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At least 199 records · Page 11

Effect of negative triangularity on tearing mode stability in tokamak plasmas

Abstract The influence of negative triangularity (NT) of the plasma shape on the n = 1 (n is the toroidal mode number) tearing mode (TM) stability has been numerically investigated, with results compared to that of the positive triangularity (PT) counterpart. By matching the safety factor profile for a series of toroidal equilibria, several important plasma parameters, including the triangularity, the plasma equilibrium pressure, the plasma resistivity as well as the toroidal rotation, have been varied. The TM localized near the plasma edge is found to be more unstable in the NT plasmas as compared to the PT counterpart. The fundamental reason for this difference is the lack of favorable average curvature stabilization in NT configurations. Direct comparison of the Mercier index corroborates this conclusion. For the core-localized mode, where the difference in the local triangularity between NT and PT becomes small and the curvature stabilization is significantly reduced, larger Shafranov shift in the plasma core associated with the NT configuration results in more stable TM. The plasma toroidal flow generally stabilizes the TM in plasmas with both NTs and PTs. The flow stabilization is however weaker in the case of negative triangularity with finite plasma pressure.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Nonlinear MHD modeling of n = 1 RMP -induced pedestal transport and mode coupling effects on ELM suppression in KSTAR

We report fully suppressing edge-localized modes (ELMs), e.g., with resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs), is essential to reach and sustain high-performance steady-state H-mode plasmas because large ELMs can significantly reduce the lifetime of divertor components in future tokamak reactors. RMP-driven ELM suppression in KSTAR has been modeled by coupling the neoclassical transport code PENTRC to the nonlinear 3D MHD code JOREK. We have found that the radial transport from the combined effects of the kink-peeling, tearing response, and neoclassical toroidal viscosity can explain the pedestal degradation observed in experiments. In addition, it has been found that the RMP response can increase the inter-ELM heat flux on the lower outer divertor by redistributing the heat transport between the divertor plates. In addition to the degraded pedestal, ELM suppression is also attributable to the RMP-induced mode interactions. While the linear stability of peeling-ballooning mode (PBMs) improves owing to the degraded pedestal, the PBM and RMP interaction increases the spectral transfer between edge harmonics, preventing catastrophic growth and the crash of unstable modes. Here, it turns out that the magnetic islands near the pedestal top can play a vital role in mediating the mode interactions.

mode coupling↗

Subsoil organo-mineral associations under contrasting climate conditions

Climate differences can induce profound changes in organo-mineral associations in soils. However, the magnitude of these modifications, whether as a direct effect of climate conditions or an indirect effect through changes in soil mineralogy, are still not fully understood. In this study, we aimed to improve understanding of how climate and resultant changes in soil mineralogy affect subsoil (i.e., 0.4–0.9 m) organo-mineral interactions at the macro- and microscale. A set of subsoil samples were collected throughout an elevation gradient (approximately 1800 to 2400 mm precipitation year –1 and 15 to 24ºC) on Kohala Mountain, Hawaii. We carried out a combined approach of bulk soil analyses with mineral extractions and spectroscopic and spectromicroscopic analyses. Significant positive correlations (p < 0.05) between soil organic carbon (SOC) with extracted Fe and Al (dithionite citrate bicarbonate – DCB and ammonium oxalate – OX) at the bulk soil scale supported prior research showing concurrent decline of subsoil Fe, Al and SOC above a precipitation level of ~2000 - ~2200 mm year -1 . However, divergence in microscale organo-mineral associations identified using NanoSIMS allowed us to discern the relative roles of Fe and Al in promoting organo-mineral associations. At the lower precipitation range (~1800 mm year -1 ), the clay fraction < 2 µm showed higher amounts of organic matter (OM) co-localized with Fe & Al compared with the higher precipitation level (~2300 mm year -1 ), where OM was mostly unassociated or only associated with Al. While Fe contributed to approximately 40% of the microscale organo-mineral associations in the lower precipitation site (quantified by co-localizations with OM segments), this contribution at the higher rainfall regime was only 5%. In contrast, the contribution of Al was approximately the same in both rainfall levels (approximately 30%). Therefore, associations with Al may be more important than Fe for OM stabilization under reducing climate conditions. The normalized CN:C ratio based on individual pixels was found to be higher when co-localized with Al, Fe, or both, especially under the high precipitation regime. This fact points towards the importance of Fe and Al to stabilize more N-rich OM, especially at high rainfall levels. In addition, subsoil from higher rainfall conditions exhibited more reduced forms of Fe (assessed by Fe K-edge XANES) and lower proportions of carboxyl-C (5% lower in the relative abundance) as well as higher alkyl/O-alkyl ratios determined by CP-MAS 13C NMR. Such differences in composition may directly influence the organo-mineral associations at both locations, as differences in Fe reduction and the presence of carboxyl-C groups are recognized to play a role in OM stabilization. We conclude that spatial relationships between Fe and Al with SOC at the microscale show a shift towards Al-dominated SOC associations at higher precipitation that could not be ascertained from bulk measurements alone. Therefore, they are of fundamental importance to understand the impact of climate change on SOC stabilization.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Overview of the ASDEX Upgrade results

