DT}{sup eq} up to 1.25) and a high fusion triple product n{sub D}(0){tau}{sub E}T{sub i}(0) = 1.5 x 10{sup 21} m{sup -3}skeV, JT-60U has demonstrated the integrated performance of highmore » confinement, high {beta}{sub N}, full non-inductive current drive with a large fraction of bootstrap current. These favorable performances have been achieved in the two advanced operation regimes, the reversed magnetic shear (RS) and the weak magnetic shear (high-{beta}{sub p}) ELMy H modes characterized by both internal transport barriers (ITB) and edge transport barriers (ETB). The key factors in optimizing these plasmas towards high integrated performance are control of profiles of current, pressure, rotation, etc. utilizing a variety of heating, current drive, torque input, and particle control capabilities and high triangularity operation. As represented by discovery of ITBs (density ITB in the central pellet mode, ion temperature ITB in the high-{beta}{sub p} mode, and electron temperature ITB in the reversed shear mode), confinement studies in JT-60/JT-60U have been emphasizing freedom and also restriction of radial profiles of temperature and density. In addition to characterization of confinement and analyses of transport properties of the OH, the L-mode, the H-mode, the pellet mode, the high-{beta}{sub p} mode, and the RS mode, JT-60U has clarified formation conditions, spatial structures and dynamics of edge and internal transport barriers, and evaluated effects of repetitive MHD

Discriminant analysis to predict the occurrence of ELMS in H-mode discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kardaun, O. J. W. F.; Itoh, S.-I.; Itoh, K.; Kardaun, J. W. P. F.

1993-08-01

After an exposition of its theoretical background, discriminant analysis is applied to the H-mode confinement database to find the region in plasma parameter space in which H-mode with small ELM's (Edge Localized Modes) is likely to occur. The boundary of this region is determined by the condition that the probability of appearance of such a type of H-mode, as a function of the plasma parameters, should be larger than some threshold value and larger than the corresponding probability for other types of H-mode (i.e., H-mode without ELM's or with giant ELM's). In practice, the discrimination has been performed for the ASDEX, JET and JFT-2M tokamaks using four instantaneous plasma parameters (injected power Pinj, magnetic field Bt, plasma current Ip and line averaged electron density ne) and taking also memory effects of the plasma and the distance between the plasma and the wall into account, while using variables that are normalized with respect to machine size. Generally speaking, it is found that there is a substantial overlap between the region of H-mode with small ELM's and the region of the two other types of H-mode. However, the ELM-free and the giant ELM H-modes relatively rarely appear in the region, that, according to the analysis, is allocated to small ELM's. A reliable production of H-mode with only small ELM's seems well possible by choosing this regime in parameter space. In the present study, it was not attempted to arrive at a unified discrimination across the machines. So, projection from one machine to another remains difficult, and a reliable determination of the region where small ELM's occur still requires a training sample from the device under consideration.

Theory-based transport simulations of TFTR L-mode temperature profiles

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

Bateman, G.

1992-03-01

The temperature profiles from a selection of Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) L-mode discharges (17{ital th} {ital European} {ital Conference} {ital on} {ital Controlled} {ital Fusion} {ital and} {ital Plasma} {ital Heating}, Amsterdam, 1990 (EPS, Petit-Lancy, Switzerland, 1990, p. 114)) are simulated with the 1 (1)/(2) -D baldur transport code (Comput. Phys. Commun. {bold 49}, 275 (1988)) using a combination of theoretically derived transport models, called the Multi-Mode Model (Comments Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion {bold 11}, 165 (1988)). The present version of the Multi-Mode Model consists of effective thermal diffusivities resulting from trapped electron modes and ion temperature gradient ({eta}{submore » {ital i}}) modes, which dominate in the core of the plasma, together with resistive ballooning modes, which dominate in the periphery. Within the context of this transport model and the TFTR simulations reported here, the scaling of confinement with heating power comes from the temperature dependence of the {eta}{sub {ital i}} and trapped electron modes, while the scaling with current comes mostly from resistive ballooning modes.« less

H-mode fueling optimization with the supersonic deuterium jet in NSTX

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

Soukhanovskii, V A; Bell, M G; Bell, R E

2008-06-18

High-performance, long-pulse 0.7-1.2 MA 6-7 MW NBI-heated small-ELM H-mode plasma discharges are developed in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) as prototypes for confinement and current drive extrapolations to future spherical tori. It is envisioned that innovative lithium coating techniques for H-mode density pumping and a supersonic deuterium jet for plasma refueling will be used to achieve the low pedestal collisionality and low n{sub e}/n{sub G} fractions (0.3-0.6), both of which being essential conditions for maximizing the non-inductive (bootstrap and beam driven) current fractions. The low field side supersonic gas injector (SGI) on NSTX consists of a small converging-diverging graphitemore » Laval nozzle and a piezoelectric gas valve. The nozzle is capable of producing a deuterium jet with Mach number M {le} 4, estimated gas density at the nozzle exit n {le} 5 x 10{sup 23} m{sup -3}, estimated temperature T {ge} 70 K, and flow velocity v = 2:4 km/s. The nozzle Reynolds number Reis {approx_equal} 6000. The nozzle and the valve are enclosed in a protective carbon fiber composite shroud and mounted on a movable probe at a midplane port location. Despite the beneficial L-mode fueling experience with supersonic jets in limiter tokamaks, there is a limited experience with fueling of high-performance H-mode divertor discharges and the associated density, MHD stability, and MARFE limits. In initial supersonic deuterium jet fueling experiments in NSTX, a reliable H-mode access, a low NBI power threshold, P{sub LH} {le} 2 MW, and a high fueling efficiency (0.1-0.4) have been demonstrated. Progress has also been made toward a better control of the injected fueling gas by decreasing the uncontrolled high field side (HFS) injector fueling rate by up to 95 % and complementing it with the supersonic jet fueling. These results motivated recent upgrades to the SGI gas delivery and control systems. The new SGI-Upgrade (SGI-U) capabilities include multi

Intermittent fluctuations in the Alcator C-Mod scrape-off layer for ohmic and high confinement mode plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, O. E.; Kube, R.; Theodorsen, A.; LaBombard, B.; Terry, J. L.

2018-05-01

Plasma fluctuations in the scrape-off layer of the Alcator C-Mod tokamak in ohmic and high confinement modes have been analyzed using gas puff imaging data. In all cases investigated, the time series of emission from a single spatially resolved view into the gas puff are dominated by large-amplitude bursts, attributed to blob-like filament structures moving radially outwards and poloidally. There is a remarkable similarity of the fluctuation statistics in ohmic plasmas and in edge localized mode-free and enhanced D-alpha high confinement mode plasmas. Conditionally averaged waveforms have a two-sided exponential shape with comparable temporal scales and asymmetry, while the burst amplitudes and the waiting times between them are exponentially distributed. The probability density functions and the frequency power spectral densities are similar for all these confinement modes. These results provide strong evidence in support of a stochastic model describing the plasma fluctuations in the scrape-off layer as a super-position of uncorrelated exponential pulses. Predictions of this model are in excellent agreement with experimental measurements in both ohmic and high confinement mode plasmas. The stochastic model thus provides a valuable tool for predicting fluctuation-induced plasma-wall interactions in magnetically confined fusion plasmas.

Perturbative momentum transport in MAST L-mode plasmas

DOE PAGES

Guttenfelder, W.; Field, A. R.; Lupelli, I.; ...

2017-03-28

Non-axisymmetric magnetic fields are used to perturbatively probe momentum transport physics in MAST L-mode plasmas. The low beta L-mode target was chosen to complement previous experiments conducted in high beta NSTX H-mode plasmas (beta N = 3.5-4.6) where an inward momentum pinch was measured. In those cases quasi-linear gyrokinetic simulations of unstable ballooning micro-instabilities predict weak or outward momentum convection, in contrast to the measurements. The weak pinch was predicted to be due to both electromagnetic effects at high beta and low aspect ratio minimizing the symmetry-breaking of the instabilities responsible for momentum transport. In an attempt to lessen thesemore » electromagnetic effects at low aspect ratio, perturbative experiments were run in MAST L-mode discharges at lower beta (beta N = 2). The perturbative transport analysis used the time-dependent response following the termination of applied 3D fields that briefly brake the plasma rotation ( similar to the NSTX H-mode experiments). Assuming time-invariant diffusive (chi(phi))and convective (V-phi) transport coefficients, an inward pinch is inferred with magnitudes, (RV phi/chi(phi)) = (-1)-(-9), similar to those found in NSTX H-modes and in conventional tokamaks. However, if experimental uncertainties due to non-stationary conditions during and after the applied 3D field are considered, a weak pinch or even outward convection is inferred, ( RV phi/chi(phi)) = (-1)-(+5). Linear gyrokinetic simulations indicate that for these lower beta L-modes, the predicted momentum pinch is predicted to be relatively small, ( RV phi/chi(phi))(sim) approximate to -1. While this falls within the experimentally inferred range, the uncertainties are practically too large to quantitatively validate the predictions. Challenges and implications for this particular experimental technique are discussed, as well as additional possible physical mechanisms that may be important in understanding momentum

Perturbative momentum transport in MAST L-mode plasmas

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

Guttenfelder, W.; Field, A. R.; Lupelli, I.

Non-axisymmetric magnetic fields are used to perturbatively probe momentum transport physics in MAST L-mode plasmas. The low beta L-mode target was chosen to complement previous experiments conducted in high beta NSTX H-mode plasmas (beta N = 3.5-4.6) where an inward momentum pinch was measured. In those cases quasi-linear gyrokinetic simulations of unstable ballooning micro-instabilities predict weak or outward momentum convection, in contrast to the measurements. The weak pinch was predicted to be due to both electromagnetic effects at high beta and low aspect ratio minimizing the symmetry-breaking of the instabilities responsible for momentum transport. In an attempt to lessen thesemore » electromagnetic effects at low aspect ratio, perturbative experiments were run in MAST L-mode discharges at lower beta (beta N = 2). The perturbative transport analysis used the time-dependent response following the termination of applied 3D fields that briefly brake the plasma rotation ( similar to the NSTX H-mode experiments). Assuming time-invariant diffusive (chi(phi))and convective (V-phi) transport coefficients, an inward pinch is inferred with magnitudes, (RV phi/chi(phi)) = (-1)-(-9), similar to those found in NSTX H-modes and in conventional tokamaks. However, if experimental uncertainties due to non-stationary conditions during and after the applied 3D field are considered, a weak pinch or even outward convection is inferred, ( RV phi/chi(phi)) = (-1)-(+5). Linear gyrokinetic simulations indicate that for these lower beta L-modes, the predicted momentum pinch is predicted to be relatively small, ( RV phi/chi(phi))(sim) approximate to -1. While this falls within the experimentally inferred range, the uncertainties are practically too large to quantitatively validate the predictions. Challenges and implications for this particular experimental technique are discussed, as well as additional possible physical mechanisms that may be important in understanding momentum

The 13th International Workshop on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers (Oxford, UK, 2011) The 13th International Workshop on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers (Oxford, UK, 2011)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saibene, G.

2012-11-01

The 13th International Workshop on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers, held in Lady Margaret Hall College in Oxford in October 2011 continues the tradition of bi-annual international meetings dedicated to the study of transport barriers in fusion plasmas. The first meeting of this series took place in S Diego (CA, US) in 1987, and since then scientists in the fusion community studying the formation and effects of transport barriers in plasmas have been meeting at this small workshop to discuss progress, new experimental evidence and related theoretical studies. The first workshops were strongly focussed on the characterization and understanding of the H-mode plasma, discovered in ASDEX in 1982. Tokamaks throughout the entire world were able to reproduce the H-mode transition in the following few years and since then the H-mode has been recognised as a pervasive physics feature of toroidally confined plasmas. Increased physics understanding of the H-mode transition and of the properties of H-mode plasmas, together with extensive development of diagnostic capabilities for the plasma edge, led to the development of edge transport barrier studies and theory. The H-mode Workshop reflected this extension in interest, with more and more contributions discussing the phenomenology of edge transport barriers and instabilities (ELMs), L-H transition and edge transport barrier formation theory. In the last 15 years, in response to the development of fusion plasma studies, the scientific scope of the workshop has been broadened to include experimental and theoretical studies of both edge and internal transport barriers, including formation and sustainment of transport barriers for different transport channels (energy, particle and momentum). The 13th H-mode Workshop was organized around six leading topics, and, as customary for this workshop, a lead speaker was selected for each topic to present to the audience the state-of-the-art, new understanding and open issues, as well

H-mode pedestal stability and ELMs in Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mossessian, Dmitri

2002-11-01

For steady state H-mode operation, a relaxation mechanism is required to limit build-up of the edge gradient and impurity accumulation. The major relaxation mechanism seen on most of the existing tokamaks - large type I ELMs - drive high particle and energy fluxes that present a significant power load on the divertor plates. On Alcator C-Mod, however, type I ELMs are not observed. Instead, more benign mechanisms - EDA and small grassy ELMs - appear to drive enhanced particle transport at the edge of H-mode plasmas. Both have good energy confinement, no impurity accumulation, and are steady state. In EDA the edge relaxation mechanism is provided by a quasicoherent electromagnetic mode localized in the outer part of the pedestal. Non-linear gyrofluid and linear gyrokinetic simulations, as well as real geometry fluctuation modeling based on fluid equations show the presence of a coherent mode. Based on those results the observed mode is tentatively identified as resistive ballooning. At higher edge pressure gradient the mode is replaced by broadband fluctuations and small irregular ELMs are observed. Based on ideal MHD calculations that include effects of bootstrap current, these ELMs are identified as medium n coupled ideal peeling/ballooning modes. The stability threshold and modes structure of these modes are studied with recently developed linear MHD stability code ELITE and the results are compared with the observed dependence of the ELMs' character on pedestal parameters and plasma shape.

Density-Gradient-Driven trapped-electron-modes in improved-confinement RFP plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duff, James; Sarff, John; Ding, Weixing; Brower, David; Parke, Eli; Chapman, Brett; Terry, Paul; Pueschel, M. J.; Williams, Zach

2017-10-01

Short wavelength density fluctuations in improved-confinement MST plasmas exhibit multiple features characteristic of the trapped-electron-mode (TEM). Core transport in the RFP is normally governed by magnetic stochasticity stemming from long wavelength tearing modes that arise from current profile peaking, which are suppressed via inductive control for this work. The improved confinement is associated with an increase in the pressure gradient that can destabilize drift waves. The measured density fluctuations have f 50 kHz, kϕρs < 0.14 , and propagate in the electron drift direction. Their spectral emergence coincides with a sharp decrease in global tearing mode associated fluctuations, their amplitude increases with local density gradient, and they exhibit a density-gradient threshold at R /Ln 15 . The GENE code, modified for the RFP, predicts the onset of density-gradient-driven TEM for these strong-gradient plasma conditions. While nonlinear analysis shows a large Dimits shift associated with predicted strong zonal flows, the inclusion of residual magnetic fluctuations, comparable to experimental magnetic fluctuations, causes a collapse of the zonal flows and an increase in the predicted transport to a level close to the experimentally measured heat flux. Work supported by US DOE.

Turbulence and sheared flow structures behind the isotopic dependence of the L-H power threshold on DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Z.; Gohil, P.; McKee, G. R.; Eldon, D.; Grierson, B.; Rhodes, T.; Petty, C. C.

2017-12-01

Measurements of long wavelength ({{k}\\bot }{{ρ }i}   <  1) density fluctuation characteristics in the edge of both Deuterium (D) and Hydrogen (H) plasmas across the L-H transition on DIII-D demonstrate the existence of single or double bands of low-wavenumber turbulence observed near the edge of H and D plasmas. These are strongly correlated with the L to H-mode transition power threshold (P LH) and can help explain the isotopic and density dependence of P LH, and how the P LH difference is reduced at higher density. Understanding and accurately predicting the L-H power threshold is critical to accessing to H-mode, and operating and achieving high confinement in burning plasmas such as ITER. Above about n e ~ 4  ×  1019 m-3, P LH is seen to converge for H and D, and increases for both with higher density. Surprisingly, the P LH increases significantly at low density in H but not in D plasmas. Two distinct frequency bands of density fluctuations are observed in the D plasmas at low density, n e ~ 1.2-1.5  ×  1019 m-3, but not in H plasmas with similar density, which appears to be correlated to the much lower power threshold in D at low density. Consistently, E  ×  B shear in the region of r/a ~ 0.95-1.0 is larger in D plasmas than in H plasmas at low density; as the P LH increases with increasing density, the dual mode structure disappears while E  ×  B shear becomes similar and small for both D and H plasmas at higher density, n e ~ 5  ×  1019 m-3, where P LH is similar for both D and H plasmas. The increased edge fluctuations, increased flow shear, and the dual-band nature of edge turbulence correlating with lower P LH may account for the strong isotope and density dependencies of P LH and support current L-H transition theories but suggest a complex behavior that can inform a more complete model of the L-H transition threshold.

Turbulence and sheared flow structures behind the isotopic dependence of the L-H power threshold on DIII-D

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

Yan, Zheng; Gohil, Punit; McKee, George R.

Measurements of long wavelength (kmore » $$\\perp$$p i < 1) density fluctuation characteristics in the edge of both Deuterium (D) and Hydrogen (H) plasmas across the L-H transition on DIII-D demonstrate the existence of single or double bands of low-wavenumber turbulence observed near the edge of H and D plasmas. These are strongly correlated with the L to H-mode transition power threshold (P LH) and can help explain the isotopic and density dependence of P LH, and how the P LH difference is reduced at higher density. Understanding and accurately predicting the L-H power threshold is critical to accessing to H-mode, and operating and achieving high confinement in burning plasmas such as ITER. Above about n e ~ 4 × 10 19 m -3, P LH is seen to converge for H and D, and increases for both with higher density. Surprisingly, the P LH increases significantly at low density in H but not in D plasmas. Two distinct frequency bands of density fluctuations are observed in the D plasmas at low density, n e ~ 1.2-1.5 × 10 19 m -3, but not in H plasmas with similar density, which appears to be correlated to the much lower power threshold in D at low density. Consistently, E × B shear in the region of r/a ~ 0.95-1.0 is larger in D plasmas than in H plasmas at low density; as the P LH increases with increasing density, the dual mode structure disappears while E × B shear becomes similar and small for both D and H plasmas at higher density, n e ~ 5 × 10 19 m -3, where P LH is similar for both D and H plasmas. Lastly, the increased edge fluctuations, increased flow shear, and the dualband nature of edge turbulence correlating with lower P LH may account for the strong isotope and density dependencies of PLH and support current L-H transition theories but suggest a complex behavior that can inform a more complete model of the L-H transition threshold.« less

Turbulence and sheared flow structures behind the isotopic dependence of the L-H power threshold on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Yan, Zheng; Gohil, Punit; McKee, George R.; ...

2017-09-18

Measurements of long wavelength (kmore » $$\\perp$$p i < 1) density fluctuation characteristics in the edge of both Deuterium (D) and Hydrogen (H) plasmas across the L-H transition on DIII-D demonstrate the existence of single or double bands of low-wavenumber turbulence observed near the edge of H and D plasmas. These are strongly correlated with the L to H-mode transition power threshold (P LH) and can help explain the isotopic and density dependence of P LH, and how the P LH difference is reduced at higher density. Understanding and accurately predicting the L-H power threshold is critical to accessing to H-mode, and operating and achieving high confinement in burning plasmas such as ITER. Above about n e ~ 4 × 10 19 m -3, P LH is seen to converge for H and D, and increases for both with higher density. Surprisingly, the P LH increases significantly at low density in H but not in D plasmas. Two distinct frequency bands of density fluctuations are observed in the D plasmas at low density, n e ~ 1.2-1.5 × 10 19 m -3, but not in H plasmas with similar density, which appears to be correlated to the much lower power threshold in D at low density. Consistently, E × B shear in the region of r/a ~ 0.95-1.0 is larger in D plasmas than in H plasmas at low density; as the P LH increases with increasing density, the dual mode structure disappears while E × B shear becomes similar and small for both D and H plasmas at higher density, n e ~ 5 × 10 19 m -3, where P LH is similar for both D and H plasmas. Lastly, the increased edge fluctuations, increased flow shear, and the dualband nature of edge turbulence correlating with lower P LH may account for the strong isotope and density dependencies of PLH and support current L-H transition theories but suggest a complex behavior that can inform a more complete model of the L-H transition threshold.« less

Progress in understanding the enhanced pedestal H-mode in NSTX

DOE PAGES

Gerhardt, S. P.; Canik, J. M.; Maingi, R.; ...

2014-08-01

The paper describes the enhanced pedestal (EP) H-mode observed in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). The defining characteristics of EP H-mode are given, namely i)transition after the L- to H-mode transition, ii) region of very steep ion temperature gradient, and iii) associated region of strong rotational shear. A newly observed long-pulse EP H-mode example shows quiescent behavior for as long as the heating and current drive sources are maintained. Cases are shown where the region of steep ion temperature gradient is located at the very edge, and cases where it is shifted up to 10 cm inward from themore » plasma edge; these cases are united by a common dependence of the ion temperature gradient on the toroidal rotation frequency shear. EP H-mode examples have been observed across a wide range of q95 and pedestal collisionality. No strong changes in the fluctuation amplitudes have been observed following the eP H-mode transition, and transport analysis indicates that the ion t hermal transport is comparable to or less than anticipated from a simple neoclassical transport model. Cases are shown where EP H-modes were reliably generated, through these low-q95 examples were difficult to sustain. A case where an externally triggered ELM precipitates the transition to EP H-mode is also shown, though an initial experiment designed to trigger EP-H-modes in this fashion was successful.« less

Quantitative comparison of electron temperature fluctuations to nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations in C-Mod Ohmic L-mode discharges

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

Sung, C., E-mail: csung@physics.ucla.edu; White, A. E.; Greenwald, M.

2016-04-15

Long wavelength turbulent electron temperature fluctuations (k{sub y}ρ{sub s} < 0.3) are measured in the outer core region (r/a > 0.8) of Ohmic L-mode plasmas at Alcator C-Mod [E. S. Marmar et al., Nucl. Fusion 49, 104014 (2009)] with a correlation electron cyclotron emission diagnostic. The relative amplitude and frequency spectrum of the fluctuations are compared quantitatively with nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations using the GYRO code [J. Candy and R. E. Waltz, J. Comput. Phys. 186, 545 (2003)] in two different confinement regimes: linear Ohmic confinement (LOC) regime and saturated Ohmic confinement (SOC) regime. When comparing experiment with nonlinear simulations, it is found that local,more » electrostatic ion-scale simulations (k{sub y}ρ{sub s} ≲ 1.7) performed at r/a ∼ 0.85 reproduce the experimental ion heat flux levels, electron temperature fluctuation levels, and frequency spectra within experimental error bars. In contrast, the electron heat flux is robustly under-predicted and cannot be recovered by using scans of the simulation inputs within error bars or by using global simulations. If both the ion heat flux and the measured temperature fluctuations are attributed predominantly to long-wavelength turbulence, then under-prediction of electron heat flux strongly suggests that electron scale turbulence is important for transport in C-Mod Ohmic L-mode discharges. In addition, no evidence is found from linear or nonlinear simulations for a clear transition from trapped electron mode to ion temperature gradient turbulence across the LOC/SOC transition, and also there is no evidence in these Ohmic L-mode plasmas of the “Transport Shortfall” [C. Holland et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 052301 (2009)].« less

Global two-fluid turbulence simulations of L-H transitions and edge localized mode dynamics in the COMPASS-D tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thyagaraja, A.; Valovič, M.; Knight, P. J.

2010-04-01

It is shown that the transition from L-mode to H-mode regimes in tokamaks can be reproduced using a two-fluid, fully electromagnetic, plasma model when a suitable particle sink is added at the edge. Such a model is implemented in the CUTIE code [A. Thyagaraja et al., Eur. J. Mech. B/Fluids 23, 475 (2004)] and is illustrated on plasma parameters that mimic those in the COMPASS-D tokamak with electron cyclotron resonance heating [Fielding et al., Plasma Phys. Contr. Fusion 42, A191 (2000)]. In particular, it is shown that holding the heating power, current, and magnetic field constant and increasing the fuelling rate to raise the plasma density leads spontaneously to the formation of an edge transport barrier (ETB) which occurs going from low to higher density experimentally. In the following quiescent period in which the stored energy of the plasma rises linearly with time, a dynamical transition occurs in the simulation with the appearance of features resembling strong edge localized modes. The simulation qualitatively reproduces many features observed in the experiment. Its relative robustness suggests that some, at least of the observed characteristics of ETBs and L-H transitions, can be captured in the global electromagnetic turbulence model.

Giant enhancement of reflectance due to the interplay between surface confined wave modes and nonlinear gain in dielectric media.

PubMed

Kim, Sangbum; Kim, Kihong

2017-12-11

We study theoretically the interplay between the surface confined wave modes and the linear and nonlinear gain of the dielectric layer in the Otto configuration. The surface confined wave modes, such as surface plasmons or waveguide modes, are excited in the dielectric-metal bilayer by obliquely incident p waves. In the purely linear case, we find that the interplay between linear gain and surface confined wave modes can generate a large reflectance peak with its value much greater than 1. As the linear gain parameter increases, the peak appears at smaller incident angles, and the associated modes also change from surface plasmons to waveguide modes. When the nonlinear gain is turned on, the reflectance shows very strong multistability near the incident angles associated with surface confined wave modes. As the nonlinear gain parameter is varied, the reflectance curve undergoes complicated topological changes and sometimes displays separated closed curves. When the nonlinear gain parameter takes an optimally small value, a giant amplification of the reflectance by three orders of magnitude occurs near the incident angle associated with a waveguide mode. We also find that there exists a range of the incident angle where the wave is dissipated rather than amplified even in the presence of gain. We suggest that this can provide the basis for a possible new technology for thermal control in the subwavelength scale.

Comparative analysis of core heat transport of JET high density H-mode plasmas in carbon wall and ITER-like wall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyun-Tae; Romanelli, M.; Voitsekhovitch, I.; Koskela, T.; Conboy, J.; Giroud, C.; Maddison, G.; Joffrin, E.; contributors, JET

2015-06-01

A consistent deterioration of global confinement in H-mode experiments has been observed in JET [1] following the replacement of all carbon plasma facing components (PFCs) with an all metal (‘ITER-like’) wall (ILW). This has been correlated to the observed degradation of the pedestal confinement, as lower electron temperature (Te) values are routinely measured at the top of the edge barrier region. A comparative investigation of core heat transport in JET-ILW and JET-CW (carbon wall) discharges has been performed, to assess whether core confinement has also been affected by the wall change. The results presented here have been obtained by analysing a set of discharges consisting of high density JET-ILW H-mode plasmas and comparing them against their counterpart discharges in JET-CW having similar global operational parameters. The set contains 10 baseline ({βN}=1.5∼ 2 ) discharge-pairs with 2.7 T toroidal magnetic field, 2.5 MA plasma current, and 14 to 17 MW of neutral beam injection (NBI) heating. Based on a Te profile analysis using high resolution Thomson scattering (HRTS) data, the Te profile peaking (i.e. core Te (ρ = 0.3) / edge Te (ρ = 0.7)) is found to be similar, and weakly dependent on edge Te, for both JET-ILW and JET-CW discharges. When ILW discharges are seeded with N2, core and edge Te both increase to maintain a similar peaking factor. The change in core confinement is addressed with interpretative TRANSP simulations. It is found that JET-ILW H-mode plasmas have higher NBI power deposition to electrons and lower NBI power deposition to ions as compared to the JET-CW counterparts. This is an effect of the lower electron temperature at the top of the pedestal. As a result, the core electron energy confinement time is reduced in JET-ILW discharges, but the core ion energy confinement time is not decreased. Overall, the core energy confinement is found to be the same in the JET-ILW discharges compared to the JET-CW counterparts.

Observation of Trapped-Electron Mode Microturbulence in Improved Confinement Reversed-Field Pinch Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duff, James R.

This is a dissertation for the completion of a Doctorate of Philosophy in Physics degree granted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Density fluctuations in the large-density-gradient region of improved confinement Madison Sym- metric Torus (MST) RFP plasmas exhibit multiple features that are characteristic of the trapped- electron mode (TEM). In fusion relevant plasmas, thermal transport is a key avenue of research in order to achieve a burning plasma. In the reversed field pinch (RFP) magnetic geometry, the dy- namics of conventional plasma discharges are primarily governed by magnetic stochasticity stem- ming from multiple long-wavelength tearing modes, that sustain the RFP discharge but have an adverse effect on the plasma confinement. Using inductive current profile control, these tearing modes are reduced, and global confinement is increased to that expected for comparable tokamak plasma. Under these conditions with certain plasma equilibria, new short-wavelength fluctuations distinct from global tearing modes appear in the spectrum at frequencies f 50 kHz that have normalized perpendicular wavenumbers k⊥rhos ≤ 0.2, and propagate in the electron diamagnetic drift direction. By adjusting the plasma current or the inductive suppression, there are observable variations in the spectral features. They exhibit a critical-gradient threshold, and the fluctuation amplitude increases with a local density gradient dependent parameter. These characteristics are consistent with the predictions of unstable TEMs based on gyrokinetic analysis using the GENE code. This thesis represents the first observation and description of TEM-like instabilities in the RFP geometry.

Confined Three-Dimensional Plasmon Modes inside a Ring-Shaped Nanocavity on a Silver Film Imaged by Cathodoluminescence Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, X. L.; Ma, Y.; Zhang, J. S.; Xu, J.; Wu, X. F.; Zhang, Y.; Han, X. B.; Fu, Q.; Liao, Z. M.; Chen, L.; Yu, D. P.

2010-09-01

The confined modes of surface plasmon polaritons in boxing ring-shaped nanocavities have been investigated and imaged by using cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. The mode of the out-of-plane field components of surface plasmon polaritons dominates the experimental mode patterns, indicating that the electron beam locally excites the out-of-plane field component of surface plasmon polaritons. Quality factors can be directly acquired from the spectra induced by the ultrasmooth surface of the cavity and the high reflectivity of the silver (Ag) reflectors. Because of its three-dimensional confined characteristics and the omnidirectional reflectors, the nanocavity exhibits a small modal volume, small total volume, rich resonant modes, and flexibility in mode control.

The low density type III ELMy H-mode regime on JET-ILW: a low density H-mode compatible with a tungsten divertor?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delabie, E.; Hillesheim, J. C.; Mailloux, J.; Maggi, C. F.; Rimini, F.; Solano, E. R.; JET contributors Team

2016-10-01

The threshold power to access H-mode on JET-ILW has a minimum as function of density. Power ramps in the low and high density branch show qualitatively very different behavior above threshold. In the high density branch, edge density and temperature abruptly increase after the L-H transition, and the plasma evolves into a type I ELMy H-mode. Transitions in the low density branch are gradual and lead to the formation of a temperature pedestal, without increase in edge density. These characteristics are reminiscent of the I-mode regime, but with high frequency ELM activity. The small ELMs allow stable H-mode operation with tolerable tungsten contamination, as long as both density and power stay below the type I ELM boundary. The density range in which the low density branch can be accessed scales favourably with toroidal field but unfavourably with isotope mass. At BT=3.4T, a stable H-mode has been obtained at = 2.9 1019 m-3 with up to 15 MW of heating power at H98y 0.9. Better knowledge of the operational boundaries of this high frequency ELM regime could provide insight in how to sustain it at higher heating power for high temperature scenarios. Work supported, in part, by the US DOE under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725.

Plasma core power exhaust in ELMy H-Mode in JET with ITER-Like Wall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillemaut, C.; Metzger, C.; Appel, L.; Drewelow, P.; Horvath, L.; Matthews, G. F.; Szepesi, G.; Solano, E. R.; contributors, JET

2018-07-01

The mitigation of target heat load in future steady state fusion devices will require dissipation of a significant amount of power through radiation. Plasma operations relying on ELMy H-modes could be problematic since ELMs may transport substantial amounts of power to the target without significant dissipation. Therefore, estimation of the average ELM power exhaust from the plasma core is crucial to evaluate the potential limitation on the power dissipation in ELMy H-mode regime. A series of more than 50 Type-I ELMy H-mode discharges in JET with ITER-Like Wall (JET-ILW) with a wide range of conditions has been used here to compare the average ELM power to the average input power. The effect of input power, ELM frequency, plasma current, confinement and radiation on ELM power exhaust has been studied and reported in this paper. Good agreement has been found here with previous studies made in carbon machines. This work suggests that it should not be possible to dissipate more than 70%–80% of the input power in Type-I ELMy H-modes in JET-ILW which is consistent with the maximum radiative fraction found experimentally.

Analysis of performance degradation in an electron heating dominant H-mode plasma after ECRH termination in EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Hongfei; Ding, Siye; Chen, Jiale; Wang, Yifeng; Lian, Hui; Xu, Guosheng; Zhai, Xuemei; Liu, Haiqing; Zang, Qing; Lyu, Bo; Duan, Yanmin; Qian, Jinping; Gong, Xianzu

2018-06-01

In recent EAST experiments, significant performance degradation accompanied by a decrease of internal inductance is observed in an electron heating dominant H-mode plasma after the electron cyclotron resonance heating termination. The lower hybrid wave (LHW) deposition and effective electron heat diffusivity are calculated to explain this phenomenon. Analysis shows that the changes of LHW heating deposition rather than the increase of transport are responsible for the significant decrease in energy confinement (). The reason why the confinement degradation occurred on a long time scale could be attributed to both good local energy confinement in the core and also the dependence of LHW deposition on the magnetic shear. The electron temperature profile shows weaker stiffness in near axis region where electron heating is dominant, compared to that in large radius region. Unstable electron modes from low to high k in the core plasma have been calculated in the linear GYRO simulations, which qualitatively agree with the experimental observation. This understanding of the plasma performance degradation mechanism will help to find ways of improving the global confinement in the radio-frequency dominant scenario in EAST.

L-H transition and pedestal studies on MAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, H.; De Bock, M. F. M.; Conway, N. J.; Freethy, S. J.; Gibson, K.; Hiratsuka, J.; Kirk, A.; Michael, C. A.; Morgan, T.; Scannell, R.; Naylor, G.; Saarelma, S.; Saveliev, A. N.; Shevchenko, V. F.; Suttrop, W.; Temple, D.; Vann, R. G. L.; MAST, the; NBI Teams

2011-11-01

On MAST studies of the profile evolution of the electron temperature (Te), electron density (ne), radial electric field (Er) as well as novel measurements of the ion temperature (Ti) and toroidal current density (jphi) in the pedestal region allow further insight into the processes forming and defining the pedestal such as the H-mode access conditions and MHD stability. This includes studies of fast evolution of Te, ne and Er with Δt = 0.2 ms time resolution and the evolution of pe and jphi through an edge-localized mode (ELM) cycle. Measurements of the H-mode power threshold, PL-H revealed that about 40% more power is required to access H-mode in 4He than in D and that a change in the Z-position of the X-point can change PL-H significantly in single and double null configurations. The profile measurements in the L-mode phase prior to H-mode suggest that neither the gradient nor the value of the mean Te or Er at the plasma edge play a major role in triggering the L-H transition. After the transitions, first the fluctuations are suppressed, then the Er shear layer and the ne pedestal develops followed by the Te pedestal. In the banana regime at low collisionality (νsstarf) ∇Ti ≈ 0 leading to Ti > Te in the pedestal region with Ti ~ 0.3 keV close to the separatrix. A clear correlation of ∇Ti with νsstarf is observed. The measured jphi (using the motional Stark effect) Te and ne are in broad agreement with the common peeling-ballooning stability picture for ELMs and neoclassical calculations of the bootstrap current. The jphi and ∇pe evolution Δt ≈ 2 ms as well as profiles in discharges with counter current neutral beam injection raise questions with respect to this edge stability picture.

Evidence for the role of turbulence-induced poloidal flow shear in triggering the L-H transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, C. X.; Xu, Y. H.; Jiang, Y.; Luo, J. R.; Mao, J. S.; Liu, B. H.; Li, J. G.

1999-11-01

We have studied the role of turbulence-driven Reynolds stress induced poloidal flow shear in triggering the L-H transition induced by turbulent heating (TH) on HT-6M tokamak. This improved confinement regime has a set of features similar to that of H-mode are commonly observed in large tokamaks. The time evolution indicates that V_θ begins to evolve 0.1ms prior to the change in Er which precedes any measurable change in local confinement characteristics. The measurements of the turbulence-driven Reynolds stress S shows that S and its gradient in the edge region evolve sharply after the start of the TH pulse. Moreover, the time evolution and the temporal structure of the poloidal velocity computed from the measured Reynolds stress profile and the directly measured V_θ look remarkably similar. The time behavior and magnitude of the Reynolds stress-induced-V_θ B_φ term are also found to be in good correlation with that of the measured E_r. These results suggest that the turbulence-driven Reynolds stress might be the dominant mechanism to generate the poloidal flow shear which causes the rapid changes in Er and its shear to trigger the transition.

Comparison of a low- to high-confinement transition theory with experimental data from DIII-D.

PubMed

Guzdar, P N; Kleva, R G; Groebner, R J; Gohil, P

2002-12-23

From our recent theory based on the generation of shear flow and field in finite beta plasmas, the criterion for bifurcation from low to high confinement mode yields a critical parameter proportional to T(e)/square root (L(n)), where T(e) is the electron temperature and L(n) is the density scale length. The predicted threshold shows very good agreement with edge measurements on discharges undergoing low-to-high transitions in DIII-D. The observed differences in the transitions with the reversal of the toroidal magnetic field are reconciled in terms of this critical parameter. The theory also provides an explanation for pellet injection H modes in DIII-D, thereby unifying unconnected methods for accomplishing the transition.

Yb-doped large mode area tapered fiber with depressed cladding and dopant confinement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, V.; Paré, C.; Labranche, B.; Laperle, P.; Desbiens, L.; Boivin, M.; Taillon, Y.

2017-02-01

A polarization-maintaining Yb-doped large mode area fiber with depressed-index inner cladding layer and confinement of rare-earth dopants has been drawn as a long tapered fiber. The larger end features a core/clad diameter of 56/400 μm and core NA 0.07, thus leading to an effective mode area over 1000 μm2. The fiber was tested up to 100 W average power, with near diffraction-limited output as the beam quality M2 was measured < 1.2. As effective single-mode guidance is enforced in the first section due to enhanced bending loss, subsequent adiabatic transition of the mode field in the taper section preserves single-mode amplification towards the larger end of the fiber.

Experiment-theory comparison for low frequency BAE modes in the strongly shaped H-1NF stellarator

DOE PAGES

Haskey, S. R.; Blackwell, B. D.; Nuhrenberg, C.; ...

2015-08-12

Here, recent advances in the modeling, analysis, and measurement of fluctuations have significantly improved the diagnosis and understanding of Alfvén eigenmodes in the strongly shaped H-1NF helical axis stellarator. Experimental measurements, including 3D tomographic inversions of high resolution visible light images, are in close agreement with beta-induced Alfvén eigenmodes (BAEs) calculated using the compressible ideal MHD code, CAS3D. This is despite the low β in H-1NF, providing experimental evidence that these modes can exist due to compression that is induced by the strong shaping in stellarators, in addition to high β, as is the case in tokamaks. This is confirmedmore » using the CONTI and CAS3D codes, which show significant gap structures at lower frequencies which contain BAE and beta-acoustic Alfvén eigenmodes (BAAEs). The BAEs are excited in the absence of a well confined energetic particle source, further confirming previous studies that thermal particles, electrons, or even radiation fluctuations can drive these modes. Datamining of magnetic probe data shows the experimentally measured frequency of these modes has a clear dependence on the rotational transform profile, which is consistent with a frequency dependency due to postulated confinement related temperature variations.« less

Initial transport validation studies using NSTX-U L-mode plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guttenfelder, Walter; Battaglia, D.; Bell, R. E.; Boyer, M. D.; Crocker, N.; Diallo, A.; Ferraro, N.; Gerhardt, S. P.; Kaye, S. M.; Leblanc, B. P.; Liu, D.; Menard, J. E.; Mueller, D.; Myer, C.; Podesta, M.; Raman, R.; Ren, Y.; Sabbagh, S.; Smith, D.

2016-10-01

A variety of stationary L-mode plasmas have been successfully developed in NSTX-U for physics validation studies. The plasmas span a range of density (1-4 ×1019 m-3) , plasma current (0.65-1.0 MA), and neutral beam heating power (<=4 MW), taking advantage of new, more tangential neutral beam sources to vary rotation profiles. Transport analysis (TRANSP) and turbulence measurements (BES, reflectometry) of these plasmas will be illustrated and compared with initial microstability and transport predictions. In particular, the normalized beta of these L-modes range between βN = 1-2, providing a valuable bridge in parameter space between (i) H-modes at comparable beta in conventional tokamaks (R/a 3, βN 2), where transport models have been largely developed and tested, and (ii) low-aspect-ratio H-modes at higher beta (R/a 1.5-1.7, βN 5), where transport models are less tested and challenged by stronger electromagnetic and equilibrium effects. This work is supported by US DOE contract DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Understanding L-H transition in tokamak fusion plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Guosheng; Wu, Xingquan

2017-03-01

This paper reviews the current state of understanding of the L-H transition phenomenon in tokamak plasmas with a focus on two central issues: (a) the mechanism for turbulence quick suppression at the L-H transition; (b) the mechanism for subsequent generation of sheared flow. We briefly review recent advances in the understanding of the fast suppression of edge turbulence across the L-H transition. We uncover a comprehensive physical picture of the L-H transition by piecing together a number of recent experimental observations and insights obtained from 1D and 2D simulation models. Different roles played by diamagnetic mean flow, neoclassical-driven mean flow, turbulence-driven mean flow, and turbulence-driven zonal flows are discussed and clarified. It is found that the L-H transition occurs spontaneously mediated by a shift in the radial wavenumber spectrum of edge turbulence, which provides a critical evidence for the theory of turbulence quench by the flow shear. Remaining questions and some key directions for future investigations are proposed. This work was supported by National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Science Program of China under Contracts No. 2015GB101000, No. 2013GB106000, and No. 2013GB107000 and National Natural Science Foundation of China under Contracts No. 11575235 and No. 11422546.

Evolution of E × B shear and coherent fluctuations prior to H-L transitions in DIII-D and control strategies for H-L transitions

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

Eldon, David; Boivin, Rejean L.; Chrystal, Colin

While operating a magnetic fusion device in H-mode has many advantages, care must be taken to understand and control the release of energy during the H-L back transition, as the extra energy stored within the H-mode transport barrier will have the potential to cause damage to material components of a large future tokamak such as ITER. Examining a scenario where the H-L back transition sequence begins before the E × B shearing layer decays on its own, we identify a long-lived precursor mode that is tied to the events of the H-L sequence and we develop a robust control strategymore » for ensuring gradual release of energy during the transition sequence. Back transitions in this scenario commonly begin with a rapid relaxation of the pedestal, which was previously shown to be inconsistent with ideal peeling-ballooning instability as the trigger, despite being otherwise similar to a large type-I Edge Localized Mode (ELM). Here, this so-called transient occurs when the E × B shearing rate ω E×B is significantly larger than the turbulence decorrelation rate ωT, indicating that this is not the result of runaway turbulence recovery. The transient is always synchronous with amplitude and propagation velocity modulations of the precursor mode, which has been dubbed the Modulating Pedestal Mode (MPM).The MPM is a coherent density fluctuation, which, in our scenario at least, reliably appears in the steep gradient region with f ≈ 70 kHz, k θ ≈ 0.3 cm –1, and it exists for ≳100 ms before the onset of back transitions. The transient may be reliably eliminated by reducing toroidal rotation in the co-current direction by the application of torque from counter-injecting neutral beams. The transient in these “soft” H-L transitions is then replaced by a small type-III ELM, which is also always synchronous with the MPM, and MPM shows the same behavior in both hard and soft cases.« less

Evolution of E × B shear and coherent fluctuations prior to H-L transitions in DIII-D and control strategies for H-L transitions

DOE PAGES

Eldon, David; Boivin, Rejean L.; Chrystal, Colin; ...

2015-11-19

While operating a magnetic fusion device in H-mode has many advantages, care must be taken to understand and control the release of energy during the H-L back transition, as the extra energy stored within the H-mode transport barrier will have the potential to cause damage to material components of a large future tokamak such as ITER. Examining a scenario where the H-L back transition sequence begins before the E × B shearing layer decays on its own, we identify a long-lived precursor mode that is tied to the events of the H-L sequence and we develop a robust control strategymore » for ensuring gradual release of energy during the transition sequence. Back transitions in this scenario commonly begin with a rapid relaxation of the pedestal, which was previously shown to be inconsistent with ideal peeling-ballooning instability as the trigger, despite being otherwise similar to a large type-I Edge Localized Mode (ELM). Here, this so-called transient occurs when the E × B shearing rate ω E×B is significantly larger than the turbulence decorrelation rate ωT, indicating that this is not the result of runaway turbulence recovery. The transient is always synchronous with amplitude and propagation velocity modulations of the precursor mode, which has been dubbed the Modulating Pedestal Mode (MPM).The MPM is a coherent density fluctuation, which, in our scenario at least, reliably appears in the steep gradient region with f ≈ 70 kHz, k θ ≈ 0.3 cm –1, and it exists for ≳100 ms before the onset of back transitions. The transient may be reliably eliminated by reducing toroidal rotation in the co-current direction by the application of torque from counter-injecting neutral beams. The transient in these “soft” H-L transitions is then replaced by a small type-III ELM, which is also always synchronous with the MPM, and MPM shows the same behavior in both hard and soft cases.« less

ELM Dynamics in TCV H-modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degeling, A. W.; Martin, Y. R.; Lister, J. B.; Llobet, X.; Bak, P. E.

2003-06-01

TCV (Tokamak à Configuration Variable, R = 0.88 m, a < 0.25 m, BT < 1.54 T) is a highly elongated tokamak, capable of producing limited and diverted plasmas, with the primary aim of investigating the effects of plasma shape and current profile on tokamak physics and performance. L-mode to H-mode transitions are regularly obtained in TCV over a wide range of configurations. Under most conditions, the H-mode is ELM-free and terminates in a high density disruption. The conditions required for a transition to an ELMy H-mode were investigated in detail, and a reliable gateway in parameter space for the transition was identified. Once established, the ELMy H-mode is robust to changes in plasma current, elongation, divertor geometry and plasma density over ranges that are much wider than the size of the gateway in these parameters. There exists marked irregularity in the time interval between consecutive ELMs. Transient signatures in the time-series revealing the existence of an underlying chaotic dynamical system are repeatedly observed in a sizable group of discharges [1]. The properties of these signatures (called unstable periodic orbits, or UPOs) are found to vary systematically with parameters such as the plasma current, density and inner plasma — wall gap. A link has also been established between the dynamics of ELMs and sawteeth in TCV: under certain conditions a clear preference is observed in the phase between ELMs and sawtooth crashes, and the ratio of the ELM frequency (felm) to sawtooth frequency (fst) is found to prefer simple rational values (e.g. 1/1, 2/1 or 1/2). An attempt to control the ELM dynamics was made by applying a perturbation signal to the radial field coils used for vertical stabilisation. Phase synchronisation was found with the external perturbation, and felm was found to track limited scans in the driver frequency about the unperturbed value, albeit with intermittent losses in phase lock.

Access to a New Plasma Edge State with High Density and Pressures using Quiescent H-mode

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

Solomon, Wayne M.; Snyder, P. B.; Burrell, K. H.

2014-07-01

A path to a new high performance regime has been discovered in tokamaks that could improve the attractiveness of a fusion reactor. Experiments on DIII-D using a quiescent H-mode edge have navigated a valley of improved edge peeling-ballooning stability that opens up with strong plasma shaping at high density, leading to a doubling of the edge pressure over standard edge localized mode (ELM)ing H-mode at these parameters. The thermal energy confinement time increases both as a result of the increased pedestal height and improvements in the core transport and reduced low-k turbulence. Calculations of the pedestal height and width asmore » a function of density using constraints imposed by peeling-ballooning and kinetic-ballooning theory are in quantitative agreement with the measurements.« less

Stabilizing Effect of Resistivity towards ELM-free H-mode Discharge in Lithium-conditioned NSTX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Debabrata; Zhu, Ping; Maingi, Rajesh

2016-10-01

The stabilizing effect of edge resistivity on the edge localized modes (ELMs) has been recently recovered through analyzing NSTX experimental profiles of Lithium-conditioned ELM-free H-mode discharge. Comparative studies of ELM-free and a reference NSTX ELMy-H mode equilibriums have been performed using both resistive and 2-fluid MHD models implemented in the initial value extended MHD code NIMROD. Our results indicate that in addition to the pedestal profile refinement in electron pressure, the inclusion of enhanced resistivity due to the increase in the effective electric charge number Zeff, which is observed after Lithium-conditioning in experiment, is further required to account for the full stabilization of the low- n edge localized modes. Such a stabilization from the enhanced edge resistivity only becomes effective when the two-fluid diamagnetic and finite-Larmor-radius (FLR) effects are considered in the MHD model. Supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Program of China under Grant Nos. 2014GB124002 and 2015GB101004, the 100 Talent Program and the President International Fellowship Initiative of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

New steady-state quiescent high-confinement plasma in an experimental advanced superconducting tokamak.

PubMed

Hu, J S; Sun, Z; Guo, H Y; Li, J G; Wan, B N; Wang, H Q; Ding, S Y; Xu, G S; Liang, Y F; Mansfield, D K; Maingi, R; Zou, X L; Wang, L; Ren, J; Zuo, G Z; Zhang, L; Duan, Y M; Shi, T H; Hu, L Q

2015-02-06

A critical challenge facing the basic long-pulse high-confinement operation scenario (H mode) for ITER is to control a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instability, known as the edge localized mode (ELM), which leads to cyclical high peak heat and particle fluxes at the plasma facing components. A breakthrough is made in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak in achieving a new steady-state H mode without the presence of ELMs for a duration exceeding hundreds of energy confinement times, by using a novel technique of continuous real-time injection of a lithium (Li) aerosol into the edge plasma. The steady-state ELM-free H mode is accompanied by a strong edge coherent MHD mode (ECM) at a frequency of 35-40 kHz with a poloidal wavelength of 10.2 cm in the ion diamagnetic drift direction, providing continuous heat and particle exhaust, thus preventing the transient heat deposition on plasma facing components and impurity accumulation in the confined plasma. It is truly remarkable that Li injection appears to promote the growth of the ECM, owing to the increase in Li concentration and hence collisionality at the edge, as predicted by GYRO simulations. This new steady-state ELM-free H-mode regime, enabled by real-time Li injection, may open a new avenue for next-step fusion development.

Confined Three-Dimensional Plasmon Modes inside a Ring-Shaped Nanocavity on a Silver Film Imaged by Cathodoluminescence Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xinli; Zhang, Jiasen; Xu, Jun; Yu, Dapeng

2011-03-01

The confined modes of surface plasmon polaritons in boxing ring-shaped nanocavities have been investigated and imaged by using cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. The mode of the out-of-plane field components of surface plasmon polaritons dominates the experimental mode patterns, indicating that the electron beam locally excites the out-of-plane field component of surface plasmon polaritons. Quality factors can be directly acquired from the spectra induced by the ultrasmooth surface of the cavity and the high reflectivity of the silver reflectors. Because of its three-dimensional confined characteristics and the omnidirectional reflectors, the nanocavity exhibits a small modal volume, small total volume, rich resonant modes, and flexibility in mode control. This work is supported by NSFC (10804003, 61036005 and 11074015), the national 973 program of China (2007CB936203, 2009CB623703), MOST and NSFC/RGC (N HKUST615/06).

Investigation of the n  =  1 resistive wall modes in the ITER high-mode confinement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, L. J.; Kotschenreuther, M. T.; Valanju, P.

2017-06-01

The n  =  1 resistive wall mode (RWM) stability of ITER high-mode confinement is investigated with bootstrap current included for equilibrium, together with the rotation and diamagnetic drift effects for stability. Here, n is the toroidal mode number. We use the CORSICA code for computing the free boundary equilibrium and AEGIS code for stability. We find that the inclusion of bootstrap current for equilibrium is critical. It can reduce the local magnetic shear in the pedestal, so that the infernal mode branches can develop. Consequently, the n  =  1 modes become unstable without a stabilizing wall at a considerably lower beta limit, driven by the steep pressure gradient in the pedestal. Typical values of the wall position stabilize the ideal mode, but give rise to the ‘pedestal’ resistive wall modes. We find that the rotation can contribute a stabilizing effect on RWMs and the diamagnetic drift effects can further improve the stability in the co-current rotation case. But, generally speaking, the rotation stabilization effects are not as effective as the case without including the bootstrap current effects on equilibrium. We also find that the diamagnetic drift effects are actually destabilizing when there is a counter-current rotation.

