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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

High Strength and Fracture Resistance of Reduced-Activity W-Ta-Ti-V-Zr High-Entropy Alloy for Fusion Energy Applications

Refractory high-entropy alloys (HEAs) are promising candidates for next-generation nuclear applications, particularly fusion reactors, due to their excellent high-temperature mechanical properties and irradiation resistance. Here, the microstructure and mechanical behavior were investigated for an equimolar WTaTiVZr HEA, designed from a palette of low-activation elements. The as-cast alloy exhibited a dendritic microstructure composed of W-Ta rich dendrites and Zr-Ti-V rich inter-dendritic regions, both possessing a body-centered cubic (BCC) crystal structure. Room temperature bulk compression tests showed ultra-high strength of around 1.6 GPa and plastic strain ~6%, with fracture surfaces showing cleavage facets. The alloy also demonstrated excellent high-temperature strength of ~650 MPa at 500 °C. Scratch-based fracture toughness was ~38 MPa√m for the as-cast WTaTiVZr HEA compared to ~25 MPa√m for commercially used pure tungsten. This higher value of fracture toughness indicates superior damage tolerance relative to commercially used pure tungsten. These results highlight the alloy’s potential as a low-activation structural material for high-temperature plasma-facing components (PFCs) in fusion reactors.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Regulation of Solar Wind Electron Temperature Anisotropy by Collisions and Instabilities

Abstract Typical solar wind electrons are modeled as being composed of a dense but less energetic thermal “core” population plus a tenuous but energetic “halo” population with varying degrees of temperature anisotropies for both species. In this paper, we seek a fundamental explanation of how these solar wind core and halo electron temperature anisotropies are regulated by combined effects of collisions and instability excitations. The observed solar wind core/halo electron data in ( β ∥ , T ⊥ / T ∥ ) phase space show that their respective occurrence distributions are confined within an area enclosed by outer boundaries. Here, T ⊥ / T ∥ is the ratio of perpendicular and parallel temperatures and β ∥ is the ratio of parallel thermal energy to background magnetic field energy. While it is known that the boundary on the high- β ∥ side is constrained by the temperature anisotropy-driven plasma instability threshold conditions, the low- β ∥ boundary remains largely unexplained. The present paper provides a baseline explanation for the low- β ∥ boundary based upon the collisional relaxation process. By combining the instability and collisional dynamics it is shown that the observed distribution of the solar wind electrons in the ( β ∥ , T ⊥ / T ∥ ) phase space is adequately explained, both for the “core” and “halo” components.

Yoon, Peter H. (ORCID:0000000181343790)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Thermal photon production in Gubser inviscid relativistic fluid dynamics

The Gubser solution to inviscid relativistic fluid dynamics is used to examine the role of transverse expansion on the energy spectrum of photons radiated by quark-gluon plasma. Transverse flow is shown to be a modest effect on the energy spectrum of photons as a whole, despite its large effect on rare high-energy photons produced at low temperatures. An exact expression is derived for the volume of the plasma as a function of its temperature. Furthermore, a simple formula is obtained for the energy spectrum of high-energy thermal photons, which is used to relate the inverse slope T eff of the photon spectrum at energy E to the maximum temperature of the plasma T 0 , finding T eff ≈ T 0 / (1 + $\frac{5}{2}$ T 0 /E).

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

A stable atmospheric-pressure plasma for extreme-temperature synthesis

Plasmas can generate ultra-high-temperature reactive environments that can be used for the synthesis and processing of a wide range of materials. However, the limited volume, instability and non-uniformity of plasmas have made it challenging to scalably manufacture bulk, high-temperature materials. Here we present a plasma set-up consisting of a pair of carbon-fibre-tip-enhanced electrodes that enable the generation of a uniform, ultra-high temperature and stable plasma (up to 8,000 K) at atmospheric pressure using a combination of vertically oriented long and short carbon fibres. The long carbon fibres initiate the plasma by micro-spark discharge at a low breakdown voltage, whereas the short carbon fibres coalesce the discharge into a volumetric and stable ultra-high-temperature plasma. As a proof of concept, we used this process to synthesize various extreme materials in seconds, including ultra-high-temperature ceramics (for example, hafnium carbonitride) and refractory metal alloys. Moreover, the carbon-fibre electrodes are highly flexible and can be shaped for various syntheses. In conclusion, this simple and practical plasma technology may help overcome the challenges in high-temperature synthesis and enable large-scale electrified plasma manufacturing powered by renewable electricity.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