After a 26-month vent ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) went back in operation with a newly designed upper W-divertor suitable for alternative divertor configurations (featuring in-vessel coils and cryo-pump). Parameter scans and an extensive set of measurements were obtained and their interpretation is ongoing. Prompted by the ITER wall change, dedicated experiments on non-boronized plasma startup were contrasted to that employing asymmetric and more symmetric boronizations. The asymmetric boronization proved to be as beneficial as the more symmetric one, which is in contrast to previous model calculations assuming perfect sticking of boron (measurements suggest sticking ≈ 0.3). In the startup phase also the impurity influxes at the outboard limiters were investigated contrasting the unboronized case featuring cold edges (low- Z radiation) to the boronized case, in which the lifetime of the boron layers could be estimated. Pedestal stability investigations revealed that the quasi-continuous exhaust (QCE) regime is obtained when ballooning modes are active in the vicinity of the separatrix and the global peeling-ballooning stability is high enough. Thus, at high enough shaping and high gas flux both can be achieved and QCE is a consequence. The closely related enhanced D-alpha (EDA) mode is not clearly distinguishable from QCE, e.g. the quasi-coherent mode characteristic for EDA also shows up in QCE. In QCE the impurity transport is behaving benign as could be measured for Ne with a novel analysis method making use of a comprehensive set of CXRS measurements. For high radiative fractions the regime of the X-point radiator (XPR) is accessible at AUG and the understanding of its access conditions and behaviour is further developed. Due to the localized radiative cooling at the X-point the XPR can be well diagnosed and thus controlled. For negative triangularity shapes, further experiments at increased shaping resulted in strongly heated L-mode plasmas avoiding ELMs. Two integrated modelling approaches towards ITER suggested that core W-accumulation will be no issue for ITER and that the fusion yield in ITER may be Q = 12 (i.e. ITPA20-IL scaling is too pessimistic). Further, investigations of the ITER ramp-down in AUG provide insights into maintaining position control. Various aspects of shattered pellet injection were investigated in AUG and one of the results show that with increasing Ne fraction the radiation during the current quench increases and the current decay becomes faster.