Access to a new plasma edge state with high density and pressures using the quiescent H mode

DOE PAGES

Solomon, Wayne M.; Snyder, Philip B.; Burrell, Keith H.; ...

2014-09-24

A path to a new high performance regime has been discovered in tokamaks that could improve the attractiveness of a fusion reactor. Experiments on DIII-D using a quiescent H-mode edge have navigated a valley of improved edge peeling-ballooning stability that opens up with strong plasma shaping at high density, leading to a doubling of the edge pressure over the standard H mode with edge localized modes at these parameters. The thermal energy confinement time increases as a result of both the increased pedestal height and improvements in the core transport and reduced low-k turbulence. As a result, calculations of themore » pedestal height and width as a function of density using constraints imposed by peeling-ballooning and kinetic-ballooning theory are in quantitative agreement with the measurements.« less

Correlation of the tokamak H-mode density limit with ballooning stability at the separatrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eich, T.; Goldston, R. J.; Kallenbach, A.; Sieglin, B.; Sun, H. J.; ASDEX Upgrade Team; Contributors, JET

2018-03-01

We show for JET and ASDEX Upgrade, based on Thomson-scattering measurements, a clear correlation of the density limit of the tokamak H-mode high-confinement regime with the approach to the ideal ballooning instability threshold at the periphery of the plasma. It is shown that the MHD ballooning parameter at the separatrix position α_sep increases about linearly with the separatrix density normalized to Greenwald density, n_e, sep/n_GW for a wide range of discharge parameters in both devices. The observed operational space is found to reach at maximum n_e, sep/n_GW≈ 0.4 -0.5 at values for α_sep≈ 2 -2.5, in the range of theoretical predictions for ballooning instability. This work supports the hypothesis that the H-mode density limit may be set by ballooning stability at the separatrix.

Super H-mode: theoretical prediction and initial observations of a new high performance regime for tokamak operation

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

Snyder, Philip B.; Solomon, Wayne M.; Burrell, Keith H.

2015-07-21

A new “Super H-mode” regime is predicted, which enables pedestal height and predicted fusion performance substantially higher than for H-mode operation. This new regime is predicted to exist by the EPED pedestal model, which calculates criticality constraints for peeling-ballooning and kinetic ballooning modes, and combines them to predict the pedestal height and width. EPED usually predicts a single (“H-mode”) pedestal solution for each set of input parameters, however, in strongly shaped plasmas above a critical density, multiple pedestal solutions are found, including the standard “Hmode” solution, and a “Super H-Mode” solution at substantially larger pedestal height and width. The Supermore » H-mode regime is predicted to be accessible by controlling the trajectory of the density, and to increase fusion performance for ITER, as well as for DEMO designs with strong shaping. A set of experiments on DIII-D has identified the predicted Super H-mode regime, and finds pedestal height and width, and their variation with density, in good agreement with theoretical predictions from the EPED model. Finally, the very high pedestal enables operation at high global beta and high confinement, including the highest normalized beta achieved on DIII-D with a quiescent edge.« less

Equilibrium drives of the low and high field side n = 2 plasma response and impact on global confinement

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

Paz-Soldan, C.; Logan, N. C.; Haskey, S. R.

The nature of the multi-modal n=2 plasma response and its impact on global confinement is studied as a function of the axisymmetric equilibrium pressure, edge safety factor, collisionality, and L-versus H-mode conditions. Varying the relative phase (ΔΦ UL) between upper and lower in-vessel coils demonstrates that different n=2 poloidal spectra preferentially excite different plasma responses. These different plasma response modes are preferentially detected on the tokamak high-field side (HFS) or low-field side (LFS) midplanes, have different radial extents, couple differently to the resonant surfaces, and have variable impacts on edge stability and global confinement. In all equilibrium conditions studied, themore » observed confinement degradation shares the same ΔΦ UL dependence as the coupling to the resonant surfaces given by both ideal (IPEC) and resistive (MARS-F) MHD computation. Varying the edge safety factor shifts the equilibrium field-line pitch and thus the ΔΦ UL dependence of both the global confinement and the n=2 magnetic response. As edge safety factor is varied, modeling finds that the HFS response (but not the LFS response), the resonant surface coupling, and the edge displacements near the X-point all share the same ΔΦ UL dependence. The LFS response magnitude is strongly sensitive to the core pressure and is insensitive to the collisionality and edge safety factor. This indicates that the LFS measurements are primarily sensitive to a pressure-driven kink-ballooning mode that couples to the core plasma. MHD modeling accurately reproduces these (and indeed all) LFS experimental trends and supports this interpretation. In contrast to the LFS, the HFS magnetic response and correlated global confinement impact is unchanged with plasma pressure, but is strongly reduced in high collisionality conditions in both H- and L-mode. This experimentally suggests the bootstrap current drives the HFS response through the kink-peeling mode drive

Equilibrium drives of the low and high field side n = 2 plasma response and impact on global confinement

DOE PAGES

Paz-Soldan, C.; Logan, N. C.; Haskey, S. R.; ...

2016-03-31

The nature of the multi-modal n=2 plasma response and its impact on global confinement is studied as a function of the axisymmetric equilibrium pressure, edge safety factor, collisionality, and L-versus H-mode conditions. Varying the relative phase (ΔΦ UL) between upper and lower in-vessel coils demonstrates that different n=2 poloidal spectra preferentially excite different plasma responses. These different plasma response modes are preferentially detected on the tokamak high-field side (HFS) or low-field side (LFS) midplanes, have different radial extents, couple differently to the resonant surfaces, and have variable impacts on edge stability and global confinement. In all equilibrium conditions studied, themore » observed confinement degradation shares the same ΔΦ UL dependence as the coupling to the resonant surfaces given by both ideal (IPEC) and resistive (MARS-F) MHD computation. Varying the edge safety factor shifts the equilibrium field-line pitch and thus the ΔΦ UL dependence of both the global confinement and the n=2 magnetic response. As edge safety factor is varied, modeling finds that the HFS response (but not the LFS response), the resonant surface coupling, and the edge displacements near the X-point all share the same ΔΦ UL dependence. The LFS response magnitude is strongly sensitive to the core pressure and is insensitive to the collisionality and edge safety factor. This indicates that the LFS measurements are primarily sensitive to a pressure-driven kink-ballooning mode that couples to the core plasma. MHD modeling accurately reproduces these (and indeed all) LFS experimental trends and supports this interpretation. In contrast to the LFS, the HFS magnetic response and correlated global confinement impact is unchanged with plasma pressure, but is strongly reduced in high collisionality conditions in both H- and L-mode. This experimentally suggests the bootstrap current drives the HFS response through the kink-peeling mode drive

High frequency pacing of edge localized modes by injection of lithium granules in DIII-D H-mode discharges

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

Bortolon, A.; Maingi, R.; Mansfield, D. K.

A newly installed Lithium Granule Injector (LGI) was used to pace edge localized modes (ELM) in DIII-D. ELM pacing efficiency was studied injecting lithium granules of nominal diameter 0.3–0.9mm, speed of 50–120 m s -1 and average injection rates up to 100 Hz for 0.9mm granules and up to 700 Hz for 0.3mm granules. The efficiency of ELM triggering was found to depend strongly on size of the injected granules, with triggering efficiency close to 100% obtained with 0.9mm diameter granules, lower with smaller sizes, and weakly depending on granule velocity. Robust ELM pacing was demonstrated in ITER-like plasmas formore » the entire shot length, at ELM frequencies 3–5 times larger than the ‘natural’ ELM frequency observed in reference discharges. Within the range of ELM frequencies obtained, the peak ELM heat flux at the outer strike point was reduced with increasing pacing frequency. The peak heat flux reduction at the inner strike point appears to saturate at high pacing frequency. Lithium was found in the plasma core, with a concurrent reduction of metallic impurities and carbon. Altogether, high frequency ELM pacing using the lithium granule injection appears to be compatible with both H-mode energy confinement and attractive H-mode pedestal characteristics, but further assessment is need« less

High frequency pacing of edge localized modes by injection of lithium granules in DIII-D H-mode discharges

DOE PAGES

Bortolon, A.; Maingi, R.; Mansfield, D. K.; ...

2016-04-08

A newly installed Lithium Granule Injector (LGI) was used to pace edge localized modes (ELM) in DIII-D. ELM pacing efficiency was studied injecting lithium granules of nominal diameter 0.3–0.9mm, speed of 50–120 m s -1 and average injection rates up to 100 Hz for 0.9mm granules and up to 700 Hz for 0.3mm granules. The efficiency of ELM triggering was found to depend strongly on size of the injected granules, with triggering efficiency close to 100% obtained with 0.9mm diameter granules, lower with smaller sizes, and weakly depending on granule velocity. Robust ELM pacing was demonstrated in ITER-like plasmas formore » the entire shot length, at ELM frequencies 3–5 times larger than the ‘natural’ ELM frequency observed in reference discharges. Within the range of ELM frequencies obtained, the peak ELM heat flux at the outer strike point was reduced with increasing pacing frequency. The peak heat flux reduction at the inner strike point appears to saturate at high pacing frequency. Lithium was found in the plasma core, with a concurrent reduction of metallic impurities and carbon. Altogether, high frequency ELM pacing using the lithium granule injection appears to be compatible with both H-mode energy confinement and attractive H-mode pedestal characteristics, but further assessment is need« less

pH-control modes in a 5-L stirred-tank bioreactor for cell biomass and exopolysaccharide production by Tremella fuciformis spore.

PubMed

Zhu, Hu; Cao, Chunxu; Zhang, Shuaishuai; Zhang, Yan; Zou, Weisheng

2011-10-01

The effect of pH-control modes on cell growth and exopolysaccharide production by Tremella fuciformis was evaluated in a 5-L bioreactor. The results show that the maximal dry cell weight (DCW) and exopolysaccharide production were 23.57 and 4.48 g L⁻¹ in pH-stat fermentation, where the maximal specific growth rate (μ(max)) and specific production rate of exopolysaccharide (P(P/X)) were 1.03 and 0.24 d⁻¹, respectively; under pH-shift cultivation, the maximal DCW and exopolysaccharide production were 30.57 and 3.90 g L⁻¹, where the μ(max) and P(P/X) were 1.21 and 0.06 d⁻¹. Unlike batch fermentation, maximal DCW and exopolysaccharide production merely reached 15.04 and 2.0 g L⁻¹, where the μ(max) and P(P/X) were 0.86 and 0.05 d⁻¹, respectively. These results suggest that a pH-stat strategy is a more efficient way of performing the fermentation process to increase exopolysaccharide production. Furthermore, this research has also proved that the three-stage pH-control mode is effective for cell growth. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced reproducibility of L-mode plasma discharges via physics-model-based q-profile feedback control in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuster, E.; Wehner, W. P.; Barton, J. E.; Boyer, M. D.; Luce, T. C.; Ferron, J. R.; Holcomb, C. T.; Walker, M. L.; Humphreys, D. A.; Solomon, W. M.; Penaflor, B. G.; Johnson, R. D.

2017-11-01

Recent experiments on DIII-D demonstrate the potential of physics-model-based q-profile control to improve reproducibility of plasma discharges. A combined feedforward  +  feedback control scheme is employed to optimize the current ramp-up phase by consistently achieving target q profiles (Target 1: q_min=1.3, q95=4.4 ; Target 2: q_min=1.65, q95=5.0 ; Target 3: q_min=2.1, q95=6.2 ) at prescribed times during the plasma formation phase (Target 1: t=1.5 s; Target 2: t=1.3 s; Target 3: t=1.0 s). At the core of the control scheme is a nonlinear, first-principles-driven, physics-based, control-oriented model of the plasma dynamics valid for low confinement (L-mode) scenarios. To prevent undesired L-H transitions, a constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is imposed in addition to the maximum powers for the individual heating and current-drive sources. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the combined feedforward  +  feedback control scheme to consistently achieve the desired target profiles at the predefined times. These results also show how the addition of feedback control significantly improves upon the feedforward-only control solution by reducing the matching error and also how the feedback controller is able to reduce the matching error as the constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is relaxed while keeping the plasma in L-mode.

Transverse mode control in proton-implanted and oxide-confined VCSELs via patterned dielectric anti-phase filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kesler, Benjamin; O'Brien, Thomas; Dallesasse, John M.

2017-02-01

A novel method for controlling the transverse lasing modes in both proton implanted and oxide-confined vertical- cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with a multi-layer, patterned, dielectric anti-phase (DAP) filter is pre- sented. Using a simple photolithographic liftoff process, dielectric layers are deposited and patterned on individual VCSELs to modify (increase or decrease) the mirror reflectivity across the emission aperture via anti-phase reflections, creating spatially-dependent threshold material gain. The shape of the dielectric pattern can be tailored to overlap with specific transverse VCSEL modes or subsets of transverse modes to either facilitate or inhibit lasing by decreasing or increasing, respectively, the threshold modal gain. A silicon dioxide (SiO2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) anti-phase filter is used to achieve a single-fundamental-mode, continuous-wave output power greater than 4.0 mW in an oxide-confined VCSEL at a lasing wavelength of 850 nm. A filter consisting of SiO2 and TiO2 is used to facilitate injection-current-insensitive fundamental mode and lower order mode lasing in proton implanted VCSELs at a lasing wavelength of 850 nm. Higher refractive index dielectric materials such as amorphous silicon (a-Si) can be used to increase the effectiveness of the anti-phase filter on proton implanted devices by reducing the threshold modal gain of any spatially overlapping modes. This additive, non-destructive method allows for mode selection at any lasing wavelength and for any VCSEL layer structure without the need for semiconductor etching or epitaxial regrowth. It also offers the capability of designing a filter based upon available optical coating materials.

Recent progress towards a physics-based understanding of the H-mode transition

DOE PAGES

Tynan, G. R.; Cziegler, I.; Diamond, P. H.; ...

2016-01-22

Results from recent experiment and numerical simulation point towards a picture of the L-H transition in which edge shear flows interacting with edge turbulence create the conditions needed to produce a non-zero turbulent Reynolds stress at and just inside the LCFS during L-mode discharges. This stress acts to reinforce the shear flow at this location and the flow drive gets stronger as heating is increased. The L-H transition ensues when the rate of work done by this stress is strong enough to drive the shear flow to large values, which then grows at the expense of the turbulence intensity. Themore » drop in turbulence intensity momentarily reduces the heat flux across the magnetic flux surface, which then allows the edge plasma pressure gradient to build. A sufficiently strong ion pressure gradient then locks in the H-mode state. The results are in general agreement with previously published reduced 0D and 1D predator prey models. An extended predator–prey model including separate ion and electron heat channels yields a non-monotonic power threshold dependence on plasma density provided that the fraction of heat deposited on the ions increases with plasma density. Possible mechanisms to explain other macroscopic transition threshold criteria are identified. A number of open questions and unexplained observations are identified, and must be addressed and resolved in order to build a physics-based model that can yield predictions of the macroscopic conditions needed for accessing H-mode.« less

Predictions of H-mode performance in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budny, Robert

2008-11-01

Time-dependent integrated predictions of performance metrics such as the fusion power PDT, QDT≡ PDT/Pext, and alpha profiles are presented. The PTRANSP [1] code is used, along with GLF23 to predict plasma profiles, NUBEAM for NNBI and alpha heating, TORIC for ICRH, and TORAY for ECRH. Effects of sawteeth mixing, beam steering, beam shine-through, radiation loss, ash accumulation, and toroidal rotation are included. A total heating of Pext=73MW is assumed to achieve H-mode during the density and current ramp-up phase. Various mixes of NNBI, ICRH, and ECRH heating schemes are compared. After steady state conditions are achieved, Pext is stepped down to lower values to explore high QDT. Physics and computation uncertainties lead to ranges in predictions for PDT and QDT. Physics uncertainties include the L->H and H->L threshold powers, pedestal height, impurity and ash transport, and recycling. There are considerably more uncertainties predicting the peak value for QDT than for PDT. [0pt] [1] R.V. Budny, R. Andre, G. Bateman, F. Halpern, C.E. Kessel, A. Kritz, and D. McCune, Nuclear Fusion 48 (2008) 075005.

Equilibrium drives of the low and high field side n  =  2 plasma response and impact on global confinement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paz-Soldan, C.; Logan, N. C.; Haskey, S. R.; Nazikian, R.; Strait, E. J.; Chen, X.; Ferraro, N. M.; King, J. D.; Lyons, B. C.; Park, J.-K.

2016-05-01

The nature of the multi-modal n  =  2 plasma response and its impact on global confinement is studied as a function of the axisymmetric equilibrium pressure, edge safety factor, collisionality, and L-versus H-mode conditions. Varying the relative phase (Δ {φ\\text{UL}} ) between upper and lower in-vessel coils demonstrates that different n  =  2 poloidal spectra preferentially excite different plasma responses. These different plasma response modes are preferentially detected on the tokamak high-field side (HFS) or low-field side (LFS) midplanes, have different radial extents, couple differently to the resonant surfaces, and have variable impacts on edge stability and global confinement. In all equilibrium conditions studied, the observed confinement degradation shares the same Δ {φ\\text{UL}} dependence as the coupling to the resonant surfaces given by both ideal (IPEC) and resistive (MARS-F) MHD computation. Varying the edge safety factor shifts the equilibrium field-line pitch and thus the Δ {φ\\text{UL}} dependence of both the global confinement and the n  =  2 magnetic response. As edge safety factor is varied, modeling finds that the HFS response (but not the LFS response), the resonant surface coupling, and the edge displacements near the X-point all share the same Δ {φ\\text{UL}} dependence. The LFS response magnitude is strongly sensitive to the core pressure and is insensitive to the collisionality and edge safety factor. This indicates that the LFS measurements are primarily sensitive to a pressure-driven kink-ballooning mode that couples to the core plasma. MHD modeling accurately reproduces these (and indeed all) LFS experimental trends and supports this interpretation. In contrast to the LFS, the HFS magnetic response and correlated global confinement impact is unchanged with plasma pressure, but is strongly reduced in high collisionality conditions in both H- and L-mode. This experimentally suggests the bootstrap

A fission-fusion hybrid reactor in steady-state L-mode tokamak configuration with natural uranium

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

Reed, Mark; Parker, Ronald R.; Forget, Benoit

2012-06-19

This work develops a conceptual design for a fusion-fission hybrid reactor operating in steady-state L-mode tokamak configuration with a subcritical natural or depleted uranium pebble bed blanket. A liquid lithium-lead alloy breeds enough tritium to replenish that consumed by the D-T fusion reaction. The fission blanket augments the fusion power such that the fusion core itself need not have a high power gain, thus allowing for fully non-inductive (steady-state) low confinement mode (L-mode) operation at relatively small physical dimensions. A neutron transport Monte Carlo code models the natural uranium fission blanket. Maximizing the fission power gain while breeding sufficient tritiummore » allows for the selection of an optimal set of blanket parameters, which yields a maximum prudent fission power gain of approximately 7. A 0-D tokamak model suffices to analyze approximate tokamak operating conditions. This fission blanket would allow the fusion component of a hybrid reactor with the same dimensions as ITER to operate in steady-state L-mode very comfortably with a fusion power gain of 6.7 and a thermal fusion power of 2.1 GW. Taking this further can determine the approximate minimum scale for a steady-state L-mode tokamak hybrid reactor, which is a major radius of 5.2 m and an aspect ratio of 2.8. This minimum scale device operates barely within the steady-state L-mode realm with a thermal fusion power of 1.7 GW. Basic thermal hydraulic analysis demonstrates that pressurized helium could cool the pebble bed fission blanket with a flow rate below 10 m/s. The Brayton cycle thermal efficiency is 41%. This reactor, dubbed the Steady-state L-mode non-Enriched Uranium Tokamak Hybrid (SLEUTH), with its very fast neutron spectrum, could be superior to pure fission reactors in terms of breeding fissile fuel and transmuting deleterious fission products. It would likely function best as a prolific plutonium breeder, and the plutonium it produces could actually be more

A fission-fusion hybrid reactor in steady-state L-mode tokamak configuration with natural uranium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, Mark; Parker, Ronald R.; Forget, Benoit

2012-06-01

This work develops a conceptual design for a fusion-fission hybrid reactor operating in steady-state L-mode tokamak configuration with a subcritical natural or depleted uranium pebble bed blanket. A liquid lithium-lead alloy breeds enough tritium to replenish that consumed by the D-T fusion reaction. The fission blanket augments the fusion power such that the fusion core itself need not have a high power gain, thus allowing for fully non-inductive (steady-state) low confinement mode (L-mode) operation at relatively small physical dimensions. A neutron transport Monte Carlo code models the natural uranium fission blanket. Maximizing the fission power gain while breeding sufficient tritium allows for the selection of an optimal set of blanket parameters, which yields a maximum prudent fission power gain of approximately 7. A 0-D tokamak model suffices to analyze approximate tokamak operating conditions. This fission blanket would allow the fusion component of a hybrid reactor with the same dimensions as ITER to operate in steady-state L-mode very comfortably with a fusion power gain of 6.7 and a thermal fusion power of 2.1 GW. Taking this further can determine the approximate minimum scale for a steady-state L-mode tokamak hybrid reactor, which is a major radius of 5.2 m and an aspect ratio of 2.8. This minimum scale device operates barely within the steady-state L-mode realm with a thermal fusion power of 1.7 GW. Basic thermal hydraulic analysis demonstrates that pressurized helium could cool the pebble bed fission blanket with a flow rate below 10 m/s. The Brayton cycle thermal efficiency is 41%. This reactor, dubbed the Steady-state L-mode non-Enriched Uranium Tokamak Hybrid (SLEUTH), with its very fast neutron spectrum, could be superior to pure fission reactors in terms of breeding fissile fuel and transmuting deleterious fission products. It would likely function best as a prolific plutonium breeder, and the plutonium it produces could actually be more

H-mode plasmas at very low aspect ratio on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment

DOE PAGES

Thome, Kathleen E.; Bongard, Michael W.; Barr, Jayson L.; ...

2016-09-30

H-mode is obtained atmore » $$A\\sim 1.2$$ in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment via Ohmic heating, high-field-side fueling, and low edge recycling in both limited and diverted magnetic topologies. These H-mode plasmas show the formation of edge current and pressure pedestals and a doubling of the energy confinement time to $${{H}_{98y,2}}\\sim 1$$ . The L–H power threshold $${{P}_{\\text{LH}}}$$ increases with density, and there is no $${{P}_{\\text{LH}}}$$ minimum observed in the attainable density space. The power threshold is equivalent in limited and diverted plasmas, consistent with the FM3 model. However, the measured $${{P}_{\\text{LH}}}$$ is $$\\sim 15\\,\\,\\times $$ higher than that predicted by conventional International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) scalings, and $${{P}_{\\text{LH}}}/{{P}_{\\text{ITPA}08}}$$ increases as $$A\\to 1$$ . Small ELMs are present at low input power $${{P}_{\\text{IN}}}\\sim {{P}_{\\text{LH}}}$$ , with toroidal mode number $$n\\leqslant 4$$ . At $${{P}_{\\text{IN}}}\\gg {{P}_{\\text{LH}}}$$ , they transition to large ELMs with intermediate 5 < n < 15. The dominant-n component of a large ELM grows exponentially, while other components evolve nonlinearly and can damp prior to the crash. Direct measurements of the current profile in the pedestal region show that both ELM types exhibit a generation of a current-hole, followed by a pedestal recovery. Large ELMs are shown to further expel a current-carrying filament. Small ELM suppression via injection of low levels of helical current into the edge plasma region is also indicated.« less

Enhanced reproducibility of L-mode plasma discharges via physics-model-based q-profile feedback control in DIII-D

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

Schuster, Eugenio J.; Wehner, William P.; Barton, Joseph E.

Recent experiments on DIII-D demonstrate the potential of physics-model-based q-profile control to improve reproducibility of plasma discharges. A combined feed forward + feedback control scheme is employed to optimize the current ramp-up phase by consistently achieving target q profiles (Target 1: q min = 1.3,q 95 = 4:4; Target 2: q min = 1.65,q 95 = 5.0; Target 3: q min = 2.1,q 95 = 6:2) at prescribed times during the plasma formation phase (Target 1: t = 1.5 s; Target 2: t = 1:3 s; Target 3: t = 1.0 s). At the core of the control scheme ismore » a nonlinear, first-principles-driven, physics-based, control-oriented model of the plasma dynamics valid for low confinement (L-mode) scenarios. To prevent undesired L-H transitions, a constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is imposed in addition to the maximum powers for the individual heating and current-drive sources. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the combined feed forward + feedback control scheme to consistently achieve the desired target profiles at the predefined times. Here, these results also show how the addition of feedback control significantly improves upon the feed forward only control solution by reducing the matching error and also how the feedback controller is able to reduce the matching error as the constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is relaxed while keeping the plasma in L-mode.« less

Enhanced reproducibility of L-mode plasma discharges via physics-model-based q-profile feedback control in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Schuster, Eugenio J.; Wehner, William P.; Barton, Joseph E.; ...

2017-08-09

Recent experiments on DIII-D demonstrate the potential of physics-model-based q-profile control to improve reproducibility of plasma discharges. A combined feed forward + feedback control scheme is employed to optimize the current ramp-up phase by consistently achieving target q profiles (Target 1: q min = 1.3,q 95 = 4:4; Target 2: q min = 1.65,q 95 = 5.0; Target 3: q min = 2.1,q 95 = 6:2) at prescribed times during the plasma formation phase (Target 1: t = 1.5 s; Target 2: t = 1:3 s; Target 3: t = 1.0 s). At the core of the control scheme ismore » a nonlinear, first-principles-driven, physics-based, control-oriented model of the plasma dynamics valid for low confinement (L-mode) scenarios. To prevent undesired L-H transitions, a constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is imposed in addition to the maximum powers for the individual heating and current-drive sources. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the combined feed forward + feedback control scheme to consistently achieve the desired target profiles at the predefined times. Here, these results also show how the addition of feedback control significantly improves upon the feed forward only control solution by reducing the matching error and also how the feedback controller is able to reduce the matching error as the constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is relaxed while keeping the plasma in L-mode.« less

Simulation of density fluctuations before the L-H transition for Hydrogen and Deuterium plasmas in the DIII-D tokamak using the BOUT++ code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y. M.; Xu, X. Q.; Yan, Z.; Mckee, G. R.; Grierson, B. A.; Xia, T. Y.; Gao, X.

2018-02-01

A six-field two-fluid model has been used to simulate density fluctuations. The equilibrium is generated by experimental measurements for both Deuterium (D) and Hydrogen (H) plasmas at the lowest densities of DIII-D low to high confinement (L-H) transition experiments. In linear simulations, the unstable modes are found to be resistive ballooning modes with the most unstable mode number n  =  30 or k_θρ_i˜0.12 . The ion diamagnetic drift and E× B convection flow are balanced when the radial electric field (E r ) is calculated from the pressure profile without net flow. The curvature drift plays an important role in this stage. Two poloidally counter propagating modes are found in the nonlinear simulation of the D plasma at electron density n_e˜1.5×1019 m-3 near the separatrix while a single ion mode is found in the H plasma at the similar lower density, which are consistent with the experimental results measured by the beam emission spectroscopy (BES) diagnostic on the DIII-D tokamak. The frequency of the electron modes and the ion modes are about 40 kHz and 10 kHz respectively. The poloidal wave number k_θ is about 0.2 cm -1 (k_θρ_i˜0.05 ) for both ion and electron modes. The particle flux, ion and electron heat fluxes are  ˜3.5-6 times larger for the H plasma than the D plasma, which makes it harder to achieve H-mode for the same heating power. The change of the atomic mass number A from 2 to 1 using D plasma equilibrium make little difference on the flux. Increase the electric field will suppress the density fluctuation. The electric field scan and ion mass scan results show that the dual-mode results primarily from differences in the profiles rather than the ion mass.

Simulation of density fluctuations before the L-H transition for Hydrogen and Deuterium plasmas in the DIII-D tokamak using the BOUT++ code

DOE PAGES

Wang, Y. M.; Xu, X. Q.; Yan, Z.; ...

2018-01-05

A six-field two-fluid model has been used to simulate density fluctuations. The equilibrium is generated by experimental measurements for both Deuterium (D) and Hydrogen (H) plasmas at the lowest densities of DIII-D low to high confinement (L-H) transition experiments. In linear simulations, the unstable modes are found to be resistive ballooning modes with the most unstable mode number n=30 ormore » $$k_\\theta\\rho_i\\sim0.12$$ . The ion diamagnetic drift and $$E\\times B$$ convection flow are balanced when the radial electric field (E r) is calculated from the pressure profile without net flow. The curvature drift plays an important role in this stage. Two poloidally counter propagating modes are found in the nonlinear simulation of the D plasma at electron density $$n_e\\sim1.5\\times10^{19}$$ m -3 near the separatrix while a single ion mode is found in the H plasma at the similar lower density, which are consistent with the experimental results measured by the beam emission spectroscopy (BES) diagnostic on the DIII-D tokamak. The frequency of the electron modes and the ion modes are about 40kHz and 10 kHz respectively. The poloidal wave number $$k_\\theta$$ is about 0.2 cm -1 ($$k_\\theta\\rho_i\\sim0.05$$ ) for both ion and electron modes. The particle flux, ion and electron heat fluxes are~3.5–6 times larger for the H plasma than the D plasma, which makes it harder to achieve H-mode for the same heating power. The change of the atomic mass number A from 2 to 1 using D plasma equilibrium make little difference on the flux. Increase the electric field will suppress the density fluctuation. In conclusion, the electric field scan and ion mass scan results show that the dual-mode results primarily from differences in the profiles rather than the ion mass.« less

Simulation of density fluctuations before the L-H transition for Hydrogen and Deuterium plasmas in the DIII-D tokamak using the BOUT++ code

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

Wang, Y. M.; Xu, X. Q.; Yan, Z.

A six-field two-fluid model has been used to simulate density fluctuations. The equilibrium is generated by experimental measurements for both Deuterium (D) and Hydrogen (H) plasmas at the lowest densities of DIII-D low to high confinement (L-H) transition experiments. In linear simulations, the unstable modes are found to be resistive ballooning modes with the most unstable mode number n=30 ormore » $$k_\\theta\\rho_i\\sim0.12$$ . The ion diamagnetic drift and $$E\\times B$$ convection flow are balanced when the radial electric field (E r) is calculated from the pressure profile without net flow. The curvature drift plays an important role in this stage. Two poloidally counter propagating modes are found in the nonlinear simulation of the D plasma at electron density $$n_e\\sim1.5\\times10^{19}$$ m -3 near the separatrix while a single ion mode is found in the H plasma at the similar lower density, which are consistent with the experimental results measured by the beam emission spectroscopy (BES) diagnostic on the DIII-D tokamak. The frequency of the electron modes and the ion modes are about 40kHz and 10 kHz respectively. The poloidal wave number $$k_\\theta$$ is about 0.2 cm -1 ($$k_\\theta\\rho_i\\sim0.05$$ ) for both ion and electron modes. The particle flux, ion and electron heat fluxes are~3.5–6 times larger for the H plasma than the D plasma, which makes it harder to achieve H-mode for the same heating power. The change of the atomic mass number A from 2 to 1 using D plasma equilibrium make little difference on the flux. Increase the electric field will suppress the density fluctuation. In conclusion, the electric field scan and ion mass scan results show that the dual-mode results primarily from differences in the profiles rather than the ion mass.« less

Assessment of Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy Modes Inspecting Electron Confinement in Surface-Confined Supramolecular Networks

PubMed Central

Krenner, Wolfgang; Kühne, Dirk; Klappenberger, Florian; Barth, Johannes V.

2013-01-01

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) enables the local, energy-resolved investigation of a samples surface density of states (DOS) by measuring the differential conductance (dI/dV) being approximately proportional to the DOS. It is popular to examine the electronic structure of elementary samples by acquiring dI/dV maps under constant current conditions. Here we demonstrate the intricacy of STS mapping of samples exhibiting a strong corrugation originating from electronic density and local work function changes. The confinement of the Ag(111) surface state by a porous organic network is studied with maps obtained under constant-current (CC) as well as open-feedback-loop (OFL) conditions. We show how the CC maps deviate markedly from the physically more meaningful OFL maps. By applying a renormalization procedure to the OFL data we can mimic the spurious effects of the CC mode and thereby rationalize the physical effects evoking the artefacts in the CC maps. PMID:23503526

Observation of internal transport barrier in ELMy H-mode plasmas on the EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Y.; Gao, X.; Liu, H. Q.; Li, G. Q.; Zhang, T.; Zeng, L.; Liu, Y. K.; Wu, M. Q.; Kong, D. F.; Ming, T. F.; Han, X.; Wang, Y. M.; Zang, Q.; Lyu, B.; Li, Y. Y.; Duan, Y. M.; Zhong, F. B.; Li, K.; Xu, L. Q.; Gong, X. Z.; Sun, Y. W.; Qian, J. P.; Ding, B. J.; Liu, Z. X.; Liu, F. K.; Hu, C. D.; Xiang, N.; Liang, Y. F.; Zhang, X. D.; Wan, B. N.; Li, J. G.; Wan, Y. X.; EAST Team

2017-08-01

The internal transport barrier (ITB) has been obtained in ELMy H-mode plasmas by neutron beam injection and lower hybrid wave heating on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The ITB structure has been observed in profiles of ion temperature, electron temperature, and electron density within ρ < 0.5. It was also observed that the ITB formation is stepwise. Due to the ITB formation, the confinement quality H 98y2 increases from 1 to 1.1 and the normalized beta, β N, increases from 1.5 to near 2. The fishbone activity observed during the ITB phase suggests the central safety factor q(0) ˜ 1. Transport coefficients are calculated by particle balance and power balance analysis, showing an obvious reduction after the ITB formation.

Quasi-steady-state high confinement at high density by lower hybrid waves in the HT-6M tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiangang; Luo, Jiarong; Wan, Baonian; Wan, Yuanxi; Liu, Yuexiu; Yin, Finxian; Gong, Xianzu; Li, Duochuan; Liu, Shen; Jie, Yinxian; Gao, Xiang; Luo, Nancang; Jiang, Jiaguang; Han, Yuqing; Wu, Mingjun; Wang, Guangxin; Liang, Yunfeng; Yao, Ailing; Wu, Zhenwei; Zhang, Shouyin; Mao, Jiansan; Cui, Lingzhuo; Xu, Yuhong; Meng, Yuedong; Zhao, Junyu; Ding, Bolong; Li, Guiming; Xu, Xiangdong; Lin, Bili; Wei, Meishen; Yie, Weiwei

2000-03-01

The quasi-steady-state (tH > 10 τEoh) H mode with high plasma density (ELMy and ELM free) was routinely obtained by the injection of lower hybrid wave heating and lower hybrid current drive with a power threshold of 50 kW. The antenna spectrum was scanned over a wide range and τE was about 1.5-2.0 times that of the L mode scaling. The density increases by almost a factor of 3 during the H phase by gas puffing and the particle confinement time increases by more than this factor even with a line averaged density of 3 × 1013cm-3, which is about 60% of the Greenwald density limit. A hollow Te profile was achieved in the high density case. The experimental results reproducibly show a good agreement with the theoretical prediction for the LH off-axis power deposition profile. When a certain fraction of the plasma current is non-inductively sustained by the LH waves, a hollow current density profile is formed and the magnetic shear is reversed. This off-axis hollow profile and enhanced confinement improvement are attributed to a strong reduction of the electron thermal diffusivity in the reversed shear region.

Bifurcation analysis and dimension reduction of a predator-prey model for the L-H transition

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

Dam, Magnus; Brøns, Morten; Juul Rasmussen, Jens

2013-10-15

The L-H transition denotes a shift to an improved confinement state of a toroidal plasma in a fusion reactor. A model of the L-H transition is required to simulate the time dependence of tokamak discharges that include the L-H transition. A 3-ODE predator-prey type model of the L-H transition is investigated with bifurcation theory of dynamical systems. The analysis shows that the model contains three types of transitions: an oscillating transition, a sharp transition with hysteresis, and a smooth transition. The model is recognized as a slow-fast system. A reduced 2-ODE model consisting of the full model restricted to themore » flow on the critical manifold is found to contain all the same dynamics as the full model. This means that all the dynamics in the system is essentially 2-dimensional, and a minimal model of the L-H transition could be a 2-ODE model.« less

Initiatives in Non-Solenoidal Startup and H-mode Physics at Near-Unity A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bongard, M. W.; Barr, J. L.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Hinson, E. T.; Lewicki, B. T.; Perry, J. M.; Redd, A. J.; Schlossberg, D. J.; Thome, K. E.; Winz, G. R.

2014-10-01

Research on the A ~ 1 Pegasus ST is advancing the physics of non-solenoidal tokamak startup and the H-mode confinement regime. Local helicity injection (LHI) uses current sources in the plasma edge to initiate and drive Ip via DC helicity injection, subject to constraints from helicity conservation and Taylor relaxation. To date, Ip ~ 0 . 18 MA has been initiated with Iinj ~ 6 kA. A predictive 0-D power balance model of LHI Ip (t) evolution matches present discharges with strong PF induction. It projects Ip ~ 0 . 3 MA operation in Pegasus will achieve the LHI-dominated physics regime expected for 1 MA NSTX-U startup. Ohmic H-mode plasmas are routinely attained, due to the low Pth at the low BT of A --> 1 plasmas. However, both limited and favorable ∇B SN plasmas have Pth ~ 11 times higher than expected from high- A scalings. They have improved τe (H98 ~ 1) and a quiescent Jedge pedestal between edge localized modes (ELMs). Unique Jedge (t) measurements through a single Type I ELM show a complex, multimodal pedestal collapse and filament ejection. A proposed Pegasus-U initiative will upgrade the centerstack assembly and LHI injector systems, increasing BT to 1 T, Ohmic V-s by × 6 , and pulse length to 100 ms at A = 1 . 2 . This allows the physics and technology of LHI to be validated at NSTX-U relevant parameters, supports studies of nonlinear ELM dynamics, and will test high-βT tokamak stability. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Fisher information in confined hydrogen-like ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Neetik; Majumdar, Sangita; Roy, Amlan K.

2018-01-01

Fisher information (I) is investigated for confined hydrogen atom (CHA)-like systems in conjugate r and p spaces. A comparative study between CHA and free H atom (with respect to I) is pursued. A detailed systematic result of I with respect to variation of confinement radius rc is presented, with particular emphasis on non-zero- (l, m) states. In certain respect, inferences in CHA are significantly different from free counterpart, such as (i) dependence on n, l quantum numbers (ii) appearance of maxima in Ip plots for | m | ≠ 0 . The role of atomic number and atomic radius is discussed.

Tapping-mode AFM study of tip-induced polymer deformation under geometrical confinement.

PubMed

Zhang, Hong; Honda, Yukio; Takeoka, Shinji

2013-02-05

The morphological stability of polymer films is critically important to their application as functional materials. The deformation of polymer surfaces on the nanoscale may be significantly influenced by geometrical confinement. Herein, we constructed a mechanically heterogeneous polymer surface by phase separation in a thin polymer film and investigated the deformation behavior of its nanostructure (∼30 nm thickness and ∼100 nm average diameter) with tapping-mode atomic force microscopy. By changing different scan parameters, we could induce deformation localized to the nanostructure in a controllable manner. A quantity called the deformation index is defined and shown to be correlated to energy dissipation by tip-sample interaction. We clarified that the plastic deformation of a polymer on the nanoscale is energy-dependent and is related to the glass-to-rubber transition. The mobility of polymer chains beneath the tapping tip is enhanced, and in the corresponding region a rubberlike deformation with the lateral motion of the tip is performed. The method we developed can provide insight into the geometrical confinement effects on polymer behavior.

Study of the confinement properties in a reversed-field pinch with mode rotation and gas fuelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cecconello, M.; Malmberg, J.-A.; Nielsen, P.; Pasqualotto, R.; Drake, J. R.

2002-08-01

An extensive investigation of the global confinement properties in different operating scenarios in the rebuilt EXTRAP T2R reversed-field pinch (RFP) experiment is reported here. In particular, the role of a fast gas puff valve system, used to control plasma density, on confinement is studied. Without gas puffing, the electron density decays below 0.5×1019 m-3. The poloidal beta varies between 5% and 15%, decreasing at large I/N. The energy confinement time ranges from 70 to 225 μs. With gas puffing, the density is sustained at ne≈1.5×1019 m-3. However, a general slight deterioration of the plasma performances is observed for the same values of I/N: the plasma becomes cooler and more radiative. The poloidal beta is comparable to that in the scenarios without puff but the energy confinement time drops ranging from 60 to 130 μs. The fluctuation level and the energy confinement time have been found to scale with the Lundquist number as S-0.05+/-0.07 and S0.5+/-0.1, respectively. Mode rotation is typical for all the discharges and rotation velocity is observed to increase with increasing electron diamagnetic velocity.

Surface induced molecular dynamics of thin lipid films confined to submicron cavities: A 1H multiple-quantum NMR study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jagadeesh, B.; Prabhakar, A.; Demco, D. E.; Buda, A.; Blümich, B.

2005-03-01

The dynamics and molecular order of thin lipid (lecithin) films confined to 200, 100 and 20 nm cylindrical pores with varying surface coverage, were investigated by 1H multiple-quantum NMR. The results show that the molecular dynamics in the surface controlled layers are less hindered compared to those in the bulk. Dynamic heterogeneity among terminal CH 3 groups is evident. Enhanced dynamic freedom is observed for films with area per molecule, ˜ 128 Å 2. The results are discussed in terms of changes in the lipid molecular organization with respect to surface concentration, its plausible motional modes and dynamic heterogeneity.

Multi-Field/-Scale Interaction of Neoclassical Tearing Modes with Turbulence and Impact on Plasma Confinement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bardoczi, Laszlo

Neoclassical Tearing Modes (NTMs) are a major impediment in the development of operational scenarios of present toroidal fusion devices. The multi-scale and non-linear interaction of NTMs with turbulence has been an active field of theoretical plasma research in the past decade for its role in plasma confinement. However, little to no experimental effort has been devoted to explore this interaction. As part of this thesis, dedicated experiments were conducted utilizing the full complement of the DIII-D turbulence diagnostics to study the effect of NTM on turbulence as well as the effect of turbulence on NTM growth. The first localized measurements of long and intermediate wavelength turbulent density fluctuations and long wavelength turbulent electron temperature fluctuations modified by magnetic islands are presented. These long and intermediate wavelengths correspond to the expected Ion Temperature Gradient (ITG) and Trapped Electron Mode (TEM) scales, respectively. Two regimes were observed when tracking density fluctuations during NTM evolution: (1) small islands are characterized by steep electron temperature radial profile and turbulence levels comparable to that of the background; (2) large islands have a flat electron temperature profile and reduced turbulence level at the O-point. Radially outside of the large island, the electron temperature profile is steeper and the turbulence level increased compared to the no or small island case. It was also found that turbulence is reduced in the O-point region compared to the X-point region. This helical structure of turbulence modification leads to a 15% modulation of the density fluctuation power as the island rotates in the lab frame and this modulation is nearly in phase with the electron temperature modulation. These measurements were also used to determine the turbulence penetration length scale at the island separatrix and was found that the turbulence penetration length scale is on the order of the

Pore Diameter Dependence and Segmental Dynamics of Poly-Z-L-lysine and Poly-L-alanine Confined in 1D Nanocylindrical Geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuncel, Eylul; Suzuki, Yasuhito; Iossifidis, Agathaggelos; Steinhart, Martin; Butt, Hans-Jurgen; Floudas, George; Duran, Hatice

Structure formation, thermodynamic stability, phase and dynamic behaviors of polypeptides are strongly affected by confinement. Since understanding the changes in these behaviors will allow their rational design as functional devices with tunable properties, herein we investigated Poly-Z-L-lysine (PZLL) and Poly-L-alanine (PAla) homopolypeptides confined in nanoporous alumina containing aligned cylindrical nanopores as a function of pore size by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Solid-state NMR, X-ray diffraction, Dielectric spectroscopy(DS). Bulk PZLL exhibits a glass transition temperature (Tg) at about 301K while PZLL nanorods showed slightly lower Tg (294K). The dynamic investigation by DS also revealed a decrease (4K) in Tg between bulk and PZLL nanorods. DS is a very sensitive probe of the local and global secondary structure relaxation through the large dipole to study effect of confinement. The results revealed that the local segmental dynamics, associated with broken hydrogen bonds, and segmental dynamics speed-up on confinement.

ELM Suppression and Pedestal Structure in I-Mode Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walk, John

2013-10-01

The I-mode regime is characterized by the formation of a temperature pedestal and enhanced energy confinement (H98 up to 1.2), without an accompanying density pedestal or drop in particle transport. Unlike ELMy H-modes, I-mode operation appears to have naturally-occurring suppression of large ELMs in addition to its highly favorable scalings of pedestal structure (and therefore overall performance). Instead, continuous Weakly Coherent Modes help to regulate density. Extensive study of the ELMy H-mode has led to the development of the EPED model, which utilizes calculations of coupled peeling-ballooning MHD modes and kinetic-ballooning mode (KBM) stability limits to predict the pedestal structure preceding an ELM crash. We apply similar tools to the structure and ELM stability of I-mode pedestals. Peeling-ballooning MHD calculations are completed using the ELITE code, showing I-mode pedestals to be generally MHD-stable. Under certain conditions, intermittent ELMs are observed in I-mode at reduced field, typically triggered by sawtooth crashes; modification of the temperature pedestal (and therefore the pressure profile stability) by sawtooth heat pulses is being examined in ELITE. Modeled stability to KBM turbulence in I-mode and ELMy H-mode suggests that typical I-modes are stable against KBM turbulence. Measured I-mode pedestals are significantly wider (more stable) than the width scaling with the square root of poloidal beta characteristic of the KBM-limited pedestals in ELMy H-mode. Finally, we explore scalings of pedestal structure with engineering parameters compared to ELMy H-modes on C-Mod. In particular, we focus on scalings of the pressure pedestal with heating power (and its relation to the favorable scaling of confinement with power in I-mode) and on relationships between heat flux and pedestal temperature gradients. This work is supported by DOE agreement DE-FC02-99ER54512. Theory work at General Atomics is supported by DOE agreement DE-FG02-99ER54309.

SDO Delta H Mode Design and Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, Paul A.; Starin, Scott R.

2007-01-01

While on orbit, disturbance torques on a three axis stabilized spacecraft tend to increase the system momentum, which is stored in the reaction wheels. Upon reaching the predefined momentum capacity (or maximum wheel speed) of the reaction wheel, an external torque must be used to unload the momentum. The purpose of the Delta H mode is to manage the system momentum. This is accomplished by driving the reaction wheels to a target momentum state while the attitude thrusters, which provide an external torque, are used to maintain the attitude. The Delta H mode is designed to meet the mission requirements and implement the momentum management plan. Changes in the requirements or the momentum management plan can lead to design changes in the mode. The momentum management plan defines the expected momentum buildup trend, the desired momentum state and how often the system is driven to the desired momentum state (unloaded). The desired momentum state is chosen based on wheel capacity, wheel configuration, thruster layout and thruster sizing. For the Solar Dynamics Observatory mission, the predefined wheel momentum capacity is a function of the jitter requirements, power, and maximum momentum capacity. Changes in jitter requirements or power limits can lead to changes in the desired momentum state. These changes propagate into the changes in the momentum management plan and therefore the Delta H mode design. This paper presents the analysis and design performed for the Solar Dynamics Observatory Delta H mode. In particular, the mode logic and processing needed to meet requirements is described along with the momentum distribution formulation. The Delta H mode design is validated using the Solar Dynamics Observatory High Fidelity simulator. Finally, a summary of the design is provided along with concluding remarks.

Normal Modes of Magnetized Finite Two-Dimensional Yukawa Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marleau, Gabriel-Dominique; Kaehlert, Hanno; Bonitz, Michael

2009-11-01

The normal modes of a finite two-dimensional dusty plasma in an isotropic parabolic confinement, including the simultaneous effects of friction and an external magnetic field, are studied. The ground states are found from molecular dynamics simulations with simulated annealing, and the influence of screening, friction, and magnetic field on the mode frequencies is investigated in detail. The two-particle problem is solved analytically and the limiting cases of weak and strong magnetic fields are discussed.[4pt] [1] C. Henning, H. K"ahlert, P. Ludwig, A. Melzer, and M.Bonitz. J. Phys. A 42, 214023 (2009)[2] B. Farokhi, M. Shahmansouri, and P. K. Shukla. Phys.Plasmas 16, 063703 (2009)[3] L. Cândido, J.-P. Rino, N. Studart, and F. M. Peeters. J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 10, 11627--11644 (1998)

First Experiments with e-e-H- H- Plasmas: Enhanced Mode Damping and Transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabantsev, A. A.; Thompson, K. A.; Driscoll, C. F.

2017-10-01

Negative Hydrogen ions are produced and confined in a room-temperature electron plasma, causing enhanced mode damping and particle transport effects. We accumulate an H- charge fraction nH-nH-ne 20 % ne 20 % in about 200 seconds, as externally excited H2 molecules undergo dissociative electron attachment in the plasma. The accumulated H- fraction causes a novel algebraic damping of diocotron mode amplitude A(t) , and the damping is coincident with an enhanced outward drift υr of the H- ions. That is, dA dA dt = - α dt = - α , with α nH- *υr . We observe that heating the e-e-H- H- plasma terminates the enhanced damping and enhanced centrifugal separation, both of which resume when plasma re-cools by cyclotron radiation at B = 1.2T. Other interesting observations include: (1) enhanced e- cooling from collisions with H- cooled by neutrals; (2) enhanced damping of plasma waves due to e-e-H- H- collisional drag; (3) strong exponential damping of diocotron modes in a ``floppy'' nearly-pure H- plasma, created by rapid axial ejection of the electrons. Additional novel drift modes and instabilities are predicted theoretically in such a plasma. Supported by NSF/DoE Partnership Grants PHY-1414570 and DE-SC0008693.

Modification of turbulence and turbulent transport associated with a confinement transition in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Troy

2009-11-01

Azimuthal flow is driven in the edge of the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) through biasing a section of the vacuum vessel relative to the plasma source cathode. As the applied bias exceeds a threshold, a transition in radial particle confinement is observed, evidenced by a dramatic steepening in the density profile, similar to the L- to H-mode transition in toroidal confinement devices. The threshold behavior and dynamic behavior of radial transport is related to flow penetration and the degree of spatial overlap between the flow shear and density gradient profiles. An investigation of the changes in turbulence and turbulent particle transport associated with the confinement transition is presented. Two-dimensional cross-correlation measurements show that the spatial coherence of edge turbulence in LAPD changes significantly with biasing. The azimuthal correlation in the turbulence increases dramatically, while the radial correlation length is little altered. Turbulent amplitude is reduced at the transition, particularly in electric field fluctuations, but the dominant change observed is in the cross-phase between density and electric field fluctuations. The changes in cross-phase lead to a suppression and then apparent reversal of turbulent particle flux as the threshold is exceeded.

Vibrational Modes of Oblate Clouds of Charge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkins, Thomas; Spencer, Ross L.

2000-10-01

When a nonneutral plasma confined in a Penning trap is allowed time to expand, its shape at global thermal equilibrium is that of a thin oblate spheroid [D. L. Paulson et al., Phys. Plasmas 5, 345 (1998)]. Oscillations similar to those of a drumhead can be externally induced in such a plasma. Although a theory developed by Dubin predicts the frequencies of the various normal modes of oscillation [Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 2076 (1991)], this theory assumes that the plasma has zero temperature and is confined by an ideal quadrupole electric field. Neither of these conditions is strictly true in experiments [C. S. Weimer et al., Phys. Rev. A 49, 3842 (1994)] where physical properties of the plasma are deduced from measurements of these frequencies, causing the measurements and ideal theory to differ by about 20%. We reformulate the problem of the normal oscillatory modes as a principal-value integral eigenvalue equation, including finite-temperature and non-ideal confinement effects. The equation is solved numerically to obtain the plasma's normal mode frequencies and shapes; reasonable agreement with experiment is obtained.