In Situ Tracking of Nonthermal Plasma Etching of ZIF-8 Films

Surface characterization is critical for understanding the processes used for preparing catalysts, sorbents, and membranes. Nonthermal plasma (NTP) is a process that achieves high reactivity at low temperatures and is used to tailor the surface properties of materials. In this work, we combine the capabilities of infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) with NTP for the in situ interrogation of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) thin films to probe modifications in the material induced by oxygen and nitrogen plasmas. The IRRAS measurements in oxygen plasma reveal etching of organic ligands with sequential removal of the methyl group and imidazole ring and with the formation of carbonyl moieties (C═O). In contrast, nitrogen plasma induces mild etching and grafting of nitrile groups (−C≡N). Scanning electron microscopy imaging shows that oxygen plasma, at prolonged times, significantly degrades the ZIF-8 film at the grain boundaries. Treatment of ZIF-8 membranes using mild plasma conditions yields a fivefold enhancement for H 2 /N 2 and CO 2 /CH 4 ideal selectivities and an eightfold enhancement for CO 2 /N 2 ideal selectivity. Additionally, the new tools described here can be used for spectroscopic in situ tracking of plasma-induced chemistry on thin films in general.

IRRAS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Stimulated excitation of thermal diffusion waves in a magnetized plasma pressure filament

Results are presented from basic heat transport experiments using a magnetized electron temperature filament that behaves as a thermal resonator. Using a small cathode source, low energy electrons are injected along the magnetic field into the afterglow of a pre-existing plasma forming a hot electron filament embedded in a colder plasma. A series of low amplitude, sinusoidal perturbations are added to the cathode discharge bias that creates an oscillating heat source capable of driving large amplitude electron temperature oscillations. Langmuir probes are used to measure the amplitude and phase of the thermal wave field over a wide range of driver frequencies. The results are used to verify the excitation of thermal waves, confirm the presence of thermal resonances, and demonstrate the diagnostic potential of thermal waves through measurement of the parallel thermal diffusivity.

Karbashewski, S. (ORCID:000000034988492X)↗
DOE OSTI2024

NSTX-U liquid metal core-edge facility (LMCE)

NSTX-U/LMCE will provide a unique and world-leading research facility to address the primary challenge to delivering economic and timely magnetic fusion energy, namely the need to develop a power and particle exhaust and first-wall system that can withstand very high edge heat fluxes, maximize energy confinement, and avoid the production of large masses of solid eroded first-wall material. The NSTX-U/LMCE facility will assess the ability of liquid metals (LMs) – especially liquid lithium – to provide a new boundary condition for magnetic fusion systems, to extend the lifetime of the plasma facing components (PFCs) and improve core plasma confinement. Such capability is needed to establish the basis for next-step fusion facilities including fusion pilot plants, and to maintain U.S. world leadership in core-edge integration research. NSTX-U/LMCE will leverage the ability to generate very high divertor perpendicular heat flux q⊥ ~ 100MW/m 2 , extensive diagnostics, and liquid-metal-applicable infrastructure of NSTX-U. NSTX-U/LMCE will provide access to a high-confinement plasma core with majority self-driven plasma current, the flexibility to test a range of liquid metal divertor concepts, access to a range of separatrix collisionalities (from high to very low), and the ability to controllably vary the first-wall temperature to vary the plasma- wall interaction physics on liquid lithium components. Further, NSTX-U/LMCE will utilize more reactor-relevant high-Z refractory-metal PFC substrates. With these capabilities the NSTX-U/LMCE facility will explore the full continuum of core-edge solutions ranging from high core radiated power, to conditions with radiative losses concentrated in the scrape-off layer (SOL), and ultimately low recycling conditions. The low collisionality SOL that may be accessible in the low recycling regime is relatively unexplored and will require a kinetic treatment of the edge, which can be addressed theoretically, and with experiments in LTX-β. Additional smaller-scale preparatory R&D facilities will be required to reduce the risk of premature technical/engineering failure of liquid metal systems implemented in NSTX-U. The NSTX-U/LMCE facility aligns very well with recommendations in the FESAC Long-Range Plan and NASEM Pilot Plant reports and the Bold Decadal Vision, will be unique in the world program throughout the next decade, and is garnering private company interest in utilizing NSTX-U/LMCE for development of LM PFCs.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Non-thermal plasma-assisted steam methane reforming for electrically-driven hydrogen production