ASDEX Upgrade↗

Recent progress in the design of the K-DEMO divertor

The preliminary conceptual design of the Korean fusion demonstration reactor (K-DEMO) with a major radius of 6.8 m and the fusion power of 2200 MW has been studied since 2012. The overall configuration of the K-DEMO divetor system based on the ITER-like water-cooled tungsten technology is a double-null type symmetric divertor subdivided into 32 toroidal modules for the vertical maintenance. A detached divertor scenario with impurity seeding was considered as the primary approach for the power exhaust to reduce the peak heat flux lower than the engineering limit of 10 MW/m 2 . The power exhaust performance at the scrap off layer was estimated by using UEDGE-2D code, a two-dimensional fluid transport code for collisional edge plasma and neutral species like N, Ne, and Ar. Particle and heat flux on inboard and outboard divertor targets were calculated for the detached cased depending on parameters such as the impurity seeding rate, pumping rate, and the pedestal density. On the other hand, a magnetic solution like X-divertor, snowflake divertor, and super X-divertor to expand the plasma wet area was considered for K-DEMO since the detached divertor increasing a radiation fraction by impurity seeding might be able to be unstable. However, the extremely high current of poloidal coils was required more than the engineering limit, 20 MA, to form magnetic field lines for the alternative divertors. Based on the physical calculation of the edge plasma, engineering analyses were carried out to find out the thermal and structural reliability. The thermo-hydraulic analysis confirmed thermal stability, whether all comprising materials are operating within their allowable temperature windows when the case of the peak heat flux is set to 10 MW/m 2 on the outboard divertor target. The response surface optimization method derived two optimal design candidates employing two kinds of heat sink materials, respectively: the reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel and CuCrZr alloy. Additionally, the drawbacks and merits of the two materials were definite. The optimal design with applying RAFM steel was vulnerable to withstand thermal and mechanical loads since low thermal conductivity caused too thin thickness of the heat sink. On the other hand, the CuCrZr alloy has critical drawbacks in terms of activation and radioactive waste despite its high thermal conductivity. Meanwhile, preliminary electromagnetic (EM) analysis was carried out to estimate the EM loads caused by the abnormal behaviors of plasma since EM loads are one of the most critical external loads for designing a DEMO divertor.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Simultaneous access to high normalized density, current, pressure, and confinement in strongly-shaped diverted negative triangularity plasmas

Strongly-shaped diverted negative triangularity (NT) plasmas in the DIII-D tokamak demonstrate simultaneous access to high normalized density, current, pressure, and confinement. NT plasmas are shown to exist across an expansive parameter space compatible with high fusion power production, revealing surprisingly good core stability properties that compare favorably to conventional positive triangularity plasmas in DIII-D. Non-dimensionalizing the key parameters, expanded operating spaces featuring edge safety factors below 3, normalized betas above 3, Greenwald density fractions above 1, and high-confinement mode (H-mode) confinement qualities above 1 are observed, even simultaneously, and all with a robustly stable edge free from deleterious edge-localized mode instabilities. Scaling of the confinement time with engineering parameters reveals at least a linear dependence on plasma current although with significant power degradation, both in excess of expected H-mode scalings. These results increase confidence that NT plasmas are a viable approach to realize fusion power and open directions for future detailed study.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Controlling Pt Crystal Defects on the Surface of Ni–Pt Core–Shell Nanoparticles for Active and Stable Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction

A strategy of direct growth of Pt on Ni was used to create and control Pt crystal defects on the surface of Ni–Pt core–shell nanoparticles. The control over the types of defects was easily achieved by changing the surfactant system. Here, in this work, two types of crystal defects have been introduced into Ni–Pt core–shell nanoparticles: polycrystalline shells with multiple grain boundaries and step-edge shells with undercoordinated atoms at corners and steps. We show that the step-edge shell has a higher specific activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), while the thinner polycrystalline shell results in a higher activity per mass and stability. Our results suggest that Ni–Pt core–shell nanoparticles with a thin Pt shell that have high density of crystal defect should be targeted for high performance ORR catalysts.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Thermal properties of the metallic delafossite PdCo⁢O 2 : A combined experimental and first-principles study