Investigation into the formation of the scrape-off layer density shoulder in JET ITER-like wall L-mode and H-mode plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wynn, A.; Lipschultz, B.; Cziegler, I.; Harrison, J.; Jaervinen, A.; Matthews, G. F.; Schmitz, J.; Tal, B.; Brix, M.; Guillemaut, C.; Frigione, D.; Huber, A.; Joffrin, E.; Kruzei, U.; Militello, F.; Nielsen, A.; Walkden, N. R.; Wiesen, S.; Contributors, JET

2018-05-01

The low temperature boundary layer plasma (scrape-off layer or SOL) between the hot core and the surrounding vessel determines the level of power loading, erosion and implantation of material surfaces, and thus the viability of tokamak-based fusion as an energy source. This study explores mechanisms affecting the formation of flattened density profiles, so-called ‘density shoulders’, in the low-field side (LFS) SOL, which modify ion and neutral fluxes to surfaces—and subsequent erosion. We find that increases in SOL parallel resistivity, Λdiv (=[L || ν eiΩi]/c sΩe), postulated to lead to shoulder growth through changes in SOL turbulence characteristics, correlates with increases in SOL shoulder amplitude, A s, only under a subset of conditions (D2-fuelled L-mode density scans with outer strike point on the horizontal target). Λdiv fails to correlate with A s for cases of N2 seeding or during sweeping of the strike point across the horizontal target. The limited correlation of Λdiv and A s is also found for H-mode discharges. Thus, while it may be necessary for Λdiv to be above a threshold of ~1 for shoulder formation and/or growth, another mechanism is required. More significantly, we find that in contrast to parallel resistivity, outer divertor recycling, as quantified by the total outer divertor Balmer D α emission, I-D α , does scale with A s where Λdiv does and even where Λdiv does not. Divertor recycling could lead to SOL density shoulder formation through: (a) reducing the parallel to the field flow (loss) of ions out of the SOL to the divertor; and (b) changes in radial electric fields which lead to E  ×  B poloidal flows as well as potentially affecting SOL turbulence birth characteristics. Thus, changes in divertor recycling may be the sole process involved in bringing about SOL density shoulders or it may be that it acts in tandem with parallel resistivity.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neiser, Tom; Jenko, Frank; Carter, Troy; Schmitz, Lothar; Merlo, Gabriele; Told, Daniel; Banon Navarro, Alejandro; McKee, George; Yan, Zheng

2017-10-01

In order to understand the L-H transition, a good understanding of the L-mode edge region is necessary. We perform nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of a DIII-D L-mode discharge with the GENE code in the near-edge, which we define as ρtor >= 0.8 . At ρ = 0.9 , ion-scale simulations reproduce experimental heat fluxes within the uncertainty of the experiment. At ρ = 0 . 8 , electron-scale simulations reproduce the experimental electron heat flux while ion-scale simulations do not reproduce the respective ion heat flux due to a strong poloidal zonal flow. However, we reproduce both electron and ion heat fluxes by increasing the local ion temperature gradient by 80 % . Local fitting to the CER data in the domain 0.7 <= ρ <= 0.9 is compatible with such an increase in ion temperature gradient within the error bars. Ongoing multi-scale simulations are investigating whether radial electron streamers could dampen the poloidal zonal flows at ρ = 0.8 and increase the radial ion-scale flux. Supported by U.S. DOE under Contract Numbers DE-FG02-08ER54984, DE-FC02-04ER54698, and DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Integrated modelling of H-mode pedestal and confinement in JET-ILW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saarelma, S.; Challis, C. D.; Garzotti, L.; Frassinetti, L.; Maggi, C. F.; Romanelli, M.; Stokes, C.; Contributors, JET

2018-01-01

A pedestal prediction model Europed is built on the existing EPED1 model by coupling it with core transport simulation using a Bohm-gyroBohm transport model to self-consistently predict JET-ILW power scan for hybrid plasmas that display weaker power degradation than the IPB98(y, 2) scaling of the energy confinement time. The weak power degradation is reproduced in the coupled core-pedestal simulation. The coupled core-pedestal model is further tested for a 3.0 MA plasma with the highest stored energy achieved in JET-ILW so far, giving a prediction of the stored plasma energy within the error margins of the measured experimental value. A pedestal density prediction model based on the neutral penetration is tested on a JET-ILW database giving a prediction with an average error of 17% from the experimental data when a parameter taking into account the fuelling rate is added into the model. However the model fails to reproduce the power dependence of the pedestal density implying missing transport physics in the model. The future JET-ILW deuterium campaign with increased heating power is predicted to reach plasma energy of 11 MJ, which would correspond to 11-13 MW of fusion power in equivalent deuterium-tritium plasma but with isotope effects on pedestal stability and core transport ignored.

Observations of Rotation Reversal and Fluctuation Hysteresis in Alcator C-Mod L-Mode Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, N. M.; Rice, J. E.; White, A. E.; Baek, S. G.; Creely, A. J.; Ennever, P. C.; Hubbard, A. E.; Hughes, J. W.; Irby, J.; Rodriguez-Fernandez, P.; Chilenski, M. A.; Diamond, P. H.; Reinke, M. L.; Alcator C-Mod Team

2017-10-01

Intrinsic core toroidal rotation in Alcator C-Mod L-mode plasmas has been observed to spontaneously reverse direction when the minimum value of the normalized collisionality ν*, crosses around 0.4. In Ohmic plasmas, the rotation is co-current in the low density linear Ohmic confinement (LOC) regime and counter-current in the higher density saturated Ohmic confinement (SOC) regime. The reversal manifests a hysteresis loop in ν*, where the critical collisionalities for the forward and reverse transitions differ by 10-15%. Temperature and density profiles of the two rotation states are observed to be indistinguishable to within experimental error estimated with Gaussian process regression. However, qualitative differences between the two rotation states are observed in fluctuation spectra, including the broadening of reflectometry spectra and, under certain conditions, the appearance of high-k features in phase contrast imaging (PCI) spectra (kθρs up to 1). These results suggest that the turbulent state can decouple from local profiles, and that turbulent self-regulation may play a role in the LOC/SOC transition. This work is supported by the US DOE under Grant DE-FC02-99ER54512 (C-Mod).

Edge-localized mode avoidance and pedestal structure in I-mode plasmasa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walk, J. R.; Hughes, J. W.; Hubbard, A. E.; Terry, J. L.; Whyte, D. G.; White, A. E.; Baek, S. G.; Reinke, M. L.; Theiler, C.; Churchill, R. M.; Rice, J. E.; Snyder, P. B.; Osborne, T.; Dominguez, A.; Cziegler, I.

2014-05-01

I-mode is a high-performance tokamak regime characterized by the formation of a temperature pedestal and enhanced energy confinement, without an accompanying density pedestal or drop in particle and impurity transport. I-mode operation appears to have naturally occurring suppression of large Edge-Localized Modes (ELMs) in addition to its highly favorable scalings of pedestal structure and overall performance. Extensive study of the ELMy H-mode has led to the development of the EPED model, which utilizes calculations of coupled peeling-ballooning MHD modes and kinetic-ballooning mode (KBM) stability limits to predict the pedestal structure preceding an ELM crash. We apply similar tools to the structure and ELM stability of I-mode pedestals. Analysis of I-mode discharges prepared with high-resolution pedestal data from the most recent C-Mod campaign reveals favorable pedestal scalings for extrapolation to large machines—pedestal temperature scales strongly with power per particle Pnet/n ¯e, and likewise pedestal pressure scales as the net heating power (consistent with weak degradation of confinement with heating power). Matched discharges in current, field, and shaping demonstrate the decoupling of energy and particle transport in I-mode, increasing fueling to span nearly a factor of two in density while maintaining matched temperature pedestals with consistent levels of Pnet/n ¯e. This is consistent with targets for increased performance in I-mode, elevating pedestal βp and global performance with matched increases in density and heating power. MHD calculations using the ELITE code indicate that I-mode pedestals are strongly stable to edge peeling-ballooning instabilities. Likewise, numerical modeling of the KBM turbulence onset, as well as scalings of the pedestal width with poloidal beta, indicates that I-mode pedestals are not limited by KBM turbulence—both features identified with the trigger for large ELMs, consistent with the observed suppression of

Predictions of high QDT in ITER H-mode plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budny, Robert

2009-05-01

Time-dependent integrated predictions of performance metrics such as the fusion power PDT, QDT≡ PDT/Pext, and alpha profiles are presented. The PTRANSP code (see R.V. Budny, R. Andre, G. Bateman, F. Halpern, C.E. Kessel, A. Kritz, and D. McCune, Nuclear Fusion 48 075005, and F. Halpern, A. Kritz, G. Bateman, R.V. Budny, and D. McCune, Phys. Plasmas 15 062505) is used, along with GLF23 to predict plasma profiles, NUBEAM for NNBI and alpha heating, TORIC for ICRH, and TORAY for ECRH. Effects of sawteeth mixing, beam steering, beam shine-through, radiation loss, ash accumulation, and toroidal rotation are included. A total heating of Pext=73MW is assumed to achieve H-mode during the density and current ramp-up phase. Various mixes of NNBI, ICRH, and ECRH heating schemes are compared. After steady state conditions are achieved, Pext is stepped down to lower values to explore high QDT. Physics and computation uncertainties lead to ranges in predictions for PDT and QDT. Physics uncertainties include the L->H and H->L threshold powers, pedestal height, impurity and ash transport, and recycling. There are considerably more uncertainties predicting the peak value for QDT than for PDT.

Boundary perturbations coupled to core 3/2 tearing modes on the DIII-D tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobias, B.; Yu, L.; Domier, C. W.; Luhmann, N. C., Jr.; Austin, M. E.; Paz-Soldan, C.; Turnbull, A. D.; Classen, I. G. J.; the DIII-D Team

2013-09-01

High confinement (H-mode) discharges on the DIII-D tokamak are routinely subject to the formation of long-lived, non-disruptive magnetic islands that degrade confinement and limit fusion performance. Simultaneous, 2D measurement of electron temperature fluctuations in the core and edge regions allows for reconstruction of the radially resolved poloidal mode number spectrum and phase of the global plasma response associated with these modes. Coherent, n = 2 excursions of the plasma boundary are found to be the result of coupling to an n = 2, kink-like mode which arises locked in phase to the 3/2 island chain. This coupling dictates the relative phase of the displacement at the boundary with respect to the tearing mode. This unambiguous phase relationship, for which no counter-examples are observed, is presented as a test for modeling of the perturbed fields to be expected outside the confined plasma.

Stationary multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge and improved confinement mode in a superconducting tokamak.

PubMed

Gao, X; Xie, J K; Wan, Y X; Ushigusa, K; Wan, B N; Zhang, S Y; Li, J; Kuang, G L

2002-01-01

Stationary multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge (MARFE) is studied by gas-puffing feedback control according to an empirical MARFE critical density ( approximately 1.8 x 10(13) cm(-3)) in the HT-7 Ohmic discharges (where the plasma current I(p) is about 170 kA, loop voltage V(loop)=2-3 V, toroidal field B(T)=1.9 T, and Z(eff)=3-4). It is observed that an improved confinement mode characterized by D(alpha) line emissions drops and the line-averaged density increase is triggered in the stationary MARFE discharges. The mode is not a symmetric "detachment" state, because the quasi-steady-state poloidally asymmetric radiation (e.g., C III line emissions) still exists. This phenomenon has not been predicted by the current MARFE theory.

Multi-Phonon Relaxation of H^- Local Modes in CaF_2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davison, C. P.; Happek, U.; Campbell, J. A.; Engholm, J. R.; Schwettman, H. A.

1998-03-01

Local modes play an important role in the relaxation of vibrational modes of small molecules in solids (J.R. Engholm, C.W. Rella, H.A. Schwettman, and U. Happek; Phys. Rev. Lett. 77), 1302 (1996)., but only few attempts have been reported to study the relaxation of these local modes. Here we report on experiments to investigate the non-radiative relaxation of H^- local modes in CaF_2. Using a pump-probe technique, saturation experiments on the H^- local modes, both interstitial and substitutional, were performed at the Stanford Free Electron Laser Center. At low temperature we find a relaxation time T1 of 45 psec for the substitutional H^- local mode, and a more rapid relaxation for the interstitial H^- local modes next to La^3+ and Lu^3+ impurities. Information on the decay channels of the local modes are obtained from the characteristic temperature dependence of the relaxation rates. This work is supported in part by the ONR, Grant No. N00014-94-1024.

Edge ohmic heating and improved confinement on HT-6M Tokamak

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

Gao, X.

1995-04-01

An improved confinement has been observed on HT-6M tokamak after application of Edge Ohmic Heating (EOH) which makes plasma current rapidly ramp up from an initial steady state (I{sub p}=55 kA) within a small time scale (0.4 ms) to a second steady state (I{sub p}=60 kA) with a ramp rate of 12 MA/sec. The improved confinement is characterized by (a) increased average density n{sub e}; (b) reduced H{sub alpha} radiation; (c) reduced density fluctuations both in the center and at the edge; (d) a steeper n{sub e} and T{sub e} profile at the edge; (e) the changed profiles of plasmamore » parameters n{sub e}(r), q(r) and j(r); (f) transferred the oscillation modes of the soft-X ray signals from Mirnov fluctuation (12 kHz) to sawtooth oscillation (1.7 kHz). The changes of edge fluctuation, radial electric field and bremsstrahlung during EOH were measured and discussed in details. The measured values of {beta}{sub p}+l{sub i}/2 and soft-X ray sawtooth inversion radius implied the anomalous current penetration. 10 refs., 2 figs.« less

Quantum Electric Dipole Lattice - Water Molecules Confined to Nanocavities in Beryl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dressel, Martin; Zhukova, Elena S.; Thomas, Victor G.; Gorshunov, Boris P.

2018-02-01

Water is subject to intense investigations due to its importance in biological matter but keeps many of its secrets. Here, we unveil an even other aspect by confining H2O molecules to nanosize cages. Our THz and infrared spectra of water in the gemstone beryl evidence quantum tunneling of H2O molecules in the crystal lattice. The water molecules are spread out when confined in a nanocage. In combination with low-frequency dielectric measurements, we were also able to show that dipolar coupling among the H2O molecules leads towards a ferroelectric state at low temperatures. Upon cooling, a ferroelectric soft mode shifts through the THz range. Only quantum fluctuations prevent perfect macroscopic order to be fully achieved. Beside the significance to life science and possible application, nanoconfined water may become the prime example of a quantum electric dipolar lattice.

H-mode transitions and limit cycle oscillations from mean field transport equations

DOE PAGES

Staebler, Gary M.; Groebner, Richard J.

2014-11-28

The mean field toroidal and parallel momentum transport equations will be shown to admit both onestep transitions to suppressed transport (L/H) and limit cycle oscillations (LCO). Both types of transitions are driven by the suppression of turbulence by the mean field ExB velocity shear. Using experimental data to evaluate the coefficients of a reduced transport model, the observed frequency of the LCO can be matched. The increase in the H-mode power threshold above and below a minimum density agrees with the trends in the model. Both leading and lagging phase relations between the turbulent density fluctuation amplitude and the ExBmore » velocity shear can occur depending on the evolution of the linear growth rate of the turbulence. As a result, the transport solutions match the initial phase of the L/H transition where the poloidal and ExB velocities are observed to change, and the density fluctuations drop, faster than the diamagnetic velocity.« less

Non-unique monopole oscillations of harmonically confined Yukawa systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ducatman, Samuel; Henning, Christian; Kaehlert, Hanno; Bonitz, Michael

2008-11-01

Recently it was shown that the Breathing Mode (BM), the mode of uniform radial expansion and contraction, which is well known from harmonically confined Coulomb systems [1], does not exist in general for other systems [2]. As a consequence the monopole oscillation (MO), the radial collective excitation, is not unique, but there are several MO with different frequencies. Within this work we show simulation results of those monopole oscillations of 2-dimensional harmonically confined Yukawa systems, which are known from, e.g., dusty plasma crystals [3,4]. We present the corresponding spectrum of the particle motion, including analysis of the frequencies found, and compare with theoretical investigations.[1] D.H.E. Dubin and J.P. Schiffer, Phys. Rev. E 53, 5249 (1996)[2] C. Henning at al., accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett. (2008)[3] A. Melzer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 115002 (2001)[4] M. Bonitz et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 075001 (2006)

H-mode and Edge Physics on the Pegasus ST: Progress and Future Directions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bongard, M. W.; Bodner, G. M.; Barr, J. L.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Hinson, E. T.; Kriete, D. M.; Lewicki, B. T.; Perry, J. M.; Reusch, J. A.; Schlossberg, D. J.; Thome, K. E.; Winz, G. R.

2015-11-01

Ohmic H-modes are routinely attained on the Pegasus ST, in part due to the low L-H power threshold PLH arising from low-BT operation at A ~ 1 . Characteristics of H-mode include: improved τe, consistent with H98 ~ 1 edge current and pressure pedestal formation; and the occurrence of ELMs. Experiments in the past year have examined magnetic topology and density dependencies of PLH in detail. PLH exceeds ITER L-H scaling values by 10-20 ×, with PLH /PITPA 08 increasing sharply as A --> 1 . No PLH-minimizing density has been found. Unlike at high- A, PLH is insensitive to limited or diverted magnetic topologies to date. The low BT and modest pedestal values at A ~ 1 afford unique edge diagnostic accessibility to investigate ELMs and their nonlinear dynamics. Jedge (R , t) measured through a Type I ELM shows a complex pedestal collapse and filament ejection. These studies are being extended to higher Ip and longer pulse length with LHI startup to conserve Ohmic V-s and improve MHD stability. A modest-cost upgrade to the facility will enable detailed validation studies of nonlinear ELM dynamics and ELM control. This initiative will upgrade the centerstack, increasing BT by × 3 , Ohmic V-s by × 4 , and pulse lengths to 100 ms at A < 1 . 3 , as well as deploy a comprehensive 3D magnetic perturbation coil system with full poloidal coverage from frame coils and helical centerstack windings. Work supported by US DOE grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Turbulent particle transport as a function of toroidal rotation in DIII-D H-mode plasmas

DOE PAGES

Wang, Xin; Mordijck, Saskia; Zeng, Lei; ...

2016-03-01

In this paper we show how changes in toroidal rotation, by controlling the injected torque, affect particle transport and confinement. The toroidal rotation is altered using the co- and counter neutral beam injection (NBI) in low collisionality H-mode plasmas on DIII-D with dominant electron cyclotron heating (ECH). We find that there is no correlation between the toroidal rotation shear and the inverse density gradient, which is observed on AUG whenmore » $${{T}_{\\text{e}}}/{{T}_{\\text{i}}}$$ is varied using ECH (Angioni et al 2011 Phys. Rev. Lett. 107 215003). In DIII-D, we find that in a discharge with balanced torque injection, the $$E\\times B$$ shear is smaller than the linear gyrokinetic growth rate for small $${{k}_{\\theta}}{{\\rho}_{s}}$$ for $$\\rho =0.6$$ –0.85. This results in lower particle confinement. In the co- and counter- injected discharges the $$E\\times B$$ shear is larger or close to the linear growth rate at the plasma edge and both configurations have higher particle confinement. In order to measure particle transport, we use a small periodic perturbative gas puff. This gas puff perturbs the density profiles and allows us to extract the perturbed diffusion and inward pinch coefficients. We observe a strong increase in the inward particle pinch in the counter-torque injected plasma. Lastly, the calculated quasi-linear particle flux, nor the linear growth rates using TGLF agree with experimental observations.« less

Characteristics of inhomogeneous jets in confined swirling air flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

So, R. M. C.; Ahmed, S. A.

1984-01-01

An experimental program to study the characteristics of inhomogeneous jets in confined swirling flows to obtain detailed and accurate data for the evaluation and improvement of turbulent transport modeling for combustor flows is discussed. The work was also motivated by the need to investigate and quantify the influence of confinement and swirl on the characteristics of inhomogeneous jets. The flow facility was constructed in a simple way which allows easy interchange of different swirlers and the freedom to vary the jet Reynolds number. The velocity measurements were taken with a one color, one component DISA Model 55L laser-Doppler anemometer employing the forward scatter mode. Standard statistical methods are used to evaluate the various moments of the signals to give the flow characteristics. The present work was directed at the understanding of the velocity field. Therefore, only velocity and turbulence data of the axial and circumferential components are reported for inhomogeneous jets in confined swirling air flows.

Threshold for the destabilisation of the ion-temperature-gradient mode in magnetically confined toroidal plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zocco, A.; Xanthopoulos, P.; Doerk, H.; Connor, J. W.; Helander, P.

2018-02-01

The threshold for the resonant destabilisation of ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) driven instabilities that render the modes ubiquitous in both tokamaks and stellarators is investigated. We discover remarkably similar results for both confinement concepts if care is taken in the analysis of the effect of the global shear . We revisit, analytically and by means of gyrokinetic simulations, accepted tokamak results and discover inadequacies of some aspects of their theoretical interpretation. In particular, for standard tokamak configurations, we find that global shear effects on the critical gradient cannot be attributed to the wave-particle resonance destabilising mechanism of Hahm & Tang (Phys. Plasmas, vol. 1, 1989, pp. 1185-1192), but are consistent with a stabilising contribution predicted by Biglari et al. (Phys. Plasmas, vol. 1, 1989, pp. 109-118). Extensive analytical and numerical investigations show that virtually no previous tokamak theoretical predictions capture the temperature dependence of the mode frequency at marginality, thus leading to incorrect instability thresholds. In the asymptotic limit , where is the rotational transform, and such a threshold should be solely determined by the resonant toroidal branch of the ITG mode, we discover a family of unstable solutions below the previously known threshold of instability. This is true for a tokamak case described by a local local equilibrium, and for the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X, where these unstable solutions are present even for configurations with a small trapped-particle population. We conjecture they are of the Floquet type and derive their properties from the Fourier analysis of toroidal drift modes of Connor & Taylor (Phys. Fluids, vol. 30, 1987, pp. 3180-3185), and to Hill's theory of the motion of the lunar perigee (Acta Math., vol. 8, 1886, pp. 1-36). The temperature dependence of the newly determined threshold is given for both confinement concepts. In the first case, the new temperature

Search for soliton modes in helical poly-γ-benzyl-l-glutamate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renthal, Robert; Taboada, J.

1989-07-01

Solid α-helical poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) was examined at low temperature for evidence of the unusual temperature-dependent vibrational mode found by Careri and co-workers in solid acetanilide and attributed to a soliton wave trapped in protein-like hydrogen bonds. We have confirmed the anomaly in acetanilide, however, a similar temperature-dependent mode was not observed in poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate). These results indicate that anharmonic amide modes may only be present in certain α-helical structures. Two new low frequency modes (180 and 90 cm -1) are observed for poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate).

Edge-localized mode avoidance and pedestal structure in I-mode plasmas

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

Walk, J. R., E-mail: jrwalk@psfc.mit.edu; Hughes, J. W.; Hubbard, A. E.

I-mode is a high-performance tokamak regime characterized by the formation of a temperature pedestal and enhanced energy confinement, without an accompanying density pedestal or drop in particle and impurity transport. I-mode operation appears to have naturally occurring suppression of large Edge-Localized Modes (ELMs) in addition to its highly favorable scalings of pedestal structure and overall performance. Extensive study of the ELMy H-mode has led to the development of the EPED model, which utilizes calculations of coupled peeling-ballooning MHD modes and kinetic-ballooning mode (KBM) stability limits to predict the pedestal structure preceding an ELM crash. We apply similar tools to themore » structure and ELM stability of I-mode pedestals. Analysis of I-mode discharges prepared with high-resolution pedestal data from the most recent C-Mod campaign reveals favorable pedestal scalings for extrapolation to large machines—pedestal temperature scales strongly with power per particle P{sub net}/n{sup ¯}{sub e}, and likewise pedestal pressure scales as the net heating power (consistent with weak degradation of confinement with heating power). Matched discharges in current, field, and shaping demonstrate the decoupling of energy and particle transport in I-mode, increasing fueling to span nearly a factor of two in density while maintaining matched temperature pedestals with consistent levels of P{sub net}/n{sup ¯}{sub e}. This is consistent with targets for increased performance in I-mode, elevating pedestal β{sub p} and global performance with matched increases in density and heating power. MHD calculations using the ELITE code indicate that I-mode pedestals are strongly stable to edge peeling-ballooning instabilities. Likewise, numerical modeling of the KBM turbulence onset, as well as scalings of the pedestal width with poloidal beta, indicates that I-mode pedestals are not limited by KBM turbulence—both features identified with the trigger for large ELMs

Multi-scale gyrokinetic simulations of an Alcator C-Mod, ELM-y H-mode plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, N. T.; Holland, C.; White, A. E.; Greenwald, M.; Rodriguez-Fernandez, P.; Candy, J.; Creely, A. J.

2018-01-01

High fidelity, multi-scale gyrokinetic simulations capable of capturing both ion ({k}θ {ρ }s∼ { O }(1.0)) and electron-scale ({k}θ {ρ }e∼ { O }(1.0)) turbulence were performed in the core of an Alcator C-Mod ELM-y H-mode discharge which exhibits reactor-relevant characteristics. These simulations, performed with all experimental inputs and realistic ion to electron mass ratio ({({m}i/{m}e)}1/2=60.0) provide insight into the physics fidelity that may be needed for accurate simulation of the core of fusion reactor discharges. Three multi-scale simulations and series of separate ion and electron-scale simulations performed using the GYRO code (Candy and Waltz 2003 J. Comput. Phys. 186 545) are presented. As with earlier multi-scale results in L-mode conditions (Howard et al 2016 Nucl. Fusion 56 014004), both ion and multi-scale simulations results are compared with experimentally inferred ion and electron heat fluxes, as well as the measured values of electron incremental thermal diffusivities—indicative of the experimental electron temperature profile stiffness. Consistent with the L-mode results, cross-scale coupling is found to play an important role in the simulation of these H-mode conditions. Extremely stiff ion-scale transport is observed in these high-performance conditions which is shown to likely play and important role in the reproduction of measurements of perturbative transport. These results provide important insight into the role of multi-scale plasma turbulence in the core of reactor-relevant plasmas and establish important constraints on the the fidelity of models needed for predictive simulations.

Verification of GENE and GYRO with L-mode and I-mode plasmas in Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikkelsen, D. R.; Howard, N. T.; White, A. E.; Creely, A. J.

2018-04-01

Verification comparisons are carried out for L-mode and I-mode plasma conditions in Alcator C-Mod. We compare linear and nonlinear ion-scale calculations by the gyrokinetic codes GENE and GYRO to each other and to the experimental power balance analysis. The two gyrokinetic codes' linear growth rates and real frequencies are in good agreement throughout all the ion temperature gradient mode branches and most of the trapped electron mode branches of the kyρs spectra at r/a = 0.65, 0.7, and 0.8. The shapes of the toroidal mode spectra of heat fluxes in nonlinear simulations are very similar for kyρs ≤ 0.5, but in most cases GENE has a relatively higher heat flux than GYRO at higher mode numbers. The ratio of ion to electron heat flux is similar in the two codes' simulations, but the heat fluxes themselves do not agree in almost all cases. In the I-mode regime, GENE's heat fluxes are ˜3 times those from GYRO, and they are ˜60%-100% higher than GYRO in the L-mode conditions. The GYRO under-prediction of Qe is much reduced in GENE's L-mode simulations, and it is eliminated in the I-mode simulations. This largely improved agreement with the experimental electron heat flux is offset, however, by the large overshoot of GENE's ion heat fluxes, which are 2-3 times the experimental level, and its electron heat flux overshoot at r/a = 0.80 in the I-mode. Rotation effects can explain part of the difference between the two codes' predictions, but very significant differences remain in simulations without any rotation effects.

Global Confinement, Sawtooth Mixing, and Stochastic Diffusion Ripple Loss of Fast ICRF-driven H+ Minority Ions in TFTR

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

Petrov, M.P.; Bell, R.; Budny, R.V.

1998-07-01

This paper presents studies of ICRF-driven H+ minority ions in TFTR (Tokamak Fusion Test Reator) deuterium plasmas using primarily passive Ho flux detection in the energy range of 0.2-1.0 MeV with some corroborating active (lithium pellet charge exchange) measurements. It is shown that in the passive mode the main donors for the neutralization of H+ ions in this energy range are C5+ ions. The measured effective H+ tail temperatures range from 0.15 MeV at an ICRF power of 2 MW to 0.35 MeV at 6 MW. Analysis of the ICRF-driven H+ ion energy balance has been performed on the basismore » of the dependence of effective H+ temperatures on the plasma parameters. The analysis showed that H+ confinement times are comparable with their slowing-down times and tended to decrease with increasing ICRF power. Radial redistribution of ICRF-driven H+ ions was detected when giant sawtooth crashes occurred during the ICRF heating. The redistribution affected ions with energy below 0.7-0.8 MeV. The sawtooth crashes displace H+ ions outward along the plasma major radius into the stochastic ripple diffusion domain were those ions are lost in about 10 milliseconds. These observations are consistent with the model of the redistribution of energetic particles developed previously to explain the results of deuterium-tritium alpha-particle redistribution due to sawteeth observed in TFTR. The experimental data are also consistent with ORBIT code simulations of H+ stochastic ripple diffusion losses.« less

Investigation of the critical edge ion heat flux for L-H transitions in Alcator C-Mod and its dependence on B T

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidtmayr, M.; Hughes, J. W.; Ryter, F.; Wolfrum, E.; Cao, N.; Creely, A. J.; Howard, N.; Hubbard, A. E.; Lin, Y.; Reinke, M. L.; Rice, J. E.; Tolman, E. A.; Wukitch, S.; Ma, Y.; ASDEX Upgrade Team; Alcator C-Mod Team

2018-05-01

This paper presents investigations on the role of the edge ion heat flux for transitions from L-mode to H-mode in Alcator C-Mod. Previous results from the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak indicated that a critical value of edge ion heat flux per particle is needed for the transition. Analysis of C-Mod data confirms this result. The edge ion heat flux is indeed found to increase linearly with density at given magnetic field and plasma current. Furthermore, the Alcator C-Mod data indicate that the edge ion heat flux at the L-H transition also increases with magnetic field. Combining the data from Alcator C-Mod and ASDEX Upgrade yields a general expression for the edge ion heat flux at the L-H transition. These results are discussed from the point of view of the possible physics mechanism of the L-H transition. They are also compared to the L-H power threshold scaling and an extrapolation for ITER is given.

Strongly coupled modes of M and H for perpendicular resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Chen; Saslow, Wayne M.

2018-05-01

We apply the equations for the magnetization M ⃗ and field H ⃗ to study their coupled modes for a semi-infinite ferromagnet, conductor, or insulator with magnetization M0 and field H0 normal to the plane (perpendicular resonance) and wave vector normal to the plane, which makes the modes doubly degenerate. With dimensionless damping constant α and dimensionless transverse susceptibility χ⊥=M0/He(He≡H0-M0) , we derive an analytic expression for the wave vector squared, showing that M ⃗ and H ⃗ are nearly decoupled only if α ≫χ⊥ . This is violated in the ferromagnetic regime, although a first correction is found to give good agreement away from resonance. Emphasizing the conductor permalloy as a function of H0 we study the eigenvalues and eigenmodes and the dissipation rate due to absorption both from the total effective field and from the Joule heating. (We include the contribution of the nonuniform exchange energy term, needed for energy conservation.) Using these modes we then apply, for a semi-infinite ferromagnet, a range of boundary conditions (i.e., surface anisotropies) on M⊥ to find the reflection coefficient R and the reflectivity |R| 2. As a function of H0, absorption is dominated by the the skin depth mode (primarily H ⃗) except near the resonance and at a higher-field Hd associated with a dip in the reflectivity, whose position above the main resonance varies quadratically with the surface anisotropy Ks. The dip is driven by the boundary condition on M ⃗; the coefficient of the (primarily) M ⃗ mode becomes very small at the dip, being compensated by an increase in the amplitude of the M ⃗ mode, which has a Lorentzian line shape of height ˜α-1 and width ˜α .

Fabrication and performance of tuneable single-mode VCSELs emitting in the 750- to 1000-nm range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grabherr, Martin; Wiedenmann, Dieter; Jaeger, Roland; King, Roger

2005-03-01

The growing demand on low cost high spectral purity laser sources at specific wavelengths for applications like tuneable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) and optical pumping of atomic clocks can be met by sophisticated single-mode VCSELs in the 760 to 980 nm wavelength range. Equipped with micro thermo electrical cooler (TEC) and thermistor inside a small standard TO46 package, the resulting wavelength tuning range is larger than +/- 2.5 nm. U-L-M photonics presents manufacturing aspects, device performance and reliability data on tuneable single-mode VCSELs at 760, 780, 794, 852, and 948 nm lately introduced to the market. According applications are O2 sensing, Rb pumping, Cs pumping, and moisture sensing, respectively. The first part of the paper dealing with manufacturing aspects focuses on control of resonance wavelength during epitaxial growth and process control during selective oxidation for current confinement. Acceptable resonance wavelength tolerance is as small as +/- 1nm and typical aperture size of oxide confined single-mode VCSELs is 3 &mum with only few hundred nm tolerance. Both of these major production steps significantly contribute to yield on wafer values. Key performance data for the presented single-mode VCSELs are: >0.5 mW of optical output power, >30 dB side mode suppression ratio, and extrapolated 10E7 h MTTF at room temperature based on several millions of real test hours. Finally, appropriate fiber coupling solutions will be presented and discussed.

Alizarin Red S-Confined Layer-By-Layer Films as Redox-Active Coatings on Electrodes for the Voltammetric Determination of L-Dopa

PubMed Central

Takahashi, Shigehiro; Suzuki, Iwao; Sugawara, Tatsuro; Seno, Masaru; Minaki, Daichi; Anzai, Jun-Ichi

2017-01-01

The preparation of redox-active coatings is a key step in fabricating electrochemical biosensors. To this goal, a variety of coating materials have been used in combination with redox-active compounds. In this study, alizarin red S (ARS) was confined in layer-by-layer (LbL) films composed of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) to study the redox properties. A gold (Au) disc electrode coated with PEI/CMC LbL film was immersed in an ARS solution to uptake ARS into the film. ARS was successfully confined in the LbL film through electrostatic interactions. The cyclic voltammogram (CV) of ARS-confined PEI/CMC film-coated electrodes thus prepared exhibited redox waves in the potential range from −0.5 to −0.7 V originating from 9,10-anthraquinone moiety in ARS, demonstrating that ARS preserves its redox activity in the LbL film. An additional oxidation peak appeared around −0.4 V in the CV recorded in the solution containing phenylboronic acid (PBA), due to the formation of a boronate ester of ARS (ARS-PBA) in the film. The oxidation peak current at −0.4 V decreased upon addition of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa) to the solution. Thus, the results suggest a potential use of the ARS-confined PEI/CMC films for constructing voltammetric sensors for L-dopa. PMID:28772942

Extending Mode Areas of Single-mode All-solid Photonic Bandgap Fibers

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-02

T. Tunnermann, R. Iliew, F. Lederer, J. Broeng, G. Vienne, A. Petersson, and C. Jakobsen, “High-power air-clad large-mode-area photonic crystal ...Yvernault, and F. Salin, “Extended single-mode photonic crystal fiber lasers,” Opt. Express 14(7), 2715–2720 (2006). 10. L. Dong, T. Wu, H. McKay, L. Fu...progress in mode area scaling of optical fibers. One notable area is in photonic crystal fibers (PCF) [3–5, 8, 9]. The short straight PCF rods used in

W transport and accumulation control in the termination phase of JET H-mode discharges and implications for ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köchl, F.; Loarte, A.; de la Luna, E.; Parail, V.; Corrigan, G.; Harting, D.; Nunes, I.; Reux, C.; Rimini, F. G.; Polevoi, A.; Romanelli, M.; Contributors, JET

2018-07-01

Tokamak operation with W PFCs is associated with specific challenges for impurity control, which may be particularly demanding in the transition from stationary H-mode to L-mode. To address W control issues in this phase, dedicated experiments have been performed at JET including the variation of the decrease of the power and current, gas fuelling and central ion cyclotron heating (ICRH), and applying active ELM control by vertical kicks. The experimental results obtained demonstrate the key role of maintaining ELM control to control the W concentration in the exit phase of H-modes with slow (ITER-like) ramp-down of the neutral beam injection power in JET. For these experiments, integrated fully predictive core+edge+SOL transport modelling studies applying discrete models for the description of transients such as sawteeth and ELMs have been performed for the first time with the JINTRAC suite of codes for the entire transition from stationary H-mode until the time when the plasma would return to L-mode focusing on the W transport behaviour. Simulations have shown that the existing models can appropriately reproduce the plasma profile evolution in the core, edge and SOL as well as W accumulation trends in the termination phase of JET H-mode discharges as function of the applied ICRH and ELM control schemes, substantiating the ambivalent effect of ELMs on W sputtering on one side and on edge transport affecting core W accumulation on the other side. The sensitivity with respect to NB particle and momentum sources has also been analysed and their impact on neoclassical W transport has been found to be crucial to reproduce the observed W accumulation characteristics in JET discharges. In this paper the results of the JET experiments, the comparison with JINTRAC modelling and the adequacy of the models to reproduce the experimental results are described and conclusions are drawn regarding the applicability of these models for the extrapolation of the applied W

Effect of progressively increasing lithium conditioning on edge transport and stability in high triangularity NSTX H-modes

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

Maingi, R.; Canik, J. M.; Bell, R. E.

A sequence of H-mode discharges with increasing levels of pre-discharge lithium evaporation (‘dose’) was conducted in high triangularity and elongation boundary shape in NSTX. Energy confinement increased, and recycling decreased with increasing lithium dose, similar to a previous lithium dose scan in medium triangularity and elongation plasmas. Data-constrained SOLPS interpretive modeling quantified the edge transport change: the electron particle diffusivity decreased by 10-30x. The electron thermal diffusivity decreased by 4x just inside the top of the pedestal, but increased by up to 5x very near the separatrix. These results provide a baseline expectation for lithium benefits in NSTX-U, which ismore » optimized for a boundary shape similar to the one in this experiment.« less

Effect of progressively increasing lithium conditioning on edge transport and stability in high triangularity NSTX H-modes

DOE PAGES

Maingi, R.; Canik, J. M.; Bell, R. E.; ...

2016-07-19

A sequence of H-mode discharges with increasing levels of pre-discharge lithium evaporation (‘dose’) was conducted in high triangularity and elongation boundary shape in NSTX. Energy confinement increased, and recycling decreased with increasing lithium dose, similar to a previous lithium dose scan in medium triangularity and elongation plasmas. Data-constrained SOLPS interpretive modeling quantified the edge transport change: the electron particle diffusivity decreased by 10-30x. The electron thermal diffusivity decreased by 4x just inside the top of the pedestal, but increased by up to 5x very near the separatrix. These results provide a baseline expectation for lithium benefits in NSTX-U, which ismore » optimized for a boundary shape similar to the one in this experiment.« less

Investigation of the hydrogen fluxes in the plasma edge of W7-AS during H-mode discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langer, U.; Taglauer, E.; Fischer, R.; W7-AS Team

2001-03-01

In the stellarator W7-AS the H-mode is characterized by an edge transport barrier which is localized within a few centimeters inside the separatrix. The corresponding L-H transition shows well-known features such as the steepening of the temperature and density profiles in the region of the separatrix. With a so-called sniffer probe the temporal development of the hydrogen and deuterium fluxes has been studied in the plasma edge during different H-mode discharges with deuterium gas puffing. Prior to the transition a significant reduction of the deuterium and also the hydrogen fluxes can be observed. This fact confirms the assumption that the steepening of the density profiles starts at the outermost edge of the plasma. Moreover, sniffer probe measurements in the plasma edge could therefore identify a precursor for the L-H transition. The analysis of the hydrogen neutral gases shows a distinct change of the hydrogen isotope ratio during the transition. This observation is in agreement with the change in the particle fluxes onto the targets and can also be seen in the reduced H α signals from the limiters. It is further demonstrated that significant improvement in the time resolution of the measured data can be obtained by deconvolution of the data with the apparatus function using Bayesian probability theory and the Maximum Entropy method with adaptive kernels.

Vibrational mode frequencies of H2S and H2O adsorbed on Ge(0 0 1)-(2 × 1) surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartnett, M.; Fahy, S.

2015-02-01

The equilibrium geometry and vibrational modes of H2S and H2O-terminated Ge(0 0 1)-(2 × 1) surfaces are calculated in a supercell approach using first-principles density functional theory in the local density (LDA), generalized gradient (GGA) approximations and van der Waals (vdW) interactions. Mode frequencies are found using the frozen phonon method. For the H2S-passivated surface, the calculated frequencies in LDA (GGA) are 2429 cm-1 (2490) for the Hsbnd S stretch mode, 712 cm-1 (706) for the Hsbnd S bond bending mode, 377 cm-1 (36) for the Gesbnd S stretch mode and 328 cm-1 (337) for Hsbnd S wag mode. Frequencies for the H2O passivated surface are 3590 cm-1 (3600) for the Hsbnd O stretch mode, 921 cm-1 (947) for the bending mode, 609 cm-1 (559) for the Gesbnd O stretch, 1995 cm-1 (1991) for the Gesbnd H stretch mode, 498 cm-1 (478) for the Gesbnd H bending mode and 342 cm-1 (336) for the Hsbnd O wag mode. The differences between the functionals including vdW terms and the LDA or GGA are less than the differences between LDA and GGA for the vibrational mode frequencies.

Colloid-polymer mixtures under slit confinement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez-Ramírez, Allan; Figueroa-Gerstenmaier, Susana; Odriozola, Gerardo

2017-03-01

We report a NVT molecular dynamic study of colloid-polymer mixtures under slit confinement. For this purpose, we are employing the Asakura-Oosawa model for studying colloidal particles, polymer coils, and hard walls as the external confining field. The colloid-polymer size ratio, q, is varied in the range 1 ⩾q ⩾0.4 and the confinement distance, H, in 10 σc ⩾H ⩾3 σc , σc being the colloidal diameter. Vapor-liquid coexistence properties are assessed, from which phase diagrams are built. The obtained data fulfill the corresponding states law for a constant H when q is varied. The shift of the polymer and colloidal chemical potentials of coexistence follows a linear relationship with (H-σc ) -1 for H ≳4 σc . The confined vapor-liquid interfaces can be fitted with a semicircular line of curvature (H-σc ) -1, from which the contact angle can be obtained. We observe complete wetting of the confining walls for reservoir polymer concentrations above and close to the critical value, and partial wetting for reservoir polymer concentrations above and far from it.

Ground-state calculations of confined hydrogen molecule H2 using variational Monte Carlo method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doma, S. B.; El-Gammal, F. N.; Amer, A. A.

2018-07-01

The variational Monte Carlo method is used to evaluate the ground-state energy of a confined hydrogen molecule H2. Accordingly, we considered the.me case of hydrogen molecule confined by a hard prolate spheroidal cavity when the nuclear positions are clamped at the foci (on-focus case). Also, the case of off-focus nuclei in which the two nuclei are not clamped to the foci is studied. This case provides flexibility for the treatment of the molecular properties by selecting an arbitrary size and shape for the confining spheroidal box. A simple chemical analysis concerning the catalytic role of enzyme is investigated. An accurate trial wave function depending on many variational parameters is used for this purpose. The obtained results for the case of clamped foci exhibit good accuracy compared with the high precision variational data presented previously. In the case of off-focus nuclei, an improvement is obtained with respect to the most recent uncorrelated results existing in the literature.

Effect of sampling location on L* values and pH measurements and their relationship in broiler breast fillets

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Lightness (CIELAB L*) and pH values are the most widely measured quality indicators for broiler breast fillets (pectoralis major). Measurement of L* values with a spectrophotometer can be done through Specular Component Included (SCI) or Specular Component Excluded (SCE) modes. The intra-fillet loca...

The transition mechanisms of the E to H mode and the H to E mode in an inductively coupled argon-mercury mixture discharge

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

Zhang, Xiao; Yu, Peng-Cheng; Liu, Yu

2015-10-15

In our experiment, the transition points between the two operational modes of capacitive coupling (E mode) and inductive coupling (H mode) were investigated at a wide range of mercury vapor pressures in an inductively coupled plasma, varying with the input radio-frequency powers and the total filling pressures (10 Pa–30 Pa). The electron temperatures were calculated versus with the mercury vapor pressures for different values of the total filling pressures. The transition power points and electron density also were measured in this study. It is shown that the transition powers, whether the E to H mode transition or the H to E modemore » transition, are lower than that of the argon discharge, and these powers almost increase with the mercury vapor pressure rising. However, the transition electron density follows an inverse relationship with the mercury vapor pressures compared with the transition powers. In addition, at the lower pressures and higher mercury vapor pressures, an inverse hysteresis was observed clearly, which did not appear in the argon gas plasma. We suggest that all these results are attributed to the electron-neutral collision frequency changed with the additional mercury vapor pressures.« less

Photonic confinement in laterally structured metal-organic microcavities

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

Mischok, Andreas, E-mail: andreas.mischok@iapp.de; Brückner, Robert; Sudzius, Markas

2014-08-04

We investigate the formation of optical modes in organic microcavities with an incorporated perforated silver layer. The metal leads to a formation of Tamm-plasmon-polaritons and thus separates the sample into metal-free or metal-containing areas, supporting different resonances. This mode splitting is exploited to confine photons in elliptic holes and triangular cuts, forming distinctive standing wave patterns showing the strong lateral confinement. A comparison with a Maxwell-Bloch based rate equation model clearly shows the nonlinear transition into the lasing regime. The concentration of the electric field density and inhibition of lateral loss channels in turn decreases the lasing threshold by upmore » to one order of magnitude, to 0.1 nJ. By spectroscopic investigation of such a triangular wedge, we observe the transition from the unperturbed cavity state to a strongly confined complex transversal mode. Such a structured silver layer can be utilized in future for charge carrier injection in an electrically driven organic solid state laser.« less

Structure and Dynamics of Confined C-O-H Fluids Relevant to the Subsurface: Application of Magnetic Resonance, Neutron Scattering and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gautam, Siddharth S.; Ok, Salim; Cole, David R.

2017-06-01

Geo-fluids consisting of C-O-H volatiles are the main mode of transport of mass and energy throughout the lithosphere and are commonly found confined in pores, grain boundaries and fractures. The confinement of these fluids by porous media at the length scales of a few nanometers gives rise to numerous physical and chemical properties that deviate from the bulk behavior. Studying the structural and dynamical properties of these confined fluids at the length and time scales of nanometers and picoseconds respectively forms an important component of understanding their behavior. To study confined fluids, non-destructive penetrative probes are needed. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) by virtue of its ability to monitor longitudinal and transverse magnetization relaxations of spins, and chemical shifts brought about by the chemical environment of a nucleus, and measuring diffusion coefficient provides a good opportunity to study dynamics and chemical structure at the molecular length and time scales. Another technique that gives insights into the dynamics and structure at these length and time scales is neutron scattering (NS). This is because the wavelength and energies of cold and thermal neutrons used in scattering experiments are in the same range as the spatial features and energies involved in the dynamical processes occurring at the molecular level. Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations on the other hand help with the interpretation of the NMR and NS data. Simulations can also supplement the experiments by calculating quantities not easily accessible to experiments. Thus using NMR, NS and MD simulations in conjunction, a complete description of the molecular structure and dynamics of confined geo-fluids can be obtained. In the current review, our aim is to show how a synergistic use of these three techniques has helped shed light on the complex behavior of water, CO2, and low molecular weight hydrocarbons. After summarizing the theoretical backgrounds of the

One-dimensional Tamm plasmons: Spatial confinement, propagation, and polarization properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chestnov, I. Yu.; Sedov, E. S.; Kutrovskaya, S. V.; Kucherik, A. O.; Arakelian, S. M.; Kavokin, A. V.

2017-12-01

Tamm plasmons are confined optical states at the interface of a metal and a dielectric Bragg mirror. Unlike conventional surface plasmons, Tamm plasmons may be directly excited by an external light source in both TE and TM polarizations. Here we consider the one-dimensional propagation of Tamm plasmons under long and narrow metallic stripes deposited on top of a semiconductor Bragg mirror. The spatial confinement of the field imposed by the stripe and its impact on the structure and energy of Tamm modes are investigated. We show that the Tamm modes are coupled to surface plasmons arising at the stripe edges. These plasmons form an interference pattern close to the bottom surface of the stripe that involves modification of both the energy and loss rate for the Tamm mode. This phenomenon is pronounced only in the case of TE polarization of the Tamm mode. These findings pave the way to application of laterally confined Tamm plasmons in optical integrated circuits as well as to engineering potential traps for both Tamm modes and hybrid modes of Tamm plasmons and exciton polaritons with meV depth.

Infrared spectrum of NH4+(H2O): Evidence for mode specific fragmentation

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

Pankewitz, Tobias; Lagutschenkov, Anita; Niedner-schatteburg, Gereon

2007-02-21

The gas phase infrared spectrum (3250 to 3810 cm1) of the singly hydrated ammonium ion, NH4+(H2O), has been recorded by consequence spectroscopy of mass selected and isolated ions. The obtained four bands are assigned to N-H stretching modes and O-H stretching modes, respectively. The observed N-H stretching modes are blueshifted with respect to the corresponding modes of the free NH4+ ion, whereas a redshift is observed with respect to the modes of the free NH3 molecule. The observed O-H stretching modes are redshifted when compared to the free H2O molecule. The asymmetric stretching modes give rise to rotationally resolved perpendicularmore » transitions. The K-type equidistant rotational spacings of 11.1(2) cm1 (NH4+) and 29(3) cm1 (H2O) deviate systematically from the corresponding values of the free molecules, a fact which is rationalized in terms of a symmetric top analysis. The recorded relative band intensities compare favorably with predictions of high level ab initio calculations except for the 3(H2O) band for which the observed value is about 20 times weaker than the calculated one. This long standing puzzle motivated us to examine the a 3(H2O)/1(H2O) intensity ratios from other published action spectra in other cationic complexes. These suggest that the 3(H2O) intensities become smaller the stronger the complexes are bound. The recorded ratios vary, in particular among the data collected from action spectra that were recorded with and without rare gas tagging. The calculated anharmonic coupling constants in NH4+(H2O) further suggested that the coupling of the 3(H2O) and 1(H2O) modes to other cluster modes indeed varies by orders of magnitude. These findings altogether render the picture of a mode specific fragmentation dynamic that modulates band intensities in action spectra with respect to absorption spectra. Additional high-level electronic structure calculations at the coupled-cluster single and double with perturbative treatment of triple

EDGE2D-EIRENE modelling of near SOL E r: possible impact on the H-mode power threshold

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chankin, A. V.; Delabie, E.; Corrigan, G.; Harting, D.; Maggi, C. F.; Meyer, H.; Contributors, JET

2017-04-01

Recent EDGE2D-EIRENE simulations of JET plasmas showed a significant difference between radial electric field (E r) profiles across the separatrix in two divertor configurations, with the outer strike point on the horizontal target (HT) and vertical target (VT) (Chankin et al 2016 Nucl. Mater. Energy, doi: 10.1016/j.nme.2016.10.004). Under conditions (input power, plasma density) where the HT plasma went into the H-mode, a large positive E r spike in the near scrape-off layer (SOL) was seen in the code output, leading to a very large E × B shear across the separatrix over a narrow region of a fraction of a cm width. No such E r feature was obtained in the code solution for the VT configuration, where the H-mode power threshold was found to be twice as high as in the HT configuration. It was hypothesised that the large E × B shear across the separatrix in the HT configuration could be responsible for the turbulence suppression leading to an earlier (at lower input power) L-H transition compared to the VT configuration. In the present work these ideas are extended to cover some other experimental observations on the H-mode power threshold variation with parameters which typically are not included in the multi-machine H-mode power threshold scalings, namely: ion mass dependence (isotope H-D-T exchange), dependence on the ion ∇B drift direction, and dependence on the wall material composition (ITER-like wall versus carbon wall in JET). In all these cases EDGE2D-EIRENE modelling shows larger positive E r spikes in the near SOL under conditions where the H-mode power threshold is lower, at least in the HT configuration.