Plasma-assisted steam methane reforming (SMR) has become a promising approach for low temperature and small-scale hydrogen production. To increase H 2 yields, water-gas-shift reactions are needed to drive the formed CO to CO 2 and H 2 . In this study, bulk gas temperature, plasma power and water feed rate strongly impacted the CO and CO 2 product selectivity at high methane conversions of 60–80% in the presence of a Ni-based catalyst. CO 2 -enriched hydrogen could be formed directly with H 2 O/methane ratios > 4. To further increase the CO 2 /CO product selectivity, a “one-pot” cascade design with a Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 /MgO catalyst bed placed downstream of the plasma zone achieved substantially higher CO 2 /CO selectivity (>15) in the effluent gas at 60% methane conversion and 300°C. Comparably, placing the Cu-based catalyst in the plasma zone does not alter the CO 2 /CO selectivity. Further, this study highlights the use of plasma reactor systems to directly tune the catalytic SMR performance and lead to an electrified route for hydrogen production.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Spheroidization of Nd–Fe–B particles

Spherical powders are required for many advanced manufacturing techniques due to their inherent requirement of flowability, either within feed tubes or during powder spreading. As advanced manufacturing of magnets continues to develop, new production methods for feedstocks are also sought. Plasma spheroidization is a high-yield method to produce spherical Nd–Fe–B powders from irregularly shaped particles, with advantages including high throughput and a well-controlled size distribution. Highly spherical Nd–Fe–B powders with large scale production (i.e., kg) have been demonstrated using an inductively coupled thermal plasma system; however, the magnetic properties of the output powder display significant degradation. The coercivity was decreased from the initial 8 kOe (636 kA/m) of the as-received to 0.7 kOe (55 kA/m) for spheroidized powders. Microstructural investigation reveals 6% Nd depletion caused by the extreme temperatures of the plasma, leading to the formation of low-coercivity α-Fe and a subsequent decrease in energy product. In conclusion, post-spheroidization heat treatments with Nd can partially mitigate the coercivity degradation, increasing to 1.7 kOe (135 kA/m), potentially offering a pathway toward spherical powders for a range of applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Strong Coulomb coupling influences ion and neutral temperatures in atmospheric pressure plasmas

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to model ion and neutral temperature evolution in partially-ionized atmospheric pressure plasma at different ionization fractions. Results show that ion–ion interactions are strongly coupled at ionization fractions as low as 10 –5 and that the temperature evolution is influenced by effects associated with the strong coupling. Specifically, disorder-induced heating is found to rapidly heat ions on a timescale of the ion plasma period (~10 s ps) after an ionization pulse. This is followed by the collisional relaxation of ions and neutrals, which cools ions and heats neutrals on a longer (~ns) timescale. Slight heating then occurs over a much longer (~100 s ns) timescale due to ion-neutral three-body recombination. An analytic model of the temperature evolution is developed that agrees with the simulation results. Finally, a conclusion is that strong coupling effects are important in atmospheric pressure plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Plasma technology for lignocellulosic biomass conversion toward an electrified biorefinery