Metallic delafossite materials (e.g., PdCo⁢O 2 , PtCo⁢O 2 ), have attracted much recent attention due to record-high oxide conductivities, the origins of which remain unclear. Relatively little attention has been paid to their related thermal properties, however. Here, we address this via wide temperature range experimental studies of the crystal structure, thermal expansion, and specific heat of single-crystal PdCo⁢O 2 , combined with density-functional theory (DFT) calculations of the electronic and phononic densities of states, and thus thermal properties. PdCo⁢O 2 is shown to retain the $R\bar{3}m$ space group from 12 to 1000 K, exhibiting a- and c-axis thermal expansion in good quantitative agreement with DFT-based lattice dynamics calculations. The Co-O bond lengths additionally elucidate the stability of the low-spin state of the nominally Co 3+ ions, which is a notable difference between the edge-shared Co-O octahedra in PdCo⁢O 2 and the corner-shared octahedra in Co-based perovskites. Measurements of specific heat from 1.9 to 400 K provide accurate values for the Debye temperature and Sommerfeld coefficient, the phononic part being describable via a combined Debye-Einstein approach (accounting for high-frequency oxygen-related optical phonons), with excess intermediate-temperature specific heat due to a prominent low-energy peak in the phonon density of states. Most significantly, all electronic and phononic contributions to the specific heat are shown to be remarkably closely reproduced by DFT-based calculations, establishing quantitative understanding of key thermal properties of the metallic delafossite PdCo⁢O 2 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Phase separation, edge currents, and Hall effect for active matter with Magnus dynamics

Here we examine run-and-tumble disks in two-dimensional systems where the particles also have a Magnus component to their dynamics. For increased activity, we find that the system forms a motility-induced phase-separated (MIPS) state with chiral edge flow around the clusters, where the direction of the current is correlated with the sign of the Magnus term. The stability of the MIPS state is non-monotonic as a function of increasing Magnus term amplitude, with the MIPS region first extending down to lower activities followed by a break up of MIPS at large Magnus amplitudes into a gel-like state. We examine the dynamics in the presence of quenched disorder and a uniform drive and find that the bulk flow exhibits a drive-dependent Hall angle. This is a result of the side jump effect produced by scattering from the pinning sites and is similar to the behavior found for skyrmions in chiral magnets with quenched disorder.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Effect of rotation on negative triangularity plasmas in DIII-D

At the DIII-D tokamak, plasmas with negative triangularity (NT) have been found to have similar energy confinement times as H-mode plasmas with positive triangularity. These NT plasmas also have a stable edge that inhibits H-mode, lacks dangerous edge transients, and has naturally low impurity confinement. For these reasons, NT plasmas have the potential to be a transformative reactor scenario. To determine the importance of strong co-current neutral beam torque for NT performance at DIII-D, scans of neutral beam torque at constant neutral beam power have been performed. These scans have shown that the energy confinement time for a basic, inductive NT scenario (q 95 ≈ 2.8) decreases by 16% when torque is reduced to reactor levels. This reduction in confinement can be replicated with gyrofluid modeling that isolates the role of E x B shear in the change in transport. In a separate set of discharges with lower plasma current (q 95 ≈ 2.5), no significant correlation between confinement time and rotation was found. Throughout this investigation, excellent MHD stability was observed, even with very low toroidal rotation. Further, low impurity confinement was found at multiple rotation levels. Throughout the campaign, rotation near the edge was counter-current, consistent with the measurement of counter-current intrinsic edge rotation, and these observations agree with NT results from the TCV tokamak.

confinement↗

Tokamak Plasmas with Density up to 10 Times the Greenwald Limit

Current-carrying, toroidal laboratory plasmas typically cannot be sustained with an electron density above the empirical Greenwald limit. Presented here are tokamak experiments in the Madison Symmetric Torus with a density up to an unprecedented level about ten times this limit. This is thought to be made possible in part by a thick, stabilizing, conductive wall, and a high-voltage, feedback-controlled power supply driving the plasma current. The radial profile of the toroidal current flattens around twice the limit, without the edge collapse routinely observed in other experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Characterization of the ELM-free negative triangularity edge on DIII-D