PREFACE: 11th IAEA Technical Meeting on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takizuka, Tomonori

2008-07-01

This volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series contains papers based on invited talks and contributed posters presented at the 11th IAEA Technical Meeting on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers. This meeting was held at the Tsukuba International Congress Center in Tsukuba, Japan, on 26-28 September 2007, and was organized jointly by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency and the University of Tsukuba. The previous ten meetings in this series were held in San Diego (USA) 1987, Gut Ising (Germany) 1989, Abingdon (UK) 1991, Naka (Japan) 1993, Princeton (USA) 1995, Kloster Seeon (Germany) 1997, Oxford (UK) 1999, Toki (Japan) 2001, San Diego (USA) 2003, and St Petersburg (Russia) 2005. The purpose of the eleventh meeting was to present and discuss new results on H-mode (edge transport barrier, ETB) and internal transport barrier, ITB, experiments, theory and modeling in magnetic fusion research. It was expected that contributions give new and improved insights into the physics mechanisms behind high confinement modes of H-mode and ITBs. Ultimately, this research should lead to improved projections for ITER. As has been the tradition at the recent meetings of this series, the program was subdivided into six topics. The topics selected for the eleventh meeting were: H-mode transition and the pedestal-width Dynamics in ETB: ELM threshold, non-linear evolution and suppression, etc Transport relations of various quantities including turbulence in plasmas with ITB: rotation physics is especially highlighted Transport barriers in non-axisymmetric magnetic fields Theory and simulation on transport barriers Projections of transport barrier physics to ITER For each topic there was an invited talk presenting an overview of the topic, based on contributions to the meeting and on recently published external results. The six invited talks were: A Leonard (GA, USA): Progress in characterization of the H-mode pedestal and L-H transition N Oyama (JAEA, Japan): Progress and issues in

Damping of collective modes and the echo effect in a confined Bose-Einstein condensate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuklov, A. B.; Chencinski, N.

1998-04-01

We discuss the reversible nature of two mechanisms of the apparent damping of the collective modes of a confined Bose-Einstein condensate -- Landau Damping (LD) and a dephasing caused by thermal fluctuations of the normal component. The reversibility of the damping in both cases can be tested by the echo effect, when two consecutive external pulses modulate the potential trapping the condensate and induce a third pulse -- the echo -- at the time approximately equal to twice the time interval between the first two pulses. This effect is similar to the phonon echo in powders (Koji Kajimura in Physical Acoustics), ed. W.P. Mason, V.XVI, Academic Press, NY, Toronto 1982.. Parameters of the echo for the isotropic condensate are calculated analytically in the adiabatic approximation for the case of the small external pulses. Numerical simulations for the arbitrary pulses are also presented. The echo in an anisotropic condensate, where the adaibatic approximation is not valid because of the LD, is described in terms of the model of a single oscillator interacting with a quasi-continuum of modes which constitutes the normal component. In both cases in the weak echo limit the echo amplitude turns out to be proportional to the amplitudes of the external pulses. We suggest to test these predictions experimentally.

Use of a bilayer lattice-matched AlInGaN barrier for improving the channel carrier confinement of enhancement-mode AlInGaN/GaN hetero-structure field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahbardar Mojaver, Hassan; Gosselin, Jean-Lou; Valizadeh, Pouya

2017-06-01

A quaternary lattice-matched layer structure based on employing a bilayer barrier for improving the carrier confinement in the channel of enhancement-mode metal-face c-plane wurtzite AlInGaN/GaN hetero-structure field effect transistors (HFETs) is for the first time proposed. Using the commercial self-consistent Poisson-Schrödinger solver Nextnano, electronic properties of the proposed hetero-structure, including the sheet charge density and carrier confinement on the GaN side of the hetero-interface, are evaluated. Based on these evaluations, it is shown that while the proposed layer structure substantially improves the carrier confinement in the GaN channel layer, it also upholds the merits of employing a lattice-matched barrier towards achieving an enhancement-mode operation (i.e., in the absence of the piezoelectric effect). According to these simulations, in terms of maintaining the required positive threshold-voltage for the enhancement-mode operation, it is also shown that the proposed layer structure substantially outperforms the quaternary AlInGaN/GaN HFETs employing a thin AlN spacer layer.

The influence of gas pressure on E↔H mode transition in argon inductively coupled plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiao; Zhang, Zhong-kai; Cao, Jin-xiang; Liu, Yu; Yu, Peng-cheng

2018-03-01

Considering the gas pressure and radio frequency power change, the mode transition of E↔H were investigated in inductively coupled plasmas. It can be found that the transition power has almost the same trend decreasing with gas pressure, whether it is in H mode or E mode. However, the transition density increases slowly with gas pressure from E to H mode. The transition points of E to H mode can be understood by the propagation of electromagnetic wave in the plasma, while the H to E should be illustrated by the electric field strength. Moreover, the electron density, increasing with the pressure and power, can be attributed to the multiple ionization, which changes the energy loss per electron-ion pair created. In addition, the optical emission characteristics in E and H mode is also shown. The line ratio of I750.4 and I811.5, taken as a proxy of the density of metastable state atoms, was used to illustrate the hysteresis. The 750.4 nm line intensity, which has almost the same trend with the 811.5 nm line intensity in H mode, both of them increases with power but decreases with gas pressure. The line ratio of 811.5/750.4 has a different change rule in E mode and H mode, and at the transition point of H to E, it can be one significant factor that results in the hysteresis as the gas pressure change. And compared with the 811.5 nm intensity, it seems like a similar change rule with RF power in E mode. Moreover, some emitted lines with lower rate constants don't turn up in E mode, while can be seen in H mode because the excited state atom density increasing with the electron density.

Predictions of the near edge transport shortfall in DIII-D L-mode plasmas using the trapped gyro-Landau-fluid model [Predictions of the near edge transport shortfall in DIII-D L-mode plasmas using the TGLF model

DOE PAGES

Kinsey, Jon E.; Staebler, Gary M.; Candy, Jefferey M.; ...

2015-01-14

Previous studies of DIII-D L-mode plasmas have shown that a transport shortfall exists in that our current models of turbulent transport can significantly underestimate the energy transport in the near edge region. In this paper, the Trapped Gyro-Landau-Fluid (TGLF) drift wave transport model is used to simulate the near edge transport in a DIII-D L-mode experiment designed to explore the impact of varying the safety factor on the shortfall. We find that the shortfall systematically increases with increasing safety factor and is more pronounced for the electrons than for the ions. Within the shortfall dataset, a single high current casemore » has been found where no transport shortfall is predicted. Reduced neutral beam injection power has been identified as the key parameter separating this discharge from other discharges exhibiting a shortfall. Further analysis shows that the energy transport in the L-mode near edge region is not stiff according to TGLF. Unlike the H-mode core region, the predicted temperature profiles are relatively more responsive to changes in auxiliary heating power. In testing the fidelity of TGLF for the near edge region, we find that a recalibration of the collision model is warranted. A recalibration improves agreement between TGLF and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations performed using the GYRO code with electron-ion collisions. As a result, the recalibration only slightly impacts the predicted shortfall.« less

Colloid-polymer mixtures under slit confinement.

PubMed

Pérez-Ramírez, Allan; Figueroa-Gerstenmaier, Susana; Odriozola, Gerardo

2017-03-14

We report a NVT molecular dynamic study of colloid-polymer mixtures under slit confinement. For this purpose, we are employing the Asakura-Oosawa model for studying colloidal particles, polymer coils, and hard walls as the external confining field. The colloid-polymer size ratio, q, is varied in the range 1⩾q⩾0.4 and the confinement distance, H, in 10σ c ⩾H⩾3σ c , σ c being the colloidal diameter. Vapor-liquid coexistence properties are assessed, from which phase diagrams are built. The obtained data fulfill the corresponding states law for a constant H when q is varied. The shift of the polymer and colloidal chemical potentials of coexistence follows a linear relationship with (H-σ c ) -1 for H≳4σ c . The confined vapor-liquid interfaces can be fitted with a semicircular line of curvature (H-σ c ) -1 , from which the contact angle can be obtained. We observe complete wetting of the confining walls for reservoir polymer concentrations above and close to the critical value, and partial wetting for reservoir polymer concentrations above and far from it.

Verification of GENE and GYRO with L-mode and I-mode plasmas in Alcator C-Mod

DOE PAGES

Mikkelsen, D. R.; Howard, N. T.; White, A. E.; ...

2018-04-25

Here, verification comparisons are carried out for L-mode and I-mode plasma conditions in Alcator C-Mod. We compare linear and nonlinear ion-scale calculations by the gyrokinetic codes GENE and GYRO to each other and to the experimental power balance analysis. The two gyrokinetic codes' linear growth rates and real frequencies are in good agreement throughout all the ion temperature gradient mode branches and most of the trapped electron mode branches of the kyρs spectra at r/a = 0.65, 0.7, and 0.8. The shapes of the toroidal mode spectra of heat fluxes in nonlinear simulations are very similar for k yρ smore » ≤ 0.5, but in most cases GENE has a relatively higher heat flux than GYRO at higher mode numbers.« less

Verification of GENE and GYRO with L-mode and I-mode plasmas in Alcator C-Mod

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

Mikkelsen, D. R.; Howard, N. T.; White, A. E.

Here, verification comparisons are carried out for L-mode and I-mode plasma conditions in Alcator C-Mod. We compare linear and nonlinear ion-scale calculations by the gyrokinetic codes GENE and GYRO to each other and to the experimental power balance analysis. The two gyrokinetic codes' linear growth rates and real frequencies are in good agreement throughout all the ion temperature gradient mode branches and most of the trapped electron mode branches of the kyρs spectra at r/a = 0.65, 0.7, and 0.8. The shapes of the toroidal mode spectra of heat fluxes in nonlinear simulations are very similar for k yρ smore » ≤ 0.5, but in most cases GENE has a relatively higher heat flux than GYRO at higher mode numbers.« less

Quantum confinement effect in 6H-SiC quantum dots observed via plasmon-exciton coupling-induced defect-luminescence quenching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Xiaoxiao; Zhang, Yumeng; Fan, Baolu; Fan, Jiyang

2017-03-01

The quantum confinement effect is one of the crucial physical effects that discriminate a quantum material from its bulk material. It remains a mystery why the 6H-SiC quantum dots (QDs) do not exhibit an obvious quantum confinement effect. We study the photoluminescence of the coupled colloidal system of SiC QDs and Ag nanoparticles. The experimental result in conjunction with the theoretical calculation reveals that there is strong coupling between the localized electron-hole pair in the SiC QD and the localized surface plasmon in the Ag nanoparticle. It results in resonance energy transfer between them and resultant quenching of the blue surface-defect luminescence of the SiC QDs, leading to uncovering of a hidden near-UV emission band. This study shows that this emission band originates from the interband transition of the 6H-SiC QDs and it exhibits a remarkable quantum confinement effect.

Intrinsic Flow and Momentum Transport during Improved Confinement in MST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craig, D.; Tan, E.; Schott, B.; Anderson, J. K.; Boguski, J.; Nornberg, M. D.; Xing, Z. A.

2017-10-01

Progress in absolute wavelength calibration of the Charge Exchange Recombination Spectroscopy (CHERS) system on MST has enabled new observations and analysis of intrinsic flow and momentum transport. Localized toroidal and poloidal flow measurements with systematic accuracy of +/- 3 km/s have been obtained during improved confinement Pulsed Parallel Current Drive (PPCD) plasmas at high plasma current (400-500 kA). The magnetic activity prior to and during the transition to improved confinement tends to increase the flow and sets the initial condition for the momentum profile evolution during improved confinement where intrinsic flow drive appears to weaken. Inboard flows change in time during PPCD, consistent with changes in the core-resonant m =1, n =6 tearing mode phase velocity. Outboard flows near the magnetic axis are time-independent, resulting in the development of a strongly sheared toroidal flow in the core and asymmetry in the poloidal flow profile. The deceleration of the n =6 mode during the period of improved confinement correlates well with the n =6 mode amplitude and is roughly consistent with the expected torque from eddy currents in the conducting shell. The level of Dα emission and secondary mode amplitudes (n =7-10) do not correlate with the mode deceleration suggesting that the momentum loss from charge exchange with neutrals and diffusion due to residual magnetic stochasticity are not significant in PPCD. This work has been supported by the U.S.D.O.E.

Evidence of L-mode electromagnetic wave pumping of ionospheric plasma near geomagnetic zenith

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leyser, Thomas B.; James, H. Gordon; Gustavsson, Björn; Rietveld, Michael T.

2018-02-01

The response of ionospheric plasma to pumping by powerful HF (high frequency) electromagnetic waves transmitted from the ground into the ionosphere is the strongest in the direction of geomagnetic zenith. We present experimental results from transmitting a left-handed circularly polarized HF beam from the EISCAT (European Incoherent SCATter association) Heating facility in magnetic zenith. The CASSIOPE (CAScade, Smallsat and IOnospheric Polar Explorer) spacecraft in the topside ionosphere above the F-region density peak detected transionospheric pump radiation, although the pump frequency was below the maximum ionospheric plasma frequency. The pump wave is deduced to arrive at CASSIOPE through L-mode propagation and associated double (O to Z, Z to O) conversion in pump-induced radio windows. L-mode propagation allows the pump wave to reach higher plasma densities and higher ionospheric altitudes than O-mode propagation so that a pump wave in the L-mode can facilitate excitation of upper hybrid phenomena localized in density depletions in a larger altitude range. L-mode propagation is therefore suggested to be important in explaining the magnetic zenith effect.

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.

Resonant magnetic perturbations of edge-plasmas in toroidal confinement devices

DOE PAGES

Evans, T. E.

2015-11-13

Controlling the boundary layer in fusion-grade, high-performance, plasma discharges is essential for the successful development of toroidal magnetic confinement power generating systems. A promising approach for controlling the boundary plasma is based on the use of small, externally applied, edge resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) fields (δmore » $$b_⊥^{ext}$$ ≈ $$10^{-4}$$ → $$10^{-3}$$ T). A long-term focus area in tokamak fusion research has been to find methods, involving the use of non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations to reduce the intense particle and heat fluxes to the wall. Experimental RMP research has progressed from the early pioneering work on tokamaks with material limiters in the 1970s, to present day research in separatrix-limited tokamaks operated in high-confinement mode, which is primarily aimed at the mitigation of the intermittent fluxes due edge localized modes. At the same time the theoretical research has evolved from analytical models to numerical simulations, including the full 3D complexities of the problem. Following the first demonstration of ELM suppression in the DIII-D tokamak during 2003, there has been a rapid worldwide growth in theoretical, numerical and experimental edge RMP research resulting in the addition of ELM control coils to the ITER baseline design [A. Loarte, et al., Nucl. Fusion 54 (2014) 033007]. This review provides an overview of edge RMP research including a summary of the early theoretical and numerical background along with recent experimental results on improved particle and energy confinement in tokamaks triggered by edge RMP fields. The topics covered make up the basic elements needed for developing a better understanding of 3D magnetic perturbation physics, which is required in order to utilize the full potential of edge RMP fields in fusion relevant high performance, H-mode, plasmas.« less

Resonant magnetic perturbations of edge-plasmas in toroidal confinement devices

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

Evans, T. E.

Controlling the boundary layer in fusion-grade, high-performance, plasma discharges is essential for the successful development of toroidal magnetic confinement power generating systems. A promising approach for controlling the boundary plasma is based on the use of small, externally applied, edge resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) fields (δmore » $$b_⊥^{ext}$$ ≈ $$10^{-4}$$ → $$10^{-3}$$ T). A long-term focus area in tokamak fusion research has been to find methods, involving the use of non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations to reduce the intense particle and heat fluxes to the wall. Experimental RMP research has progressed from the early pioneering work on tokamaks with material limiters in the 1970s, to present day research in separatrix-limited tokamaks operated in high-confinement mode, which is primarily aimed at the mitigation of the intermittent fluxes due edge localized modes. At the same time the theoretical research has evolved from analytical models to numerical simulations, including the full 3D complexities of the problem. Following the first demonstration of ELM suppression in the DIII-D tokamak during 2003, there has been a rapid worldwide growth in theoretical, numerical and experimental edge RMP research resulting in the addition of ELM control coils to the ITER baseline design [A. Loarte, et al., Nucl. Fusion 54 (2014) 033007]. This review provides an overview of edge RMP research including a summary of the early theoretical and numerical background along with recent experimental results on improved particle and energy confinement in tokamaks triggered by edge RMP fields. The topics covered make up the basic elements needed for developing a better understanding of 3D magnetic perturbation physics, which is required in order to utilize the full potential of edge RMP fields in fusion relevant high performance, H-mode, plasmas.« less

Observations of highly sheared turbulence in the H-mode pedestal using Phase Contrast Imaging on DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rost, J. C.; Marinoni, A.; Davis, E. M.; Porkolab, M.; Burrell, K. H.

2017-10-01

Highly sheared turbulence with short radial correlation lengths has been measured near the top of the H-mode pedestal, in addition to the previously measured highly-sheared turbulence measured in the Er well. Turbulence in regions of large velocity shear is characterized by radial correlation lengths shorter than the poloidal wavelength (L < λ 2 cm) and large Doppler-shifted frequencies (f > 200 kHz). The phase contrast imaging (PCI) diagnostic on DIII-D is ideally suited to measuring this density turbulence due to the measurement geometry and high frequency bandwidth. Radial localization is achieved by optical filtering, varying the ExB profile, and shifting the plasma position. Reconfiguration of the Er well, such as at the L-H transition or the transition to wide pedestal QH-mode, shows a near-instantaneous change (t < 1 ms) to the sheared turbulence in the Er well ( 1 cm inside the separatrix). In contrast, the sheared turbulence near the top of the pedestal ( 2 cm inside the separatrix) varies over times scales of tens of ms, consistent with pedestal evolution. Work supported by the US Department of Energy under DE-FG02-94ER54235 and DE-FC02-04ER54698.

A physical mechanism for the onset of radial electric fields in magnetically confined plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moleti, A.

1996-04-01

A simple physical mechanism is described, which could trigger the Low-mode to High-mode (L-H) transition. The instantaneous ion density profile is significantly modified by a sudden temperature increase, because Larmor radii and banana orbit widths are proportional to thermal velocity. The electric fields that are observed in H-mode plasmas could be produced in the radial region where a large second derivative of the density profile exists, either by strong additional heating or by the heat pulse associated to a sawtooth crash. The L-H transition threshold for the time derivative of the ion temperature is of the order of magnitude of the values that are measured in the outer part of the plasma by electron temperature fast diagnostics at sawtooth crashes. This model agrees with the experimental evidence that L-H transitions are often triggered by a sawtooth crash, and the predicted dependence of the threshold on plasma parameters is fairly consistent with available data.

Influence of high magnetic field on access to stationary H-modes and pedestal characteristics in Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tolman, E. A.; Hughes, J. W.; Wolfe, S. M.; Wukitch, S. J.; LaBombard, B.; Hubbard, A. E.; Marmar, E. S.; Snyder, P. B.; Schmidtmayr, M.

2018-04-01

Recent Alcator C-Mod experiments have explored access to and characteristics of H-modes at magnetic fields approaching 8 T, the highest field achieved to date in a diverted tokamak. The H-modes originated from L-mode densities ranging from 1.1 × 1020~m-3 to 2.8 × 1020~m-3 , allowing insight into the density dependence of the H-mode power threshold at high magnetic field. This dependence is compared to predictions from the ITPA scaling law ([1]), finding that the law is approximately accurate at 7.8 T. However, the law underpredicted the high density H-mode threshold at lower magnetic field in previous C-Mod experiments ([2]), suggesting that the overall dependence of the threshold on magnetic field is weaker than predicted by the scaling law. The threshold data at 7.8 T also indicates that the onset of a low density branch at this magnetic field on C-Mod occurs below 1.4 × 1020~m-3 , which is lower than predicted by an existing model for low density branch onset. The H-modes achieved steady-state densities ranging from 2.3 × 1020 ~m-3 to 4.4 × 1020 ~m-3 , and higher transient densities, and had values of q 95 from 3.3 to 6.0. This parameter range allowed the achievement of all three types of H-mode routinely observed at lower magnetic field on C-Mod: the stationary, ELM-suppressed Enhanced D α (EDA) regime, seen at high densities and high values of q 95; the nonstationary ELM-free regime, seen at lower densities and values of q 95; and the ELMy regime, seen at low density, moderate q 95, and specialized plasma shape. The parameter space in which these regimes occur at 7.8 T is consistent with lower magnetic field experience. Pressure pedestal height at 7.8 T is compared to EPED [3, 4] predictions, and a scaling law for EDA density pedestal height developed between 4.5 T and 6.0 T is updated to include fields from 2.7 T to 7.8 T. Overall, this analysis increases confidence in the use of low magnetic field experience to predict some elements of high magnetic

Lattice QCD analysis for relation between quark confinement and chiral symmetry breaking

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

Doi, Takahiro M.; Suganuma, Hideo; Iritani, Takumi

2016-01-22

The Polyakov loop and the Dirac modes are connected via a simple analytical relation on the temporally odd-number lattice, where the temporal lattice size is odd with the normal (nontwisted) periodic boundary condition. Using this relation, we investigate the relation between quark confinement and chiral symmetry breaking in QCD. In this paper, we discuss the properties of this analytical relation and numerically investigate each Dirac-mode contribution to the Polyakov loop in both confinement and deconfinement phases at the quenched level. This relation indicates that low-lying Dirac modes have little contribution to the Polyakov loop, and we numerically confirmed this fact.more » From our analysis, it is suggested that there is no direct one-to-one corresponding between quark confinement and chiral symmetry breaking in QCD. Also, in the confinement phase, we numerically find that there is a new “positive/negative symmetry” in the Dirac-mode matrix elements of link-variable operator which appear in the relation and the Polyakov loop becomes zero because of this symmetry. In the deconfinement phase, this symmetry is broken and the Polyakov loop is non-zero.« less

Tunable zero-line modes via magnetic field in bilayer graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ke; Qiao, Zhenhua

Zero-line modes appear in bilayer graphene at the internal boundary between two opposite vertical electrostatic confinements. These one-dimensional modes are metallic along the boundary and exhibit quantized conductance in the absence of inter-valley scattering. However, experimental results show that the conductance is around 0.5 e2/h rather than quantized. This observation can be explained from our numerical results, which suggest that the scattering between zero-line mode and bound states and the presence of atomic scale disorders that provide inter-valley scattering can effectively reduce the conductance to about 0.5 e2/h. We further find that out-of-plane magnetic field can strongly suppress these scattering mechanisms and gives rise to nearly quantized conductance. On one hand, the presence of magnetic field makes bound states become Landau levels, which reduces the scattering between zero-line mode and bound states. On the other hand, the wave function distributions of oppositely propagating zero-line modes at different valleys are spatially separated, which can strongly suppress the inter-valley scattering. Specifically speaking, the conductance can be increased to 3.2 e2/h at 8 T even when the atomic Anderson type disorders are considered.

ECE-imaging of the H-mode pedestal (invited).

PubMed

Tobias, B J; Austin, M E; Boom, J E; Burrell, K H; Classen, I G J; Domier, C W; Luhmann, N C; Nazikian, R; Snyder, P B

2012-10-01

A synthetic diagnostic has been developed that reproduces the highly structured electron cyclotron emission (ECE) spectrum radiated from the edge region of H-mode discharges. The modeled dependence on local perturbations of the equilibrium plasma pressure allows for interpretation of ECE data for diagnosis of local quantities. Forward modeling of the diagnostic response in this region allows for improved mapping of the observed fluctuations to flux surfaces within the plasma, allowing for the poloidal mode number of coherent structures to be resolved. In addition, other spectral features that are dependent on both T(e) and n(e) contain information about pedestal structure and the electron energy distribution of localized phenomena, such as edge filaments arising during edge-localized mode (ELM) activity.

One-dimensional Confinement Effect on the Self-assembly of Symmetric H-shaped Copolymers in a Thin Film.

PubMed

Mu, Dan; Li, Jian-Quan; Feng, Sheng-Yu

2017-10-19

The self-assembly of a reformed symmetric H-shaped copolymer with four hydrophilic branches and one hydrophobic stem was systematically investigated. The existence of vacancies is vital to regulate the sizes of self-assembled cylinders to be able to form a hexagonal arrangement. With the introduction of horizontal-orientated confinement, a micellar structure is formed through a coalescence mechanism. The short acting distance and large influencing area of the confinement produces numerous small-sized micelles. Additionally, the cycled "contraction-expansion" change helps achieve hexagonal arrangement. In contrast, the introduction of lateral-oriented confinement with long acting distance and small influencing area cannot change the cylindrical structure. Under the fission mechanism, in which the larger cylinder splits into smaller ones, it is quite efficient to generate hierarchical-sized cylinders from larger-sized cylinders in the middle region and smaller-sized cylinders near both walls. The results indicate the possibility of regulating the characteristics of a nanomaterial by tuning the molecular structure of the copolymer and the parameters of the introduced confinement, which are closely related to the self-assembly structure.

Unusual large-pitch banding in poly(L-lactic acid): Effects of composition and geometry confinement

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

Woo, Eamor M.; Lugito, Graecia; Hsieh, Ya-Ting

2014-02-24

Lamellar patterns and orientations in blends of two crystalline polymers: poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and low-molecular-weight poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) were investigated using polarizing light optical microscopy (POM), and atomic and scanning electron microscopy (AFM, SEM). Specific etching off of PEO was used to reveal the complex earlier-grown PLLA lamellae patterns with various PEO content in blends. Banding of extremely long pitch (50 μm) in crystallized PLLA spherulites was induced by two kinetic factors: geometry confinement by top cover and introduction of diluent such as PEO. The mechanisms and correlation among the lamellar assembly, ring bands, and cracks are exemplified. Lamellar patternsmore » and ring-band types in blends were found to vary with respect to not only blend compositions, but also confinement of top-cover.« less

Topology of polymer chains under nanoscale confinement.

PubMed

Satarifard, Vahid; Heidari, Maziar; Mashaghi, Samaneh; Tans, Sander J; Ejtehadi, Mohammad Reza; Mashaghi, Alireza

2017-08-24

Spatial confinement limits the conformational space accessible to biomolecules but the implications for bimolecular topology are not yet known. Folded linear biopolymers can be seen as molecular circuits formed by intramolecular contacts. The pairwise arrangement of intra-chain contacts can be categorized as parallel, series or cross, and has been identified as a topological property. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we determine the contact order distributions and topological circuits of short semi-flexible linear and ring polymer chains with a persistence length of l p under a spherical confinement of radius R c . At low values of l p /R c , the entropy of the linear chain leads to the formation of independent contacts along the chain and accordingly, increases the fraction of series topology with respect to other topologies. However, at high l p /R c , the fraction of cross and parallel topologies are enhanced in the chain topological circuits with cross becoming predominant. At an intermediate confining regime, we identify a critical value of l p /R c , at which all topological states have equal probability. Confinement thus equalizes the probability of more complex cross and parallel topologies to the level of the more simple, non-cooperative series topology. Moreover, our topology analysis reveals distinct behaviours for ring- and linear polymers under weak confinement; however, we find no difference between ring- and linear polymers under strong confinement. Under weak confinement, ring polymers adopt parallel and series topologies with equal likelihood, while linear polymers show a higher tendency for series arrangement. The radial distribution analysis of the topology reveals a non-uniform effect of confinement on the topology of polymer chains, thereby imposing more pronounced effects on the core region than on the confinement surface. Additionally, our results reveal that over a wide range of confining radii, loops arranged in parallel and cross

Self-doped polyaniline multifunctional optical probes in confined nanostructure for pH sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Yoochan; Hwang, Seungyeon; Yang, Jaemoon

2017-07-01

We have successfully fabricated nanocomposite, which is composed of polyaniline (PAni) and pyrene butyric acid (Pyba) via solvent shift method, and the outer layer was enclosed by Tween 80 as a surfactant. First of all, the various ratios between PAni and Pyba were applied for synthesis of polyaniline nanocomposite, and an identical condition for exhibition of proper absorbance and fluorescence properties was found out. The morphology of polyaniline nanocomposite was confirmed via scanning electron microscopic imaging and hydrodynamic size was also confirmed by dynamic light scattering method. We demonstrated that confined self-doped polyaniline nanocomposite as a pH sensing agent are preserved in the doped state even at a neutral pH value. Especially, PAni exhibited strong convertible property at absorbance spectra, on the other hand, Pyba showed changing property at fluorescence spectra at various pH values. In conclude, this polyaniline nanocomposite can accomplish as a fine nanoagent expressing absorbance and fluorescence properties according to surrounding pH values.

Bifurcation of quiescent H-mode to a wide pedestal regime in DIII-D and advances in the understanding of edge harmonic oscillations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xi; Burrell, K. H.; Osborne, T. H.; Barada, K.; Ferraro, N. M.; Garofalo, A. M.; Groebner, R. J.; McKee, G. R.; Petty, C. C.; Porkolab, M.; Rhodes, T. L.; Rost, J. C.; Snyder, P. B.; Solomon, W. M.; Yan, Z.; The DIII-D Team

2017-08-01

New experimental studies and modelling of the coherent edge harmonic oscillation (EHO), which regulates the conventional Quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) edge, validate the proposed hypothesis of edge rotational shear in destabilizing the low-n kink-peeling mode as the additional drive mechanism for the EHO. The observed minimum edge E  ×  B shear required for the EHO decreases linearly with pedestal collisionality ν \\text{e}\\ast , which is favorable for operating QH-mode in machines with low collisionality and low rotation such as ITER. In addition, the QH-mode regime in DIII-D has recently been found to bifurcate into a new ‘wide-pedestal’ state at low torque in double-null shaped plasmas, characterized by increased pedestal height, width and thermal energy confinement (Burrell 2016 Phys. Plasmas 23 056103, Chen 2017 Nucl. Fusion 57 022007). This potentially provides an alternate path for achieving high performance ELM-stable operation at low torque, in addition to the low-torque QH-mode sustained with applied 3D fields. Multi-branch low-k and intermediate-k turbulences are observed in the ‘wide-pedestal’. New experiments support the hypothesis that the decreased edge E  ×  B shear enables destabilization of broadband turbulence, which relaxes edge pressure gradients, improves peeling-ballooning stability and allows a wider and thus higher pedestal. The ability to accurately predict the critical E  ×  B shear for EHO and maintain high performance QH-mode at low torque is an essential requirement for projecting QH-mode operation to ITER and future machines.

Impact of Cross-field Drifts on Detachment in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaervinen, A. E.; Allen, S. L.; McLean, A. G.; Rognlien, T. D.; Samuell, C. M.; Porter, G. D.; Groth, M.; Hill, D. N.; Leonard, A. W.

2017-10-01

Simulations of DIII-D plasmas have revealed the strong role of E ×B-drifts in the low field side (LFS) detachment structure. High confinement modes (H-mode) with the ∇B-drift towards the X-point (fwd BT) enter detachment at 20% higher upstream density, ne,sep, than plasmas with the ∇B-drift away from the X-point (rev BT). In contrast, low confinement modes (L-mode) enter detachment at 10% lower ne,sep in fwd BT. Despite this, both L- and H-modes detached plasmas show strong target flux, JSAT, reduction with increasing ne,sep in fwd BT, while only a modest reduction occurs in rev BT. In fwd BT H-mode, a step-wise transition from attached to strongly detached conditions is observed with increasing ne,sep. UEDGE simulations indicate that the strong poloidal E ×B-drift in the private flux region in H-mode drives the difference for the detachment onset relative to L-mode. In fwd BT, the dependence of this poloidal E ×B-drift on the divertor conditions can reinforce the plasma into either attached or strongly detached state. In rev BT, radial E ×B-drift depletes strike-line ne, limiting the degree of detachment. Work supported by the US DOE under DE-FC02-04ER54698, DE-AC52-07NA27344, and LLNL LDRD project 17-ERD-020.

1H and 2H NMR studies of benzene confined in porous solids: melting point depression and pore size distribution.

PubMed

Aksnes, D W; Kimtys, L

2004-01-01

The pore size distributions of four controlled pore glasses and three silica gels with nominal diameters in the range 4-24 nm were determined by measuring the 1H and 2H NMR signals from the non-frozen fraction of confined benzene and perdeuterated benzene as a function of temperature, in steps of ca. 0.1-1 K. The liquid and solid components of the adsorbate were distinguished, on the basis of the spin-spin relaxation time T2, by employing a spin-echo sequence. The experimental intensity curves of the liquid component are well represented by a sum of two error functions. The mean melting point depression of benzene and perdeuterated benzene confined in the four controlled pore glasses, with pore radius R, follows the simplified Gibbs-Thompson equation DeltaT=kp/R with a kp value of 44 K nm. As expected, the kp value mainly determines the position of the pore size distribution curve, i.e., the mean pore radius, while the transition width determines the shape of the pore size distribution curve. The excellent agreement between the results from the 1H and 2H measurements shows that the effect of the background absorption from protons in physisorbed water and silanol groups is negligible under the experimental conditions used. The overall pore size distributions determined by NMR are in reasonable agreement with the results specified by the manufacturer, or measured by us using the N2 sorption technique. The NMR method, which is complementary to the conventional gas sorption method, is particularly appropriate for studying pore sizes in the mesoporous range.

Experimental Identification of Electric Field Excitation Mechanisms in a Structural Transition of Tokamak Plasmas

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, T.; Itoh, K.; Ido, T.; Kamiya, K.; Itoh, S.-I.; Miura, Y.; Nagashima, Y.; Fujisawa, A.; Inagaki, S.; Ida, K.; Hoshino, K.

2016-01-01

Self-regulation between structure and turbulence, which is a fundamental process in the complex system, has been widely regarded as one of the central issues in modern physics. A typical example of that in magnetically confined plasmas is the Low confinement mode to High confinement mode (L-H) transition, which is intensely studied for more than thirty years since it provides a confinement improvement necessary for the realization of the fusion reactor. An essential issue in the L-H transition physics is the mechanism of the abrupt “radial” electric field generation in toroidal plasmas. To date, several models for the L-H transition have been proposed but the systematic experimental validation is still challenging. Here we report the systematic and quantitative model validations of the radial electric field excitation mechanism for the first time, using a data set of the turbulence and the radial electric field having a high spatiotemporal resolution. Examining time derivative of Poisson’s equation, the sum of the loss-cone loss current and the neoclassical bulk viscosity current is found to behave as the experimentally observed radial current that excites the radial electric field within a few factors of magnitude. PMID:27489128

Automatic location of L/H transition times for physical studies with a large statistical basis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, S.; Vega, J.; Murari, A.; Pereira, A.; Dormido-Canto, S.; Ramírez, J. M.; contributors, JET-EFDA

2012-06-01

Completely automatic techniques to estimate and validate L/H transition times can be essential in L/H transition analyses. The generation of databases with hundreds of transition times and without human intervention is an important step to accomplish (a) L/H transition physics analysis, (b) validation of L/H theoretical models and (c) creation of L/H scaling laws. An entirely unattended methodology is presented in this paper to build large databases of transition times in JET using time series. The proposed technique has been applied to a dataset of 551 JET discharges between campaigns C21 and C26. A prediction with discharges that show a clear signature in time series is made through the locating properties of the wavelet transform. It is an accurate prediction and the uncertainty interval is ±3.2 ms. The discharges with a non-clear pattern in the time series use an L/H mode classifier based on discharges with a clear signature. In this case, the estimation error shows a distribution with mean and standard deviation of 27.9 ms and 37.62 ms, respectively. Two different regression methods have been applied to the measurements acquired at the transition times identified by the automatic system. The obtained scaling laws for the threshold power are not significantly different from those obtained using the data at the transition times determined manually by the experts. The automatic methods allow performing physical studies with a large number of discharges, showing, for example, that there are statistically different types of transitions characterized by different scaling laws.

Anomalous transport in the H-mode pedestal of Alcator C-Mod discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pankin, A. Y.; Hughes, J. W.; Greenwald, M. J.; Kritz, A. H.; Rafiq, T.

2017-02-01

Anomalous transport in the H-mode pedestal region of five Alcator C-Mod discharges, representing a collisionality scan is analyzed. The understanding of anomalous transport in the pedestal region is important for the development of a comprehensive model for the H-mode pedestal slope. In this research, a possible role of the drift resistive inertial ballooning modes (Rafiq et al 2010 Phys. Plasmas 17 082511) in the edge of Alcator C-Mod discharges is analyzed. The stability analysis, carried out using the TRANSP code, indicates that the DRIBM modes are strongly unstable in Alcator C-Mod discharges with large electron collisionality. An improved interpretive analysis of H-mode pedestal experimental data is carried out utilizing the additive flux minimization technique (Pankin et al 2013 Phys. Plasmas 20 102501) together with the guiding-center neoclassical kinetic XGC0 code. The neoclassical and neutral physics are simulated in the XGC0 code and the anomalous fluxes are computed using the additive flux minimization technique. The anomalous fluxes are reconstructed and compared with each other for the collisionality scan Alcator C-Mod discharges. It is found that the electron thermal anomalous diffusivities at the pedestal top increase with the electron collisionality. This dependence can also point to the drift resistive inertial ballooning modes as the modes that drive the anomalous transport in the plasma edge of highly collisional discharges.

Short wavelength turbulence generated by shear in the quiescent H-mode edge on DIII–D

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

Rost, J. C.; Porkolab, M.; Dorris, J.

2014-06-15

A region of turbulence with large radial wavenumber (k{sub r}ρ{sub s}>1) is found in the high-shear portion of the plasma edge in Quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) on DIII–D using the Phase Contrast Imaging (PCI) diagnostic. At its peak outside the minimum of the E{sub r} well, the turbulence exhibits large amplitude n{sup ~}/n∼40%, with large radial wavenumber |k{sup ¯}{sub r}/k{sup ¯}{sub θ}|∼11 and short radial correlation length L{sub r}/ρ{sub i}∼0.2. The turbulence inside the E{sub r} well minimum is characterized by the opposite sign in radial wavenumber from that of turbulence outside the minimum, consistent with the expected effects of velocitymore » shear. The PCI diagnostic provides a line-integrated measurement of density fluctuations, so data are taken during a scan of plasma position at constant parameters to allow the PCI to sample a range in k{sub r}/k{sub θ}. Analysis of the Doppler shift and plasma geometry allows the turbulence to be localized to a narrow region 3 mm inside the last closed flux surface, outside the minimum of the E{sub r} well. The turbulence amplitude and radial wavenumber and correlation length are determined by fitting the PCI results with a simple non-isotropic turbulence model with two regions of turbulence. These PCI observations, made in QH-mode, are qualitatively similar to those made in standard edge localized modes (ELM)-free H-mode and between ELMs, suggesting a similar role for large k{sub r} turbulence there.« less

Confinement effects on thin polymer films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalnoki-Veress, Karoly J. T.

We present the results of four projects investigating the effects of confinement on polymeric systems. The first study dealt with polymer blends that are quenched using a spincoating technique rather than a temperature quench. The mass fraction of two blends was varied to determine the effect of the substrate-blend interface on the thin film phase separation morphology. Quantitative measurements of the morphology on three different substrates revealed significant differences in the phase separation morphology as a result of the different wetting properties of the polymer blend on the substrates. The second project dealt with the effect of mechanical confinement on the phase separation of polymer blend thin films. We measured the phase separation morphology of polystyrene/poly (methyl methacrylate) (PS/PMMA) blend films of thickness h on a silicon oxide (SiOx) substrate with a SiOx capping layer. A novel phase separation morphology was observed for small capping layer thicknesses L as well as a transition from lateral to lamellar morphology as L is increased. A simple model is presented which explains the observed lateral morphology, and the morphology transition, in terms of a balance between the free energy increase associated with forming the interfaces between PS-rich and PMMA-rich domains, and the free energy increase associated with the elastic bending of the SiOx capping layer. Direct control of the amplitude and period of the deformation is achieved by varying h and L. Reasonable agreement is obtained between the predicted amplitude of the rippling of the film surface and that measured directly using atomic force microscopy. For temperatures greater than the glass transition temperature Tg, thin freely-standing polymer films are unstable to the formation of holes. In the third project, we have studied the formation and growth of two types of holes: those which form spontaneously when the films are heated above Tg, and those purposely nucleated using a heated

pH-dependent optical properties of N-acetyl-L-cysteine-capped ZnSe(S) nanocrystals with intense/stable emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soheyli, Ehsan; Sahraei, Reza; Nabiyouni, Gholamreza

2017-03-01

In the present study, a series of aqueous-based ZnSe(S) nanocrystals (NCs) was prepared at different solution pH ranging from 8 to 11.9, and using N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) as capping agent. In addition to zinc blende structure, the X-ray diffraction studies demonstrated the quantum size regime of the ZnSe(S) NCs. To gain further insight toward the influence of the quantum confinement and pH values on optical properties of the as-prepared NCs, their UV-visible absorption and photoluminescence spectra were systematically analyzed. The absorption spectra experienced a red shift from 340 to 382 nm as the pH increased from 8.0 to 11.9, indicating the growth of the as-prepared ZnSe(S) NCs. The emission spectra also show the obvious red shift and the relative area of excitonic to trap emission, firstly increases from pH = 8.0 to 10.7, and then decreases by further increasing of the solution pH. The initial behavior might be due to the improved surface passivation of the trap dangling states by better deprotonation of thiol groups in NAC, whereas at pH >10.7, the faster growth rate of the ZnSe(s) NCs may lead to the formation of many defect sites. All of these phenomena were combined in the scheme which displays the effect of quantum confinement and solution pH on variation of the excitonic and trap-related emissions.

Identification of new turbulence contributions to plasma transport and confinement in spherical tokamak regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, W. X.; Ethier, S.; Ren, Y.; Kaye, S.; Chen, J.; Startsev, E.; Lu, Z.; Li, Z. Q.

2015-10-01

Highly distinct features of spherical tokamaks (ST), such as National Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX) and NSTX-U, result in a different fusion plasma regime with unique physics properties compared to conventional tokamaks. Nonlinear global gyrokinetic simulations critical for addressing turbulence and transport physics in the ST regime have led to new insights. The drift wave Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability characterized by intrinsic mode asymmetry is identified in strongly rotating NSTX L-mode plasmas. While the strong E ×B shear associated with the rotation leads to a reduction in KH/ion temperature gradient turbulence, the remaining fluctuations can produce a significant ion thermal transport that is comparable to the experimental level in the outer core region (with no "transport shortfall"). The other new, important turbulence source identified in NSTX is the dissipative trapped electron mode (DTEM), which is believed to play little role in conventional tokamak regime. Due to the high fraction of trapped electrons, long wavelength DTEMs peaking around kθρs˜0.1 are destabilized in NSTX collisionality regime by electron density and temperature gradients achieved there. Surprisingly, the E ×B shear stabilization effect on DTEM is remarkably weak, which makes it a major turbulence source in the ST regime dominant over collisionless TEM (CTEM). The latter, on the other hand, is subject to strong collisional and E ×B shear suppression in NSTX. DTEM is shown to produce significant particle, energy and toroidal momentum transport, in agreement with experimental levels in NSTX H-modes. Moreover, DTEM-driven transport in NSTX parametric regime is found to increase with electron collision frequency, providing one possible source for the scaling of confinement time observed in NSTX H-modes. Most interestingly, the existence of a turbulence-free regime in the collision-induced CTEM to DTEM transition, corresponding to a minimum plasma transport in advanced ST

Identification of new turbulence contributions to plasma transport and confinement in spherical tokamak regime

DOE PAGES

Wang, W. X.; Ethier, S.; Ren, Y.; ...

2015-10-15

Highly distinct features of spherical tokamaks (ST), such as National Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX) and NSTX-U, result in a different fusion plasma regime with unique physics properties compared to conventional tokamaks. Nonlinear global gyrokinetic simulations critical for addressing turbulence and transport physics in the ST regime have led to new insights. The drift wave Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability characterized by intrinsic mode asymmetry is identified in strongly rotating NSTX L-mode plasmas. While the strong E x B shear associated with the rotation leads to a reduction in KH/ion temperature gradient turbulence, the remaining fluctuations can produce a significant ion thermal transportmore » that is comparable to the experimental level in the outer core region (with no "transport shortfall"). The other new, important turbulence source identified in NSTX is the dissipative trapped electron mode (DTEM), which is believed to play little role in conventional tokamak regime. Due to the high fraction of trapped electrons, long wavelength DTEMs peaking around k θρs ~ 0.1 are destabilized in NSTX collisionality regime by electron density and temperature gradients achieved there. Surprisingly, the E x B shear stabilization effect on DTEM is remarkably weak, which makes it a major turbulence source in the ST regime dominant over collisionless TEM (CTEM). The latter, on the other hand, is subject to strong collisional and E x B shear suppression in NSTX. DTEM is shown to produce significant particle, energy and toroidal momentum transport, in agreement with experimental levels in NSTX H-modes. Furthermore, DTEM-driven transport in NSTX parametric regime is found to increase with electron collision frequency, providing one possible source for the scaling of confinement time observed in NSTX H-modes. Most interestingly, the existence of a turbulence-free regime in the collision-induced CTEM to DTEM transition, corresponding to a minimum plasma transport in

catena-Poly[copper(II)-mu-L-tyrosyl-L-leucinato].

PubMed

Baggio, Ricardo; Casado, Nieves M C; Calvo, Rafael; Rapp, Raul E; Garland, María Teresa

2005-05-01

In the title compound, [Cu(C15H20N2O4)]n, the copper(II) coordination is square planar. The anionic L-tyrosyl-L-leucinate ligand binds in an N,N',O-tridentate mode to one Cu(II) cation on one side and in an O-monodentate mode to a second Cu(II) cation on the other side, thus defining -Cu-O-C-O-Cu'- chains which run along the a axis. These chains are held together by a strong hydrogen bond involving the hydroxy H atom.

H-localized mode in chains of hydrogen-bonded amide groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barthes, Mariette; Kellouai, Hassan; Page, Gabriel; Moret, Jacques; Johnson, Susanna W.; Eckert, Juergen

1993-09-01

New infrared measurements of the anomalous amide modes in acetanilide and its derivatives are presented. Preliminary results of structural data obtained by neutron diffraction at low temperature are also described. Besides the well-known anomalous amide-1 mode (1650 cm -1), it is shown that the NH out-of-plane bend (770 cm -1) and the “H-bond strain” (at about 105 cm -1) exhibit an anomalous increase of intensity proportional to the law exp(- T2/ Θ2), suggesting that the amide proton bears a significant electronic distribution as formerly observed for H - localized modes. Structural data, moreover, show that the thermal ellips of the amide proton has an increasing anisotropy at 15 K. Considering these new results, the theoretical model of a self-trapped “polaronic” state seems to be the most consistent with the whole set of observed anomalies in this family of crystals.

Molecular dynamic heterogeneity of confined lipid films by 1H magnetization-exchange nuclear magnetic resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buda, A.; Demco, D. E.; Jagadeesh, B.; Blümich, B.

2005-01-01

The molecular dynamic heterogeneity of monolayer to submonolayer thin lecithin films confined to submicron cylindrical pores were investigated by 1H magnetization exchange nuclear magnetic resonance. In this experiment a z-magnetization gradient was generated by a double-quantum dipolar filter. The magnetization-exchange decay and buildup curves were interpreted with the help of a theoretical model based on the approximation of a one-dimensional spin-diffusion process in a three-domain morphology. The dynamic heterogeneity of the fatty acid chains and the effects of the surface area per molecule, the diameter of the pores, and the temperature were characterized with the help of local spin-diffusion coefficients. The effect of various parameters on the molecular dynamics of the mobile region of the fatty acid chains was quantified by introducing an ad hoc Gaussian distribution function of the 1H residual dipolar couplings. For the lipid films investigated in this study, the surface induced order and the geometrical confinement affect the chain dynamics of the entire molecule. Therefore, each part of the chain independently reflects the effect of surface coverage, pore size, and temperature.

Exploration of the Super H-mode regime on DIII-D and potential advantages for burning plasma devices

DOE PAGES

Solomon, W. M.; Snyder, P. B.; Bortolon, A.; ...

2016-03-25

In a new high pedestal regime ("Super H-mode") we predicted and accessed DIII-D. Super H-mode was first achieved on DIII-D using a quiescent H-mode edge, enabling a smooth trajectory through pedestal parameter space. By exploiting Super H-mode, it has been possible to access high pedestal pressures at high normalized densities. And while elimination of Edge localized modes (ELMs) is beneficial for Super H-mode, it may not be a requirement, as recent experiments have maintained high pedestals with ELMs triggered by lithium granule injection. Simulations using TGLF for core transport and the EPED model for the pedestal find that ITER canmore » benefit from the improved performance associated with Super H-mode, with increased values of fusion power and gain possible. In similar studies demonstrate that the Super H-mode pedestal can be advantageous for a steady-state power plant, by providing a path to increasing the bootstrap current while simultaneously reducing the demands on the core physics performance.« less

Strong coupling between 0D and 2D modes in optical open microcavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trichet, A. A. P.; Dolan, P. R.; Smith, J. M.

2018-02-01

We present a study of the coupling between confined modes and continuum states in an open microcavity system. The confined states are the optical modes of a plano-concave Fabry-Pérot cavity while the continuum states are the propagating modes in a surrounding planar cavity. The length tunability of the open cavity system allows to study the evolution of localised modes as they are progressively deconfined and coupled to the propagating modes. We observe an anti-crossing between the confined and propagating modes proving that mode-mixing takes place in between these two families of modes, and identify 0D-2D mixed modes which exhibit reduced loss compared with their highly localised counterparts. For practical design, we investigate the details of the microcavity shape that can be used to engineer the degree of mode-mixing. This study discusses for the first time experimentally and theoretically how light confinement arises in planar micromirrors and is of interest for the realisation of chip-based extended microphotonics using open cavities.

Computer simulation of liquid-vapor coexistence of confined quantum fluids

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

Trejos, Víctor M.; Gil-Villegas, Alejandro, E-mail: gil@fisica.ugto.mx; Martinez, Alejandro

2013-11-14

The liquid-vapor coexistence (LV) of bulk and confined quantum fluids has been studied by Monte Carlo computer simulation for particles interacting via a semiclassical effective pair potential V{sub eff}(r) = V{sub LJ} + V{sub Q}, where V{sub LJ} is the Lennard-Jones 12-6 potential (LJ) and V{sub Q} is the first-order Wigner-Kirkwood (WK-1) quantum potential, that depends on β = 1/kT and de Boer's quantumness parameter Λ=h/σ√(mε), where k and h are the Boltzmann's and Planck's constants, respectively, m is the particle's mass, T is the temperature of the system, and σ and ε are the LJ potential parameters. The non-conformalmore » properties of the system of particles interacting via the effective pair potential V{sub eff}(r) are due to Λ, since the LV phase diagram is modified by varying Λ. We found that the WK-1 system gives an accurate description of the LV coexistence for bulk phases of several quantum fluids, obtained by the Gibbs Ensemble Monte Carlo method (GEMC). Confinement effects were introduced using the Canonical Ensemble (NVT) to simulate quantum fluids contained within parallel hard walls separated by a distance L{sub p}, within the range 2σ ⩽ L{sub p} ⩽ 6σ. The critical temperature of the system is reduced by decreasing L{sub p} and increasing Λ, and the liquid-vapor transition is not longer observed for L{sub p}/σ < 2, in contrast to what has been observed for the classical system.« less

Dependence of the L-Mode scrape-off layer power fall-off length on the upper triangularity in TCV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faitsch, M.; Maurizio, R.; Gallo, A.; Coda, S.; Eich, T.; Labit, B.; Merle, A.; Reimerdes, H.; Sieglin, B.; Theiler, C.; the Eurofusion MST1 Team; the TCV Team

2018-04-01

This paper reports on experimental observations on TCV with a scan in upper triangularity {δ }up}, including negative triangularity, focusing on the power fall-off length {λ }{{q}} in L-Mode. The upper triangularity is scanned from -0.28 to 0.47. Smaller {λ }{{q}}out} is measured at the outer divertor target for decreasing {δ }up} together with higher edge temperature {T}{{e},{edge}} leading to increased confinement. This effect is observed for both magnetic drift directions for discharges in deuterium and helium. In helium larger {λ }{{q}} values are observed compared to deuterium. The power fall-off length at the inner divertor target {λ }{{q}}in} has a non-monotonic behaviour with changing triangularity. The largest values are around {δ }up}=0. The ratio {λ }{{q}}in}/{λ }{{q}}out} increases for decreasing {δ }up} for positive triangularity and is approximately constant for negative triangularity. {λ }{{q}}out} is compared to available scaling laws. Partial agreement is only observed for a scaling law containing a proxy for {T}{{e},{edge}} at ASDEX Upgrade (Sieglin 2016 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 58 055015). Extending this scaling to TCV and using {T}{{e},{edge}} at {ρ }pol}=0.95 suggests that {λ }{{q}}out} is independent of machine size {λ }{{q}}{{L} - {Mode}} ({mm}) = 165\\cdot {B}pol}{({{T}})}-0.66\\cdot A{({{u}})}-0.15\\cdot {T}{{e},{edge}}{({eV})}-0.93\\cdot R{({{m}})}-0.03. Possible explanations for smaller {λ }{{q}}out} for decreasing {δ }up} is a reduction in turbulence or a direct effect of increasing {T}{{e},{edge}}.