Lignocellulosic biomass conversion to renewable, carbon-neutral materials, fuels, and chemicals is the cornerstone of the transition to a sustainable future bioeconomy. Green energy in the form of electricity needs to be coupled with or substitute conventional thermally driven processes to realize small-scale, economically viable and environmentally friendly biorefineries. Gas discharge plasmas enable the conversion of renewable electric energy, supplied in the form of an electric field, to chemical energy through the formation of a highly reactive environment that can induce several transformations related to agricultural waste valorization processes. Herein, we review the application of plasma technology to lignocellulosic biomass upgrade, aiming to provide the scientific background and technical challenges in this rapidly emerging research field. To bridge the gap between plasma science and biomass valorization technologies, we initially present the technical aspects of plasma reactors related to biomass processing and further discuss the advances in plasma processing for each biomass conversion technology, providing insights into the related plasma chemistry and interaction mechanisms. Here, we first focus on the low and medium-temperature biomass conversion processes, including biomass pretreatment and delignification to promote enzyme or acid-catalyzed hydrolysis to sugars and biomass liquefaction using plasma electrolysis. Then we discuss the high and very high-temperature conversion processes, such as plasma-assisted pyrolysis and gasification to syngas and plasma application to tar removal, combustion, and vitrification. Overall, this review provides knowledge at the interface of plasma science and biomass conversion technology to promote the interaction between the individual communities, which is crucial for the further advancement of the field.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigation of radiated-power for low aspect ratio fusion plasmas

Investigating radiated power in fusion plasmas is of utmost importance to understand the effect of undesired impurities, such as metals, in present devices, or also desired impurities, such as noble gasses, to purposefully radiate a large fraction of power in future devices. These studies are especially important for high Z impurities which will play a crucial role in future generation fusion pilot plants. In this work, we have developed a power radiation analysis module, which is used to investigate 2D distributions of impurity densities and radiated power asymmetries caused due to both plasma rotation and the cooling rate dependence on temperature profile for the cases of experimental NSTX plasmas and designed scenarios for the spherical tokamak advanced reactor (STAR), both being low aspect ratio tokamaks. Two different atomic databases have been tested during this work to study their impact on the radiated power distribution, especially for high Z impurities. Also in PRAM, self-consistent calculations of two-dimensional electron, main ion, and impurity ion densities are carried out using one-dimensional input density, temperature, and rotation profiles. In the case of NSTX, discharges with high rotation of ∼ 170 km s, measured with charge exchange recombination spectroscopy, have been investigated. Rotation-induced charge separation, leading to an electrostatic potential, is calculated iteratively to a self-consistent solution while testing high Z impurities to observe any 2D asymmetry in the core radiated power due to centrifugal forces. The STAR design, being much larger (R = 4 m), is projected to have a much lower rotation, and is shown to have low rotation-induced asymmetries, on the order of ten percent or less, between the low field and high field sides. However, another effect not due to rotation but to the dependence of impurity cooling rates on temperature can lead to radiation peaking off-axis, near the plasma edge. This effect is noticeable for argon in NSTX, for example, but can also be enhanced for certain impurities at much higher temperatures projected for STAR (T e0 ~ 32 keV), for example for undesired tungsten or possibly desired xenon.

NSTX↗
DOE OSTI2024

Low-pressure inductively coupled plasmas in hydrogen: impact of gas heating on the spatial distribution of atomic hydrogen and vibrationally excited states

Non-equilibrium inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs) operating in hydrogen are of significant interest for applications including large-area materials processing. Increasing control of spatial gas heating, which drives the formation of neutral species density gradients and the rate of gas-temperature-dependent reactions, is critical. In this study, we use 2D fluid-kinetic simulations with the Hybrid Plasma Equipment Model to investigate the spatially resolved production of atomic hydrogen in a low-pressure planar ICP operating in pure hydrogen (10–20 Pa or 0.075–0.15 Torr, 300 W). The reaction set incorporates self-consistent calculation of the spatially resolved gas temperature and 14 vibrationally excited states. We find that the formation of neutral-gas density gradients, which result from spatially non-uniform electrical power deposition at constant pressure, can drive significant variations in the vibrational distribution function and density of atomic hydrogen when gas heating is spatially resolved. This highlights the significance of spatial gas heating on the production of reactive species in relatively high-power-density plasma processing sources.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Elimination of remnant phases in low-temperature growth of wurtzite ScAlN by molecular-beam epitaxy