Tokamak plasmas with strong negative triangularity (NT) shaping typically exhibit fundamentally different edge behavior than conventional L-mode or H-mode plasmas. On DIII-D, every plasma with sufficiently negative triangularity (δ < δ crit ≃ -0.12) is found to be inherently free of edge localized modes (ELMs), even at injected powers well above the predicted L-H power threshold. It is also possible to access an ELM free state at weaker average triangularities provided that at least one of the two x-points is still sufficiently negative. Access to the ELM-free NT scenario is found to coincide with the closure of the second stability region for infinite-n ballooning modes, suggesting that ballooning stability may play a role in limiting the accessible pressure gradient in NT plasmas. Despite this, NT plasmas are able to support small pedestals and are typically characterized by an enhancement of edge pressure gradients beyond those found in traditional L mode plasmas. Further, the pressure gradient inside of this small pedestal is unusually steep, allowing access to high core performance that is competitive with other ELM-free regimes previously achieved on DIII-D. Since ELM-free operation in NT is linked directly to the magnetic geometry, NT fusion pilot plants are predicted to maintain advantageous edge conditions even in burning plasma regimes, potentially eliminating reactor core-integration issues caused by ELMs.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Self-consistent core-pedestal ITER scenario modeling

The purpose of these integrated ITER simulations is to identify dependencies that can impact the performance of ITER. The dependence of fusion power production, temperature and density pedestals, and core profiles on varying magnetic-q, edge density fueling strength, neoclassical transport, magnetic field strength, and alpha heating, are examined. It is noted that ion modes usually dominate the interior, while electron modes dominate the barrier. The electron mode without flow shear is substantially stronger. The q increase tends to cause more kinetic ballooning modes at the edge and the q decrease means that the peeling is getting worse, but the ballooning is getting better. The large edge q tends to provide hollow density while small edge q gives normal density profile. This is consistent with the observation that the density of particles is inversely proportional to the density of the plasma current. The rise in the source of the edge particle increases the density of the edge and the reaction rate close to the edge increases temperature fluxes, resulting in weak pedestal barriers. When neoclassical transport is turned off or the strength of B-field is increased, the pronounced edge barriers are identified. In addition, a distinct effect on the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes is observed due to the increased B-field. The interesting aspect is that the barrier collapses about q = 2 as the stability of MHD has decreased to replace the barrier with a continuous slope but with roughly the same fusion power. This would actually be good for a reactor. The slope of the H-mode pedestal is found to be reduced due to the alpha heating. It is expected that the problem of edge-localized modes causing damage to the first wall will be eased. The effects of circular, elongated, and general geometry on plasma profiles are also compared and contrasted. The circular geometry has a hollow density profile and no edge or internal thermal transport barrier (ETB or ITB). However, both ETBs and ITBs can be found in the elongated geometry. In general geometry, there is a weaker ETB, comparable ITBs, but a higher edge particle transport barrier than in elongated geometry. Higher density near the edge, on the other hand, causes more wall erosion, so elongated geometry might be the best option.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Pedestal stability analysis on MAST in preparation for MAST-U

In preparation for the upcoming MAST-U campaign, pedestal stability of spherical tokamaks is revisited by investigating standard H-mode discharges on MAST. As a step beyond previous studies, both ion and electron profiles are used for obtaining equilibria and a diverse set of pedestals is evaluated. Stability analysis with the ELITE and CGYRO codes shows that MAST pedestals are constrained by kinetic ballooning modes and medium toroidal mode number peeling-ballooning modes, with most unstable modes ranging from n = 25 to n = 45. In discharges with a steep q profile at the edge a larger number of poloidal harmonics is excited for each toroidal mode. In conclusion, a comparison with discharges on DIII-D with matched shape and similar non-dimensional parameters indicates that the increased shear at lower aspect ratio stabilizes low n peeling modes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Stabilization of U 5 f 2 configuration in UTe 2 through U 6 d dimers in the presence of Te2 chains