Edge Plasma behavior during Improved Confinement by Lower Hybrid Wave Heating in HT-6M Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jian-gang; Bao, Yi; Luo, Jia-rong; Wan, Bao-nian; Liu, Yue-xiu; Gong, Xian-zu; Chen, Jun-ling; Liang, Yun-feng

2002-10-01

Lower hybrid heating (LHH) has been successfully carried out in the HT-6M tokamak. The H-mode has been obtained with a power threshold of 50 kW under a boronized wall condition. Both energy and particle confinements have been improved along with a dropped edge plasma density and an increase electron temperature during the LHH phase. A negative Er well plays a key role of triggering and sustaining the good confinement. Both electrostatic fluctuation of the plasma potential and the density fluctuations dropped to an ultra-low level. The observation of an enhanced Er shear before the reduction in turbulence level is consistent with an increased Er shear as the cause of turbulence suppression.

Diffusive and rotational dynamics of condensed n-H2 confined in MCM-41

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

Prisk, Timothy R; Bryan, Matthew; Sokol, Paul E

2014-01-01

In this paper, we report an inelastic neutron scattering study of liquid and solid n-H2 confined within MCM-41. This is a high surface area, mesoporous silica glass with a narrow pore size distribution centered at 3.5 nm. The scattering data provides information about the diffusive and rotational dynamics of the adsorbed n-H2 at low temperatures. In the liquid state, the neutron scattering data demonstrates that only a fraction of the adsorbed o-H2 is mobile on the picosecond time scale. This mobile fraction undergoes liquid-like jump diffusion, and values for the residence time t and effective mean-squared displacement hu2i are reportedmore » as a function of pore filling. In the solid state, the rotational energy levels of adsorbed H2 are strongly perturbed from their free quantum rotor behavior in the bulk solid. The underlying orientational potential of the hindered rotors is due to the surface roughness and heterogeneity of the MCM-41 pore walls. This potential is compared to the hindering potential of other porous silicas, such as Vycor. Strong selective adsorption makes the interfacial layer rich in o-H2, leaving the inner core volume consisting of a depleted mixture of o-H2 and p-H2.« less

Nanopore Confinement of C-O-H Fluids Relevant to Subsurface Energy Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cole, D. R.

2016-12-01

Complex intermolecular interactions of C-O-H fluids (e.g., H2O, CO2, CH4) result in their unique thermophysical properties, including large deviations in the volumetric properties from ideality, vapor-liquid equilibria, and critical phenomena as these fluids encounter different pressure-temperature-pore network conditions in the crust. Development of a comprehensive understanding of the structures, dynamics, and reactivity at multiple length scales (molecular to macroscopic) over wide ranges of state conditions and composition is foundational to advances in quantifying geochemical processes involving mineral-fluid interfaces. The size, distribution and connectivity of these confined geometries dictate how fluids migrate into and through these micro- and nano-environments, wet and react with the solid. This presentation will provide an overview of the application of state-of-the-art experimental, analytical and computational tools to assess key features of the fluid-matrix interaction. The multidisciplinary approaches highlighted will include neutron scattering and NMR experiments, thermodynamic measurements and molecular-level simulations to quantitatively assess molecular properties of different mixtures of C-O-H fluids in nanpores. Key results include: (1) The addition of a second carbon-bearing phase or water has a profound effect on the competition for sorption sites, phase chemistry and the dynamical properties of all phases present in the pore. (2) Low solubility phases such as methane may exhibit profound increases in concentration in nanopores in the presence of water at elevated pressures and ambient temperature compared to bulk values. (3) Methane permeability through the hydrated pores is strongly dependent on the solid substrate and local properties of confined water, including its structure and, more importantly, evolution of solvation free energy and hydrogen bond structure. (4) Under certain conditions preferential adsorption of the fluids in the

X-Divertor Geometries for Deeper Detachment Without Degrading the DIII-D H-Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Covele, Brent; Kotschenreuther, M. T.; Valanju, P. M.; Mahajan, S. M.; Leonard, A. W.; Hyatt, A. W.; McLean, A. G.; Thomas, D. M.; Guo, H. Y.; Watkins, J. G.; Makowski, M. A.; Hill, D. N.

2015-11-01

Recent DIII-D experiments comparing the standard divertor (SD) and X-Divertor (XD) geometries show heat and particle flux reduction at the divertor target plate. The XD features large poloidal flux expansion, increased connection length, and poloidal field line flaring, quantified by the Divertor Index. Both SD and XD were pushed deep into detachment with increased gas puffing, until core energy confinement and pedestal pressure were substantially reduced. As expected, outboard target heat fluxes are significantly reduced in the XD compared to the SD under similar upstream plasma conditions, even at low Greenwald fraction. The high-triangularity (floor) XD cases show larger reduction in temperature, heat, and particle flux relative to the SD in all cases, while low-triangularity (shelf) XD cases show more modest reductions over the SD. Consequently, heat flux reduction and divertor detachment may be achieved in the XD with less gas puffing and higher pedestal pressures. Further causative analysis, as well as detailed modeling with SOLPS, is underway. These initial experiments suggest the XD as a promising candidate to achieve divertor heat flux control compatible with robust H-mode operation. Work supported by US DOE under DE-FC02-04ER54698, DE-AC52-07NA27344, DE-FG02-04ER54754, and DE-FG02-04ER54742.

Quiescent H-mode plasmas with strong edge rotation in the cocurrent direction.

PubMed

Burrell, K H; Osborne, T H; Snyder, P B; West, W P; Fenstermacher, M E; Groebner, R J; Gohil, P; Leonard, A W; Solomon, W M

2009-04-17

For the first time in any tokamak, quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) plasmas have been created with strong edge rotation in the direction of the plasma current. This confirms the theoretical prediction that the QH mode should exist with either sign of the edge rotation provided the magnitude of the shear in the edge rotation is sufficiently large and demonstrates that counterinjection and counteredge rotation are not essential for the QH mode. Accordingly, the present work demonstrates a substantial broadening of the QH-mode operating space and represents a significant confirmation of the theory.

Dynamic "Scanning-Mode" Meniscus Confined Electrodepositing and Micropatterning of Individually Addressable Ultraconductive Copper Line Arrays.

PubMed

Lei, Yu; Zhang, Xianyun; Xu, Dingding; Yu, Minfeng; Yi, Zhiran; Li, Zhixiang; Sun, Aihua; Xu, Gaojie; Cui, Ping; Guo, Jianjun

2018-05-03

Micro- and nanopatterning of cost-effective addressable metallic nanostructures has been a long endeavor in terms of both scientific understanding and industrial needs. Herein, a simple and efficient dynamic meniscus-confined electrodeposition (MCED) technique for precisely positioned copper line micropatterns with superior electrical conductivity (greater than 1.57 × 10 4 S/cm) on glass, silicon, and gold substrates is reported. An unexpected higher printing speed in the evaporative regime is realized for precisely positioned copper lines patterns with uniform width and height under horizontal scanning-mode. The final line height and width depend on the typical behavior of traditional flow coating process, while the surface morphologies and roughness are mainly governed by evaporation-driven electrocrystallization dynamics near the receding moving contact line. Integrated 3D structures and a rapid prototyping of 3D hot-wire anemometer are further demonstrated, which is very important for the freedom integration applications in advanced conceptual devices, such as miniaturized electronics and biomedical sensors and actuators.

Emergent patterns of collective cell migration under tubular confinement.

PubMed

Xi, Wang; Sonam, Surabhi; Beng Saw, Thuan; Ladoux, Benoit; Teck Lim, Chwee

2017-11-15

Collective epithelial behaviors are essential for the development of lumens in organs. However, conventional assays of planar systems fail to replicate cell cohorts of tubular structures that advance in concerted ways on out-of-plane curved and confined surfaces, such as ductal elongation in vivo. Here, we mimic such coordinated tissue migration by forming lumens of epithelial cell sheets inside microtubes of 1-10 cell lengths in diameter. We show that these cell tubes reproduce the physiological apical-basal polarity, and have actin alignment, cell orientation, tissue organization, and migration modes that depend on the extent of tubular confinement and/or curvature. In contrast to flat constraint, the cell sheets in a highly constricted smaller microtube demonstrate slow motion with periodic relaxation, but fast overall movement in large microtubes. Altogether, our findings provide insights into the emerging migratory modes for epithelial migration and growth under tubular confinement, which are reminiscent of the in vivo scenario.

H-mode achievement and edge features in RFX-mod tokamak operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spolaore, M.; Cavazzana, R.; Marrelli, L.; Carraro, L.; Franz, P.; Spagnolo, S.; Zaniol, B.; Zuin, M.; Cordaro, L.; Dal Bello, S.; De Masi, G.; Ferro, A.; Finotti, C.; Grando, L.; Grenfell, G.; Innocente, P.; Kudlacek, O.; Marchiori, G.; Martines, E.; Momo, B.; Paccagnella, R.; Piovesan, P.; Piron, C.; Puiatti, M. E.; Recchia, M.; Scarin, P.; Taliercio, C.; Vianello, N.; Zanotto, L.

2017-11-01

The RFX-mod experiment is a fusion device designed to operate as a reversed field pinch (RFP), with a major radius R = 2 m and a minor radius a = 0.459 m. Its high versatility recently allowed operating it also as an ohmic tokamak, allowing comparative studies between the two configurations in the same device. The device is equipped with a state of the art MHD mode feedback control system providing a magnetic boundary effective control, by applying resonant or non-resonant magnetic perturbations (MP), both in RFP and in tokamak configurations. In the fusion community the application of MPs is widely studied as a promising tool to limit the impact of plasma filaments and ELMs (edge localized modes) on plasma facing components. An important new research line is the exploitation of the RFX-mod active control system for ELM mitigation studies. As a first step in this direction, this paper presents the most recent achievements in term of RFX-mod tokamak explored scenarios, which allowed the first investigation of the ohmic and edge biasing induced H-mode. The production of D-shaped tokamak discharges and the design and deployment of an insertable polarized electrode were accomplished. Reproducible H-mode phases were obtained with insertable electrode negative biasing in single null discharges, representing an unexplored scenario with this technique. Important modifications of the edge plasma density and flow properties are observed. During the achieved H-mode ELM-like electromagnetic composite filamentary structures are observed. They are characterized by clear vorticity and parallel current density patterns.

Linear instability regimes in L-mode edges using reduced MHD models in BOUT + +

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bass, Eric; Holland, Chris; Cohen, Bruce; Umansky, Maxim

2016-10-01

We compare linear instabilities in the edge of two DIII-D L-mode discharges using reduced two-fluid MHD models implemented in BOUT + +. Discharge 119919, a case used in a previous BOUT + + validation study, has a cold edge and is dominated by resistive ballooning modes (RBMs). Hotter discharge 128913, an L-mode shortfall benchmark case, is drift-wave (DW) dominant. The model captures essential drift wave physics through the electron pressure parallel gradient drive term in the A| | evolution. At relevant toroidal mode numbers (50-200), the leading DWs in 128913 are flutelike with high kr and require about an order of magnitude greater radial resolution than the leading RBMs in 119919. We quantify when such high kr modes must be resolved in practice. To aid eigenfunction confirmation, and to identify potential subdominant DWs, a companion eigenvalue solver for the BOUT + + models is under development. Prepared by UCSD under Contract Number DE-FG02-06ER54871.

Divertor heat flux simulations in ELMy H-mode discharges of EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, T. Y.; Xu, X. Q.; Wu, Y. B.; Huang, Y. Q.; Wang, L.; Zheng, Z.; Liu, J. B.; Zang, Q.; Li, Y. Y.; Zhao, D.; EAST Team

2017-11-01

This paper presents heat flux simulations for the ELMy H-mode on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) using a six-field two-fluid model in BOUT++. Three EAST ELMy H-mode discharges with different plasma currents I p and geometries are studied. The trend of the scrape-off layer width λq with I p is reproduced by the simulation. The simulated width is only half of that derived from the EAST scaling law, but agrees well with the international multi-machine scaling law. Note that there is no radio-frequency (RF) heating scheme in the simulations, and RF heating can change the boundary topology and increase the flux expansion. Anomalous electron transport is found to contribute to the divertor heat fluxes. A coherent mode is found in the edge region in simulations. The frequency and poloidal wave number kθ are in the range of the edge coherent mode in EAST. The magnetic fluctuations of the mode are smaller than the electric field fluctuations. Statistical analysis of the type of turbulence shows that the turbulence transport type (blobby or turbulent) does not influence the heat flux width scaling. The two-point model differs from the simulation results but the drift-based model shows good agreement with simulations.

Dependence of recycling and edge profiles on lithium evaporation in high triangularity, high performance NSTX H-mode discharges.

DOE PAGES

Maingi, R.; Osborne, T. H.; Bell, M. G.; ...

2014-11-04

In this paper, the effects of a pre-discharge lithium evaporation variation on highly shaped discharges in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) are documented. Lithium wall conditioning (‘dose’) was routinely applied onto graphite plasma facing components between discharges in NSTX, partly to reduce recycling. Reduced D α emission from the lower and upper divertor and center stack was observed, as well as reduced midplane neutral pressure; the magnitude of reduction increased with the pre-discharge lithium dose. Improved energy confinement, both raw τ E and H-factor normalized to scalings, with increasing lithium dose was also observed. At the highest doses, wemore » also observed elimination of edge-localized modes. The midplane edge plasma profiles were dramatically altered, comparable to lithium dose scans at lower shaping, where the strike point was farther from the lithium deposition centroid. As a result, this indicates that the benefits of lithium conditioning should apply to the highly shaped plasmas planned in NSTX-U.« less

Reversible hydrogen storage by NaAlH4 confined within a titanium-functionalized MOF-74(Mg) nanoreactor.

PubMed

Stavila, Vitalie; Bhakta, Raghunandan K; Alam, Todd M; Majzoub, Eric H; Allendorf, Mark D

2012-11-27

We demonstrate that NaAlH(4) confined within the nanopores of a titanium-functionalized metal-organic framework (MOF) template MOF-74(Mg) can reversibly store hydrogen with minimal loss of capacity. Hydride-infiltrated samples were synthesized by melt infiltration, achieving loadings up to 21 wt %. MOF-74(Mg) possesses one-dimensional, 12 Å channels lined with Mg atoms having open coordination sites, which can serve as sites for Ti catalyst stabilization. MOF-74(Mg) is stable under repeated hydrogen desorption and hydride regeneration cycles, allowing it to serve as a "nanoreactor". Confining NaAlH(4) within these pores alters the decomposition pathway by eliminating the stable intermediate Na(3)AlH(6) phase observed during bulk decomposition and proceeding directly to NaH, Al, and H(2), in agreement with theory. The onset of hydrogen desorption for both Ti-doped and undoped nano-NaAlH(4)@MOF-74(Mg) is ∼50 °C, nearly 100 °C lower than bulk NaAlH(4). However, the presence of titanium is not necessary for this increase in desorption kinetics but enables rehydriding to be almost fully reversible. Isothermal kinetic studies indicate that the activation energy for H(2) desorption is reduced from 79.5 kJ mol(-1) in bulk Ti-doped NaAlH(4) to 57.4 kJ mol(-1) for nanoconfined NaAlH(4). The structural properties of nano-NaAlH(4)@MOF-74(Mg) were probed using (23)Na and (27)Al solid-state MAS NMR, which indicates that the hydride is not decomposed during infiltration and that Al is present as tetrahedral AlH(4)(-) anions prior to desorption and as Al metal after desorption. Because of the highly ordered MOF structure and monodisperse pore dimensions, our results allow key template features to be identified to ensure reversible, low-temperature hydrogen storage.

UCSD Performance in the Edge Plasma Simulation (EPSI) Project. Final Report

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

Tynan, George Robert

This report contains a final report on the activities of UC San Diego PI G.R. Tynan and his collaborators as part of the EPSI Project, that was led by Dr. C.S. Chang, from PPPL. As a part of our work, we carried out several experiments on the ALCATOR C-­MOD tokamak device, aimed at unraveling the “trigger” or cause of the spontaneous transition from low-­mode confinement (L-­mode) to high confinement (H-­mode) that is universally observed in tokamak devices, and is planned for use in ITER.

Probing the ultimate plasmon confinement limits with a van der Waals heterostructure.

PubMed

Alcaraz Iranzo, David; Nanot, Sébastien; Dias, Eduardo J C; Epstein, Itai; Peng, Cheng; Efetov, Dmitri K; Lundeberg, Mark B; Parret, Romain; Osmond, Johann; Hong, Jin-Yong; Kong, Jing; Englund, Dirk R; Peres, Nuno M R; Koppens, Frank H L

2018-04-20

The ability to confine light into tiny spatial dimensions is important for applications such as microscopy, sensing, and nanoscale lasers. Although plasmons offer an appealing avenue to confine light, Landau damping in metals imposes a trade-off between optical field confinement and losses. We show that a graphene-insulator-metal heterostructure can overcome that trade-off, and demonstrate plasmon confinement down to the ultimate limit of the length scale of one atom. This is achieved through far-field excitation of plasmon modes squeezed into an atomically thin hexagonal boron nitride dielectric spacer between graphene and metal rods. A theoretical model that takes into account the nonlocal optical response of both graphene and metal is used to describe the results. These ultraconfined plasmonic modes, addressed with far-field light excitation, enable a route to new regimes of ultrastrong light-matter interactions. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Interaction of Fast Ions with Global Plasma Modes in the C-2 Field Reversed Configuration Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, Artem; Dettrick, Sean; Clary, Ryan; Korepanov, Sergey; Thompson, Matthew; Trask, Erik; Tuszewski, Michel

2012-10-01

A high-confinement operating regime [1] with plasma lifetimes significantly exceeding past empirical scaling laws was recently obtained by combining plasma gun edge biasing and tangential Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) in the C-2 field-reversed configuration (FRC) experiment [2, 3]. We present experimental and computational results on the interaction of fast ions with the n=2 rotational and n=1 wobble modes in the C-2 FRC. It is found that the n=2 mode is similar to quadrupole magnetic fields in its detrimental effect on the fast ion transport due to symmetry breaking. The plasma gun generates an inward radial electric field, thus stabilizing the n=2 rotational instability without applying the quadrupole magnetic fields. The resultant FRCs are nearly axisymmetric, which enables fast ion confinement. The NBI further suppresses the n=2 mode, improves the plasma confinement characteristics, and increases the plasma configuration lifetime [4]. The n=1 wobble mode has relatively little effect on the fast ion transport, likely due to the approximate axisymmetry about the displaced plasma column. [4pt] [1] M. Tuszewski et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 255008 (2012).[0pt] [2] M. Binderbauer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 045003 (2010).[0pt] [3] H.Y. Guo et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 056110 (2011).[0pt] [4] M. Tuszewski et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 056108 (2012)

Gyrokinetic modeling of impurity peaking in JET H-mode plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manas, P.; Camenen, Y.; Benkadda, S.; Weisen, H.; Angioni, C.; Casson, F. J.; Giroud, C.; Gelfusa, M.; Maslov, M.

2017-06-01

Quantitative comparisons are presented between gyrokinetic simulations and experimental values of the carbon impurity peaking factor in a database of JET H-modes during the carbon wall era. These plasmas feature strong NBI heating and hence high values of toroidal rotation and corresponding gradient. Furthermore, the carbon profiles present particularly interesting shapes for fusion devices, i.e., hollow in the core and peaked near the edge. Dependencies of the experimental carbon peaking factor ( R / L nC ) on plasma parameters are investigated via multilinear regressions. A marked correlation between R / L nC and the normalised toroidal rotation gradient is observed in the core, which suggests an important role of the rotation in establishing hollow carbon profiles. The carbon peaking factor is then computed with the gyrokinetic code GKW, using a quasi-linear approach, supported by a few non-linear simulations. The comparison of the quasi-linear predictions to the experimental values at mid-radius reveals two main regimes. At low normalised collisionality, ν * , and T e / T i < 1 , the gyrokinetic simulations quantitatively recover experimental carbon density profiles, provided that rotodiffusion is taken into account. In contrast, at higher ν * and T e / T i > 1 , the very hollow experimental carbon density profiles are never predicted by the simulations and the carbon density peaking is systematically over estimated. This points to a possible missing ingredient in this regime.

Lattice gauge action suppressing near-zero modes of H{sub W}

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

Fukaya, Hidenori; Hashimoto, Shoji; Kaneko, Takashi

2006-11-01

We propose a lattice action including unphysical Wilson fermions with a negative mass m{sub 0} of the order of the inverse lattice spacing. With this action, the exact zero mode of the Hermitian Wilson-Dirac operator H{sub W}(m{sub 0}) cannot appear and near-zero modes are strongly suppressed. By measuring the spectral density {rho}({lambda}{sub W}), we find a gap near {lambda}{sub W}=0 on the configurations generated with the standard and improved gauge actions. This gap provides a necessary condition for the proof of the exponential locality of the overlap-Dirac operator by Hernandez, Jansen, and Luescher. Since the number of near-zero modes ismore » small, the numerical cost to calculate the matrix sign function of H{sub W}(m{sub 0}) is significantly reduced, and the simulation including dynamical overlap fermions becomes feasible. We also introduce a pair of twisted mass pseudofermions to cancel the unwanted higher mode effects of the Wilson fermions. The gauge coupling renormalization due to the additional fields is then minimized. The topological charge measured through the index of the overlap-Dirac operator is conserved during continuous evolutions of gauge field variables.« less

Low-to-High Confinement Transition Mediated by Turbulence Radial Wave Number Spectral Shift in a Fusion Plasma.

PubMed

Xu, G S; Wan, B N; Wang, H Q; Guo, H Y; Naulin, V; Rasmussen, J Juul; Nielsen, A H; Wu, X Q; Yan, N; Chen, L; Shao, L M; Chen, R; Wang, L; Zhang, W

2016-03-04

A new model for the low-to-high (L-H) confinement transition has been developed based on a new paradigm for turbulence suppression by velocity shear [G. M. Staebler et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 055003 (2013)]. The model indicates that the L-H transition can be mediated by a shift in the radial wave number spectrum of turbulence, as evidenced here, for the first time, by the direct observation of a turbulence radial wave number spectral shift and turbulence structure tilting prior to the L-H transition at tokamak edge by direct probing. This new mechanism does not require a pretransition overshoot in the turbulent Reynolds stress, shunting turbulence energy to zonal flows for turbulence suppression as demonstrated in the experiment.

Effects of low-Z and high-Z impurities on divertor detachment and plasma confinement

DOE PAGES

Wang, H. Q.; Guo, Houyang Y.; Petrie, Thomas W.; ...

2017-03-18

The impurity-seeded detached divertor is essential for heat exhaust in ITER and other reactor-relevant devices. Dedicated experiments with injection of N 2, Ne and Ar have been performed in DIII-D to assess the impact of the different impurities on divertor detachment and confinement. Seeding with N 2, Ne and Ar all promote divertor detachment, greatly reducing heat flux near the strike point. The upstream plasma density at the onset of detachment decreases with increasing impurity-puffing flow rates. For all injected impurity species, the confinement and pedestal pressure are correlated with the impurity content and the ratio of separatrix loss powermore » to the L-H transition threshold power. As the divertor plasma approaches detachment, the high-Z impurity seeding tends to degrade the core confinement owing to the increased core radiation. In particular, Ar injection leads to an increase in core radiation, up to 50% of the injected power, and a reduction in pedestal temperature over 60%, thus significantly degrading the confinement, i.e., with H 98 reducing from 1.1 to below 0.7. As for Ne seeding, H 98 near 0.8 can be maintained during the detachment phase with the pedestal temperature being reduced by about 50%. In contrast, in the N 2 seeded plasmas, radiation is predominately confined in the boundary plasma, with up to 50% of heating power being radiated in the divertor region and less than 25% in the core at the onset of detachment. In the case of strong N 2 gas puffing, the confinement recovers during the detachment, from ~20% reduction at the onset of the detachment to greater than that before the seeding. The core and pedestal temperatures feature a reduction of 30% from the initial attached phase and remain nearly constant during the detachment phase. The improvement in confinement appears to arise from the increase in pedestal and core density despite the temperature reduction.« less

Short wavelength turbulence generated by shear in the quiescent H-mode edge on DIII–D [Short wavelength turbulence generated by shear in the QH-mode edge on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Rost, Jon C.; Porkolab, Miklos; Dorris, James R.; ...

2014-06-17

A region of turbulence with large radial wavenumber (k rρ s > 1) is found in the high-shear portion of the plasma edge in Quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) on DIII{D using the Phase Contrast Imaging (PCI) diagnostic. At its peak outside the minimum of the E r well, the turbulence exhibits large amplitudemore » $$\\tilde{n}$$/n ~ 40%, with large radial wavenumber |$$\\bar{k}$$ r/ $$\\bar{k}$$ θ| ~ 11 and short radial correlation length L r/ρ i ~ 0.2. The turbulence inside the E r well minimum is characterized by the opposite sign in radial wavenumber from that of turbulence outside the minimum, consistent with the expected effects of velocity shear. The PCI diagnostic provides a line-integrated measurement of density uctuations, so data is taken during a scan of plasma position at constant parameters to allow the PCI to sample a range in k r/k θ . Analysis of the Doppler Shift and plasma geometry allows the turbulence to be localized to a narrow region 3 mm inside the last closed flux surface (LCFS), outside the minimum of the E r well. The turbulence amplitude and radial wavenumber and correlation length are determined by fitting the PCI results with a simple non-isotropic turbulence model with two regions of turbulence. Finally, these PCI observations, made in QH-mode, are qualitatively similar to those made in standard ELM-free H-mode and between edge localized modes (ELMs), suggesting a similar role for large k r turbulence there.« less

Stationary QH-mode plasmas with high and wide pedestal at low rotation on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Chen, Xi; Burrell, K. H.; Osborne, T. H.; ...

2016-09-30

A stationary, quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) regime with a wide pedestal and improved confinement at low rotation has been discovered on DIII-D with reactor relevant edge parameters and no ELMs. As the injected neutral beam torque is ramped down and the edge ExB rotation shear reduces, the transition from standard QH to the wide pedestal QH-mode occurs. And at the transition, the coherent edge harmonic oscillations (EHO) that usually regulate the standard QH edge cease and broadband edge MHD modes appear along with a rapid increase in the pedestal pressure height (by ≤60%) and width (by ≤50%). We posit that themore » enhanced edge turbulence-driven transport, enabled by the lower edge ExB flow shear due to lower torque reduces the pedestal gradient and, combined with the high edge instability limit provided by the balanced double-null plasma shape, permits the development of a broader and thus higher pedestal that is turbulence-transport-limited. Even with the significantly enhanced pedestal pressure, the edge operating point is below the peeling ballooning mode stability boundary and thus without ELMs. Improved transport in the outer core region (0.8≤ρ≤0.9) owing to increased ExB flow shear in that region and the enhanced pedestal boost the overall confinement by up to 45%. Our findings advance the physics basis for developing stationary ELM-free high-confinement operation at low rotation for future burning plasma where similar collisionality and rotation levels are expected.« less

First experiments with e-/H- plasmas: Enhanced centrifugal separation from diocotron mode damping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabantsev, A. A.; Thompson, K. A.; Driscoll, C. F.

2018-01-01

Negative hydrogen ions are produced and contained within a room-temperature electron plasma, by dissociative electron attachment onto exited H2 neutrals. We observe a strongly enhanced centrifugal separation of electrons and ions when a diocotron mode is present. The outward ion transport rate is proportional to the diocotron mode amplitude, with concurrent diocotron mode damping. This is not yet understood theoretically.

SERS-Fluorescence Dual-Mode pH-Sensing Method Based on Janus Microparticles.

PubMed

Yue, Shuai; Sun, Xiaoting; Wang, Ning; Wang, Yaning; Wang, Yue; Xu, Zhangrun; Chen, Mingli; Wang, Jianhua

2017-11-15

A surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-fluorescence dual-mode pH-sensing method based on Janus microgels was developed, which combined the advantages of high specificity offered by SERS and fast imaging afforded by fluorescence. Dual-mode probes, pH-dependent 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, and carbon dots were individually encapsulated in the independent hemispheres of Janus microparticles fabricated via a centrifugal microfluidic chip. On the basis of the obvious volumetric change of hydrogels in different pHs, the Janus microparticles were successfully applied for sensitive and reliable pH measurement from 1.0 to 8.0, and the two hemispheres showed no obvious interference. The proposed method addressed the limitation that sole use of the SERS-based pH sensing usually failed in strong acidic media. The gastric juice pH and extracellular pH change were measured separately in vitro using the Janus microparticles, which confirmed the validity of microgels for pH sensing. The microparticles exhibited good stability, reversibility, biocompatibility, and ideal semipermeability for avoiding protein contamination, and they have the potential to be implantable sensors to continuously monitor pH in vivo.

Dynamic self-organization of confined autophoretic particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medrano, Anthony; Michelin, Sébastien; Kanso, Eva

2016-11-01

We study the behavior of chemically-active Janus particles in microfluidic Hele-Shaw-type confinement. These micron-scale chemical motors, when immersed in a fuel-laden fluid, produce an ionic chemical field which leads to motility and consequently a local fluid flow. In unconfined settings, experimental and computational studies have shown these particles to spontaneously self-organize into crystal structures, and form into asters of two or more particles. Here, we show that geometric confinement alters both the chemical and hydrodynamic signature of the particles in such a way that their far-field effects can be modeled as source dipoles. Each particle moves according to its own self-propelled motion and in response to the chemical and hydrodynamic field created by other particles. Two interaction modes are observed: self-assembly into quasi-static crystals and into dynamically-evolving chains. We discuss the conditions that lead to these modes of interactions and the phase transitions between them for various Janus particle concentrations. The National GEM Consortium.

Multiple patterns of diblock copolymer confined in irregular geometries with soft surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ying; Sun, Min-Na; Zhang, Jin-Jun; Pan, Jun-Xing; Guo, Yu-Qi; Wang, Bao-Feng; Wu, Hai-Shun

2015-12-01

The different confinement shapes can induce the formation of various interesting and novel morphologies, which might inspire potential applications of materials. In this paper, we study the directed self-assembly of diblock copolymer confined in irregular geometries with a soft surface by using self-consistent field theory. Two types of confinement geometries are considered, namely, one is the concave pore with one groove and the other is the concave pore with two grooves. We obtain more novel and different structures which could not be produced in other two-dimensional (2D) confinements. Comparing these new structures with those obtained in regular square confinement, we find that the range of ordered lamellae is enlarged and the range of disordered structure is narrowed down under the concave pore confinement. We also compare the different structures obtained under the two types of confinement geometries, the results show that the effect of confinement would increase, which might induce the diblock copolymer to form novel structures. We construct the phase diagram as a function of the fraction of B block and the ratio of h/L of the groove. The simulation reveals that the wetting effect of brushes and the shape of confinement geometries play important roles in determining the morphologies of the system. Our results improve the applications in the directed self-assembly of diblock copolymer for fabricating the irregular structures. Project supported by the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (Grant No. 20121404110004), the Research Foundation for Excellent Talents of Shanxi Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, China, and the Scientific and Technological Innovation Programs of Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi Province, China.

Observation of energetic electron confinement in a largely stochastic reversed-field pinch plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clayton, D. J.; Chapman, B. E.; O'Connell, R.; Almagri, A. F.; Burke, D. R.; Forest, C. B.; Goetz, J. A.; Kaufman, M. C.; Bonomo, F.; Franz, P.; Gobbin, M.; Piovesan, P.

2010-01-01

Runaway electrons with energies >100 keV are observed with the appearance of an m =1 magnetic island in the core of otherwise stochastic Madison Symmetric Torus [Dexter et al., Fusion Technol. 19, 131 (1991)] reversed-field-pinch plasmas. The island is associated with the innermost resonant tearing mode, which is usually the largest in the m =1 spectrum. The island appears over a range of mode spectra, from those with a weakly dominant mode to those, referred to as quasi single helicity, with a strongly dominant mode. In a stochastic field, the rate of electron loss increases with electron parallel velocity. Hence, high-energy electrons imply a region of reduced stochasticity. The global energy confinement time is about the same as in plasmas without high-energy electrons or an island in the core. Hence, the region of reduced stochasticity must be localized. Within a numerical reconstruction of the magnetic field topology, high-energy electrons are substantially better confined inside the island, relative to the external region. Therefore, it is deduced that the island provides a region of reduced stochasticity and that the high-energy electrons are generated and well confined within this region.

Active core profile and transport modification by application of ion Bernstein wave power in the Princeton Beta Experiment-Modification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LeBlanc, B.; Batha, S.; Bell, R.; Bernabei, S.; Blush, L.; de la Luna, E.; Doerner, R.; Dunlap, J.; England, A.; Garcia, I.; Ignat, D.; Isler, R.; Jones, S.; Kaita, R.; Kaye, S.; Kugel, H.; Levinton, F.; Luckhardt, S.; Mutoh, T.; Okabayashi, M.; Ono, M.; Paoletti, F.; Paul, S.; Petravich, G.; Post-Zwicker, A.; Sauthoff, N.; Schmitz, L.; Sesnic, S.; Takahashi, H.; Talvard, M.; Tighe, W.; Tynan, G.; von Goeler, S.; Woskov, P.; Zolfaghari, A.

1995-03-01

Application of Ion Bernstein Wave Heating (IBWH) into the Princeton Beta Experiment-Modification (PBX-M) [Phys. Fluids B 2, 1271 (1990)] tokamak stabilizes sawtooth oscillations and generates peaked density profiles. A transport barrier, spatially correlated with the IBWH power deposition profile, is observed in the core of IBWH-assisted neutral beam injection (NBI) discharges. A precursor to the fully developed barrier is seen in the soft x-ray data during edge localized mode (ELM) activity. Sustained IBWH operation is conducive to a regime where the barrier supports large ∇ne, ∇Te, ∇νφ, and ∇Ti, delimiting the confinement zone. This regime is reminiscent of the H(high) mode, but with a confinement zone moved inward. The core region has better than H-mode confinement while the peripheral region is L(low)-mode-like. The peaked profile enhances NBI core deposition and increases nuclear reactivity. An increase in central Ti results from χi reduction (compared to the H mode) and better beam penetration. Bootstrap current fractions of up to 0.32-0.35 locally and 0.28 overall were obtained when an additional NBI burst is applied to this plasma.

Communication: Equivalence between symmetric and antisymmetric stretching modes of NH3 in promoting H + NH3 → H2 + NH2 reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Hongwei; Yang, Minghui; Guo, Hua

2016-10-01

Vibrational excitations of reactants sometimes promote reactions more effectively than the same amount of translational energy. Such mode specificity provides insights into the transition-state modulation of reactivity and might be used to control chemical reactions. We report here a state-of-the-art full-dimensional quantum dynamical study of the hydrogen abstraction reaction H + NH3 → H2 + NH2 on an accurate ab initio based global potential energy surface. This reaction serves as an ideal candidate to study the relative efficacies of symmetric and degenerate antisymmetric stretching modes. Strong mode specificity, particularly for the NH3 stretching modes, is demonstrated. It is further shown that nearly identical efficacies of the symmetric and antisymmetric stretching modes of NH3 in promoting the reaction can be understood in terms of local-mode stretching vibrations of the reactant molecule.

Nonlinear MHD simulations of Quiescent H-mode plasmas in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Liu, Feng; Huijsmans, G. T. A.; Loarte, A.; ...

2015-09-04

In the Quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) regime, the edge harmonic oscillation (EHO), thought to be a saturated kink-peeling mode (KPM) driven unstable by current and rotation, is found in experiment to provide sufficient stationary edge particle transport to avoid the periodic expulsion of particles and energy by edge localized modes (ELMs). In this article, both linear and nonlinear MHD modelling of QH-mode plasmas from the DIII-D tokamak have been investigated to understand the mechanism leading to the appearance of the EHO in QH-mode plasmas. For the first time nonlinear MHD simulations with low-n modes both with ideal wall and resistive wallmore » boundary conditions have been carried out with 3-D non-linear MHD code JOREK. The results show, in agreement with the original conjectures, that in the nonlinear phase, kink peeling modes are the main unstable modes in QH-mode plasmas of DIIID and that the kink-peeling modes saturate non-linearly leading to a 3-D stationary state. The characteristics of the kink-peeling modes, in terms of mode structure and associated decrease of the edge plasma density associated with them, are in good agreement with experimental measurements of the EHO in DIII-D. Finally, the effect of plasma resistivity, the role of plasma parallel rotation as well as the effect of the conductivity of the vacuum vessel wall on the destabilization and saturation of kink-peeling modes have been evaluated for experimental QH-mode plasma conditions in DIII-D.« less

Thermodynamic confinement and alpha-helix persistence length in poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate)-b-poly(dimethyl siloxane)-b-poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) triblock copolymers.

PubMed

Papadopoulos, P; Floudas, G; Schnell, I; Lieberwirth, I; Nguyen, T Q; Klok, H-A

2006-02-01

The structure and the associated dynamics of a series of poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate)-b-poly(dimethyl siloxane)-b-poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBLG-b-PDMS-b-PBLG) triblock copolymers were investigated using small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering, NMR, transmission electron microscopy, and dielectric spectroscopy, respectively. The structural analysis revealed phase separation in the case of the longer blocks with defected alpha-helical segments embedded within the block copolymer nanodomains. The alpha-helical persistence length was found to depend on the degree of segregation; thermodynamic confinement and chain stretching results in the partial annihilation of helical defects.

The Physics Basis of ITER Confinement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, F.

2009-02-01

ITER will be the first fusion reactor and the 50 year old dream of fusion scientists will become reality. The quality of magnetic confinement will decide about the success of ITER, directly in the form of the confinement time and indirectly because it decides about the plasma parameters and the fluxes, which cross the separatrix and have to be handled externally by technical means. This lecture portrays some of the basic principles which govern plasma confinement, uses dimensionless scaling to set the limits for the predictions for ITER, an approach which also shows the limitations of the predictions, and describes briefly the major characteristics and physics behind the H-mode—the preferred confinement regime of ITER.

Vibrational Surface Electron-Energy-Loss Spectroscopy Probes Confined Surface-Phonon Modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lourenço-Martins, Hugo; Kociak, Mathieu

2017-10-01

Recently, two reports [Krivanek et al. Nature (London) 514, 209 (2014), 10.1038/nature13870, Lagos et al. Nature (London) 543, 529 (2017), 10.1038/nature21699] have demonstrated the amazing possibility to probe vibrational excitations from nanoparticles with a spatial resolution much smaller than the corresponding free-space phonon wavelength using electron-energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). While Lagos et al. evidenced a strong spatial and spectral modulation of the EELS signal over a nanoparticle, Krivanek et al. did not. Here, we show that discrepancies among different EELS experiments as well as their relation to optical near- and far-field optical experiments [Dai et al. Science 343, 1125 (2014), 10.1126/science.1246833] can be understood by introducing the concept of confined bright and dark surface phonon modes, whose density of states is probed by EELS. Such a concise formalism is the vibrational counterpart of the broadly used formalism for localized surface plasmons [Ouyang and Isaacson Philos. Mag. B 60, 481 (1989), 10.1080/13642818908205921, García de Abajo and Aizpurua Phys. Rev. B 56, 15873 (1997), 10.1103/PhysRevB.56.15873, García de Abajo and Kociak Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 106804 (2008), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.106804, Boudarham and Kociak Phys. Rev. B 85, 245447 (2012), 10.1103/PhysRevB.85.245447]; it makes it straightforward to predict or interpret phenomena already known for localized surface plasmons such as environment-related energy shifts or the possibility of 3D mapping of the related surface charge densities [Collins et al. ACS Photonics 2, 1628 (2015), 10.1021/acsphotonics.5b00421].

Rhesus Monkey Rhadinovirus ORF57 Induces gH and gL Glycoprotein Expression through Posttranscriptional Accumulation of Target mRNAs ▿

PubMed Central

Shin, Young C.; Desrosiers, Ronald C.

2011-01-01

Open reading frame 57 (ORF57) of gamma-2 herpesviruses is a key regulator of viral gene expression. It has been reported to enhance the expression of viral genes by transcriptional, posttranscriptional, or translational activation mechanisms. Previously we have shown that the expression of gH and gL of rhesus monkey rhadinovirus (RRV), a close relative of the human Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), could be dramatically rescued by codon optimization as well as by ORF57 coexpression (J. P. Bilello, J. S. Morgan, and R. C. Desrosiers, J. Virol. 82:7231–7237, 2008). We show here that ORF57 coexpression and codon optimization had similar effects, except that the rescue of expression by codon optimization was temporally delayed relative to that of ORF57 coexpression. The transfection of gL mRNA directly into cells with or without ORF57 coexpression and with or without codon optimization recapitulated the effects of these modes of induction on transfected DNA. These findings suggested an important role for the enhancement of mRNA stability and/or the translation of mRNA for these very different modes of induced expression. This conclusion was confirmed by several different measures of gH and gL mRNA stability and accumulation with or without ORF57 coexpression and with or without codon optimization. Our results indicate that RRV gH and gL expression is severely limited by the stability of the mRNA and that ORF57 coexpression and codon optimization independently induce gH and gL expression principally by allowing accumulation and translation of these mRNAs. PMID:21613403

Interfacial electrofluidics in confined systems

PubMed Central

Tang, Biao; Groenewold, Jan; Zhou, Min; Hayes, Robert A.; Zhou, Guofu (G.F.)

2016-01-01

Electrofluidics is a versatile principle that can be used for high speed actuation of liquid interfaces. In most of the applications, the fundamental mechanism of electro-capillary instability plays a crucial role, yet it’s potential richness in confined fluidic layers has not been well addressed. Electrofluidic displays which are comprised of thin pixelated colored films in a range of architectures are excellent systems for studying such phenomena. In this study we show theoretically and experimentally that confinement leads to the generation of a cascade of voltage dependent modes as a result of the electro-capillary instability. In the course of reconciling theory with our experimental data we have observed a number of previously unreported phenomena such as a significant induction time (several milliseconds) prior to film rupture as well as a rupture location not corresponding to the minimum electric field strength in the case of the standard convex water/oil interface used in working devices. These findings are broadly applicable to a wide range of switchable electrofluidic applications and devices having confined liquid films. PMID:27221211

Thermonuclear ignition in inertial confinement fusion and comparison with magnetic confinement

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

Betti, R.; Chang, P. Y.; Anderson, K. S.

2010-05-15

The physics of thermonuclear ignition in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is presented in the familiar frame of a Lawson-type criterion. The product of the plasma pressure and confinement time Ptau for ICF is cast in terms of measurable parameters and its value is estimated for cryogenic implosions. An overall ignition parameter chi including pressure, confinement time, and temperature is derived to complement the product Ptau. A metric for performance assessment should include both chi and Ptau. The ignition parameter and the product Ptau are compared between inertial and magnetic-confinement fusion. It is found that cryogenic implosions on OMEGA[T. R. Boehlymore » et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] have achieved Ptauapprox1.5 atm s comparable to large tokamaks such as the Joint European Torus [P. H. Rebut and B. E. Keen, Fusion Technol. 11, 13 (1987)] where Ptauapprox1 atm s. Since OMEGA implosions are relatively cold (Tapprox2 keV), their overall ignition parameter chiapprox0.02-0.03 is approx5x lower than in JET (chiapprox0.13), where the average temperature is about 10 keV.« less

Tgermonuclear Ignition in Inertial Confinement Fusion and Comparison with Magnetic Confinement

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

Betti, R.; Chang, P.Y.; Spears, B.K.

2010-04-23

The physics of thermonuclear ignition in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is presented in the familiar frame of a Lawson-type criterion. The product of the plasma pressure and confinement time Ptau for ICF is cast in terms of measurable parameters and its value is estimated for cryogenic implosions. An overall ignition parameter chi including pressure, confinement time, and temperature is derived to complement the product Ptau. A metric for performance assessment should include both chi and Ptau. The ignition parameter and the product Ptau are compared between inertial and magnetic-confinement fusion. It is found that cryogenic implosions on OMEGA [T. R.more » Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] have achieved Ptau ~ 1.5 atm s comparable to large tokamaks such as the Joint European Torus [P. H. Rebut and B. E. Keen, Fusion Technol. 11, 13 (1987)] where Ptau ~ 1 atm s. Since OMEGA implosions are relatively cold (T ~ 2 keV), their overall ignition parameter chi ~ 0.02–0.03 is ~5X lower than in JET (chi ~ 0.13), where the average temperature is about 10 keV.« less

Probing plasmonic breathing modes optically

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

Krug, Markus K., E-mail: markus.krug@uni-graz.at; Reisecker, Michael; Hohenau, Andreas

2014-10-27

The confinement of surface plasmon modes in flat nanoparticles gives rise to plasmonic breathing modes. With a vanishing net dipole moment, breathing modes do not radiate, i.e., they are optically dark. Having thus escaped optical detection, breathing modes were only recently revealed in silver nanodisks with electron energy loss spectroscopy in an electron microscope. We show that for disk diameters >200 nm, retardation induced by oblique optical illumination relaxes the optically dark character. This makes breathing modes and thus the full plasmonic mode spectrum accessible to optical spectroscopy. The experimental spectroscopy data are in excellent agreement with numerical simulations.

Dual-mode nonlinear instability analysis of a confined planar liquid sheet sandwiched between two gas streams of unequal velocities and prediction of droplet size and velocity distribution using maximum entropy formulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasgupta, Debayan; Nath, Sujit; Bhanja, Dipankar

2018-04-01

Twin fluid atomizers utilize the kinetic energy of high speed gases to disintegrate a liquid sheet into fine uniform droplets. Quite often, the gas streams are injected at unequal velocities to enhance the aerodynamic interaction between the liquid sheet and surrounding atmosphere. In order to improve the mixing characteristics, practical atomizers confine the gas flows within ducts. Though the liquid sheet coming out of an injector is usually annular in shape, it can be considered to be planar as the mean radius of curvature is much larger than the sheet thickness. There are numerous studies on breakup of the planar liquid sheet, but none of them considered the simultaneous effects of confinement and unequal gas velocities on the spray characteristics. The present study performs a nonlinear temporal analysis of instabilities in the planar liquid sheet, produced by two co-flowing gas streams moving with unequal velocities within two solid walls. The results show that the para-sinuous mode dominates the breakup process at all flow conditions over the para-varicose mode of breakup. The sheet pattern is strongly influenced by gas velocities, particularly for the para-varicose mode. Spray characteristics are influenced by both gas velocity and proximity to the confining wall, but the former has a much more pronounced effect on droplet size. An increase in the difference between gas velocities at two interfaces drastically shifts the droplet size distribution toward finer droplets. Moreover, asymmetry in gas phase velocities affects the droplet velocity distribution more, only at low liquid Weber numbers for the input conditions chosen in the present study.

Communication: Equivalence between symmetric and antisymmetric stretching modes of NH 3 in promoting H + NH 3 → H 2 + NH 2 reaction

DOE PAGES

Song, Hongwei; Yang, Minghui; Guo, Hua

2016-10-07

Vibrational excitations of reactants sometimes promote reactions more effectively than the same amount of translational energy. Such mode specificity provides insights into the transition-state modulation of reactivity and might be used to control chemical reactions. We report here a state-ofthe- art full-dimensional quantum dynamical study of the hydrogen abstraction reaction H + NH 3 → H 2 + NH 2 on an accurate ab initio based global potential energy surface. This reaction serves as an ideal candidate to study the relative efficacies of symmetric and degenerate antisymmetric stretching modes. Strong mode specificity, particularly for the NH 3 stretching modes, ismore » demonstrated. In conclusion, it is further shown that nearly identical efficacies of the symmetric and antisymmetric stretching modes of NH 3 in promoting the reaction can be understood in terms of local-mode stretching vibrations of the reactant molecule.« less

Boundary condition for toroidal plasma flow imposed at the separatrix in high confinement JT-60U plasmas with edge localized modes and the physics process in pedestal structure formation

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

Kamiya, K.; Honda, M.; Urano, H.

2014-12-15

Modulation charge eXchange recombination spectroscopy measurements with high spatial and temporal resolution have made the evaluation of the toroidal plasma flow of fully stripped carbon impurity ions (V{sub ϕ}{sup C6+}) in the JT-60U tokamak peripheral region (including, in particular, the separatrix) possible with a better signal-to-noise ratio. By comparing co- and counter-neutral beam injection discharges experimentally, we have identified the boundary condition of V{sub ϕ}{sup C6+} and radial electric field shear (∇E{sub r}) imposed at the separatrix in high confinement (H-mode) plasmas with edge localized modes (ELMs). The V{sub ϕ}{sup C6+} value at the separatrix is not fixed at zeromore » but varies with the momentum input direction. On the other hand, the ∇E{sub r} value is nearly zero (or very weakly positive) at the separatrix. Furthermore, the edge localized mode perturbation does not appear to affect both V{sub ϕ}{sup C6+} and ∇E{sub r} values at the separatrix as strongly as that in the pedestal region. The above experimental findings based on the precise edge measurements have been used to validate a theoretical model and develop a new empirical model. A better understanding of the physical process in the edge transport barrier (ETB) formation due to the sheared E{sub r} formation is also discussed.« less

Shape dependent resonant modes of skyrmions in magnetic nanodisks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yizhou; Lake, Roger K.; Zang, Jiadong

2018-06-01

Resonant modes of a single Néel type skyrmion in confined nanodisks with varying aspect ratios (AR) are investigated using micromagnetic simulations. The AR of the skyrmion has a non-linear dependence on that of the nanodisk. The power spectra of skyrmions in nanodisks with AR ranging from 1.0 to 2.0 are calculated. With the increase of disk AR, multiple new modes emerge in the power spectrum, which originate from the broken rotational symmetry of both the nanodisk and the skyrmion. All of the spin wave modes are resolved by spatial maps of the real time magnetization fluctuations. New mixed modes such as rotation modes and oscillation modes with different azimuthal and radial components are identified in the elliptical nanodisk with AR = 1.8. The new emergent modes may provide new approaches to skyrmion-based oscillators and spin wave sources in confined structures.

Measurement of deuterium density profiles in the H-mode steep gradient region using charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on DIII-D.

PubMed

Haskey, S R; Grierson, B A; Burrell, K H; Chrystal, C; Groebner, R J; Kaplan, D H; Pablant, N A; Stagner, L

2016-11-01

Recent completion of a thirty two channel main-ion (deuterium) charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CER) diagnostic on the DIII-D tokamak [J. L. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42, 614 (2002)] enables detailed comparisons between impurity and main-ion temperature, density, and toroidal rotation. In a H-mode DIII-D discharge, these new measurement capabilities are used to provide the deuterium density profile, demonstrate the importance of profile alignment between Thomson scattering and CER diagnostics, and aid in determining the electron temperature at the separatrix. Sixteen sightlines cover the core of the plasma and another sixteen are densely packed towards the plasma edge, providing high resolution measurements across the pedestal and steep gradient region in H-mode plasmas. Extracting useful physical quantities such as deuterium density is challenging due to multiple photoemission processes. These challenges are overcome using a detailed fitting model and by forward modeling the photoemission using the FIDASIM code, which implements a comprehensive collisional radiative model.

Measurement of deuterium density profiles in the H-mode steep gradient region using charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haskey, S. R.; Grierson, B. A.; Burrell, K. H.; Chrystal, C.; Groebner, R. J.; Kaplan, D. H.; Pablant, N. A.; Stagner, L.

