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Carter, Troy

Publications and source records attributed to Carter, Troy.

9 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Accelerating the fusion workforce in the USA

The fusion energy research and development landscape has seen significant advances in recent years, with important scientific and technological breakthroughs and a rapid rise of investment in the private sector. The workforce needs of the nascent fusion industry are growing at a rate that academic workforce development programs are not currently able to match. This paper presents the findings of the Workforce Accelerator for Fusion Energy Development Conference held in Hampton, Virginia, United States of America (USA), on 29–30 May 2024, which was funded by the National Science Foundation of the USA. A major goal of the conference was to focus on bringing public and private stakeholders together to identify opportunities for partnership in fusion research and education with the goal of meeting the needs for a talented and diverse workforce. Representatives from industry, academia, and national laboratories participated in the conference through the preparation of white papers, presentations, and group discussions, and the production of recommendations to address the challenges facing the fusion workforce in the USA.

diversity↗
DOE OSTI2024

Report of the FESAC Facilities Construction Projects Subcommittee

On December 1, 2023, the Director of the of the Office of Science (SC) charged all the Department of Energy Office of Science Federal Advisory Committees to respond to look toward the scientific horizon and identify what new or upgraded facilities will best serve the SC community needs in the next ten years (2024-2034). This report by the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) assess facilities for the Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Design of the Lanthanum hexaboride based plasma source for the large plasma device at UCLA

The Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) produces an 18 m long, magnetized, quiescent, and uniform plasma at a high repetition rate to enable studies of fundamental plasma physics. Here, we report on a major upgrade to the LAPD plasma source that allows for more robust operation and significant expansion of achievable plasma parameters. The original plasma source made use of a heated barium oxide (BaO) coated nickel sheet as an electron emitter. This source had a number of drawbacks, including a limited range of plasma density (≲4.0 × 10 12 cm −3 ), a limited discharge duration (∼10 ms), and susceptibility to poisoning following oxygen exposure. Further, the new plasma source utilizes a 38 cm diameter lanthanum hexaboride (LaB 6 ) cathode, which has a significantly higher emissivity, allowing for a much larger discharge power density, and is robust to exposure to air. Peak plasma density of up to 3.0 × 10 13 cm −33 in helium gas has been achieved. The typical operating pressure is ∼10 −5 Torr, while dynamic pressure can be achieved through the gas-puffing technique. Discharges as long as 70 ms have been produced, enabling a variety of long-time-scale studies of processes, such as turbulent particle transport. The new source has been in continuous operation for 14 months, having survived air leaks, power outages that led to rapid temperature changes on the cathode and heater, and planned machine openings. We describe the design, construction, and initial operation of this novel new large-area LaB6 plasma source.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Powering the Future: Fusion & Plasmas

This report provides a decade-long vision for the field of fusion energy and plasma science and presents a path to a promising future of new scientific discoveries, industrial applications, and, ultimately, the delivery of fusion energy. We identify critical areas for research and development and prioritize investments to maximize impact. The research community worked for more than a year to develop a wealth of creative ideas designed to accelerate fusion energy and advance plasma science. The effort culminated in the consensus Community Planning Process report. Our work is based heavily on that report, and we extend our sincere gratitude to our colleagues for their efforts. Following the research community’s lead, we worked through consensus to generate this report. Many ideas were heard and were thoughtfully deliberated until a shared view on each issue emerged. This process allowed us to discuss and appreciate our different points of view and come to consensus language. Ultimately, we speak with one voice in conveying a vision for a vibrant program that will bring significant benefit to society.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Electron density measurement using a partially covered hairpin resonator in an inductively coupled plasma

Hairpin probes are used to determine electron densities via measuring the shift of the resonant frequency of the probe structure when immersed in a plasma. This manuscript presents new developments in hairpin probe hardware and theory that have enabled measurements in a high electron density plasma, up to approximately 10 12 cm -3 , corresponding to a plasma frequency of about 9 GHz. Hardware developments include the use of both quarter-wavelength and three-quarter-wavelength partially covered hairpin probes in a transmission mode together with an easily reproducible implementation of the associated microwave electronics using commercial off-the-shelf components. The three-quarter-wavelength structure is operated at its second harmonic with the purpose of measuring higher electron densities. New theory developments for interpreting the probe measurements include the use of a transmission line model to find an accurate relationship between the resonant frequency of the probe and the electron density, including effects of partially covering the probes with epoxy. Measurements are taken in an inductively coupled plasma sustained in argon at pressures below 50 mTorr. Results are compared with Langmuir probe and interferometry measurements.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Overview of TAE technologies’ HHFW project on LAPD

Simulation survey performed at TAE Technologies, has demonstrated that high harmonic fast wave (HHFW) heating is a promising scenario to heat core electrons of FRC plasma. To prepare the proposed experimental study of HHFW antenna-plasma coupling and wave propagation on LAPD machine at UCLA, a high-power-capable 4-strap antenna has been calculated and designed through collaboration among TAE, ORNL, ASIPP, and UCLA. This antenna was mechanically designed and fabricated by ASIPP and it has been installed recently on LAPD. Meanwhile, by using the Petra-M code, a newly developed generic electromagnetic simulation tool for modeling RF wave propagation, the RF-SciDAC team starts 3D full wave simulations. Detailed information on antenna electromagnetic simulations and mechanical design, as well as preliminary experimental results of wave propagation study with the newly installed phased- array antenna, will be presented in this paper.REFE

Yang, Xiaokang↗