We investigate the topological superconductor candidate UTe 2 using high-resolution valence-band resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the U M 4 , 5 edges. We observe atomiclike low-energy excitations that support the correlated nature of this unconventional superconductor. These excitations originate from the U 5 f 2 configuration, which is unexpected since the short Te2-Te2 distances exclude Te2 being 2 − . By utilizing the photoionization cross-section dependence of the photoemission spectra in combination with band structure calculations, we infer that the stabilization of the U 5 f 2 configuration is due to the U 6 d bonding states in the U dimers acting as a charge reservoir. Our results emphasize that the description of the physical properties should commence with a 5 f 2 ansatz. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Christovam, Denise S. (ORCID:0000000250698107)↗

Hydration structure and energetics of iron-exchanged montmorillonite

The interaction between iron released from corroded steel canisters and bentonite is a key process influencing the long-term performance of nuclear waste repositories. In particular, the migration of Fe²⁺ into montmorillonite (Mnt) interlayers may alter its hydration, swelling, and ion-transport properties. In the present study, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the hydration behavior, structural response, and transport properties of Fe-exchanged montmorillonite (Fe-Mnt) under varying hydration states. The simulations focus on short- to intermediate-time-scale Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ interlayer exchange and hydration effects, and do not consider long-term structural substitution, Fe-bearing clay phase stabilization, or secondary iron mineral precipitation. Systems containing Na + -, Fe 2+ -, and Fe 3+ -Mnt were examined using both periodic and edge-exposed configurations to evaluate interlayer structure, ion exchange, and free energy of Fe intercalation. The results show that Fe ions influence the interlayer spacing primarily at low water contents (<1 bilayer), where Fe-Mnt exhibits a d-spacing 1–2 Å larger than Na-Mnt due to stronger hydration. The calculated hydration energies follow the order Fe 2+ $<$Fe 3+ $<$Na + . Both water and ion diffusion coefficients decrease upon Fe ion intercalation, with Fe 2+ ions diffusing an order of magnitude more slowly than those of Na + . Free energy profiles further confirm that Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ ions are thermodynamically favored in the interlayer, with Fe 3+ being the most stable. In conclusion, these findings provide molecular-scale insights into the mechanisms of Fe–Na exchange and their implications for bentonite alteration in repository environments.

clay↗

Mechanism of Stoichiometrically Governed Titanium Oxide Brownian Tree Formation on Stepped Au(111)

Previously observed formation of substoichiometric titanium oxide dendritic structures across terraces of Au(111) is computationally studied and shown to follow the classical fractal formation mechanism of diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA). Globally optimized gas-phase oxide cluster structures are sampled in a variety of landing formations on gold surfaces and shown to favor isomers driving polymerization to Brownian tree fractal structures. Mobility of Ti 3 O 5 monomers is shown to be extremely high, with diffusion barriers of 0.21 eV or less. Through bonding stabilization, polymerization of these monomers is energetically favorable and irreversible on the 111 terrace but geometrically impossible to propagate along the step edge. Simulated scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images show strong similarity to experiment. By contrast, observation of Ti 3 O 6 aggregating as wires along step edges is explained by the affinity of oxygen to step edges and statistical arguments for aggregation entropy at the step, in addition to low barriers for monomer diffusion and polymerization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A sustained high-temperature fusion plasma regime facilitated by fast ions

Nuclear fusion is one of the most attractive alternatives to carbon-dependent energy sources. Harnessing energy from nuclear fusion in a large reactor scale, however, still presents many scientific challenges despite the many years of research and steady advances in magnetic confinement approaches. State-of-the-art magnetic fusion devices cannot yet achieve a sustainable fusion performance, which requires a high temperature above 100 million kelvin and sufficient control of instabilities to ensure steady-state operation on the order of tens of seconds. Here, in this study, we report experiments at the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research device producing a plasma fusion regime that satisfies most of the above requirements: thanks to abundant fast ions stabilizing the core plasma turbulence, we generate plasmas at a temperature of 100 million kelvin lasting up to 20 seconds without plasma edge instabilities or impurity accumulation. A low plasma density combined with a moderate input power for operation is key to establishing this regime by preserving a high fraction of fast ions. This regime is rarely subject to disruption and can be sustained reliably even without a sophisticated control, and thus represents a promising path towards commercial fusion reactors.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