2016-11-01

Recent completion of a thirty two channel main-ion (deuterium) charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CER) diagnostic on the DIII-D tokamak [J. L. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42, 614 (2002)] enables detailed comparisons between impurity and main-ion temperature, density, and toroidal rotation. In a H-mode DIII-D discharge, these new measurement capabilities are used to provide the deuterium density profile, demonstrate the importance of profile alignment between Thomson scattering and CER diagnostics, and aid in determining the electron temperature at the separatrix. Sixteen sightlines cover the core of the plasma and another sixteen are densely packed towards the plasma edge, providing high resolution measurements across the pedestal and steep gradient region in H-mode plasmas. Extracting useful physical quantities such as deuterium density is challenging due to multiple photoemission processes. These challenges are overcome using a detailed fitting model and by forward modeling the photoemission using the FIDASIM code, which implements a comprehensive collisional radiative model.

Stationary QH-mode plasmas with high and wide pedestal at low rotation on DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xi; Burrell, K. H.; Osborne, T. H.; Solomon, W. M.; Barada, K.; Garofalo, A. M.; Groebner, R. J.; Luhmann, N. C.; McKee, G. R.; Muscatello, C. M.; Ono, M.; Petty, C. C.; Porkolab, M.; Rhodes, T. L.; Rost, J. C.; Snyder, P. B.; Staebler, G. M.; Tobias, B. J.; Yan, Z.; the DIII-D Team

2017-02-01

A stationary, quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) regime with a wide pedestal and improved confinement at low rotation has been discovered on DIII-D with reactor relevant edge parameters and no ELMs. As the injected neutral beam torque is ramped down and the edge E  ×  B rotation shear reduces, the transition from standard QH to the wide pedestal QH-mode occurs. At the transition, the coherent edge harmonic oscillations (EHO) that usually regulate the standard QH edge cease and broadband edge MHD modes appear along with a rapid increase in the pedestal pressure height (by  ⩽60%) and width (by  ⩽50%). We posit that the enhanced edge turbulence-driven transport, enabled by the lower edge E  ×  B flow shear due to lower torque reduces the pedestal gradient and, combined with the high edge instability limit provided by the balanced double-null plasma shape, permits the development of a broader and thus higher pedestal that is turbulence-transport-limited. Even with the significantly enhanced pedestal pressure, the edge operating point is below the peeling ballooning mode stability boundary and thus without ELMs. Improved transport in the outer core region (0.8  ⩽  ρ  ⩽0.9) owing to increased E  ×  B flow shear in that region and the enhanced pedestal boost the overall confinement by up to 45%. These findings advance the physics basis for developing stationary ELM-free high-confinement operation at low rotation for future burning plasma where similar collisionality and rotation levels are expected.

Validation of nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of L- and I-mode plasmas on Alcator C-Mod

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

Creely, A. J.; Howard, N. T.; Rodriguez-Fernandez, P.

New validation of global, nonlinear, ion-scale gyrokinetic simulations (GYRO) is carried out for L- and I-mode plasmas on Alcator C-Mod, utilizing heat fluxes, profile stiffness, and temperature fluctuations. Previous work at C-Mod found that ITG/TEM-scale GYRO simulations can match both electron and ion heat fluxes within error bars in I-mode [White PoP 2015], suggesting that multi-scale (cross-scale coupling) effects [Howard PoP 2016] may be less important in I-mode than in L-mode. New results presented here, however, show that global, nonlinear, ion-scale GYRO simulations are able to match the experimental ion heat flux, but underpredict electron heat flux (at most radii),more » electron temperature fluctuations, and perturbative thermal diffusivity in both L- and I-mode. Linear addition of electron heat flux from electron scale runs does not resolve this discrepancy. These results indicate that single-scale simulations do not sufficiently describe the I-mode core transport, and that multi-scale (coupled electron- and ion-scale) transport models are needed. In conclusion a preliminary investigation with multi-scale TGLF, however, was unable to resolve the discrepancy between ion-scale GYRO and experimental electron heat fluxes and perturbative diffusivity, motivating further work with multi-scale GYRO simulations and a more comprehensive study with multi-scale TGLF.« less

Validation of nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of L- and I-mode plasmas on Alcator C-Mod

DOE PAGES

Creely, A. J.; Howard, N. T.; Rodriguez-Fernandez, P.; ...

2017-03-02

New validation of global, nonlinear, ion-scale gyrokinetic simulations (GYRO) is carried out for L- and I-mode plasmas on Alcator C-Mod, utilizing heat fluxes, profile stiffness, and temperature fluctuations. Previous work at C-Mod found that ITG/TEM-scale GYRO simulations can match both electron and ion heat fluxes within error bars in I-mode [White PoP 2015], suggesting that multi-scale (cross-scale coupling) effects [Howard PoP 2016] may be less important in I-mode than in L-mode. New results presented here, however, show that global, nonlinear, ion-scale GYRO simulations are able to match the experimental ion heat flux, but underpredict electron heat flux (at most radii),more » electron temperature fluctuations, and perturbative thermal diffusivity in both L- and I-mode. Linear addition of electron heat flux from electron scale runs does not resolve this discrepancy. These results indicate that single-scale simulations do not sufficiently describe the I-mode core transport, and that multi-scale (coupled electron- and ion-scale) transport models are needed. In conclusion a preliminary investigation with multi-scale TGLF, however, was unable to resolve the discrepancy between ion-scale GYRO and experimental electron heat fluxes and perturbative diffusivity, motivating further work with multi-scale GYRO simulations and a more comprehensive study with multi-scale TGLF.« less

Glycerol in micellar confinement with tunable rigidity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lannert, Michael; Müller, Allyn; Gouirand, Emmanuel; Talluto, Vincenzo; Rosenstihl, Markus; Walther, Thomas; Stühn, Bernd; Blochowicz, Thomas; Vogel, Michael

2016-12-01

We investigate the glassy dynamics of glycerol in the confinement of a microemulsion system, which is stable on cooling down to the glass transition of its components. By changing the composition, we vary the viscosity of the matrix, while keeping the confining geometry intact, as is demonstrated by small angle X-ray scattering. By means of 2H NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, and triplet solvation dynamics we, thus, probe the dynamics of glycerol in confinements of varying rigidity. 2H NMR results show that, at higher temperatures, the dynamics of confined glycerol is unchanged compared to bulk behavior, while the reorientation of glycerol molecules becomes significantly faster than in the bulk in the deeply supercooled regime. However, comparison of different 2H NMR findings with data from calorimetry and solvation dynamics reveals that this acceleration is not due to the changed structural relaxation of glycerol, but rather due to the rotational motion of essentially rigid glycerol droplets or of aggregates of such droplets in a more fluid matrix. Thus, independent of the matrix mobility, the glycerol dynamics remains unchanged except for the smallest droplets, where an increase of Tg and, thus, a slowdown of the structural relaxation is observed even in a fluid matrix.

Conductance signatures of electron confinement induced by strained nanobubbles in graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahamon, Dario A.; Qi, Zenan; Park, Harold S.; Pereira, Vitor M.; Campbell, David K.

2015-09-01

We investigate the impact of strained nanobubbles on the conductance characteristics of graphene nanoribbons using a combined molecular dynamics - tight-binding simulation scheme. We describe in detail how the conductance, density of states, and current density of zigzag or armchair graphene nanoribbons are modified by the presence of a nanobubble. In particular, we establish that low-energy electrons can be confined in the vicinity of or within the nanobubbles by the delicate interplay among the pseudomagnetic field pattern created by the shape of the bubble, mode mixing, and substrate interaction. The coupling between confined evanescent states and propagating modes can be enhanced under different clamping conditions, which translates into Fano resonances in the conductance traces.

Scenario development during commissioning operations on the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battaglia, D. J.; Boyer, M. D.; Gerhardt, S.; Mueller, D.; Myers, C. E.; Guttenfelder, W.; Menard, J. E.; Sabbagh, S. A.; Scotti, F.; Bedoya, F.; Bell, R. E.; Berkery, J. W.; Diallo, A.; Ferraro, N.; Kaye, S. M.; Jaworski, M. A.; LeBlanc, B. P.; Ono, M.; Park, J.-K.; Podesta, M.; Raman, R.; Soukhanovskii, V.; NSTX-U Research, the; Operations; Engineering Team

2018-04-01

The National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) will advance the physics basis required for achieving steady-state, high-beta, and high-confinement conditions in a tokamak by accessing high toroidal fields (1 T) and plasma currents (1.0-2.0 MA) in a low aspect ratio geometry (A  =  1.6-1.8) with flexible auxiliary heating systems (12 MW NBI, 6 MW HHFW). This paper describes the progress in the development of L- and H-mode discharge scenarios and the commissioning of operational tools in the first ten weeks of operation that enable the scientific mission of NSTX-U. Vacuum field calculations completed prior to operations supported the rapid development and optimization of inductive breakdown at different values of ohmic solenoid current. The toroidal magnetic field (B T0  =  0.65 T) exceeded the maximum values achieved on NSTX and novel long-pulse L-mode discharges with regular sawtooth activity exceeded the longest pulses produced on NSTX (t pulse  >  1.8 s). The increased flux of the central solenoid facilitated the development of stationary L-mode discharges over a range of density and plasma current (I p). H-mode discharges achieved similar levels of stored energy, confinement (H98y,2  >  1) and stability (β N/β N-nowall  >  1) compared to NSTX discharges for I p  ⩽  1 MA. High-performance H-mode scenarios require an L-H transition early in the I p ramp-up phase in order to obtain low internal inductance (l i) throughout the discharge, which is conducive to maintaining vertical stability at high elongation (κ  >  2.2) and achieving long periods of MHD quiescent operations. The rapid progress in developing L- and H-mode scenarios in support of the scientific program was enabled by advances in real-time plasma control, efficient error field identification and correction, effective conditioning of the graphite wall and excellent diagnostic availability.

Changes in Reactivity as Chemistry Becomes Confined to an Interface. The Case of Free Radical Oxidation of C 30H 62 Alkane by OH

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

Houle, Frances A.; Wiegel, Aaron A.; Wilson, Kevin R.

Here, we examine in a simple organic aerosol the transition between heterogeneous chemistry under well-mixed conditions to chemistry under interfacial confinement. A single reaction mechanism, shown to reproduce observed OH oxidation chemistry for liquid and semisolid C 30H 62, is used in reaction-diffusion simulations to explore reactivity over a broad viscosity range. The results show that when internal mixing of the aerosol is fast and the particle interface is enriched in C-H groups, ketone and alcohol products, formed via peroxy radical disproportionation, predominate. As viscosity increases the reactions become confined to a shell at the gas-aerosol interface. The confinement ismore » accompanied by emergence of acyloxy reaction pathways that are particularly active when the shell is 1 nm or less. We quantify this trend using a reaction-diffusion index, allowing the parts of the mechanism that control reactivity as viscosity increases to be identified.« less

Changes in Reactivity as Chemistry Becomes Confined to an Interface. The Case of Free Radical Oxidation of C 30H 62 Alkane by OH

DOE PAGES

Houle, Frances A.; Wiegel, Aaron A.; Wilson, Kevin R.

2018-02-14

Here, we examine in a simple organic aerosol the transition between heterogeneous chemistry under well-mixed conditions to chemistry under interfacial confinement. A single reaction mechanism, shown to reproduce observed OH oxidation chemistry for liquid and semisolid C 30H 62, is used in reaction-diffusion simulations to explore reactivity over a broad viscosity range. The results show that when internal mixing of the aerosol is fast and the particle interface is enriched in C-H groups, ketone and alcohol products, formed via peroxy radical disproportionation, predominate. As viscosity increases the reactions become confined to a shell at the gas-aerosol interface. The confinement ismore » accompanied by emergence of acyloxy reaction pathways that are particularly active when the shell is 1 nm or less. We quantify this trend using a reaction-diffusion index, allowing the parts of the mechanism that control reactivity as viscosity increases to be identified.« less

EDITORIAL: Special issue containing papers presented at the 12th International Workshop on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers Special issue containing papers presented at the 12th International Workshop on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahm, T. S.

2010-06-01

The 12th International Workshop on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers was held at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey, USA between September 30 and October 2, 2009. This meeting was the continuation of a series of previous meetings which was initiated in 1987 and has been held bi-annually since then. Following the recent tradition at the last few meetings, the program was sub- divided into six sessions. At each session, an overview talk was presented, followed by two or three shorter oral presentations which supplemented the coverage of important issues. These talks were followed by discussion periods and poster sessions of contributed papers. The sessions were: Physics of Transition to/from Enhanced Confinement Regimes, Pedestal and Edge Localized Mode Dynamics, Plasma Rotation and Momentum Transport, Role of 3D Physics in Transport Barriers, Transport Barriers: Theory and Simulations and High Priority ITER Issues on Transport Barriers. The diversity of the 90 registered participants was remarkable, with 22 different nationalities. US participants were in the majority (36), followed by Japan (14), South Korea (7), and China (6). This special issue of Nuclear Fusion consists of a cluster of 18 accepted papers from submitted manuscripts based on overview talks and poster presentations. The paper selection procedure followed the guidelines of Nuclear Fusion which are essentially the same as for regular articles with an additional requirement on timeliness of submission, review and revision. One overview paper and five contributed papers report on the H-mode pedestal related results which reflect the importance of this issue concerning the successful operation of ITER. Four papers address the rotation and momentum transport which play a crucial role in transport barrier physics. The transport barrier transition condition is the main focus of other four papers. Finally, four additional papers are devoted to the behaviour and control of

Edge simulations in ELMy H-mode discharges of EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, T. Y.; Huang, Y. Q.; Xu, X. Q.; Wu, Y. B.; Wang, L.; Zheng, Z.; Liu, J. B.; Zang, Q.; Li, Y. Y.; Zhao, D.

2017-10-01

Simulations of ELM crash followed by a coherent mode, leading to transient divertor heat flux on EAST are achieved by the six-field two-fluid model in BOUT + + . Three EAST ELMy H-mode discharges with different pedestal structure, geometry and plasma current Ip are studied. The ELM-driven crash of the profiles in pedestal is reproduced, and the footprints of ELM filaments on targets are comparable with the measurements from divertor probes. A coherent mode is also found in the edge region in all the simulations after the ELM crash. The frequency and poloidal wave number are in the range of the edge coherent mode (ECM) on EAST. The magnetic fluctuations of the mode are smaller than the electric field fluctuations. The detailed comparisons between simulated mode structures with measurements will be reported. Statistical analysis on the simulated turbulent fluctuations shows that both the turbulent and blobby electron anomalous transport can pump the pedestal energy out into SOL, and then flow to divertors. The similar trend of the heat flux width with Ip is obtained in the simulations. The effects of the SOL current driven by LHW on ELMs will be discussed in this paper. This work was performed under the auspices of the US DOE by LLNL under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. It was supported by the China NSF 11405215 and 11675217.

L-band ultrafast fiber laser mode locked by carbon nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Z.; Rozhin, A. G.; Wang, F.; Scardaci, V.; Milne, W. I.; White, I. H.; Hennrich, F.; Ferrari, A. C.

2008-08-01

We fabricate a nanotube-polyvinyl alcohol saturable absorber with a broad absorption at 1.6 μm. We demonstrate a pulsed fiber laser working in the telecommunication L band by using this composite as a mode locker. This gives ˜498±16 fs pulses at 1601 nm with a 26.7 MHz repetition rate.

10. BOILER #16 (BUILDING L8) TO LEFT, L.P. AND H.P. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

10. BOILER #16 (BUILDING L8) TO LEFT, L.P. AND H.P. BOILER ROOMS (BUILDINGS L4 AND L2) TO RIGHT, AND STEPHENS SUBSTATION (BUILDING L6) IN BACKGROUND, FROM THE ROOF OF THE POWERHOUSE EXTENSION (BUILDING L5) - Portland General Electric Company, Station "L", 1841 Southeast Water Street, Portland, Multnomah County, OR

Scenario development during commissioning operations on the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade

DOE PAGES

Battaglia, D. J.; Boyer, M. D.; Gerhardt, S.; ...

2018-02-20

The National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) will advance the physics basis required for achieving steady-state, high-beta, and high-confinement conditions in a tokamak by accessing high toroidal field (1 T) and plasma current (1.0 - 2.0 MA) in a low aspect ratio geometry (A = 1.6 - 1.8) with flexible auxiliary heating systems (12 MW NBI, 6 MW HHFW). This paper describes progress in the development of L- and Hmode discharge scenarios and the commissioning of operational tools in the first ten weeks of operation that enable the scientific mission of NSTX-U. Vacuum field calculations completed prior to operations supportedmore » the rapid development and optimization of inductive breakdown at different values of ohmic solenoid current. The toroidal magnetic field (BT0 = 0.65 T) exceeded the maximum values achieved on NSTX and novel long-pulse L-mode discharges with regular sawtooth activity exceeded the longest pulses produced on NSTX (tpulse > 1.8s). The increased flux of the central solenoid facilitated the development of stationary L-mode discharges over a range of density and plasma current (Ip). H-mode discharges achieved similar levels of stored energy, confinement (H98y,2 > 1) and stability (βN/βN-nowall > 1) compared to NSTX discharges for Ip ≤ 1 MA. High-performance H-mode scenarios require an L-H transition early in the Ip ramp-up phase in order to obtain low internal inductance (li) throughout the discharge, which is conducive to maintaining vertical stability at high elongation (κ > 2.2) and achieving long periods of MHD quiescent operations. The rapid progress in developing L- and H-mode scenarios in support of the scientific program was enabled by advances in real-time plasma control, efficient error field identification and correction, effective conditioning of the graphite wall and excellent diagnostic availability.« less

Scenario development during commissioning operations on the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade

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

Battaglia, D. J.; Boyer, M. D.; Gerhardt, S.

The National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) will advance the physics basis required for achieving steady-state, high-beta, and high-confinement conditions in a tokamak by accessing high toroidal field (1 T) and plasma current (1.0 - 2.0 MA) in a low aspect ratio geometry (A = 1.6 - 1.8) with flexible auxiliary heating systems (12 MW NBI, 6 MW HHFW). This paper describes progress in the development of L- and Hmode discharge scenarios and the commissioning of operational tools in the first ten weeks of operation that enable the scientific mission of NSTX-U. Vacuum field calculations completed prior to operations supportedmore » the rapid development and optimization of inductive breakdown at different values of ohmic solenoid current. The toroidal magnetic field (BT0 = 0.65 T) exceeded the maximum values achieved on NSTX and novel long-pulse L-mode discharges with regular sawtooth activity exceeded the longest pulses produced on NSTX (tpulse > 1.8s). The increased flux of the central solenoid facilitated the development of stationary L-mode discharges over a range of density and plasma current (Ip). H-mode discharges achieved similar levels of stored energy, confinement (H98y,2 > 1) and stability (βN/βN-nowall > 1) compared to NSTX discharges for Ip ≤ 1 MA. High-performance H-mode scenarios require an L-H transition early in the Ip ramp-up phase in order to obtain low internal inductance (li) throughout the discharge, which is conducive to maintaining vertical stability at high elongation (κ > 2.2) and achieving long periods of MHD quiescent operations. The rapid progress in developing L- and H-mode scenarios in support of the scientific program was enabled by advances in real-time plasma control, efficient error field identification and correction, effective conditioning of the graphite wall and excellent diagnostic availability.« less

Thermal Chemistry of Cp*W(NO)(CH2CMe3)(H)(L) Complexes (L = Lewis Base).

PubMed

Fabulyak, Diana; Handford, Rex C; Holmes, Aaron S; Levesque, Taleah M; Wakeham, Russell J; Patrick, Brian O; Legzdins, Peter; Rosenfeld, Devon C

2017-01-03

The complexes trans-Cp*W(NO)(CH 2 CMe 3 )(H)(L) (Cp* = η 5 -C 5 Me 5 ) result from the treatment of Cp*W(NO)(CH 2 CMe 3 ) 2 in n-pentane with H 2 (∼1 atm) in the presence of a Lewis base, L. The designation of a particular geometrical isomer as cis or trans indicates the relative positions of the alkyl and hydrido ligands in the base of a four-legged piano-stool molecular structure. The thermal behavior of these complexes is markedly dependent on the nature of L. Some of them can be isolated at ambient temperatures [e.g., L = P(OMe) 3 , P(OPh) 3 , or P(OCH 2 ) 3 CMe]. Others undergo reductive elimination of CMe 4 via trans to cis isomerization to generate the 16e reactive intermediates Cp*W(NO)(L). These intermediates can intramolecularly activate a C-H bond of L to form 18e cis complexes that may convert to the thermodynamically more stable trans isomers [e.g., Cp*W(NO)(PPh 3 ) initially forms cis-Cp*W(NO)(H)(κ 2 -PPh 2 C 6 H 4 ) that upon being warmed in n-pentane at 80 °C isomerizes to trans-Cp*W(NO)(H)(κ 2 -PPh 2 C 6 H 4 )]. Alternatively, the Cp*W(NO)(L) intermediates can effect the intermolecular activation of a substrate R-H to form trans-Cp*W(NO)(R)(H)(L) complexes [e.g., L = P(OMe) 3 or P(OCH 2 ) 3 CMe; R-H = C 6 H 6 or Me 4 Si] probably via their cis isomers. These latter activations are also accompanied by the formation of some Cp*W(NO)(L) 2 disproportionation products. An added complication in the L = P(OMe) 3 system is that thermolysis of trans-Cp*W(NO)(CH 2 CMe 3 )(H)(P(OMe) 3 ) results in it undergoing an Arbuzov-like rearrangement and being converted mainly into [Cp*W(NO)(Me)(PO(OMe) 2 )] 2 , which exists as a mixture of two isomers. All new complexes have been characterized by conventional and spectroscopic methods, and the solid-state molecular structures of most of them have been established by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analyses.

Plasma Confinement in the UCLA Electric Tokamak.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Robert J.

2001-10-01

The main goal of the newly constructed large Electric Tokamak (R = 5 m, a = 1 m, BT < 0.25 T) is to access an omnigeneous, unity beta(S.C. Cowley, P.K. Kaw, R.S. Kelly, R.M. Kulsrud, Phys. fluids B 3 (1991) 2066.) plasma regime. The design goal was to achieve good confinement at low magnetic fields, consistent with the high beta goal. To keep the program cost down, we adopted the use of ICRF as the primary heating source. Consequently, antenna surfaces covering 1/2 of the surface of the tokamak has been prepared for heating and current drive. Very clean hydrogenic plasmas have been achieved with loop voltage below 0.7 volt and densities 3 times above the Murakami limit, n(0) > 8 x 10^12 cm-3 when there is no MHD activity. The electron temperature, derived from the plasma conductivity is > 250 eV with a central electron energy confinement time > 350 msec in ohmic conditions. The sawteeth period is 50 msec. Edge plasma rotation is induced by plasma biasing via electron injection in an analogous manner to that seen in CCT(R.J. Taylor, M.L. Brown, B.D. Fried, H. Grote, J.R. Liberati, G.J. Morales, P. Pribyl, D. Darrow, and M. Ono. Phys. Rev Lett. 63 2365 1989.) and the neoclassical bifurcation is close to that described by Shaing et al(K.C. Shaing and E.C. Crume, Phys. Rev. Lett. 63 2369 (1989).). In the ohmic phase the confinement tends to be MHD limited. The ICRF heating eliminates the MHD disturbances. Under second harmonic heating conditions, we observe an internal confinement peaking characterized by doubling of the core density and a corresponding increase in the central electron temperature. Charge exchange data, Doppler data in visible H-alpha light, and EC radiation all indicate that ICRF heating works much better than expected. The major effort is focused on increasing the power input and controlling the resulting equilibrium. This task appears to be easy since our current pulses are approaching the 3 second mark without RF heating or current drive. Our

Quantum confinement of zero-dimensional hybrid organic-inorganic polaritons at room temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, H. S.; Han, Z.; Abdel-Baki, K.; Lafosse, X.; Amo, A.; Lauret, J.-S.; Deleporte, E.; Bouchoule, S.; Bloch, J.

2014-02-01

We report on the quantum confinement of zero-dimensional polaritons in perovskite-based microcavity at room temperature. Photoluminescence of discrete polaritonic states is observed for polaritons localized in symmetric sphere-like defects which are spontaneously nucleated on the top dielectric Bragg mirror. The linewidth of these confined states is found much sharper (almost one order of magnitude) than that of photonic modes in the perovskite planar microcavity. Our results show the possibility to study organic-inorganic cavity polaritons in confined microstructure and suggest a fabrication method to realize integrated polaritonic devices operating at room temperature.

Raman investigation of ro-vibrational modes of interstitial H2 in Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, S. G.; Lavrov, E. V.; Weber, J.

2012-08-01

A Raman scattering study of ro-vibrational transitions Q(J) of the interstitial H2 in Si is presented. It is shown that the Q(2) mode of para hydrogen is coupled to the TAX phonon of Si. The mode appears in the spectra at temperatures above 200 K. The results presented also suggest that the Q(3) transition of ortho hydrogen is resonantly coupled to the OΓ phonon.

A Dual-Mode Large-Arrayed CMOS ISFET Sensor for Accurate and High-Throughput pH Sensing in Biomedical Diagnosis.

PubMed

Huang, Xiwei; Yu, Hao; Liu, Xu; Jiang, Yu; Yan, Mei; Wu, Dongping

2015-09-01

The existing ISFET-based DNA sequencing detects hydrogen ions released during the polymerization of DNA strands on microbeads, which are scattered into microwell array above the ISFET sensor with unknown distribution. However, false pH detection happens at empty microwells due to crosstalk from neighboring microbeads. In this paper, a dual-mode CMOS ISFET sensor is proposed to have accurate pH detection toward DNA sequencing. Dual-mode sensing, optical and chemical modes, is realized by integrating a CMOS image sensor (CIS) with ISFET pH sensor, and is fabricated in a standard 0.18-μm CIS process. With accurate determination of microbead physical locations with CIS pixel by contact imaging, the dual-mode sensor can correlate local pH for one DNA slice at one location-determined microbead, which can result in improved pH detection accuracy. Moreover, toward a high-throughput DNA sequencing, a correlated-double-sampling readout that supports large array for both modes is deployed to reduce pixel-to-pixel nonuniformity such as threshold voltage mismatch. The proposed CMOS dual-mode sensor is experimentally examined to show a well correlated pH map and optical image for microbeads with a pH sensitivity of 26.2 mV/pH, a fixed pattern noise (FPN) reduction from 4% to 0.3%, and a readout speed of 1200 frames/s. A dual-mode CMOS ISFET sensor with suppressed FPN for accurate large-arrayed pH sensing is proposed and demonstrated with state-of-the-art measured results toward accurate and high-throughput DNA sequencing. The developed dual-mode CMOS ISFET sensor has great potential for future personal genome diagnostics with high accuracy and low cost.

Wigner time delay and spin-orbit activated confinement resonances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keating, D. A.; Deshmukh, P. C.; Manson, S. T.

2017-09-01

A study of the photoionization of spin-orbit split subshells of high-Z atoms confined in C60 has been performed using the relativistic-random-phase approximation. Specifically, Hg@C60 5p, Rn@C60 6p and Ra@C60 5d were investigated and the near-threshold confinement resonances in the j = l - 1/2 channels were found to engender structures in the j = l + 1/2 cross sections via correlation in the form of interchannel coupling. These structures are termed spin-orbit induced confinement resonances and they are found to profoundly influence the Wigner time delay spectrum resulting in time delays of tens or hundreds of attoseconds along with dramatic swings in time delay over small energy intervals. Pronounced relativistic effects in time delay are also found. These structures, including their manifestation in time delay spectra, are expected to be general phenomena in the photoionization of spin-orbit doublets in confined high-Z atoms.

Confinement-induced alterations in the evaporation dynamics of sessile droplets.

PubMed

Bansal, Lalit; Chakraborty, Suman; Basu, Saptarshi

2017-02-07

Evaporation of sessile droplets has been a topic of extensive research. However, the effect of confinement on the underlying dynamics has not been well explored. Here, we report the evaporation dynamics of a sessile droplet in a confined fluidic environment. Our findings reveal that an increase in the channel length delays the completion of the evaporation process and leads to unique spatio-temporal evaporation flux and internal flow. The evaporation modes (constant contact angle and constant contact radius) during the droplet lifetime however exhibit global similarity when normalized by appropriate length and timescales. These results are explained in light of an increase in vapor concentration inside the channel due to greater accumulation of water vapor on account of increased channel length. We have formulated a theoretical framework which introduces two key parameters namely an enhanced concentration of the vapor field in the vicinity of the confined droplet and a corresponding accumulation lengthscale over which the accumulated vapor relaxes to the ambient concentration. Using these two parameters and modified diffusion based evaporation we are able to show that confined droplets exhibit a universal behavior in terms of the temporal evolution of each evaporation mode irrespective of the channel length. These results may turn out to be of profound importance in a wide variety of applications, ranging from surface patterning to microfluidic technology.

[Effect of endogenous H2S on platelet L-Arg transport].

PubMed

Duan, Wen-zhuo; Wang, Yi-peng; Gong, Hai-min

2010-05-01

To observe the effect of novel air neuromodulator H2S on platelet function of L-Arg transport for discussing H2S of effect on platelet function. Saturate H2S solution as donate made rat rich platelet plasma and pre-incubation rat platelet with different density of H2S. To measure the velocity of L-Arg transport in platelet by radioactivity technique. At different concentrations of H2S (6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100 micromol/L), the velocity of L-Arg transport was lower than that in control. H2S reduced rapidly the Vmax and velocity of L-Arg transport in platelet (P < 0.05) and this effect had no effect to Km. H2S can affect platelet function by changing rapidly platelet L-Arg transport system function.

Confinement and low adhesion induce fast amoeboid migration of slow mesenchymal cells.

PubMed

Liu, Yan-Jun; Le Berre, Maël; Lautenschlaeger, Franziska; Maiuri, Paolo; Callan-Jones, Andrew; Heuzé, Mélina; Takaki, Tohru; Voituriez, Raphaël; Piel, Matthieu

2015-02-12

The mesenchymal-amoeboid transition (MAT) was proposed as a mechanism for cancer cells to adapt their migration mode to their environment. While the molecular pathways involved in this transition are well documented, the role of the microenvironment in the MAT is still poorly understood. Here, we investigated how confinement and adhesion affect this transition. We report that, in the absence of focal adhesions and under conditions of confinement, mesenchymal cells can spontaneously switch to a fast amoeboid migration phenotype. We identified two main types of fast migration--one involving a local protrusion and a second involving a myosin-II-dependent mechanical instability of the cell cortex that leads to a global cortical flow. Interestingly, transformed cells are more prone to adopt this fast migration mode. Finally, we propose a generic model that explains migration transitions and predicts a phase diagram of migration phenotypes based on three main control parameters: confinement, adhesion, and contractility. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multi-scale study of the isotope effect in ISTTOK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, B.; Silva, C.; Figueiredo, H.; Pedrosa, M. A.; van Milligen, B. Ph.; Pereira, T.; Losada, U.; Hidalgo, C.

2016-05-01

The isotope effect, namely the isotope dependence of plasma confinement, is still one of the principal scientific conundrums facing the magnetic fusion community. We have investigated the impact of isotope mass on multi-scale mechanisms, including the characterization of radial correlation lengths (\\boldsymbol{L}{r} ) and long-range correlations (LRC) of plasma fluctuations using multi-array Langmuir probe system, in hydrogen (H) and deuterium (D) plasmas in the ISTTOK tokamak. We found that when changing plasma composition from the H dominated to D dominated, the LRC amplitude increased markedly (10-30%) and the \\boldsymbol{L}{r} increased slightly (~10%). The particle confinement also improved by about 50%. The changes of LRC and \\boldsymbol{L}{r} are congruent with previous findings in the TEXTOR tokamak (Xu et al 2013 Phys. Rev. Lett. 110 265005). In addition, using biorthogonal decomposition, both geodesic acoustic modes and very low frequency (<5 kHz) coherent modes were found to be contributing to LRC.

Somersault of Paramecium in extremely confined environments.

PubMed

Jana, Saikat; Eddins, Aja; Spoon, Corrie; Jung, Sunghwan

2015-08-19

We investigate various swimming modes of Paramecium in geometric confinements and a non-swimming self-bending behavior like a somersault, which is quite different from the previously reported behaviors. We observe that Paramecia execute directional sinusoidal trajectories in thick fluid films, whereas Paramecia meander around a localized region and execute frequent turns due to collisions with adjacent walls in thin fluid films. When Paramecia are further constrained in rectangular channels narrower than the length of the cell body, a fraction of meandering Paramecia buckle their body by pushing on the channel walls. The bucking (self-bending) of the cell body allows the Paramecium to reorient its anterior end and explore a completely new direction in extremely confined spaces. Using force deflection method, we quantify the Young's modulus of the cell and estimate the swimming and bending powers exerted by Paramecium. The analysis shows that Paramecia can utilize a fraction of its swimming power to execute the self-bending maneuver within the confined channel and no extra power may be required for this new kind of self-bending behavior. This investigation sheds light on how micro-organisms can use the flexibility of the body to actively navigate within confined spaces.

Particle-in-cell modeling of gas-confined barrier discharge

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

Levko, Dmitry; Raja, Laxminarayan L.

2016-04-15

Gas-confined barrier discharge is studied using the one-dimensional Particle-in-Cell Monte Carlo Collisions model for the conditions reported by Guerra-Garcia and Martinez-Sanchez [Appl. Phys. Lett. 106, 041601 (2015)]. Depending on the applied voltage, two modes of discharge are observed. In the first mode, the discharge develops in the entire interelectrode gap. In the second mode, the discharge is ignited and develops only in the gas layer having smaller breakdown voltage. The one-dimensional model shows that for the conditions considered, there is no streamer stage of breakdown as is typical for a traditional dielectric barrier discharge.

Self-Consistent Frequency Sweeping of TAE mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ge

2012-03-01

We have extended our intuitive Toroidal Alfven Wave (TAE) model [1] for describing spontaneous frequency sweeping by a destabilizing component of energetic particles. Now a fully developed self-consistent description for frequency sweeping of an isolated TAE mode has been developed. As in [1], we use the Rosenbluth, Berk,Van Dam tip theory [2], valid for low beta, large aspect ratio, circular tokamaks, to describe the evolution of the TAE wave equation. The wave is coupled to the particle dynamics that uses the Berk, Breizman, Ye map model [3] to construct the particle/wave Lagrangian associated with a phase space dependent mode structure. Then together with the appropriate Vlasov equation for describing the particle dynamics, a set of equations determining the dynamics of the system has been formulated. Adiabatic solutions have been obtained and work is underway in simulating the exact nonlinear dynamics. A status report of our results will be given at the meeting. [4pt] [1] G. Wang and H. L. Berk, Communication in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation 17, 2179 (2012) [0pt] [2] M. N. Rosenbluth,; H. L. Berk, J. Van Dam and D. M. Lingberg, Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 596 (1992). [0pt] [3] Berk, H.L.; Breizman, B.N.; Ye, H. In: Physics of Fluids B 51993, 1506 (1993)

Advances in understanding quiescent H-mode plasmas in DIII-Da)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burrell, K. H.; West, W. P.; Doyle, E. J.; Austin, M. E.; Casper, T. A.; Gohil, P.; Greenfield, C. M.; Groebner, R. J.; Hyatt, A. W.; Jayakumar, R. J.; Kaplan, D. H.; Lao, L. L.; Leonard, A. W.; Makowski, M. A.; McKee, G. R.; Osborne, T. H.; Snyder, P. B.; Solomon, W. M.; Thomas, D. M.; Rhodes, T. L.; Strait, E. J.; Wade, M. R.; Wang, G.; Zeng, L.

2005-05-01

Recent QH-mode research on DIII-D [J. L. Luxon et al., Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research 1996 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1987), Vol. I, p. 159] has used the peeling-ballooning modes model of edge magnetohydrodynamic stability as a working hypothesis to organize the data; several predictions of this theory are consistent with the experimental results. Current ramping results indicate that QH modes operate near the edge current limit set by peeling modes. This operating point explains why QH mode is easier to get at lower plasma currents. Power scans have shown a saturation of edge pressure with increasing power input. This allows QH-mode plasmas to remain stable to edge localized modes (ELMs) to the highest powers used in DIII-D. At present, the mechanism for this saturation is unknown; if the edge harmonic oscillation (EHO) is playing a role here, the physics is not a simple amplitude dependence. The increase in edge stability with plasma triangularity predicted by the peeling-ballooning theory is consistent with the substantial improvement in pedestal pressure achieved by changing the plasma shape from a single null divertor to a high triangularity double null. Detailed ELITE calculations for the high triangularity plasmas have demonstrated that the plasma operating point is marginally stable to peeling-ballooning modes. Comparison of ELMing, coinjected and quiescent, counterinjected discharges with the same shape, current, toroidal field, electron density, and electron temperature indicates that the edge radial electric field or the edge toroidal rotation are also playing a role in edge stability. The EHO produces electron, main ion, and impurity particle transport at the plasma edge which is more rapid than that produced by ELMs under similar conditions. The EHO also decreases the edge rotation while producing little change in the edge electron and ion temperatures. Other edge electromagnetic modes also produce particle

Advances in understanding quiescent H-mode plasmas in DIII-D

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

Burrell, K.H.; West, W.P.; Gohil, P.

2005-05-15

Recent QH-mode research on DIII-D [J. L. Luxon et al., Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research 1996 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1987), Vol. I, p. 159] has used the peeling-ballooning modes model of edge magnetohydrodynamic stability as a working hypothesis to organize the data; several predictions of this theory are consistent with the experimental results. Current ramping results indicate that QH modes operate near the edge current limit set by peeling modes. This operating point explains why QH mode is easier to get at lower plasma currents. Power scans have shown a saturation of edge pressure with increasingmore » power input. This allows QH-mode plasmas to remain stable to edge localized modes (ELMs) to the highest powers used in DIII-D. At present, the mechanism for this saturation is unknown; if the edge harmonic oscillation (EHO) is playing a role here, the physics is not a simple amplitude dependence. The increase in edge stability with plasma triangularity predicted by the peeling-ballooning theory is consistent with the substantial improvement in pedestal pressure achieved by changing the plasma shape from a single null divertor to a high triangularity double null. Detailed ELITE calculations for the high triangularity plasmas have demonstrated that the plasma operating point is marginally stable to peeling-ballooning modes. Comparison of ELMing, coinjected and quiescent, counterinjected discharges with the same shape, current, toroidal field, electron density, and electron temperature indicates that the edge radial electric field or the edge toroidal rotation are also playing a role in edge stability. The EHO produces electron, main ion, and impurity particle transport at the plasma edge which is more rapid than that produced by ELMs under similar conditions. The EHO also decreases the edge rotation while producing little change in the edge electron and ion temperatures. Other edge electromagnetic modes also produce

Phonon-roton modes of liquid 4He beyond the roton in MCM-41

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

Azuah, Richard T; Omar Diallo, Souleymane; Adams, Mark A.

2013-01-01

We present neutron scattering measurements of the phonon-roton (P-R) mode of superfluid 4He confined in 47 A MCM-41 at T = 0.5 K at wave vectors, Q, beyond the roton wave vector (QR = 1.92 A-1). Measurements beyond the roton require access to high wave vectors (up to Q = 4 A-1) with excellent energy resolution and high statistical precision. The present results show for the first time that at T = 0.5 K the P-R mode in MCM-41 extends out to wave-vector Q 3.6 A-1 with the same energy and zero width (within precision) as observed in bulk superfluidmore » 4He. Layer modes in the roton region are also observed. Specifically, the P-R mode energy, !Q, increases with Q for Q > QR and reaches a plateau at a maximum energy !Q = 2 where is the roton energy, = 0.74 0.01 meV in MCM-41. This upper limit means the P-R mode decays to two rotons when its energy exceeds 2 . It also means that the P-R mode does not decay to two layers modes. If the P-R could decay to two layer modes, !Q would plateau at a lower energy, !Q = 2 L where L = 0.60 meV is the energy of the roton like minimum of the layer mode. The observation of the P-R mode with energy up to 2 shows that the P-R mode and the layer modes are independent modes with apparently little interaction between them.« less

Confined disordered strictly jammed binary sphere packings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, D.; Torquato, S.

2015-12-01

Disordered jammed packings under confinement have received considerably less attention than their bulk counterparts and yet arise in a variety of practical situations. In this work, we study binary sphere packings that are confined between two parallel hard planes and generalize the Torquato-Jiao (TJ) sequential linear programming algorithm [Phys. Rev. E 82, 061302 (2010), 10.1103/PhysRevE.82.061302] to obtain putative maximally random jammed (MRJ) packings that are exactly isostatic with high fidelity over a large range of plane separation distances H , small to large sphere radius ratio α , and small sphere relative concentration x . We find that packing characteristics can be substantially different from their bulk analogs, which is due to what we term "confinement frustration." Rattlers in confined packings are generally more prevalent than those in their bulk counterparts. We observe that packing fraction, rattler fraction, and degree of disorder of MRJ packings generally increase with H , though exceptions exist. Discontinuities in the packing characteristics as H varies in the vicinity of certain values of H are due to associated discontinuous transitions between different jammed states. When the plane separation distance is on the order of two large-sphere diameters or less, the packings exhibit salient two-dimensional features; when the plane separation distance exceeds about 30 large-sphere diameters, the packings approach three-dimensional bulk packings. As the size contrast increases (as α decreases), the rattler fraction dramatically increases due to what we call "size-disparity" frustration. We find that at intermediate α and when x is about 0.5 (50-50 mixture), the disorder of packings is maximized, as measured by an order metric ψ that is based on the number density fluctuations in the direction perpendicular to the hard walls. We also apply the local volume-fraction variance στ2(R ) to characterize confined packings and find that these

Collective Modes of Dust Helical Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsytovich, V. N.; Gousein-Zade, N. G.; Morfill, G. E.

2005-10-01

The helical structures are the simplest 3D crystal-like cylindrical structures with radius R being a system of 2D clusters equally separated along the cylindrical axis with a relative rotation on constant angle φ0. For mean free path for grain charging much larger than the separation of the grains, the total energy of grain interaction is a sum of all pair grain interactions. The helical structures have been found experimentally for ions in laser traps in cylindrical gas discharges at very low temperatures (in both case as ``warms''). The equilibrium criterion and the criteria of stability including the absence of saddle points show that in the plane ρ, φ the bifurcation points are often present with new branches appearing (stable and unstable). Numerical MD simulations show that for cylindrical symmetry any random distributions of grains is developing into helical structures. The theory of collective modes of helical structures is developed for arbitrary grain interactions. The dispersion relation for frequencies of the collective modes for different branches of helical structures is derived and solved numerically for interaction including different type of screened grain potentials including the grain attraction. The dispersion relation in the first Brillouin zone for the square of the frequency ω2 is shown to be a be-cubic equation and gives the square of frequency ω2 > 0 for stable modes and the square of the growth rates for the unstable modes ω2 < 0. Modes for helical structures in parabolic external confining potential well perpendicular to cylindrical axis are found. Stabile self-confined structures without external confinement are discovered in presence of both non-collective and collective grain attractions.

Estimation of Confined Peak Strength of Crack-Damaged Rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahrani, Navid; Kaiser, Peter K.

2017-02-01

It is known that the unconfined compressive strength of rock decreases with increasing density of geological features such as micro-cracks, fractures, and veins both at the laboratory specimen and rock block scales. This article deals with the confined peak strength of laboratory-scale rock specimens containing grain-scale strength dominating features such as micro-cracks. A grain-based distinct element model, whereby the rock is simulated with grains that are allowed to deform and break, is used to investigate the influence of the density of cracks on the rock strength under unconfined and confined conditions. A grain-based specimen calibrated to the unconfined and confined strengths of intact and heat-treated Wombeyan marble is used to simulate rock specimens with varying crack densities. It is demonstrated how such cracks affect the peak strength, stress-strain curve and failure mode with increasing confinement. The results of numerical simulations in terms of unconfined and confined peak strengths are used to develop semi-empirical relations that relate the difference in strength between the intact and crack-damaged rocks to the confining pressure. It is shown how these relations can be used to estimate the confined peak strength of a rock with micro-cracks when the unconfined and confined strengths of the intact rock and the unconfined strength of the crack-damaged rock are known. This approach for estimating the confined strength of crack-damaged rock specimens, called strength degradation approach, is then verified by application to published laboratory triaxial test data.

The possible crossover effects of NaNO3 confined in porous media: From bulk to clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mu, R.; Jin, F.; Morgan, S. H.; Henderson, D. O.; Silberman, E.

1994-05-01

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Raman spectra are reported for NaNO3 bulk and for NaNO3 confined in porous silica with pore radii, rp=2.5, 5, 10, 20 nm. Raman spectra are also given for a 6 M solution of NaNO3. The melting transition for the confined NaNO3 exhibits a 1/rp dependence where rp is the pore radius for rp≳5 nm. No melting transition is observed for NaNO3 confined in 2.5 nm pores. Above this pore size, their appears to be a deviation in the melting transition dependence on rp. The internal modes observed in the Raman spectra for the confined material are in agreement with those of the bulk solid except for a feature observed on the low frequency side of the ν1 band. The external TO mode observed at 100 cm-1 and the librational mode at 175 cm-1 for NaNO3 both decrease in intensity and broaden as rp decreases and both bands disappear at rp=2.5 nm. An additional peak at 70 cm-1 not observed in the solution or bulk NaNO3 spectra appears in the spectra of confined NaNO3 and increases in intensity as rp decreases. We assign this band to a new phase of NaNO3 which is stabilized by the surface hydroxyl groups of the porous silica. For NaNO3 confined in pores, rp≤2.5 nm, we suggest that NaNO3 exists as disordered aggregates.

Vibrational modes of thin oblate clouds of charge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkins, Thomas G.; Spencer, Ross L.

2002-07-01

A numerical method is presented for finding the eigenfunctions (normal modes) and mode frequencies of azimuthally symmetric non-neutral plasmas confined in a Penning trap whose axial thickness is much smaller than their radial size. The plasma may be approximated as a charged disk in this limit; the normal modes and frequencies can be found if the surface charge density profile σ(r) of the disk and the trap bounce frequency profile ωz(r) are known. The dependence of the eigenfunctions and equilibrium plasma shapes on nonideal components of the confining Penning trap fields is discussed. The results of the calculation are compared with the experimental data of Weimer et al. [Phys. Rev. A 49, 3842 (1994)] and it is shown that the plasma in this experiment was probably hollow and had mode displacement functions that were concentrated near the center of the plasma.

Oxidation mode of pyranose 2-oxidase is controlled by pH.

PubMed

Prongjit, Methinee; Sucharitakul, Jeerus; Palfey, Bruce A; Chaiyen, Pimchai

2013-02-26

Pyranose 2-oxidase (P2O) from Trametes multicolor is a flavoenzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of d-glucose and other aldopyranose sugars at the C2 position by using O₂ as an electron acceptor to form the corresponding 2-keto-sugars and H₂O₂. In this study, the effects of pH on the oxidative half-reaction of P2O were investigated using stopped-flow spectrophotometry. The results showed that flavin oxidation occurred via different pathways depending on the pH of the environment. At pH values lower than 8.0, reduced P2O reacts with O₂ to form a C4a-hydroperoxyflavin intermediate, leading to elimination of H₂O₂. At pH 8.0 and higher, the majority of the reduced P2O reacts with O₂ via a pathway that does not allow detection of the C4a-hydroperoxyflavin, and flavin oxidation occurs with decreased rate constants upon the rise in pH. The switching between the two modes of P2O oxidation is controlled by protonation of a group which has a pK(a) of 7.6 ± 0.1. Oxidation reactions of reduced P2O under rapid pH change as performed by stopped-flow mixing were different from the same reactions performed with enzyme pre-equilibrated at the same specified pH values, implying that the protonation of the group which controls the mode of flavin oxidation cannot be rapidly equilibrated with outside solvent. Using a double-mixing stopped-flow experiment, a rate constant for proton dissociation from the reaction site was determined to be 21.0 ± 0.4 s⁻¹.

An AB Initio Study of SbH_2 and BiH_2: the Renner Effect, Spin-Orbit Coupling, Local Mode Vibrations and Rovibronic Energy Level Clustering in SbH_2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostojic, Bojana; Schwerdtfeger, Peter; Bunker, Phil; Jensen, Per

2016-06-01

We present the results of ab initio calculations for the lower electronic states of the Group 15 (pnictogen) dihydrides, SbH_2 and BiH_2. For each of these molecules the two lowest electronic states become degenerate at linearity and are therefore subject to the Renner effect. Spin-orbit coupling is also strong in these two heavy-element containing molecules. For the lowest two electronic states of SbH_2, we construct the three dimensional potential energy surfaces and corresponding dipole moment and transition moment surfaces by multi-reference configuration interaction techniques. Including both the Renner effect and spin-orbit coupling, we calculate term values and simulate the rovibrational and rovibronic spectra of SbH_2. Excellent agreement is obtained with the results of matrix isolation infrared spectroscopic studies and with gas phase electronic spectroscopic studies in absorption [1,2]. For the heavier dihydride BiH_2 we calculate bending potential curves and the spin-orbit coupling constant for comparison. For SbH_2 we further study the local mode vibrational behavior and the formation of rovibronic energy level clusters in high angular momentum states. [1] X. Wang, P. F. Souter and L. Andrews, J. Phys. Chem. A 107, 4244-4249 (2003) [2] N. Basco and K. K. Lee, Spectroscopy Letters 1, 13-15 (1968)

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2005-07-01

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

Dynamical behavior of a single polymer chain under nanometric confinement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lagrené, K.; Zanotti, J.-M.; Daoud, M.; Farago, B.; Judeinstein, P.

2010-10-01

We address the dynamical behavior of a single polymer chain under nanometric confinement. We consider a polymer melt made of a mixture of hydrogenated and deuterated high molecular mass Poly(Ethylene Oxide) (PEO). The confining material is a membrane of Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO), a macroscopically highly ordered confining system made of parallel cylindrical channels. We use Neutron Spin-Echo (NSE) under the Zero Average Contrast (ZAC) condition to, all at once, i) match the intense porous AAO detrimental elastic SANS (Small Angle Neutron Scattering) contribution to the total intermediate scattering function I(Q,t) and ii) measure the Q dependence of the dynamical modes of a single chain under confinement. The polymer dynamics is probed on an extremely broad spacial ([2.2 10-2 Å-1, 0.2 Å-1]) and temporal ([0.1 ns, 600 ns]) ranges. We do not detect any influence of confinement on the polymer dynamics. This result is discussed in the framework of the debate on the existence of a "corset effect" recently suggested by NMR relaxometry data.

Nonlocal response in plasmonic waveguiding with extreme light confinement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toscano, Giuseppe; Raza, Søren; Yan, Wei; Jeppesen, Claus; Xiao, Sanshui; Wubs, Martijn; Jauho, Antti-Pekka; Bozhevolnyi, Sergey I.; Mortensen, N. Asger

2013-07-01

We present a novel wave equation for linearized plasmonic response, obtained by combining the coupled real-space differential equations for the electric field and current density. Nonlocal dynamics are fully accounted for, and the formulation is very well suited for numerical implementation, allowing us to study waveguides with subnanometer cross-sections exhibiting extreme light confinement. We show that groove and wedge waveguides have a fundamental lower limit in their mode confinement, only captured by the nonlocal theory. The limitation translates into an upper limit for the corresponding Purcell factors, and thus has important implications for quantum plasmonics.

Mode-dependent templates and scan order for H.264/AVC-based intra lossless coding.

PubMed

Gu, Zhouye; Lin, Weisi; Lee, Bu-Sung; Lau, Chiew Tong; Sun, Ming-Ting

2012-09-01

In H.264/advanced video coding (AVC), lossless coding and lossy coding share the same entropy coding module. However, the entropy coders in the H.264/AVC standard were original designed for lossy video coding and do not yield adequate performance for lossless video coding. In this paper, we analyze the problem with the current lossless coding scheme and propose a mode-dependent template (MD-template) based method for intra lossless coding. By exploring the statistical redundancy of the prediction residual in the H.264/AVC intra prediction modes, more zero coefficients are generated. By designing a new scan order for each MD-template, the scanned coefficients sequence fits the H.264/AVC entropy coders better. A fast implementation algorithm is also designed. With little computation increase, experimental results confirm that the proposed fast algorithm achieves about 7.2% bit saving compared with the current H.264/AVC fidelity range extensions high profile.

TES/Aura L2 Water Vapor (H2O) Limb V6 (TL2H2OL)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-03-01

TES/Aura L2 Water Vapor (H2O) Limb (TL2H2OL) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Water Vapor Spatial Coverage:  27 x 23 km Limb ... Access: OPeNDAP Parameters:  H2O Water Volume Mixing Radio Precision Vertical Resolution Order ...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: The quasi-coherent signature of enhanced Dα H-mode in Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snipes, J. A.; La Bombard, B.; Greenwald, M.; Hutchinson, I. H.; Irby, J.; Lin, Y.; Mazurenko, A.; Porkolab, M.

2001-04-01

The steady-state H-mode regime found at moderate to high density in Alcator C-Mod, known as enhanced Dα (EDA) H-mode, appears to be maintained by a continuous quasi-coherent (QC) mode in the steep edge gradient region. Large amplitude density and magnetic fluctuations with typical frequencies of about 100 kHz are driven by the QC mode. These fluctuations are measured in the steep edge gradient region by inserting a fast-scanning probe containing two poloidally separated Langmuir probes and a poloidal field pick-up coil. As the probe approaches the plasma edge, clear magnetic fluctuations were measured within about 2 cm of the last-closed flux surface (LCFS). The mode amplitude falls off rapidly with distance from the plasma centre with an exponential decay length of kr≈1.5 cm-1, measured 10 cm above the outboard midplane. The root-mean-square amplitude of the fluctuation extrapolated to the LCFS was θ≈5 G. The density fluctuations, on the other hand, were visible on the Langmuir probe only when it was within a few millimetres of the LCFS. The potential and density fluctuations were sufficiently in phase to enhance particle transport at the QC mode frequency. These results show that the QC signature of the EDA H-mode is an electromagnetic mode that appears to be responsible for the enhanced particle transport in the plasma edge.

Holographic repulsion and confinement in gauge theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husain, Viqar; Kothawala, Dawood

2013-02-01

We show that for asymptotically anti-de Sitter (AdS) backgrounds with negative energy, such as the AdS soliton and regulated negative-mass AdS-Schwarzshild metrics, the Wilson loop expectation value in the AdS/CFT conjecture exhibits a Coulomb to confinement transition. We also show that the quark-antiquark (q \\bar{q}) potential can be interpreted as affine time along null geodesics on the minimal string worldsheet and that its intrinsic curvature provides a signature of transition to confinement phase. Our results suggest a generic (holographic) relationship between confinement in gauge theory and repulsive gravity, which in turn is connected with singularity avoidance in quantum gravity. Communicated by P R L V Moniz

Flux-driven turbulence GDB simulations of the IWL Alcator C-Mod L-mode edge compared with experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francisquez, Manaure; Zhu, Ben; Rogers, Barrett

2017-10-01

Prior to predicting confinement regime transitions in tokamaks one may need an accurate description of L-mode profiles and turbulence properties. These features determine the heat-flux width upon which wall integrity depends, a topic of major interest for research aid to ITER. To this end our work uses the GDB model to simulate the Alcator C-Mod edge and contributes support for its use in studying critical edge phenomena in current and future tokamaks. We carried out 3D electromagnetic flux-driven two-fluid turbulence simulations of inner wall limited (IWL) C-Mod shots spanning closed and open flux surfaces. These simulations are compared with gas puff imaging (GPI) and mirror Langmuir probe (MLP) data, examining global features and statistical properties of turbulent dynamics. GDB reproduces important qualitative aspects of the C-Mod edge regarding global density and temperature profiles, within reasonable margins, and though the turbulence statistics of the simulated turbulence follow similar quantitative trends questions remain about the code's difficulty in exactly predicting quantities like the autocorrelation time A proposed breakpoint in the near SOL pressure and the posited separation between drift and ballooning dynamics it represents are examined This work was supported by DOE-SC-0010508. This research used resources of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC).

TES/Aura L2 Water Vapor (H2O) Limb V6 (TL2H2OLS)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-03-01

TES/Aura L2 Water Vapor (H2O) Limb (TL2H2OLS) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Water Vapor Spatial Coverage:  27 x 23 km Limb ... Access:  OPeNDAP Parameters:  H2O Water Volume Mixing Radio Precision Vertical Resolution Order ...

Erratum: Resonant magnetic perturbations of edge-plasmas in toroidal confinement devices (2015 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 57 123001)

DOE PAGES

Evans, T. E.

2016-03-01

Controlling the boundary layer in fusion-grade, high-performance, plasma discharges is essential for the successful development of toroidal magnetic confinement power generating systems. A promising approach for controlling the boundary plasma is based on the use of small, externally applied, edge resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) fields (δmore » $$b_⊥^{ext}$$ ≈ $$10^{-4}$$ → $$10^{-3}$$ T). A long-term focus area in tokamak fusion research has been to find methods, involving the use of non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations to reduce the intense particle and heat fluxes to the wall. Experimental RMP research has progressed from the early pioneering work on tokamaks with material limiters in the 1970s, to present day research in separatrix-limited tokamaks operated in high-confinement mode, which is primarily aimed at the mitigation of the intermittent fluxes due edge localized modes. At the same time the theoretical research has evolved from analytical models to numerical simulations, including the full 3D complexities of the problem. Following the first demonstration of ELM suppression in the DIII-D tokamak during 2003, there has been a rapid worldwide growth in theoretical, numerical and experimental edge RMP research resulting in the addition of ELM control coils to the ITER baseline design [A. Loarte, et al., Nucl. Fusion 54 (2014) 033007]. This review provides an overview of edge RMP research including a summary of the early theoretical and numerical background along with recent experimental results on improved particle and energy confinement in tokamaks triggered by edge RMP fields. The topics covered make up the basic elements needed for developing a better understanding of 3D magnetic perturbation physics, which is required in order to utilize the full potential of edge RMP fields in fusion relevant high performance, H-mode, plasmas.« less

Erratum: Resonant magnetic perturbations of edge-plasmas in toroidal confinement devices (2015 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 57 123001)

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

Evans, T. E.

Controlling the boundary layer in fusion-grade, high-performance, plasma discharges is essential for the successful development of toroidal magnetic confinement power generating systems. A promising approach for controlling the boundary plasma is based on the use of small, externally applied, edge resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) fields (δmore » $$b_⊥^{ext}$$ ≈ $$10^{-4}$$ → $$10^{-3}$$ T). A long-term focus area in tokamak fusion research has been to find methods, involving the use of non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations to reduce the intense particle and heat fluxes to the wall. Experimental RMP research has progressed from the early pioneering work on tokamaks with material limiters in the 1970s, to present day research in separatrix-limited tokamaks operated in high-confinement mode, which is primarily aimed at the mitigation of the intermittent fluxes due edge localized modes. At the same time the theoretical research has evolved from analytical models to numerical simulations, including the full 3D complexities of the problem. Following the first demonstration of ELM suppression in the DIII-D tokamak during 2003, there has been a rapid worldwide growth in theoretical, numerical and experimental edge RMP research resulting in the addition of ELM control coils to the ITER baseline design [A. Loarte, et al., Nucl. Fusion 54 (2014) 033007]. This review provides an overview of edge RMP research including a summary of the early theoretical and numerical background along with recent experimental results on improved particle and energy confinement in tokamaks triggered by edge RMP fields. The topics covered make up the basic elements needed for developing a better understanding of 3D magnetic perturbation physics, which is required in order to utilize the full potential of edge RMP fields in fusion relevant high performance, H-mode, plasmas.« less

Application of the H-Mode, a Design and Interaction Concept for Highly Automated Vehicles, to Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodrich, Kenneth H.; Flemisch, Frank O.; Schutte, Paul C.; Williams, Ralph A.

2006-01-01

Driven by increased safety, efficiency, and airspace capacity, automation is playing an increasing role in aircraft operations. As aircraft become increasingly able to autonomously respond to a range of situations with performance surpassing human operators, we are compelled to look for new methods that help us understand their use and guide their design using new forms of automation and interaction. We propose a novel design metaphor to aid the conceptualization, design, and operation of highly-automated aircraft. Design metaphors transfer meaning from common experiences to less familiar applications or functions. A notable example is the "Desktop metaphor" for manipulating files on a computer. This paper describes a metaphor for highly automated vehicles known as the H-metaphor and a specific embodiment of the metaphor known as the H-mode as applied to aircraft. The fundamentals of the H-metaphor are reviewed followed by an overview of an exploratory usability study investigating human-automation interaction issues for a simple H-mode implementation. The envisioned application of the H-mode concept to aircraft is then described as are two planned evaluations.

Somersault of Paramecium in extremely confined environments

PubMed Central

Jana, Saikat; Eddins, Aja; Spoon, Corrie; Jung, Sunghwan

2015-01-01

We investigate various swimming modes of Paramecium in geometric confinements and a non-swimming self-bending behavior like a somersault, which is quite different from the previously reported behaviors. We observe that Paramecia execute directional sinusoidal trajectories in thick fluid films, whereas Paramecia meander around a localized region and execute frequent turns due to collisions with adjacent walls in thin fluid films. When Paramecia are further constrained in rectangular channels narrower than the length of the cell body, a fraction of meandering Paramecia buckle their body by pushing on the channel walls. The bucking (self-bending) of the cell body allows the Paramecium to reorient its anterior end and explore a completely new direction in extremely confined spaces. Using force deflection method, we quantify the Young’s modulus of the cell and estimate the swimming and bending powers exerted by Paramecium. The analysis shows that Paramecia can utilize a fraction of its swimming power to execute the self-bending maneuver within the confined channel and no extra power may be required for this new kind of self-bending behavior. This investigation sheds light on how micro-organisms can use the flexibility of the body to actively navigate within confined spaces. PMID:26286234

Somersault of Paramecium in extremely confined environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jana, Saikat; Eddins, Aja; Spoon, Corrie; Jung, Sunghwan

2015-08-01

We investigate various swimming modes of Paramecium in geometric confinements and a non-swimming self-bending behavior like a somersault, which is quite different from the previously reported behaviors. We observe that Paramecia execute directional sinusoidal trajectories in thick fluid films, whereas Paramecia meander around a localized region and execute frequent turns due to collisions with adjacent walls in thin fluid films. When Paramecia are further constrained in rectangular channels narrower than the length of the cell body, a fraction of meandering Paramecia buckle their body by pushing on the channel walls. The bucking (self-bending) of the cell body allows the Paramecium to reorient its anterior end and explore a completely new direction in extremely confined spaces. Using force deflection method, we quantify the Young’s modulus of the cell and estimate the swimming and bending powers exerted by Paramecium. The analysis shows that Paramecia can utilize a fraction of its swimming power to execute the self-bending maneuver within the confined channel and no extra power may be required for this new kind of self-bending behavior. This investigation sheds light on how micro-organisms can use the flexibility of the body to actively navigate within confined spaces.

Rouse mode analysis of chain relaxation in homopolymer melts

DOE PAGES

Kalathi, Jagannathan T.; Kumar, Sanat K.; Rubinstein, Michael; ...

2014-09-15

We use molecular dynamics simulations of the Kremer–Grest (KG) bead–spring model of polymer chains of length between 10 and 500, and a closely related analogue that allows for chain crossing, to clearly delineate the effects of entanglements on the length-scale-dependent chain relaxation in polymer melts. We analyze the resulting trajectories using the Rouse modes of the chains and find that entanglements strongly affect these modes. The relaxation rates of the chains show two limiting effective monomeric frictions, with the local modes experiencing much lower effective friction than the longer modes. The monomeric relaxation rates of longer modes vary approximately inverselymore » with chain length due to kinetic confinement effects. The time-dependent relaxation of Rouse modes has a stretched exponential character with a minimum of stretching exponent in the vicinity of the entanglement chain length. None of these trends are found in models that allow for chain crossing. As a result, these facts, in combination, argue for the confined motion of chains for time scales between the entanglement time and their ultimate free diffusion.« less

Dephasing dynamics in confined myoglobin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goj, Anne; Loring, Roger F.

2007-11-01

Confinement of a solution can slow solvent dynamics and in turn influence the reactivity and structure of the solute. Encapsulating a protein in an aqueous pore affects its binding properties, stability to degradation, interconversion between conformational states, and energy relaxation. We perform molecular dynamics simulations of H64V-CO mutant myoglobin solvated by varying amounts of liquid water, and in turn enclosed by a matrix of immobilized solvent, to mimic differing degrees of confinement of H64V-CO in a glass. We calculate the three-pulse vibrational echo signal of the CO ligand from the autocorrelation function of fluctuations in the CO vibrational frequency. When the first solvation layer alone is free to relax, the correlation function displays only fast relaxation reminiscent of the case of a protein in a fixed, immobilized solvent matrix. However the vibrational echo signal in this case decays significantly more rapidly than for a static solvent. With two solvation layers mobile, the correlation function displays long time relaxation characteristic of the unconfined protein and the echo signal decays rapidly. The echo signal of the protein with two mobile solvation layers is nearly identical to that of the unconfined protein, despite the substantially constrained solvent dynamics in the confined case.

The effect of a metal wall on confinement in JET and ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beurskens, M. N. A.; Schweinzer, J.; Angioni, C.; Burckhart, A.; Challis, C. D.; Chapman, I.; Fischer, R.; Flanagan, J.; Frassinetti, L.; Giroud, C.; Hobirk, J.; Joffrin, E.; Kallenbach, A.; Kempenaars, M.; Leyland, M.; Lomas, P.; Maddison, G.; Maslov, M.; McDermott, R.; Neu, R.; Nunes, I.; Osborne, T.; Ryter, F.; Saarelma, S.; Schneider, P. A.; Snyder, P.; Tardini, G.; Viezzer, E.; Wolfrum, E.; the ASDEX Upgrade Team; Contributors, JET-EFDA

2013-12-01

In both JET and ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) the plasma energy confinement has been affected by the presence of a metal wall by the requirement of increased gas fuelling to avoid tungsten pollution of the plasma. In JET with a beryllium/tungsten wall the high triangularity baseline H-mode scenario (i.e. similar to the ITER reference scenario) has been the strongest affected and the benefit of high shaping to give good normalized confinement of H98 ˜ 1 at high Greenwald density fraction of fGW ˜ 0.8 has not been recovered to date. In AUG with a full tungsten wall, a good normalized confinement H98 ˜ 1 could be achieved in the high triangularity baseline plasmas, albeit at elevated normalized pressure βN > 2. The confinement lost with respect to the carbon devices can be largely recovered by the seeding of nitrogen in both JET and AUG. This suggests that the absence of carbon in JET and AUG with a metal wall may have affected the achievable confinement. Three mechanisms have been tested that could explain the effect of carbon or nitrogen (and the absence thereof) on the plasma confinement. First it has been seen in experiments and by means of nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations (with the GENE code), that nitrogen seeding does not significantly change the core temperature profile peaking and does not affect the critical ion temperature gradient. Secondly, the dilution of the edge ion density by the injection of nitrogen is not sufficient to explain the plasma temperature and pressure rise. For this latter mechanism to explain the confinement improvement with nitrogen seeding, strongly hollow Zeff profiles would be required which is not supported by experimental observations. The confinement improvement with nitrogen seeding cannot be explained with these two mechanisms. Thirdly, detailed pedestal structure analysis in JET high triangularity baseline plasmas have shown that the fuelling of either deuterium or nitrogen widens the pressure pedestal. However, in JET-ILW this

System and method of operating toroidal magnetic confinement devices

DOEpatents

Chance, Morrell S.; Jardin, Stephen C.; Stix, Thomas H.; Grimm, deceased, Ray C.; Manickam, Janardhan; Okabayashi, Michio

1987-01-01

For toroidal magnetic confinement devices the second region of stability against ballooning modes can be accessed with controlled operation. Under certain modes of operation, the first and second stability regions may be joined together. Accessing the second region of stability is accomplished by forming a bean-shaped plasma and increasing the indentation until a critical value of indentation is reached. A pusher coil, located at the inner-major-radius side of the device, is engaged to form a bean-shaped poloidal cross-section in the plasma.

Rovibrational states of Wigner molecules in spherically symmetric confining potentials

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

Cioslowski, Jerzy

2016-08-07

The strong-localization limit of three-dimensional Wigner molecules, in which repulsively interacting particles are confined by a weak spherically symmetric potential, is investigated. An explicit prescription for computation of rovibrational wavefunctions and energies that are asymptotically exact at this limit is presented. The prescription is valid for systems with arbitrary angularly-independent interparticle and confining potentials, including those involving Coulombic and screened (i.e., Yukawa/Debye) interactions. The necessary derivations are greatly simplified by explicit constructions of the Eckart frame and the parity-adapted primitive wavefunctions. The performance of the new formalism is illustrated with the three- and four-electron harmonium atoms at their strong-correlation limits.more » In particular, the involvement of vibrational modes with the E symmetry is readily pinpointed as the origin of the “anomalous” weak-confinement behavior of the {sup 1}S{sub +} state of the four-electron species that is absent in its {sup 1}D{sub +} companion of the strong-confinement regime.« less

The nanofluidic confinement apparatus: studying confinement-dependent nanoparticle behavior and diffusion

PubMed Central

Fringes, Stefan; Holzner, Felix

2018-01-01

The behavior of nanoparticles under nanofluidic confinement depends strongly on their distance to the confining walls; however, a measurement in which the gap distance is varied is challenging. Here, we present a versatile setup for investigating the behavior of nanoparticles as a function of the gap distance, which is controlled to the nanometer. The setup is designed as an open system that operates with a small amount of dispersion of ≈20 μL, permits the use of coated and patterned samples and allows high-numerical-aperture microscopy access. Using the tool, we measure the vertical position (termed height) and the lateral diffusion of 60 nm, charged, Au nanospheres as a function of confinement between a glass surface and a polymer surface. Interferometric scattering detection provides an effective particle illumination time of less than 30 μs, which results in lateral and vertical position detection accuracy ≈10 nm for diffusing particles. We found the height of the particles to be consistently above that of the gap center, corresponding to a higher charge on the polymer substrate. In terms of diffusion, we found a strong monotonic decay of the diffusion constant with decreasing gap distance. This result cannot be explained by hydrodynamic effects, including the asymmetric vertical position of the particles in the gap. Instead we attribute it to an electroviscous effect. For strong confinement of less than 120 nm gap distance, we detect the onset of subdiffusion, which can be correlated to the motion of the particles along high-gap-distance paths. PMID:29441273

Higgs-mode radiance and charge-density-wave order in 2 H -NbSe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grasset, Romain; Cea, Tommaso; Gallais, Yann; Cazayous, Maximilien; Sacuto, Alain; Cario, Laurent; Benfatto, Lara; Méasson, Marie-Aude

2018-03-01

Despite being usually considered two competing phenomena, charge-density wave and superconductivity coexist in few systems, the most emblematic one being the transition-metal dichalcogenide 2 H -NbSe2 . This unusual condition is responsible for specific Raman signatures across the two phase transitions in this compound. While the appearance of a soft phonon mode is a well-established fingerprint of the charge-density-wave order, the nature of the sharp subgap mode emerging below the superconducting temperature is still under debate. In this work we use external pressure as a knob to unveil the delicate interplay between the two orders, and consequently the nature of the superconducting mode. Thanks to an advanced extreme-conditions Raman technique, we are able to follow the pressure evolution and the simultaneous collapse of the two intertwined charge-density-wave and superconducting modes. The comparison with microscopic calculations in a model system supports the Higgs-type nature of the superconducting mode and suggests that charge-density wave and superconductivity in 2 H -NbSe2 involve mutual electronic degrees of freedom. These findings fill the knowledge gap on the electronic mechanisms at play in transition-metal dichalcogenides, a crucial step to fully exploit their properties in few-layer systems optimized for device applications.

Gate-defined quantum confinement in suspended bilayer graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, M. T.; Martin, J.; Yacoby, A.

2012-07-01

Quantum-confined devices that manipulate single electrons in graphene are emerging as attractive candidates for nanoelectronics applications. Previous experiments have employed etched graphene nanostructures, but edge and substrate disorder severely limit device functionality. Here we present a technique that builds quantum-confined structures in suspended bilayer graphene with tunnel barriers defined by external electric fields that open a bandgap, thereby eliminating both edge and substrate disorder. We report clean quantum dot formation in two regimes: at zero magnetic field B using the energy gap induced by a perpendicular electric field and at B>0 using the quantum Hall ν=0 gap for confinement. Coulomb blockade oscillations exhibit periodicity consistent with electrostatic simulations based on local top-gate geometry, a direct demonstration of local control over the band structure of graphene. This technology integrates single electron transport with high device quality and access to vibrational modes, enabling broad applications from electromechanical sensors to quantum bits.

Effects of Density and Impurity on Edge Localized Modes in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Ping

2017-10-01

Plasma density and impurity concentration are believed to be two of the key elements governing the edge tokamak plasma conditions. Optimal levels of plasma density and impurity concentration in the edge region have been searched for in order to achieve the desired fusion gain and divertor heat/particle load mitigation. However, how plasma density or impurity would affect the edge pedestal stability may have not been well known. Our recent MHD theory modeling and simulations using the NIMROD code have found novel effects of density and impurity on the dynamics of edge-localized modes (ELMs) in tokamaks. First, previous MHD analyses often predict merely a weak stabilizing effect of toroidal flow on ELMs in experimentally relevant regimes. We find that the stabilizing effects on the high- n ELMs from toroidal flow can be significantly enhanced with the increased edge plasma density. Here n denotes the toroidal mode number. Second, the stabilizing effects of the enhanced edge resistivity due to lithium-conditioning on the low- n ELMs in the high confinement (H-mode) discharges in NSTX have been identified. Linear stability analysis of the experimentally constrained equilibrium suggests that the change in the equilibrium plasma density and pressure profiles alone due to lithium-conditioning may not be sufficient for a complete suppression of the low- n ELMs. The enhanced resistivity due to the increased effective electric charge number Zeff after lithium-conditioning provides additional stabilization of the low- n ELMs. These new effects revealed in our theory analyses may help further understand recent ELM experiments and suggest new control schemes for ELM suppression and mitigation in future experiments. They may also pose additional constraints on the optimal levels of plasma density and impurity concentration in the edge region for H-mode tokamak operation. Supported by National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Science Program of China Grants 2014GB124002 and 2015GB

Fe-H/D stretching and bending modes in nuclear resonant vibrational, Raman and infrared spectroscopies: Comparisons of density functional theory and experiment

PubMed Central

Pelmenschikov, Vladimir; Guo, Yisong; Wang, Hongxin; Cramer, Stephen P.; Case, David A.

2010-01-01

Infrared, Raman, and nuclear resonant vibrational (NRVS) spectroscopies have been used to address the Fe-H bonding in trans-Fe(H)(CO) iron hydride compound, Fe(H)(CO)(dppe)2, dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane. H and D isotopomers of the compound, with the selective substitution at the metal-coordinated hydrogen, have been considered in order to address the Fe-H/D stretching and bending modes. Experimental results are compared to the normal mode analysis by the density functional theory (DFT). The results are that (i) the IR spectrum does not clearly show Fe–H stretching or bending modes; (ii) Fe–H stretching modes are clear but weak in the Raman spectrum, and Fe–H bending modes are weak; (iii) NRVS 57Fe spectroscopy resolves Fe-H bending clearly, but Fe–H or Fe–D stretching is above its experimentally resolved frequency range. DFT caclulations (with no scaling of frequencies) show intensities and peak locations that allow unambigous correlations between observed and calculated features, with frequency errors generally less than 15 cm−1. Prospects for using these techniques to unravel vibrational modes of protein active sites are discussed. PMID:21322496

Dual mode warhead

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

Obrsky, J.; Alexander, A.A.; Griffen, O.H.

1980-12-31

A dual mode warhead is provided for use against both soft and hard targets and capable of sensing which type of target has been struck comprising a casing made of a ductile material containing an explosive charge and a fuze assembly. The ductile warhead casing will mushroom and later split upon striking a hard target while still confining the explosive. Proper ductility and confinement are necessary for fuze sensing. The fuze assembly contains a pair of parallel firing trains, one initiated only by high and one by low impact deceleration. The firing train actuated by low impact deceleration contains amore » pyrotechnic delay to allow penetration of soft targets.« less

Double-slit interference in H2^, subjected to ultrashort x-ray radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Secor, Ethan; Guan, Xiaoxu; Bartschat, Klaus; Schneider, Barry I.

2012-06-01

Extending our earlier work [1], we consider the double-slit interference effect [2,3] in the H2^, ion irradiated by intense short x-ray laser pulses with central photon energies from 200-500 eV. The time-dependent Schr"odinger equation in prolate spheroidal coordinates is solved to extract the angle-differential cross section of the photo-electron. The spatical coordinates are discretized by means of a finite-element discrete-variable representation. We discuss the confinement effect [3] in the parallel geometry, in which the emission mode of the photoelectron along the laser polarization direction is dynamically forbidden. This confinement appears periodically, with the details depending on both the momentum of the electron and the internuclear separation. On the other hand, the effect disappears in the perpendicular geometry. We compare our results to those obtained from a simple plane-wave model based on time-independent perturbation theory.[4pt] [1] X. Guan, E. Secor, K. Bartschat, and B. I. Schneider, Phys. Rev. A 84 (2011) 032420.[0pt] [2] I. G. Kaplan and A. P. Markin, Sov. Phys. Dokl. 14 (1969) 36.[0pt] [3] J. Fern'andez, F. L. Yip, T. N. Rescigno, C. W. McCurdy, and F. Mart'in, Phys. Rev. A 79 (2009) 043409.

Gate-defined Quantum Confinement in Suspended Bilayer Graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Monica

2013-03-01

Quantum confined devices in carbon-based materials offer unique possibilities for applications ranging from quantum computation to sensing. In particular, nanostructured carbon is a promising candidate for spin-based quantum computation due to the ability to suppress hyperfine coupling to nuclear spins, a dominant source of spin decoherence. Yet graphene lacks an intrinsic bandgap, which poses a serious challenge for the creation of such devices. We present a novel approach to quantum confinement utilizing tunnel barriers defined by local electric fields that break sublattice symmetry in suspended bilayer graphene. This technique electrostatically confines charges via band structure control, thereby eliminating the edge and substrate disorder that hinders on-chip etched nanostructures to date. We report clean single electron tunneling through gate-defined quantum dots in two regimes: at zero magnetic field using the energy gap induced by a perpendicular electric field and at finite magnetic fields using Landau level confinement. The observed Coulomb blockade periodicity agrees with electrostatic simulations based on local top-gate geometry, a direct demonstration of local control over the band structure of graphene. This technology integrates quantum confinement with pristine device quality and access to vibrational modes, enabling wide applications from electromechanical sensors to quantum bits. More broadly, the ability to externally tailor the graphene bandgap over nanometer scales opens a new unexplored avenue for creating quantum devices.

Structural and mechanical properties of glassy water in nanoscale confinement.

PubMed

Lombardo, Thomas G; Giovambattista, Nicolás; Debenedetti, Pablo G

2009-01-01

We investigate the structure and mechanical properties of glassy water confined between silica-based surfaces with continuously tunable hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity by computing and analyzing minimum energy, mechanically stable configurations (inherent structures). The structured silica substrate imposes long-range order on the first layer of water molecules under hydrophobic confinement at high density (p > or = 1.0 g cm(-3)). This proximal layer is also structured in hydrophilic confinement at very low density (p approximately 0.4 g cm(-3)). The ordering of water next to the hydrophobic surface greatly enhances the mechanical strength of thin films (0.8 nm). This leads to a substantial stress anisotropy; the transverse strength of the film exceeds the normal strength by 500 MPa. The large transverse strength results in a minimum in the equation of state of the energy landscape that does not correspond to a mechanical instability, but represents disruption of the ordered layer of water next to the wall. In addition, we find that the mode of mechanical failure is dependent on the type of confinement. Under large lateral strain, water confined by hydrophilic surfaces preferentially forms voids in the middle of the film and fails cohesively. In contrast, water under hydrophobic confinement tends to form voids near the walls and fails by loss of adhesion.

Confinement effects on the miscibility of block copolymer blends.

PubMed

Spencer, Russell K W; Matsen, Mark W

2016-04-01

Thin films of long and short symmetric AB diblock copolymers are examined using self-consistent field theory (SCFT). We focus on hard confining walls with a preference for the A component, such that the lamellar domains orient parallel to the film with an even number ν of monolayers. For neat melts, confinement causes the lamellar period, D, to deviate from its bulk value, Db, in order to be commensurate with the film thickness, i.e., L = νD/2. For blends, however, the melt also has the option of macrophase separating into ν(l) large and ν((s)) small monolayers so as to provide a better fit, where L = ν(l)D(l)/2 + ν(s)D((s))/2. In addition to performing full SCFT calculations of the entire film, we develop a semi-analytical calculation for the coexistence of thick and thin monolayers that helps explain the complicated interplay between miscibility and commensurability.

The oxidation mode of pyranose 2-oxidase is controlled by pH

PubMed Central

Prongjit, Methinee; Sucharitakul, Jeerus; Palfey, Bruce A.; Chaiyen, Pimchai

2013-01-01

Pyranose 2-oxidase (P2O) from Trametes multicolor is a flavoenzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of D-glucose and other aldopyranose sugars at the C2 position by using O2 as an electron acceptor to form the corresponding 2-keto-sugars and H2O2. In this study, the effects of pH on the oxidative half-reaction of P2O were investigated using stopped-flow spectrophotometry. The results showed that flavin oxidation occurred via different pathways depending on the pH of the environment. At pH values lower than 8.0, reduced P2O reacts with O2 to form a C4a-hydroperoxy-flavin intermediate, leading to elimination of H2O2. At pH 8.0 and higher, the majority of the reduced P2O reacts with O2 via a pathway which does not allow detection of the C4a-hydroperoxy-flavin, and flavin oxidation occurs with decreased rate constants upon the rise in pH. The switching between the two modes of P2O oxidation is controlled by protonation of a group which has a pKa of 7.6 ± 0.1. Oxidation reactions of reduced P2O under rapid pH change as performed by stopped-flow mixing were different from the same reactions performed with enzyme pre-equilibrated at the same specified pH values, implying that the protonation of the group which controls the mode of flavin oxidation cannot be rapidly equilibrated with outside solvent. Using a double-mixing stopped-flow experiment, a rate constant for proton dissociation from the reaction site was determined to be 21.0 ± 0.4 s-1. PMID:23356577

Highly confined surface plasmon polaritons in the ultraviolet region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chubchev, E. D.; Nechepurenko, I. A.; Dorofeenko, A. V.; Vinogradov, A. P.; Lisyansky, A. A.

2018-04-01

We study a surface plasmon polariton mode that is strongly confined in the transverse direction and propagates along a periodically nanostructured metal-dielectric interface. We show that the wavelength of this mode is determined by the period of the structure, and may therefore, be orders of magnitude smaller than the wavelength of a plasmon-polariton propagating along a flat surface. This plasmon polariton exists in the frequency region in which the sum of the real parts of the permittivities of the metal and dielectric is positive, a frequency region in which surface plasmon polaritons do not exist on a flat surface. The propagation length of the new mode can reach a several dozen wavelengths. This mode can be observed in materials that are uncommon in plasmonics, such as aluminum or sodium.

Effect of surface tension on global modes of confined wake flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tammisola, Outi; Lundell, Fredrik; Söderberg, L. Daniel

2011-01-01

Many wake flows are susceptible to self-sustained oscillations, such as the well-known von Kármán vortex street behind a cylinder that makes a rope beat against a flagpole at a distinct frequency on a windy day. One appropriate method to study these global instabilities numerically is to look at the growth rates of the linear temporal global modes. If all growth rates for all modes are negative for a certain flow field then a self-sustained oscillation should not occur. On the other hand, if one growth rate for one mode is slightly positive, the oscillation will approximately obtain the frequency and shape of this global mode. In our study, we first introduce surface tension between two fluids to the wake-flow problem. Then we investigate its effects on the global linear instability of a spatially developing wake with two co-flowing immiscible fluids. The inlet profile consists of two uniform layers, which makes the problem easily parametrizable. The fluids are assumed to have the same density and viscosity, with the result that the interface position becomes dynamically important solely through the action of surface tension. Two wakes with different parameter values and surface tension are studied in detail. The results show that surface tension has a strong influence on the oscillation frequency, growth rate, and shape of the global mode(s). Finally, we make an attempt to confirm and explain the surface-tension effect based on a local stability analysis of the same flow field in the streamwise position of maximum reverse flow.

Effect of Isotope Mass in Simulations of JET H-mode Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snyder, S. E.; Onjun, T.; Kritz, A. H.; Bateman, G.; Parail, V.

2004-11-01

In JET type-I ELMy H-mode discharges, it is found that the height of the pressure pedestal increases and the frequency of the ELMs decreases with increasing isotope mass. These experimentally observed trends are obtained in these simulations only if the pedestal width increases with isotope mass. Simulations are carried out using the JETTO integrated modeling code with a dynamic model for the H-mode pedestal and the ELMs.(T. Onjun et al, Phys. Plasmas 11 (2004) 1469 and 3006.) The HELENA and MISHKA stability codes are applied to calibrate the stability criteria used to trigger ELM crashes in the JETTO code and to explore possible access to second stability in the pedestal. In the simulations, transport in the pedestal is given by the ion thermal neoclassical diffusivity, which increases with isotope mass. Consequently, as the isotope mass is increased, the pressure gradient and the bootstrap current in the pedestal rebuild more slowly after each ELM crash. Several models are explored in which the pedestal width increases with isotope mass.

Reynolds-number-dependent dynamical transitions on hydrodynamic synchronization modes of externally driven colloids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oyama, Norihiro; Teshigawara, Kosuke; Molina, John Jairo; Yamamoto, Ryoichi; Taniguchi, Takashi

2018-03-01

The collective dynamics of externally driven Np-colloidal systems (1 ≤Np≤4 ) in a confined viscous fluid have been investigated using three-dimensional direct numerical simulations with fully resolved hydrodynamics. The dynamical modes of collective particle motion are studied by changing the particle Reynolds number as determined by the strength of the external driving force and the confining wall distance. For a system with Np=3 , we found that at a critical Reynolds number a dynamical mode transition occurs from the doublet-singlet mode to the triplet mode, which has not been reported experimentally. The dynamical mode transition was analyzed in detail from the following two viewpoints: (1) spectrum analysis of the time evolution of a tagged particle velocity and (2) the relative acceleration of the doublet cluster with respect to the singlet particle. For a system with Np=4 , we found similar dynamical mode transitions from the doublet-singlet-singlet mode to the triplet-singlet mode and further to the quartet mode.

Studies of single-mode injection lasers and of quaternary materials. Volume 1: Single-mode constricted double-heterojunction AlGaAs diode lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Botez, D.

1982-01-01

Constricted double-heterojunction (CDH) lasers are presented as the class of single-mode nonplanar-substrate devices for which the lasing cavity is on the least resistive electrical path between the contact and the substrate. Various types of CDH structures are considered under three general topics: liquid-phase epitaxy over channeled substrates, lateral mode control, and current control in nonplanar-substrate devices. Ridge-guide CDH lasers have positive-index lateral-mode confinement and provide: single-mode CW operation to 7 mW/facet at room temperature and to 3 mW/facet at 150 C; light-current characteristics with second-harmonic distortion as low as -57 dB below the fundamental level; threshold-current temperature coefficients, as high as 375 C (pulsed) and 310 C (CW); constant external differential quantum efficiency to 100 C; and lasing operation to 170 C CW and 280 C pulsed. Semileakyguide CDH lasers have an asymmetric leaky cavity for lateral-mode confinement and provide single-mode operation to 15 to 20 mW/facet CW and to 50 mW/facet at 50% duty cycle. Modulation characteristics and preliminary reliability data are discussed.

Electronic quantum confinement in cylindrical potential well

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baltenkov, Arkadiy S.; Msezane, Alfred Z.

2016-04-01

The effects of quantum confinement on the momentum distribution of electrons confined within a cylindrical potential well have been analyzed. The motivation is to understand specific features of the momentum distribution of electrons when the electron behavior is completely controlled by the parameters of a non-isotropic potential cavity. It is shown that studying the solutions of the wave equation for an electron confined in a cylindrical potential well offers the possibility to analyze the confinement behavior of an electron executing one- or two-dimensional motion in the three-dimensional space within the framework of the same mathematical model. Some low-lying electronic states with different symmetries have been considered and the corresponding wave functions have been calculated; the behavior of their nodes and their peak positions with respect to the parameters of the cylindrical well has been analyzed. Additionally, the momentum distributions of electrons in these states have been calculated. The limiting cases of the ratio of the cylinder length H and its radius R0 have been considered; when the cylinder length H significantly exceeds its radius R0 and when the cylinder radius is much greater than its length. The cylindrical quantum confinement effects on the momentum distribution of electrons in these potential wells have been analyzed. The possible application of the results obtained here for the description of the general features in the behavior of electrons in nanowires with metallic type of conductivity (or nanotubes) and ultrathin epitaxial films (or graphene sheets) are discussed. Possible experiments are suggested where the quantum confinement can be manifested. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Atomic Cluster Collisions (7th International Symposium)", edited by Gerardo Delgado Barrio, Andrey Solov'Yov, Pablo Villarreal, Rita Prosmiti.

Apolipoprotein L1 confers pH-switchable ion permeability to phospholipid vesicles.

PubMed

Bruno, Jonathan; Pozzi, Nicola; Oliva, Jonathan; Edwards, John C

2017-11-03

Apolipoprotein L1 (ApoL1) is a human serum protein conferring resistance to African trypanosomes, and certain ApoL1 variants increase susceptibility to some progressive kidney diseases. ApoL1 has been hypothesized to function like a pore-forming colicin and has been reported to have permeability effects on both intracellular and plasma membranes. Here, to gain insight into how ApoL1 may function in vivo , we used vesicle-based ion permeability, direct membrane association, and intrinsic fluorescence to study the activities of purified recombinant ApoL1. We found that ApoL1 confers chloride-selective permeability to preformed phospholipid vesicles and that this selectivity is strongly pH-sensitive, with maximal activity at pH 5 and little activity above pH 7. When ApoL1 and lipid were allowed to interact at low pH and were then brought to neutral pH, chloride permeability was suppressed, and potassium permeability was activated. Both chloride and potassium permeability linearly correlated with the mass of ApoL1 in the reaction mixture, and both exhibited lipid selectivity, requiring the presence of negatively charged lipids for activity. Potassium, but not chloride, permease activity required the presence of calcium ions in both the association and activation steps. Direct assessment of ApoL1-lipid associations confirmed that ApoL1 stably associates with phospholipid vesicles, requiring low pH and the presence of negatively charged phospholipids for maximal binding. Intrinsic fluorescence of ApoL1 supported the presence of a significant structural transition when ApoL1 is mixed with lipids at low pH. This pH-switchable ion-selective permeability may explain the different effects of ApoL1 reported in intracellular and plasma membrane environments. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Zero-mode clad waveguides for performing spectroscopy with confined effective observation volumes

DOEpatents

Levene, Michael J.; Korlach, Jonas; Turner, Stephen W.; Craighead, Harold G.; Webb, Watt W.

2005-07-12

The present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for analysis of an analyte. The method involves providing a zero-mode waveguide which includes a cladding surrounding a core where the cladding is configured to preclude propagation of electromagnetic energy of a frequency less than a cutoff frequency longitudinally through the core of the zero-mode waveguide. The analyte is positioned in the core of the zero-mode waveguide and is then subjected, in the core of the zero-mode waveguide, to activating electromagnetic radiation of a frequency less than the cut-off frequency under conditions effective to permit analysis of the analyte in an effective observation volume which is more compact than if the analysis were carried out in the absence of the zero-mode waveguide.

High Confinement and High Density with Stationary Plasma Energy and Strong Edge Radiation Cooling in Textor-94

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Messiaen, A. M.

1996-11-01

A new discharge regime has been observed on the pumped limiter tokamak TEXTOR-94 in the presence of strong radiation cooling and for different scenarii of additional hearing. The radiated power fraction (up to 90%) is feedback controlled by the amount of Ne seeded in the edge. This regime meets many of the necessary conditions for a future fusion reactor. Energy confinement increases with increasing densities (reminiscent of the Z-mode obtained at ISX-B) and as good as ELM-free H-mode confinement (enhancement factor verus ITERH93-P up to 1.2) is obtained at high densities (up to 1.2 times the Greenwald limit) with peaked density profiles showing a peaking factor of about 2 and central density values around 10^14cm-3. In experiments where the energy content of the discharges is kept constant with an energy feedback loop acting on the amount of ICRH power, stable and stationary discharges are obtained for intervals of more than 5s, i.e. 100 times the energy confinement time or about equal to the skin resistive time, even with the cylindrical q_α as low as 2.8 β-values up to the β-limits of TEXTOR-94 are achieved (i.e. β n ≈ 2 of and β p ≈ 1.5) and the figure of merit for ignition margin f_Hqa in these discharges can be as high as 0.7. No detrimental effects of the seeded impurity on the reactivity of the plasma are observed. He removal in these discharges has also been investigated. [1] Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas-Laboratorium voor Plasmafysica, Association "EURATOM-Belgian State", Ecole Royale Militaire-Koninklijke Militaire School, Brussels, Belgium [2] Institut für Plasmaphysik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, GmbH, Association "EURATOM-KFA", Jülich, Germany [3] Fusion Energy Research Program, Mechanical Engineering Division, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, USA [4] FOM Institüt voor Plasmafysica Rijnhuizen, Associatie "FOM-EURATOM", Nieuwegein, The Netherlands [*] Researcher at NFSR, Belgium itemize

High-frequency coherent edge fluctuations in a high-pedestal-pressure quiescent H-mode plasma.

PubMed

Yan, Z; McKee, G R; Groebner, R J; Snyder, P B; Osborne, T H; Burrell, K H

2011-07-29

A set of high frequency coherent (HFC) modes (f=80-250 kHz) is observed with beam emission spectroscopy measurements of density fluctuations in the pedestal of a strongly shaped quiescent H-mode plasma on DIII-D, with characteristics predicted for kinetic ballooning modes (KBM): propagation in the ion-diamagnetic drift direction; a frequency near 0.2-0.3 times the ion-diamagnetic frequency; inferred toroidal mode numbers of n∼10-25; poloidal wave numbers of k(θ)∼0.17-0.4 cm(-1); and high measured decorrelation rates (τ(c)(-1)∼ω(s)∼0.5×10(6) s(-1)). Their appearance correlates with saturation of the pedestal pressure. © 2011 American Physical Society

Plasma Density Effects on Toroidal Flow Stabilization of Edge Localized Modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Shikui; Zhu, Ping; Banerjee, Debabrata

2016-10-01

Recent EAST experiments have demonstrated mitigation and suppression of edge localized modes (ELMs) with toroidal rotation flow in higher collisionality regime, suggesting potential roles of plasma density. In this work, the effects of plasma density on the toroidal flow stabilization of the high- n edge localized modes have been extensively studied in linear calculations for a circular-shaped limiter H-mode tokamak, using the initial-value extended MHD code NIMROD. In the single MHD model, toroidal flow has a weak stabilizing effects on the high- n modes. Such a stabilization, however, can be significantly enhanced with the increase in plasma density. Furthermore, our calculations show that the enhanced stabilization of high- n modes from toroidal flow with higher edge plasma density persists in the 2-fluid MHD model. These findings may explain the ELM mitigation and suppression by toroidal rotation in higher collisionality regime due to the enhancement of plasma density obtained in EAST experiment. Supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Program of China under Grant Nos. 2014GB124002 and 2015GB101004, the 100 Talent Program and the President International Fellowship Initiative of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Effets de l'humidite sur la propagation du delaminage dans un composite carbone/epoxy sollicite en mode mixte I/II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LeBlanc, Luc R.

Les materiaux composites sont de plus en plus utilises dans des domaines tels que l'aerospatiale, les voitures a hautes performances et les equipements sportifs, pour en nommer quelques-uns. Des etudes ont demontre qu'une exposition a l'humidite nuit a la resistance des composites en favorisant l'initiation et la propagation du delaminage. De ces etudes, tres peu traitent de l'effet de l'humidite sur l'initiation du delaminage en mode mixte I/II et aucune ne traite des effets de l'humidite sur le taux de propagation du delaminage en mode mixte I/II dans un composite. La premiere partie de cette these consiste a determiner les effets de l'humidite sur la propagation du delaminage lors d'une sollicitation en mode mixte I/II. Des eprouvettes d'un composite unidirectionnel de carbone/epoxy (G40-800/5276-1) ont ete immergees dans un bain d'eau distillee a 70°C jusqu'a leur saturation. Des essais experimentaux quasi-statiques avec des chargements d'une gamme de mixites des modes I/II (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% et 100%) ont ete executes pour determiner les effets de l'humidite sur la resistance au delaminage du composite. Des essais de fatigue ont ete realises, avec la meme gamme de mixite des modes I/II, pour determiner 1'effet de 1'humidite sur l'initiation et sur le taux de propagation du delaminage. Les resultats des essais en chargement quasi-statique ont demontre que l'humidite reduit la resistance au delaminage d'un composite carbone/epoxy pour toute la gamme des mixites des modes I/II, sauf pour le mode I ou la resistance au delaminage augmente apres une exposition a l'humidite. Pour les chargements en fatigue, l'humidite a pour effet d'accelerer l'initiation du delaminage et d'augmenter le taux de propagation pour toutes les mixites des modes I/II. Les donnees experimentales recueillies ont ete utilisees pour determiner lesquels des criteres de delaminage en statique et des modeles de taux de propagation du delaminage en fatigue en mode mixte I/II proposes dans la

Three-dimensional simulation of H-mode plasmas with localized divertor impurity injection on Alcator C-Mod using the edge transport code EMC3-EIRENE

DOE PAGES

Lore, Jeremy D.; Reinke, M. L.; Brunner, D.; ...

2015-04-28

We study experiments in Alcator C-Mod to assess the level of toroidal asymmetry in divertor conditions resulting from poloidally and toroidally localized extrinsic impurity gas seeding show a weak toroidal peaking (~1.1) in divertor electron temperatures for high-power enhanced D-alpha H-modeplasmas. This is in contrast to similar experiments in Ohmically heated L-modeplasmas, which showed a clear toroidal modulation in the divertor electron temperature. Modeling of these experiments using the 3D edge transport code EMC3-EIRENE [Y. Feng et al., J. Nucl. Mater. 241, 930 (1997)] qualitatively reproduces these trends, and indicates that the different response in the simulations is due tomore » the ionization location of the injected nitrogen. Low electron temperatures in the private flux region (PFR) in L-mode result in a PFR plasma that is nearly transparent to neutral nitrogen, while in H-mode the impurities are ionized in close proximity to the injection location, with this latter case yielding a largely axisymmetric radiation pattern in the scrape-off-layer. In conclusion, the consequences for the ITER gas injection system are discussed. Quantitative agreement with the experiment is lacking in some areas, suggesting potential areas for improving the physics model in EMC3-EIRENE.« less

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

Cui, L.; Nazikian, Raffi; Grierson, B. A.

Here, Resonant Magnetic Perturbations (RMPs) are a leading method for edge localized modes (ELMs) Control in fusion plasmas. However they can also cause a rapid degradation in energy confinement. In this paper we show that the energy confinement in low collisionality (v* e < 0.3) DIII-D ITER Similar Shape (ISS) plasmas often recovers after several energy confinement times for RMP amplitudes up to the threshold for ELM suppression. Immediately following the application of the RMP, the plasma stored energy decreases in proportion to the decrease in the line-averaged density during density "pump-out". Later in the discharge confinement recovery is observedmore » in the thermal ion channel and is correlated with the increase in the ion temperature at the top of the H-mode pedestal. A correlation between the inverse scale length of the ion temperature (α/L Ti) and the E x B shearing rate at the top of the pedestal is seen during the confinement recovery phase. Transport analysis reveals that the confinement improvement in the ion channel results from the self-similarity in the ion temperature profiles in the plasma core combined with the observed increase in α/L Ti in the plasma edge following density pump-out. In contrast the electron temperature scale length (α/L Ti) remains essentially unchanged in response to the application of the RMP. At significantly higher RMP levels the edge EXB shearing rate and α/L Ti does not increase and the confinement does not recover following density pump-out.« less

Effect of 3-D magnetic fields on neutral particle fueling and exhaust in MAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flesch, Kurt; Kremeyer, Thierry; Waters, Ian; Schmitz, Oliver; Kirk, Andrew; Harrison, James

2017-10-01

The application of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) is used to suppress edge localized modes but causes in many cases a density pump-out. At MAST, this particle pump out was found to be connected to an amplifying MHD plasma response. An analysis is presented on past MAST discharges to understand the effect of these RMPs on the neutral household and on changes in neutral fueling and exhaust during the pump out. A global, 0-D particle balance model was used to study the neutral dynamics and plasma confinement during shots with and without RMP application. Using the D α emission measured by filterscopes and a calibrated 1-D CCD camera, as well as S/XB coefficients determined by the edge plasma parameters, globally averaged ion confinement times were calculated. In L-mode, discharges with RMPs that caused an MHD response had a 15-20% decrease in confinement time but an increase in total recycling flux. The application of RMPs in H-mode caused either a decrease or no change in confinement, like those in L-mode, depending on the configuration of the RMPs and plasma response. A spectroscopically assisted Penning gauge is being prepared for the next campaign at MAST-U to extend this particle balance to study impurity exhaust with RMPs. This work was funded in part by the U.S. DoE under Grant DE-SC0012315.

Towards Multiscale Interactions Between Tearing Modes and Microturbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Z. R.; Pueschel, M. J.; Terry, P. W.

2017-10-01

Work on the Madison Symmetric Torus Reversed-Field Pinch (RFP) has shown that large-scale tearing modes present in standard operation are highly detrimental to confinement. These tearing modes, even when reduced in improved confinement regimes of operation, significantly affect zonal flow activity and play a large role in setting microturbulent-induced transport levels. Previous gyrokinetic work has shown that a small but finite tearing fluctuation amplitude is necessary to produce transport values in agreement with experimental observation. This has previously been implemented via an ad-hoc, constant-in-time A∥ perturbation. This work details self-consistent modeling of tearing fluctuations in the RFP using the Gene code via the inclusion of a current gradient drive incorporated into the background distribution function. Tearing mode growth rates calculated from gyrokinetic simulations are benchmarked with results from fluid theory. Additionally, first results from multiscale Gene simulations describing tearing mode interactions with RFP microturbulence are presented. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Grant No. DE-FG02-85ER-53121.

Confinement of gigahertz sound and light in Tamm plasmon resonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villafañe, V.; Bruchhausen, A. E.; Jusserand, B.; Senellart, P.; Lemaître, A.; Fainstein, A.

2015-10-01

We demonstrate theoretically and by pump-probe picosecond acoustics experiments the simultaneous confinement of light and gigahertz sound in Tamm plasmon resonators, formed by depositing a thin layer of Au onto a GaAs/AlGaAs Bragg reflector. The cavity has InGaAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded at the maximum of the confined optical field in the first GaAs layer. The different sound generation and detection mechanisms are theoretically analyzed. It is shown that the Au layer absorption and the resonant excitation of the QDs are the more efficient light-sound transducers for the coupling of near-infrared light with the confined acoustic modes, while the displacement of the interfaces is the main back-action mechanism at these energies. The prospects for the compact realization of optomechanical resonators based on Tamm plasmon cavities are discussed.

Mode of de-esterification of alkaline and acidic pectin methyl esterases at different pH conditions.

PubMed

Duvetter, Thomas; Fraeye, Ilse; Sila, Daniel N; Verlent, Isabel; Smout, Chantal; Hendrickx, Marc; Van Loey, Ann

2006-10-04

Highly esterified citrus pectin was de-esterified at pH 4.5 and 8.0 by a fungal pectin methyl esterase (PME) that was shown to have an acidic isoelectric pH (pI) and an acidic pH optimum and by a plant PME that was characterized by an alkaline pI and an alkaline pH optimum. Interchain and intrachain de-esterification patterns were studied by digestion of the pectin products with endo-polygalacturonase and subsequent analysis using size exclusion and anion-exchange chromatography. No effect of pH was observed on the de-esterification mode of either of the two enzymes. Acidic, fungal PME converted pectin according to a multiple-chain mechanism, with a limited degree of multiple attack at the intrachain level, both at pH 4.5 and at pH 8.0. A multiple-attack mechanism, with a high degree of multiple attack, was more appropriate to describe the action mode of alkaline, plant PME, both at pH 4.5 and at pH 8.0.

Low threshold L-band mode-locked ultrafast fiber laser assisted by microfiber-based carbon nanotube saturable absorber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, K. Y.; Ng, E. K.; Abu Bakar, M. H.; Abas, A. F.; Alresheedi, M. T.; Yusoff, Z.; Mahdi, M. A.

2018-04-01

We demonstrate a passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser in L-band wavelength region with low mode-locking threshold employing a 1425 nm pump wavelength. The mode-locking regime is generated by microfiber-based saturable absorber using carbon nanotube-polymer composite in a ring cavity. This carbon nanotube saturable absorber shows saturation intensity of 9 MW/cm2. In this work, mode-locking laser threshold is observed at 36.4 mW pump power. At the maximum pump power of 107.6 mW, we obtain pulse duration at full-width half-maximum point of 490 fs and time bandwidth product of 0.33, which corresponds to 3-dB spectral bandwidth of 5.8 nm. The pulse repetition rate remains constant throughout the experiment at 5.8 MHz due to fixed cavity length of 35.5 m. Average output power and pulse energy of 10.8 mW and 1.92 nJ are attained respectively through a 30% laser output extracted from the mode-locked cavity. This work highlights the feasibility of attaining a low threshold mode-locked laser source to be employed as seed laser in L-band wavelength region.

Confined NaAlH4 nanoparticles inside CeO2 hollow nanotubes towards enhanced hydrogen storage.

PubMed

Gao, Qili; Xia, Guanglin; Yu, Xuebin

2017-10-05

NaAlH 4 has been widely regarded as a potential hydrogen storage material due to its favorable thermodynamics and high energy density. The high activation energy barrier and high dehydrogenation temperature, however, significantly hinder its practical application. In this paper, CeO 2 hollow nanotubes (HNTs) prepared by a simple electrospinning technique are adopted as functional scaffolds to support NaAlH 4 nanoparticles (NPs) towards advanced hydrogen storage performance. The nanoconfined NaAlH 4 inside CeO 2 HNTs, synthesized via the infiltration of molten NaAlH 4 into the CeO 2 HNTs under high hydrogen pressure, exhibited significantly improved dehydrogenation properties compared with both bulk and ball-milled CeO 2 HNTs-catalyzed NaAlH 4 . The onset dehydrogenation temperature of the NaAlH 4 @CeO 2 composite was reduced to below 100 °C, with only one main dehydrogenation peak appearing at 130 °C, which is 120 °C and 50 °C lower than for its bulk counterpart and for the ball-milled CeO 2 HNTs-catalyzed NaAlH 4 , respectively. Moreover, ∼5.09 wt% hydrogen could be released within 30 min at 180 °C, while only 1.6 wt% hydrogen was desorbed from the ball-milled NaAlH 4 under the same conditions. This significant improvement is mainly attributed to the synergistic effects contributed by the CeO 2 HNTs, which could act as not only a structural scaffold to fabricate and confine the NaAlH 4 NPs, but also as an effective catalyst to enhance the hydrogen storage performance of NaAlH 4 .

Dynamics of Ice/Water Confined in Nanoporous Alumina.

PubMed

Suzuki, Yasuhito; Steinhart, Martin; Graf, Robert; Butt, Hans-Jürgen; Floudas, George

2015-11-19

Dielectric (DS), IR spectroscopy, and (1)H MAS NMR are employed in the study of ice/water confined in nanoporous alumina with pore diameters ranging from 400 nm down to 25 nm. Within nanoporous alumina there is a transformation from heterogeneous nucleation of hexagonal ice in the larger pores to homogeneous nucleation of cubic ice in the smaller pores. DS and IR show excellent agreement in the temperature interval and pore size dependence of the transformation. DS further revealed two dynamic processes under confinement. The "fast" and "slow" processes with an Arrhenius temperature dependence are attributed to ice and supercooled water relaxation, respectively. The main relaxation process of ice under confinement ("slow" process) has an activation energy of 44 ± 2 kJ/mol. The latter is in agreement with the reported relaxation times and activation energy of cubic ice prepared following a completely different route (by pressure). (1)H MAS NMR provided new insight in the state of ice structures as well as of supercooled water. Under confinement, a layer of liquid-like water coexists with ice structures. In addition, both ice structures under confinement appear to be more ordered than bulk hexagonal ice. Supercooled water in the smaller pores is different from bulk water. It shows a shift of the signal toward higher chemical shift values which may suggest stronger hydrogen bonding between the water molecules or increasing interactions with the AAO walls.

Topological superfluids confined in a nanoscale slab geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saunders, John

2013-03-01

Nanofluidic samples of superfluid 3He provide a route to explore odd-parity topological superfluids and their surface, edge and defect-bound excitations under well controlled conditions. We have cooled superfluid 3He confined in a precisely defined nano-fabricated cavity to well below 1 mK for the first time. We fingerprint the order parameter by nuclear magnetic resonance, exploiting a SQUID NMR spectrometer of exquisite sensitivity. We demonstrate that dimensional confinement, at length scales comparable to the superfluid Cooper-pair diameter, has a profound influence on the superfluid order of 3He. The chiral A-phase is stabilized at low pressures, in a cavity of height 650 nm. At higher pressures we observe 3He-B with a surface induced planar distortion. 3He-B is a time-reversal invariant topological superfluid, supporting gapless Majorana surface states. In the presence of the small symmetry breaking NMR static magnetic field we observe two possible B-phase states of the order parameter manifold, which can coexist as domains. Non-linear NMR on these states enables a measurement of the surface induced planar distortion, which determines the spectral weight of the surface excitations. The expected structure of the domain walls is such that, at the cavity surface, the line separating the two domains is predicted to host fermion zero modes, protected by symmetry and topology. Increasing confinement should stabilize new p-wave superfluid states of matter, such as the quasi-2D gapped A phase, which breaks time reversal symmetry, has a protected chiral edge mode, and may host half-quantum vortices with a Majorana zero-mode at the core. We discuss experimental progress toward this phase, through measurements on a 100 nm cavity. On the other hand, a cavity height of 1000 nm may stabilize a novel ``striped'' superfluid with spatially modulated order parameter. Supported by EPSRC (UK) GR/J022004/1 and European Microkelvin Consortium, FP7 grant 228464

Robot flow, clogging and jamming in confined spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monaenkova, Daria; Linevich, Vadim; Goodisman, Michael A. D.; Goldman, Daniel I.

We hypothesized that when a collection of robots operate in confined space, maximization of individual effort could negatively affect the collective performance by impeding the mobility of the individuals. To test our hypothesis, we built and programmed groups of 1-4 autonomous robotic diggers to construct a tunnel in a model cohesive soil. The robots' mobility, defined in terms of the residence time (T) required for a robot to move one body-length within the tunnel, was compared between groups of maximally active robots (mode 1), groups with different levels of activity between individuals (mode 2), and maximally active robots with a ``giving up'' behavior (mode 3), in which the robot ceased the attempt to excavate in a crowded tunnel. In small groups of two robots, T was ~3 sec and did not depend on the mode of operation. However, an increase in the number of robots caused an increase in T which depended upon mode. The residence time in groups of four robots in mode 1 (~9 sec) significantly exceeded the residence time in mode 2 and 3 (~4 sec), indicating that crowding was causing slower movement of individuals, particularly under maximum effort (mode 1). We will use our robophysical studies to discover principles of collective construction in subterranean social animals.

A novel L-shaped linear ultrasonic motor operating in a single resonance mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Bailiang; Yao, Zhiyuan; Liu, Zhen; Li, Xiaoniu

2018-01-01

In this study, a large thrust linear ultrasonic motor using an L-shaped stator is described. The stator is constructed by two mutually perpendicular rectangular plate vibrators, one of which is mounted in parallel with the slider to make the motor structure to be more compact. The symmetric and antisymmetric modes of the stator based on the first order bending vibration of two vibrators are adopted, in which each resonance mode is assigned to drive the slider in one direction. The placement of piezoelectric ceramics in a stator could be determined by finite element analysis, and the influence of slots in the head block on the vibration amplitudes of driving foot was studied as well. Three types of prototypes (non-slotted, dual-slot, and single-slot) were fabricated and experimentally investigated. Experimental results demonstrated that the prototype with one slot exhibited the best mechanical output performance. The maximum loads under the excitation of symmetric mode and antisymmetric mode were 65 and 90 N, respectively.

A novel L-shaped linear ultrasonic motor operating in a single resonance mode.

PubMed

Zhang, Bailiang; Yao, Zhiyuan; Liu, Zhen; Li, Xiaoniu

2018-01-01

In this study, a large thrust linear ultrasonic motor using an L-shaped stator is described. The stator is constructed by two mutually perpendicular rectangular plate vibrators, one of which is mounted in parallel with the slider to make the motor structure to be more compact. The symmetric and antisymmetric modes of the stator based on the first order bending vibration of two vibrators are adopted, in which each resonance mode is assigned to drive the slider in one direction. The placement of piezoelectric ceramics in a stator could be determined by finite element analysis, and the influence of slots in the head block on the vibration amplitudes of driving foot was studied as well. Three types of prototypes (non-slotted, dual-slot, and single-slot) were fabricated and experimentally investigated. Experimental results demonstrated that the prototype with one slot exhibited the best mechanical output performance. The maximum loads under the excitation of symmetric mode and antisymmetric mode were 65 and 90 N, respectively.

Plasma confinement at JET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nunes, I.; JET Contributors

2016-01-01

Operation with a Be/W wall at JET (JET-ILW) has an impact on scenario development and energy confinement with respect to the carbon wall (JET-C). The main differences observed were (1) strong accumulation of W in the plasma core and (2) the need to mitigate the divertor target temperature to avoid W sputtering by Be and other low Z impurities and (3) a decrease of plasma energy confinement. A major difference is observed on the pedestal pressure, namely a reduction of the pedestal temperature which, due to profile stiffness the plasma core temperature is also reduced leading to a degradation of the global confinement. This effect is more pronounced in low β N scenarios. At high β N, the impact of the wall on the plasma energy confinement is mitigated by the weaker plasma energy degradation with power relative to the IPB98(y, 2) scaling calculated empirically for a CFC first wall. The smaller tolerable impurity concentration for tungsten (<10-5) compared to that of carbon requires the use of electron heating methods to prevent W accumulation in the plasma core region as well as gas puffing to avoid W entering the plasma core by ELM flushing and reduction of the W source by decreasing the target temperature. W source and the target temperature can also be controlled by impurity seeding. Nitrogen and Neon have been used and with both gases the reduction of the W source and the target temperature is observed. Whilst more experiments with Neon are necessary to assess its impact on energy confinement, a partial increase of plasma energy confinement is observed with Nitrogen, through the increase of edge temperature. The challenge for scenario development at JET is to extend the pulse length curtailed by its transient behavior (W accumulation or MHD), but more importantly by the divertor target temperature limits. Re-optimisation of the scenarios to mitigate the effect of the change of wall materials maintaining high global energy confinement similar to JET-C is

The non-resonant kink modes triggering strong sawtooth-like crashes in the EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Erzhong; Igochine, V.; Dumbrajs, O.; Xu, L.; Chen, K.; Shi, T.; Hu, L.

2014-12-01

Evolution of the safety factor (q) profile during L-H transitions in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) was accompanied by strong core crashes prior to regular sawtooth behavior. These crashes appeared in the absence of q = 1 (q is the safety factor) rational surface inside the plasma. Analysis indicates that the m/n = 2/1 tearing mode is destabilized and phase-locked with the m/n = 1/1 non-resonant kink mode (the q = 1 rational surface is absent) due to the self-consistent evolution of plasma profiles as the L-H transition occurs (m and n are the poloidal and toroidal mode numbers, respectively). The growing m/n = 1/1 mode destabilizes the m/n = 2/2 kink mode which eventually triggers the strong crash due to an anomalous heat conductivity, as predicted by the transport model of stochastic magnetic fields using experimental parameters. It is also shown that the magnetic topology changes with the amplitude of m/n = 2/2 mode and the value of center safety factor in a reasonable range.

General approach to polymer chains confined by interacting boundaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freed, Karl F.; Dudowicz, Jacek; Stukalin, Evgeny B.; Douglas, Jack F.

2010-09-01

Polymer chains, confined to cavities or polymer layers with dimensions less than the chain radius of gyration, appear in many phenomena, such as gel chromatography, rubber elasticity, viscolelasticity of high molar mass polymer melts, the translocation of polymers through nanopores and nanotubes, polymer adsorption, etc. Thus, the description of how the constraints alter polymer thermodynamic properties is a recurrent theoretical problem. A realistic treatment requires the incorporation of impenetrable interacting (attractive or repulsive) boundaries, a process that introduces significant mathematical complications. The standard approach involves developing the generalized diffusion equation description of the interaction of flexible polymers with impenetrable confining surfaces into a discrete eigenfunction expansion, where the solutions are normally truncated at the first mode (the "ground state dominance" approximation). This approximation is mathematically well justified under conditions of strong confinement, i.e., a confinement length scale much smaller than the chain radius of gyration, but becomes unreliable when the polymers are confined to dimensions comparable to their typically nanoscale size. We extend a general approach to describe polymers under conditions of weak to moderate confinement and apply this semianalytic method specifically to determine the thermodynamics and static structure factor for a flexible polymer confined between impenetrable interacting parallel plate boundaries. The method is first illustrated by analyzing chain partitioning between a pore and a large external reservoir, a model system with application to chromatography. Improved agreement is found for the partition coefficients of a polymer chain in the pore geometry. An expression is derived for the structure factor S(k ) in a slit geometry to assist in more accurately estimating chain dimensions from scattering measurements for thin polymer films.

Sensitized terbium(III) macrocyclic-phthalimide complexes as luminescent pH switches.

PubMed

Chen, Gaoyun; Wardle, Nicholas J; Sarris, Jason; Chatterton, Nicholas P; Bligh, S W Annie

2013-10-21

Four new macrocyclic-phthalimide ligands were synthesised via the coupling of N-(3-bromopropyl)phthalimide either to cyclen (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) itself or its carboxylate-functionalized analogues, and photophysical studies were carried out on their corresponding Tb(III) complexes in aqueous media as a function of pH. Luminescence intensities of Tb·L1a–Tb·L3a were in ‘switched off’ mode under acidic conditions (pH < 4), and were activated on progression to basic conditions as the phthalimido functions therein were hydrolysed to their corresponding phthalamates Tb·L1b–Tb·L3b. Emission of phthalamate-based macrocyclic Tb(III) complexes Tb·L1b–Tb·L3b was in ‘switched on’ mode between pH 4 and 11, exhibiting high quantum yields (Φ) and long lifetimes (τ) of the order of milliseconds at pH ~ 6. Tb(III) emissions were found to decline with increasing number of chromophores. The values of Φ and τ were 46% and 2.4 ms respectively for Tb·L1b at pH ~ 6 when activated. This is the best pH-dependent sensor based on a Tb(III) complex reported to date, benefiting from the macrocyclic architecture of the ligand.

Investigation of the transport shortfall in Alcator C-Mod L-mode plasmas

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

Howard, N. T.; White, A. E.; Greenwald, M.

2013-03-15

A so-called 'transport shortfall,' where ion and electron heat fluxes and turbulence are underpredicted by gyrokinetic codes, has been robustly identified in DIII-D L-mode plasmas for {rho}>0.55[T. L. Rhodes et al., Nucl. Fusion 51(6), 063022 (2011); and C. Holland et al., Phys. Plasmas 16(5), 052301 (2009)]. To probe the existence of a transport shortfall across different tokamaks, a dedicated scan of auxiliary heated L-mode discharges in Alcator C-Mod are studied in detail with nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations for the first time. Two discharges, only differing by the amount of auxiliary heating are investigated using both linear and nonlinear simulation of themore » GYRO code [J. Candy and R. E. Waltz, J. Comput. Phys. 186, 545 (2003)]. Nonlinear gyrokinetic simulation of the low and high input power discharges reveals a discrepancy between simulation and experiment in only the electron heat flux channel of the low input power discharge. However, both discharges demonstrate excellent agreement in the ion heat flux channel, and the high input power discharge demonstrates simultaneous agreement with experiment in both the electron and ion heat flux channels. A summary of linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic results and a discussion of possible explanations for the agreement/disagreement in each heat flux channel is presented.« less

Synthesis and the crystal and molecular structures of (H{sub 3}L . Cl)[CoCl{sub 4}] and H{sub 2}L[CuBr{sub 4}] (L is 2,4,6-Tri(N,N-dimethylamino)methylphenol)

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

Kovalchukova, O. V., E-mail: okovalchukova@mail.ru; Stash, A. I.; Strashnova, S. B.

2010-05-15

The complex compounds (H{sub 3}L . Cl)[CoCl{sub 4}] (I) and H{sub 2}L[CuBr{sub 4}] (II), where L is 2,4,6-tri(N,N-dimethylamino)methylphenol, were isolated in the crystalline state and studied by X-ray diffraction. The organic cations were found to be outer-sphere ligands. All three nitrogen atoms of the tertiary amino groups are protonated. In compound I, the H{sub 3}L{sup 3+} cation exists as the cis tautomer. In compound II, the H{sub 2}L{sup 2+} dication exists as the trans isomer. In the crystal structure, the dications are arranged in layers via hydrogen bonds.

Reynolds-number-dependent dynamical transitions on hydrodynamic synchronization modes of externally driven colloids.

PubMed

Oyama, Norihiro; Teshigawara, Kosuke; Molina, John Jairo; Yamamoto, Ryoichi; Taniguchi, Takashi

2018-03-01

The collective dynamics of externally driven N_{p}-colloidal systems (1≤N_{p}≤4) in a confined viscous fluid have been investigated using three-dimensional direct numerical simulations with fully resolved hydrodynamics. The dynamical modes of collective particle motion are studied by changing the particle Reynolds number as determined by the strength of the external driving force and the confining wall distance. For a system with N_{p}=3, we found that at a critical Reynolds number a dynamical mode transition occurs from the doublet-singlet mode to the triplet mode, which has not been reported experimentally. The dynamical mode transition was analyzed in detail from the following two viewpoints: (1) spectrum analysis of the time evolution of a tagged particle velocity and (2) the relative acceleration of the doublet cluster with respect to the singlet particle. For a system with N_{p}=4, we found similar dynamical mode transitions from the doublet-singlet-singlet mode to the triplet-singlet mode and further to the quartet mode.

Imaging nanowire plasmon modes with two-photon polymerization

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

Gruber, Christian; Trügler, Andreas; Hohenester, Ulrich

2015-02-23

Metal nanowires sustain propagating surface plasmons that are strongly confined to the wire surface. Plasmon reflection at the wire end faces and interference lead to standing plasmon modes. We demonstrate that these modes can be imaged via two-photon (plasmon) polymerization of a thin film resist covering the wires and subsequent electron microscopy. Thereby, the plasmon wavelength and the phase shift of the nanowire mode picked up upon reflection can be directly retrieved. In general terms, polymerization imaging is a promising tool for the imaging of propagating plasmon modes from the nano- to micro-scale.

Influence of pH Regulation Mode in Glucose Fermentation on Product Selection and Process Stability.

PubMed

Mohd-Zaki, Zuhaida; Bastidas-Oyanedel, Juan R; Lu, Yang; Hoelzle, Robert; Pratt, Steven; Slater, Fran R; Batstone, Damien J

2016-01-04

Mixed culture anaerobic fermentation generates a wide range of products from simple sugars, and is potentially an effective process for producing renewable commodity chemicals. However it is difficult to predict product spectrum, and to control the process. One of the key control handles is pH, but the response is commonly dependent on culture history. In this work, we assess the impact of pH regulation mode on the product spectrum. Two regulation modes were applied: in the first, pH was adjusted from 4.5 to 8.5 in progressive steps of 0.5 and in the second, covered the same pH range, but the pH was reset to 5.5 before each change. Acetate, butyrate, and ethanol were produced throughout all pH ranges, but there was a shift from butyrate at pH < 6.5 to ethanol at pH > 6.5, as well as a strong and consistent shift from hydrogen to formate as pH increased. Microbial analysis indicated that progressive pH resulted in dominance by Klebsiella, while reset pH resulted in a bias towards Clostridium spp., particularly at low pH, with higher variance in community between different pH levels. Reset pH was more responsive to changes in pH, and analysis of Gibbs free energy indicated that the reset pH experiments operated closer to thermodynamic equilibrium, particularly with respect to the formate/hydrogen balance. This may indicate that periodically resetting pH conforms better to thermodynamic expectations.

Influence of pH Regulation Mode in Glucose Fermentation on Product Selection and Process Stability

PubMed Central

Mohd-Zaki, Zuhaida; Bastidas-Oyanedel, Juan R.; Lu, Yang; Hoelzle, Robert; Pratt, Steven; Slater, Fran R.; Batstone, Damien J.

2016-01-01

Mixed culture anaerobic fermentation generates a wide range of products from simple sugars, and is potentially an effective process for producing renewable commodity chemicals. However it is difficult to predict product spectrum, and to control the process. One of the key control handles is pH, but the response is commonly dependent on culture history. In this work, we assess the impact of pH regulation mode on the product spectrum. Two regulation modes were applied: in the first, pH was adjusted from 4.5 to 8.5 in progressive steps of 0.5 and in the second, covered the same pH range, but the pH was reset to 5.5 before each change. Acetate, butyrate, and ethanol were produced throughout all pH ranges, but there was a shift from butyrate at pH < 6.5 to ethanol at pH > 6.5, as well as a strong and consistent shift from hydrogen to formate as pH increased. Microbial analysis indicated that progressive pH resulted in dominance by Klebsiella, while reset pH resulted in a bias towards Clostridium spp., particularly at low pH, with higher variance in community between different pH levels. Reset pH was more responsive to changes in pH, and analysis of Gibbs free energy indicated that the reset pH experiments operated closer to thermodynamic equilibrium, particularly with respect to the formate/hydrogen balance. This may indicate that periodically resetting pH conforms better to thermodynamic expectations. PMID:27681895

The Enskog Equation for Confined Elastic Hard Spheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maynar, P.; García de Soria, M. I.; Brey, J. Javier

2018-03-01

A kinetic equation for a system of elastic hard spheres or disks confined by a hard wall of arbitrary shape is derived. It is a generalization of the modified Enskog equation in which the effects of the confinement are taken into account and it is supposed to be valid up to moderate densities. From the equation, balance equations for the hydrodynamic fields are derived, identifying the collisional transfer contributions to the pressure tensor and heat flux. A Lyapunov functional, H[f], is identified. For any solution of the kinetic equation, H decays monotonically in time until the system reaches the inhomogeneous equilibrium distribution, that is a Maxwellian distribution with a density field consistent with equilibrium statistical mechanics.

Determination of broken KAM surfaces for particle orbits in toroidal confinement systems

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

White, R. B.

2015-10-05

Here, the destruction of Kolmogorov–Arnold–Moser surfaces in a Hamiltonian system is an important topic in nonlinear dynamics, and in particular in the theory of particle orbits in toroidal magnetic confinement systems. Analytic models for transport due to mode-particle resonances are not sufficiently correct to give the effect of these resonances on transport. In this paper we compare three different methods for the detection of the loss of stability of orbits in the dynamics of charged particles in a toroidal magnetic confinement device in the presence of time dependent magnetic perturbations.

Deuterium charge exchange recombination spectroscopy from the top of the pedestal to the scrape off layer in H-mode plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haskey, S. R.; Grierson, B. A.; Stagner, L.; Burrell, K. H.; Chrystal, C.; Groebner, R. J.; Ashourvan, A.; Pablant, N. A.

2017-10-01

Recent completion of the thirty two channel main-ion (deuterium) charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CER) diagnostic on DIII-D [J.L. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42 (2002) 614] enables detailed comparisons between impurity and main-ion temperature, density, and toroidal rotation. Sixteen sightlines cover the core of the plasma and another sixteen are densely packed towards the edge, providing high resolution measurements of the pedestal and steep gradient edge region of H-mode plasmas. The complexities of the Dα spectrum require fitting with a comprehensive model, as well as using iterative collisional radiative modeling to determine the underlying thermal deuterium ion properties. Large differences in the structure and magnitude of impurity (C6+) and main-ion (D+) toroidal rotation profiles are seen in the H-mode pedestal. Additionally the D+ temperature can be half the value of the C6+ temperature at the separatrix and shows more of a pedestal structure. Typically only the impurity properties are measured and the main-ion properties are either assumed to be the same, or inferred using neoclassical models, which require validation in the steep gradient region. These measured differences have implications for transport model validation, intrinsic rotation studies, pedestal stability, and the boundary conditions for scrape off layer and plasma material interactions studies.

Impact of E × B flow shear on turbulence and resulting power fall-off width in H-mode plasmas in experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

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

Yang, Q. Q., E-mail: yangqq@ipp.ac.cn; Zhong, F. C., E-mail: gsxu@ipp.ac.cn, E-mail: fczhong@dhu.edu.cn; Jia, M. N.

2015-06-15

The power fall-off width in the H-mode scrape-off layer (SOL) in tokamaks shows a strong inverse dependence on the plasma current, which was noticed by both previous multi-machine scaling work [T. Eich et al., Nucl. Fusion 53, 093031 (2013)] and more recent work [L. Wang et al., Nucl. Fusion 54, 114002 (2014)] on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. To understand the underlying physics, probe measurements of three H-mode discharges with different plasma currents have been studied in this work. The results suggest that a higher plasma current is accompanied by a stronger E×B shear and a shorter radial correlation lengthmore » of turbulence in the SOL, thus resulting in a narrower power fall-off width. A simple model has also been applied to demonstrate the suppression effect of E×B shear on turbulence in the SOL and shows relatively good agreement with the experimental observations.« less

Strategy for pH control and pH feedback-controlled substrate feeding for high-level production of L-tryptophan by Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Cheng, Li-Kun; Wang, Jian; Xu, Qing-Yang; Zhao, Chun-Guang; Shen, Zhi-Qiang; Xie, Xi-Xian; Chen, Ning

2013-05-01

Optimum production of L-tryptophan by Escherichia coli depends on pH. Here, we established conditions for optimizing the production of L-tryptophan. The optimum pH range was 6.5-7.2, and pH was controlled using a three-stage strategy [pH 6.5 (0-12 h), pH 6.8 (12-24 h), and pH 7.2 (24-38 h)]. Specifically, ammonium hydroxide was used to adjust pH during the initial 24 h, and potassium hydroxide and ammonium hydroxide (1:2, v/v) were used to adjust pH during 24-38 h. Under these conditions, NH4 (+) and K(+) concentrations were kept below the threshold for inhibiting L-tryptophan production. Optimization was also accomplished using ratios (v/v) of glucose to alkali solutions equal to 4:1 (5-24 h) and 6:1 (24-38 h). The concentration of glucose and the pH were controlled by adjusting the pH automatically. Applying a pH-feedback feeding method, the steady-state concentration of glucose was maintained at approximately 0.2 ± 0.02 g/l, and acetic acid accumulated to a concentration of 1.15 ± 0.03 g/l, and the plasmid stability was 98 ± 0.5 %. The final, optimized concentration of L-tryptophan was 43.65 ± 0.29 g/l from 52.43 ± 0.38 g/l dry cell weight.

Sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax (L.) bacterial infection and confinement stress acts on F-type lectin (DlFBL) serum modulation.

PubMed

Parisi, M G; Benenati, G; Cammarata, M

2015-11-01

The F-lectin, a fucose-binding protein found from invertebrates to ectothermic vertebrates, is the last lectin family to be discovered. Here, we describe effects of two different types of stressors, bacterial infection and confinement stress, on the modulation of European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax (L.) F-lectin (DlFBL), a well-characterized serum opsonin, using a specific antibody. The infection of the Vibrio alginolyticus bacterial strain increased the total haemagglutinating activity during the 16-day testing period. The DlFBL value showed an upward regulation on the first, second and last days and underwent a slight downward regulation 4 days post-challenge. In contrast, the effect of confinement and density stress showed a decrease in the plasma concentration of lectin, ranging from 50% to 60% compared with the control. The modulation of DlFBL is in line with the hypothesis that humoral lectins could be involved and recruited in the initial recognition step of the inflammation, which leads to agglutination, and the activation of mechanisms responsible for killing of the pathogens. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Rotational shear effects on edge harmonic oscillations in DIII-D quiescent H-mode discharges

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

Chen, Xi; Burrell, Keith H.; Ferraro, Nathaniel M.

In the quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) regime, edge harmonic oscillations (EHO) play an important role in avoiding transient edge localized mode (ELM) power fluxes by providing benign and continuous edge particle transport. A detailed theoretical, experimental and modeling comparison has been made of low-n (n ≤ 5) EHO in DIII-D QH-mode plasmas. The calculated linear eigenmode structure from the extended MHD code M3D-C1 matches closely the coherent EHO properties from external magnetics data and internal measurements using the ECE, BES, ECE-Imaging and microwave imaging reflectometer (MIR) diagnostics, as well as the kink/peeling mode properties found by the ideal MHD code ELITE.more » Numerical investigations indicate that the low-n EHO-like solutions from M3D-C1 are destabilized by the rotational shear while high-n modes are stabilized. This effect is independent of the rotation direction, suggesting that EHO can be destabilized in principle with rotation in either direction. Furthermore, the modeling results are consistent with observations of the EHO, support the proposed theory of the EHO as a rotational shear driven kink/peeling mode, and improve our understanding and confidence in creating and sustaining QH-mode in present and future devices.« less

Rotational shear effects on edge harmonic oscillations in DIII-D quiescent H-mode discharges

DOE PAGES

Chen, Xi; Burrell, Keith H.; Ferraro, Nathaniel M.; ...

2016-06-21

In the quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) regime, edge harmonic oscillations (EHO) play an important role in avoiding transient edge localized mode (ELM) power fluxes by providing benign and continuous edge particle transport. A detailed theoretical, experimental and modeling comparison has been made of low-n (n ≤ 5) EHO in DIII-D QH-mode plasmas. The calculated linear eigenmode structure from the extended MHD code M3D-C1 matches closely the coherent EHO properties from external magnetics data and internal measurements using the ECE, BES, ECE-Imaging and microwave imaging reflectometer (MIR) diagnostics, as well as the kink/peeling mode properties found by the ideal MHD code ELITE.more » Numerical investigations indicate that the low-n EHO-like solutions from M3D-C1 are destabilized by the rotational shear while high-n modes are stabilized. This effect is independent of the rotation direction, suggesting that EHO can be destabilized in principle with rotation in either direction. Furthermore, the modeling results are consistent with observations of the EHO, support the proposed theory of the EHO as a rotational shear driven kink/peeling mode, and improve our understanding and confidence in creating and sustaining QH-mode in present and future devices.« less

Dynamical vanishing of the order parameter in a confined Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer Fermi gas after an interaction quench

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hannibal, S.; Kettmann, P.; Croitoru, M. D.; Axt, V. M.; Kuhn, T.

2018-01-01

We present a numerical study of the Higgs mode in an ultracold confined Fermi gas after an interaction quench and find a dynamical vanishing of the superfluid order parameter. Our calculations are done within a microscopic density-matrix approach in the Bogoliubov-de Gennes framework which takes the three-dimensional cigar-shaped confinement explicitly into account. In this framework, we study the amplitude mode of the order parameter after interaction quenches starting on the BCS side of the BEC-BCS crossover close to the transition and ending in the BCS regime. We demonstrate the emergence of a dynamically vanishing superfluid order parameter in the spatiotemporal dynamics in a three-dimensional trap. Further, we show that the signal averaged over the whole trap mirrors the spatiotemporal behavior and allows us to systematically study the effects of the system size and aspect ratio on the observed dynamics. Our analysis enables us to connect the confinement-induced modifications of the dynamics to the pairing properties of the system. Finally, we demonstrate that the signature of the Higgs mode is contained in the dynamical signal of the condensate fraction, which, therefore, might provide a new experimental access to the nonadiabatic regime of the Higgs mode.

Characterisation of edge turbulence in relation to edge magnetic field configuration in L-mode plasmas in the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewhurst, J.; Hnat, B.; Dudson, B.; Dendy, R. O.; Counsell, G. F.; Kirk, A.

2007-12-01

Almost all astrophysical and magnetically confined fusion plasmas are turbulent. Here, we examine ion saturation current (Isat) measurements of edge plasma turbulence for three MAST L-mode plasmas that differ primarily in their edge magnetic field configurations. First, absolute moments of the coarse grained data are examined to obtain accurate values of scaling exponents. The dual scaling behaviour is identified in all samples, with the temporal scale τ ≍ 40-60 μs separating the two regimes. Strong universality is then identified in the functional form of the probability density function (PDF) for Isat fluctuations, which is well approximated by the Fréchet distribution on temporal scales τ ≤ 40μs. For temporal scales τ > 40μs, the PDFs appear to converge to the Gumbel distribution, which has been previously identified as a universal feature of many other complex phenomena. The optimal fitting parameters k=1.15 for Fréchet and a=1.35 for Gumbel provide a simple quantitative characterisation of the full spectrum of fluctuations. We conclude that, to good approximation, the properties of the edge turbulence are independent of the edge magnetic field configuration.

Dark plasmonic breathing modes in silver nanodisks.

PubMed

Schmidt, Franz-Philipp; Ditlbacher, Harald; Hohenester, Ulrich; Hohenau, Andreas; Hofer, Ferdinand; Krenn, Joachim R

2012-11-14

We map the complete plasmonic spectrum of silver nanodisks by electron energy loss spectroscopy and show that the mode which couples strongest to the electron beam has radial symmetry with no net dipole moment. Therefore, this mode does not couple to light and has escaped from observation in optical experiments. This radial breathing mode has the character of an extended two-dimensional surface plasmon with a wavenumber determined by the circular disk confinement. Its strong near fields can impact the hybridization in coupled plasmonic nanoparticles as well as couplings with nearby quantum emitters.

Investigation of the plasma shaping effects on the H-mode pedestal structure using coupled kinetic neoclassical/MHD stability simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pankin, A. Y.; Rafiq, T.; Kritz, A. H.; Park, G. Y.; Snyder, P. B.; Chang, C. S.

2017-06-01

The effects of plasma shaping on the H-mode pedestal structure are investigated. High fidelity kinetic simulations of the neoclassical pedestal dynamics are combined with the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability conditions for triggering edge localized mode (ELM) instabilities that limit the pedestal width and height in H-mode plasmas. The neoclassical kinetic XGC0 code [Chang et al., Phys. Plasmas 11, 2649 (2004)] is used in carrying out a scan over plasma elongation and triangularity. As plasma profiles evolve, the MHD stability limits of these profiles are analyzed with the ideal MHD ELITE code [Snyder et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 2037 (2002)]. Simulations with the XGC0 code, which includes coupled ion-electron dynamics, yield predictions for both ion and electron pedestal profiles. The differences in the predicted H-mode pedestal width and height for the DIII-D discharges with different elongation and triangularities are discussed. For the discharges with higher elongation, it is found that the gradients of the plasma profiles in the H-mode pedestal reach semi-steady states. In these simulations, the pedestal slowly continues to evolve to higher pedestal pressures and bootstrap currents until the peeling-ballooning stability conditions are satisfied. The discharges with lower elongation do not reach the semi-steady state, and ELM crashes are triggered at earlier times. The plasma elongation is found to have a stronger stabilizing effect than the plasma triangularity. For the discharges with lower elongation and lower triangularity, the ELM frequency is large, and the H-mode pedestal evolves rapidly. It is found that the temperature of neutrals in the scrape-off-layer (SOL) region can affect the dynamics of the H-mode pedestal buildup. However, the final pedestal profiles are nearly independent of the neutral temperature. The elongation and triangularity affect the pedestal widths of plasma density and electron temperature profiles differently. This provides a new

Investigation of the plasma shaping effects on the H-mode pedestal structure using coupled kinetic neoclassical/MHD stability simulations

DOE PAGES

Pankin, A. Y.; Rafiq, T.; Kritz, A. H.; ...

2017-06-08

The effects of plasma shaping on the H-mode pedestal structure are investigated. High fidelity kinetic simulations of the neoclassical pedestal dynamics are combined with the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability conditions for triggering edge localized mode (ELM) instabilities that limit the pedestal width and height in H-mode plasmas. We use the neoclassical kinetic XGC0 code [Chang et al., Phys. Plasmas 11, 2649 (2004)] to carry out a scan over plasma elongation and triangularity. As plasma profiles evolve, the MHD stability limits of these profiles are analyzed with the ideal MHD ELITE code [Snyder et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 2037 (2002)]. In simulationsmore » with the XGC0 code, which includes coupled ion-electron dynamics, yield predictions for both ion and electron pedestal profiles. The differences in the predicted H-mode pedestal width and height for the DIII-D discharges with different elongation and triangularities are discussed. For the discharges with higher elongation, it is found that the gradients of the plasma profiles in the H-mode pedestal reach semi-steady states. In these simulations, the pedestal slowly continues to evolve to higher pedestal pressures and bootstrap currents until the peeling-ballooning stability conditions are satisfied. The discharges with lower elongation do not reach the semi-steady state, and ELM crashes are triggered at earlier times. The plasma elongation is found to have a stronger stabilizing effect than the plasma triangularity. For the discharges with lower elongation and lower triangularity, the ELM frequency is large, and the H-mode pedestal evolves rapidly. It is found that the temperature of neutrals in the scrape-off-layer (SOL) region can affect the dynamics of the H-mode pedestal buildup. But the final pedestal profiles are nearly independent of the neutral temperature. The elongation and triangularity affect the pedestal widths of plasma density and electron temperature profiles differently. This provides a new

Investigation of the plasma shaping effects on the H-mode pedestal structure using coupled kinetic neoclassical/MHD stability simulations

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

Pankin, A. Y.; Rafiq, T.; Kritz, A. H.

The effects of plasma shaping on the H-mode pedestal structure are investigated. High fidelity kinetic simulations of the neoclassical pedestal dynamics are combined with the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability conditions for triggering edge localized mode (ELM) instabilities that limit the pedestal width and height in H-mode plasmas. We use the neoclassical kinetic XGC0 code [Chang et al., Phys. Plasmas 11, 2649 (2004)] to carry out a scan over plasma elongation and triangularity. As plasma profiles evolve, the MHD stability limits of these profiles are analyzed with the ideal MHD ELITE code [Snyder et al., Phys. Plasmas 9, 2037 (2002)]. In simulationsmore » with the XGC0 code, which includes coupled ion-electron dynamics, yield predictions for both ion and electron pedestal profiles. The differences in the predicted H-mode pedestal width and height for the DIII-D discharges with different elongation and triangularities are discussed. For the discharges with higher elongation, it is found that the gradients of the plasma profiles in the H-mode pedestal reach semi-steady states. In these simulations, the pedestal slowly continues to evolve to higher pedestal pressures and bootstrap currents until the peeling-ballooning stability conditions are satisfied. The discharges with lower elongation do not reach the semi-steady state, and ELM crashes are triggered at earlier times. The plasma elongation is found to have a stronger stabilizing effect than the plasma triangularity. For the discharges with lower elongation and lower triangularity, the ELM frequency is large, and the H-mode pedestal evolves rapidly. It is found that the temperature of neutrals in the scrape-off-layer (SOL) region can affect the dynamics of the H-mode pedestal buildup. But the final pedestal profiles are nearly independent of the neutral temperature. The elongation and triangularity affect the pedestal widths of plasma density and electron temperature profiles differently. This provides a new

Stability properties and fast ion confinement of hybrid tokamak plasma configurations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graves, J. P.; Brunetti, D.; Pfefferle, D.; Faustin, J. M. P.; Cooper, W. A.; Kleiner, A.; Lanthaler, S.; Patten, H. W.; Raghunathan, M.

2015-11-01

In hybrid scenarios with flat q just above unity, extremely fast growing tearing modes are born from toroidal sidebands of the near resonant ideal internal kink mode. New scalings of the growth rate with the magnetic Reynolds number arise from two fluid effects and sheared toroidal flow. Non-linear saturated 1/1 dominant modes obtained from initial value stability calculation agree with the amplitude of the 1/1 component of a 3D VMEC equilibrium calculation. Viable and realistic equilibrium representation of such internal kink modes allow fast ion studies to be accurately established. Calculations of MAST neutral beam ion distributions using the VENUS-LEVIS code show very good agreement of observed impaired core fast ion confinement when long lived modes occur. The 3D ICRH code SCENIC also enables the establishment of minority RF distributions in hybrid plasmas susceptible to saturated near resonant internal kink modes.

1H NMR determination of beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (L-BMAA) in environmental and biological samples.

PubMed

Moura, Sidnei; Ultramari, Mariah de Almeida; de Paula, Daniela Mendes Louzada; Yonamine, Mauricio; Pinto, Ernani

2009-04-01

A nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) method for the determination of beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (L-BMAA) in environmental aqueous samples was developed and validated. L-BMAA is a neurotoxic modified amino acid that can be produced by cyanobacteria in aqueous environments. This toxin was extracted from samples by means of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and identified and quantified by 1H NMR without further derivatization steps. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 5 microg/mL. Good inter and intra-assay precision was also observed (relative standard deviation <8.5%) with the use of 4-nitro-DL-phenylalanine as an internal standard (IS). This method of 1H NMR analysis is not time consuming and can be readily utilized to monitor L-BMAA and confirm its presence in environmental and biological samples.

Chemopreventive effect of chalcone derivative, L2H17, in colon cancer development.

PubMed

Xu, Shanmei; Chen, Minxiao; Chen, Wenbo; Hui, Junguo; Ji, Jiansong; Hu, Shuping; Zhou, Jianmin; Wang, Yi; Liang, Guang

2015-11-09

Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Chalcone and its derivatives are reported to exhibit anti-cancer effects in several cancer cell lines, including colon cancer cells. In addition, chalcones have advantages such as poor interaction with DNA and low risk of mutagenesity. In our previous study, a group of chalcone derivatives were synthesized and exhibited strong anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, we evaluated the anti-cancer effects of the chalcone derivative, L2H17, in colon cancer cells. The cytotoxicities of L2H17 on various colon cancer cell lines were investigated by MTT and clonogenic assay. Cell cycle and apoptosis analysis were performed to evaluate the molecular mechanism of L2H17-mediated inhibition of tumor growth. Also, scratch wound and matrigel invasion experiments were performed to estimate the cell migration and invasion after L2H17 treatment. Finally, we observed the anti-colon cancer effects of L2H17 in vivo. Our data show that compound L2H17 exhibited selective cytotoxic effect on colon cancer cells, via inducing G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in CT26.WT cells. Furthermore, L2H17 treatment decreased cell migration and invasion of CT26.WT cells. In addition, L2H17 possessed marked anti-tumor activity in vivo. The molecular mechanism of L2H17-mediated inhibition of tumor promotion and progression were function through inactivated NF-κB and Akt signaling pathways. All these findings show that L2H17 might be a potential growth inhibitory chalcones derivative for colon cancer cells.

Dynamic studies of nano-confined polymer thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geng, Kun

Polymer thin films with the film thickness (h0 ) below 100 nm often exhibit physical properties different from the bulk counterparts. In order to make the best use of polymer thin films in applications, it is important to understand the physical origins of these deviations. In this dissertation, I will investigate how different factors influence dynamic properties of polymer thin films upon nano-confinement, including glass transition temperature (Tg), effective viscosity (etaeff) and self-diffusion coefficient (D ). The first part of this dissertation concerns the impacts of the molecular weight (MW) and tacticity on the Tg's of nano-confined polymer films. Previous experiments showed that the Tg of polymer films could be depressed or increased as h0 decreases. While these observations are usually attributed to the effects of the interfaces, some experiments suggested that MW's and tacticities might also play a role. To understand the effects of these factors, the Tg's of silica-based poly(alpha-methyl styrene) (PalphaMS/SiOx) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA/SiOx) thin films were studied, and the results suggested that MW's and tacticities influence Tg in nontrivial ways. The second part concerns an effort to resolve the long-standing controversy about the correlation between different dynamics of polymer thin films upon nano-confinement. Firstly, I discuss the experimental results of Tg, D and etaeff of poly(isobutyl methacrylate) films supported by silica (PiBMA/SiOx). Both T g and D were found to be independent of h 0, but etaeff decreased with decreasing h 0. Since both D and etaeff describe transport phenomena known to depend on the local friction coefficient or equivalently the local viscosity, it is questionable why D and etaeff displayed seemingly inconsistent h 0 dependencies. We envisage the different h0 dependencies to be caused by Tg, D and etaeff being different functions of the local T g's (Tg,i) or viscosities (eta i). By assuming a three

New HST/COS FUV Modes G140L/800 and G160M/1533

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sankrit, Ravi; De Rosa, Gisella; Fischer, William J.; Fix, Mees B.; Fox, Andrew; Indriolo, Nick; James, Bethan; Magness, Camellia; Oliveira, Cristina M.; Penton, Steven V.; Plesha, Rachel; Rafelski, Marc; Roman-Duval, Julia; Sahnow, David J.; Snyder, Elaine M.; Taylor, Joanna M.; White, James

2018-06-01

We present two new observing modes that are being offered for the far-ultraviolet (FUV) channel on the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), and an initial overview of the science investigations they enable. The FUV channel on COS currently operates in the 900-2150 A wavelength region. It consists of two medium resolution gratings G130M and G160M, and a low resolution grating G140L. The detector consists of two segments (FUVB, shortward and FUVA, longward wavelengths) with a gap between them. Each grating has a number of central wavelength settings (cenwaves) available. The settings place different portions of the spectrum on the detector segments, and the focus at each cenwave is set to optimize spectral resolution in the middle of its wavelength range.The first new mode is G140L/800, which places 800-1950 A on FUVA. The grating rotation and focus for this mode are set to minimize the height of the spectrum on the detector, and thereby the background, in the region below 1100 A. This results in an increased sensitivity at these wavelengths compared to the 1280 cenwave. The second mode, G160M/1533, extends the short-wavelength coverage of the grating by 44 A to overlap with the longest wavelengths covered by the G130M/1222 setting. This allows a broad wavelength range to be covered using just two medium resolution settings without placing the key gain-sag contributor, Ly-alpha, on the detector.

Parameter dependences of the separatrix density in nitrogen seeded ASDEX Upgrade H-mode discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kallenbach, A.; Sun, H. J.; Eich, T.; Carralero, D.; Hobirk, J.; Scarabosio, A.; Siccinio, M.; ASDEX Upgrade Team; EUROfusion MST1 Team

2018-04-01

The upstream separatrix electron density is an important interface parameter for core performance and divertor power exhaust. It has been measured in ASDEX Upgrade H-mode discharges by means of Thomson scattering using a self-consistent estimate of the upstream electron temperature under the assumption of Spitzer-Härm electron conduction. Its dependence on various plasma parameters has been tested for different plasma conditions in H-mode. The leading parameter determining n e,sep was found to be the neutral divertor pressure, which can be considered as an engineering parameter since it is determined mainly by the gas puff rate and the pumping speed. The experimentally found parameter dependence of n e,sep, which is dominated by the divertor neutral pressure, could be approximately reconciled by 2-point modelling.

A double-layer based model of ion confinement in electron cyclotron resonance ion source.

PubMed

Mascali, D; Neri, L; Celona, L; Castro, G; Torrisi, G; Gammino, S; Sorbello, G; Ciavola, G

2014-02-01

The paper proposes a new model of ion confinement in ECRIS, which can be easily generalized to any magnetic configuration characterized by closed magnetic surfaces. Traditionally, ion confinement in B-min configurations is ascribed to a negative potential dip due to superhot electrons, adiabatically confined by the magneto-static field. However, kinetic simulations including RF heating affected by cavity modes structures indicate that high energy electrons populate just a thin slab overlapping the ECR layer, while their density drops down of more than one order of magnitude outside. Ions, instead, diffuse across the electron layer due to their high collisionality. This is the proper physical condition to establish a double-layer (DL) configuration which self-consistently originates a potential barrier; this "barrier" confines the ions inside the plasma core surrounded by the ECR surface. The paper will describe a simplified ion confinement model based on plasma density non-homogeneity and DL formation.

Covalent Organic Framework Functionalized with 8-Hydroxyquinoline as a Dual-Mode Fluorescent and Colorimetric pH Sensor.

PubMed

Chen, Long; He, Linwei; Ma, Fuyin; Liu, Wei; Wang, Yaxing; Silver, Mark A; Chen, Lanhua; Zhu, Lin; Gui, Daxiang; Diwu, Juan; Chai, Zhifang; Wang, Shuao

2018-05-09

Real-time and accurate detection of pH in aqueous solution is of great significance in chemical, environmental, and engineering-related fields. We report here the use of 8-hydroxyquinoline-functionalized covalent organic framework (COF-HQ) for dual-mode pH sensing. In the fluorescent mode, the emission intensity of COF-HQ weakened as the pH decreased, and also displayed a good linear relationship against pH in the range from 1 to 5. In addition, COF-HQ showed discernible color changes from yellow to black as the acidity increased and can be therefore used as a colorimetric pH sensor. All these changes are reversible and COF-HQ can be recycled for multiple detection runs owing to its high hydrolytical stability. It can be further assembled into a mixed matrix membrane for practical applications.

Axisymmetric Tandem Mirrors: Stabilization and Confinement Studies

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

Post, R.F.; Fowler, T.K.; Bulmer, R.

2005-01-15

The 'Kinetic Stabilizer' has been proposed as a means of MHD stabilizing an axisymmetric tandem mirror system. The K-S concept is based on theoretical studies by Ryutov, confirmed experimentally in the Gas Dynamic Trap experiment in Novosibirsk. In the K-S beams of ions are directed into the end of an 'expander' region outside the outer mirror of a tandem mirror. These ions, slowed, stagnated, and reflected as they move up the magnetic gradient, produce a low-density stabilizing plasma.At the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory we have been conducting theoretical and computational studies of the K-S Tandem Mirror. These studies have employedmore » a low-beta code written especially to analyze the beam injection/stabilization process,and a new code SYMTRAN (by Hua and Fowler)that solves the coupled radial and axial particle and energy transport in a K-S T-M. Also, a 'legacy' MHD stability code, FLORA, has been upgraded and employed to benchmark the injection/stabilization code and to extend its results to high beta values.The FLORA code studies so far have confirmed the effectiveness of the K-S in stabilizing high-beta (40%) plasmas with stabilizer plasmas the peak pressures of which are several orders of magnitude smaller than those of the confined plasma.Also the SYMTRAN code has shown D-T plasma ignition from alpha particle energy deposition in T-M regimes with strong end plugging.Our studies have confirmed the viability of the K-S T-M concept with respect to MHD stability and radial and axial confinement. We are continuing these studies in order to optimize the parameters and to examine means for the stabilization of possible residual instability modes, such as drift modes and 'trapped-particle' modes. These modes may in principle be controlled by tailoring the stabilizer plasma distribution and/or the radial potential distribution.In the paper the results to date of our studies are summarized and projected to scope out possible fusion-power versions of the

Axisymmetric Tandem Mirrors: Stabilization and Confinement Studies

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

Post, R F; Fowler, T K; Bulmer, R

2004-07-15

The 'Kinetic Stabilizer' has been proposed as a means of MHD stabilizing an axisymmetric tandem mirror system. The K-S concept is based on theoretical studies by Ryutov, confirmed experimentally in the Gas Dynamic Trap experiment in Novosibirsk. In the K-S beams of ions are directed into the end of an 'expander' region outside the outer mirror of a tandem mirror. These ions, slowed, stagnated, and reflected as they move up the magnetic gradient, produce a low-density stabilizing plasma. At the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory we have been conducting theoretical and computational studies of the K-S Tandem Mirror. These studies havemore » employed a low-beta code written especially to analyze the beam injection/stabilization process, and a new code SYMTRAN (by Hua and Fowler) that solves the coupled radial and axial particle and energy transport in a K-S TM. Also, a 'legacy' MHD stability code, FLORA, has been upgraded and employed to benchmark the injection/stabilization code and to extend its results to high beta values. The FLORA code studies so far have confirmed the effectiveness of the K-S in stabilizing high-beta (40%) plasmas with stabilizer plasmas the peak pressures of which are several orders of magnitude smaller than those of the confined plasma. Also the SYMTRAN code has shown D-T plasma ignition from alpha particle energy deposition in T-M regimes with strong end plugging. Our studies have confirmed the viability of the K-S-T-M concept with respect to MHD stability and radial and axial confinement. We are continuing these studies in order to optimize the parameters and to examine means for the stabilization of possible residual instability modes, such as drift modes and 'trapped-particle' modes. These modes may in principle be controlled by tailoring the stabilizer plasma distribution and/or the radial potential distribution. In the paper the results to date of our studies are summarized and projected to scope out possible fusion-power versions