Growth of wurtzite ScxAl1−xN (x < 0.23) by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy on cplane GaN at high temperatures significantly alters the extracted lattice constants of the material due to defects likely associated with remnant phases. In contrast, ScAlN grown below a composition-dependent threshold temperature exhibits uniform alloy distribution, reduced defect density, and atomic-step surface morphology. The c-plane lattice constant of this low-temperature ScAlN varies with composition as expected from previous theoretical calculations and can be used to reliably estimate alloy composition. Moreover, lattice-matched Sc0.18Al0.82N/GaN multiquantum wells grown under these conditions display strong and narrow near-infrared intersubband absorption lines that confirm advantageous optical and electronic properties.

Dzuba, Brandon↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tin removal by an annular surface wave plasma antenna in an extreme ultraviolet lithography source

Tin contamination of the collector mirror surface remains one of the crucial issues of EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) sources, directly impacting the availability of the tool. Hydrogen plasma-based tin removal processes employ hydrogen radicals and ions to interact with tin deposits to form gaseous tin hydride (SnH 4 ), which can be removed through pumping. An annular surface wave plasma (SWP) source developed at the University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign is integrated into the cone and perimeter of the collection mirror for in situ tin removal. The SWP is characterized by high ion and radical densities, low electron temperature, and local generation where etching is needed. This method has the potential to significantly reduce downtime and increase mirror lifetime. Radical probe measurements show hydrogen radical densities in the order of 10 19 m -3 , while Langmuir probe measurements show electron temperatures of up to 6 eV and plasma densities on the order of 10 17–18 m -3 . The generated ions are essential to the tin cleaning and have sufficiently low energy to cause no damage to the collector capping layer. Tin etch rates of up to 270 nm/min were observed in a variety of experimental conditions, including various powers, pressures, flowrates, and temperatures. In conclusion, the high etch rates demonstrated in this study exceed the expected contamination rate of the EUV source.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Path Integral Monte Carlo Simulations of Iron Plasmas (Final Technical Report)

This documents is the final technical report for our grant entitled "Path Integral Monte Carlo Simulations of Iron Plasmas" that focused on developing path integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) computer simulations. This techniques will be developed to study plasmas composed of heavier elements including iron and other third row elements. Equations of state (EOS) and transport properties will be derived in the regime of warm dense matter (WDM) and dense plasmas where existing first-principles methods cannot be applied. While standard density functional theory (DFT) has been used to accurately predict the structure of many solids and liquids up to temperatures on the order of 100,000 K, this method is not applicable at much higher temperature because the number of partially occupied electronic orbitals reaches intractably large numbers or the use of finite-temperature free energy functionals in orbital-free DFT introduces an uncontrolled approximation. Here we focus on PIMC methods that become more and more efficient with increasing temperatures and still include all electronic correlation effects. In this approach, electronic excitations increase the efficiency rather than reduce it. While it had commonly been assumed this method could only be applied to elements without core electrons, we showed that PIMC with free-particle nodes works well for first-row elements (PRL 108 (2012) 115502). Most recently, we extended the applicability range of all-electron PIMC to second-row elements by adopting localized nodal surfaces (PRL 115 (2015) 176403). To simulate third-row elements efficiently under WDM conditions, we propose a new method to remove core electrons by introducing pseudo-nodes. We explain our approach step by step and present preliminary results. We focus our method development on getting PIMC simulations of iron to work because of its fundamental importance for WDM and astrophysics. Then we move on to krypton and copper-doped beryllium, a ICF ablator material. We plan to continue working on key second-row material such as Na, Mg, MgO, Al, silica, and silicon-doped plastic ablators. Our collaborators at LLNL, will use our PIMC EOS data both as comparisons to existing semi-empirical, EOS-generating schemes, and as input for continuum radiation hydrodynamics simulations. We will establish an efficient pipeline from PIMC to macroscopic continuum studies of materials response. An emphasis will be placed on benchmarking such methods for plasmas of heavy elements at the very high temperatures (~100 eV) and low densities that are generated when Hohlraum radiation heats the ablator material in indirect drive laser experiments. Results from changes to the EOS will be of immeasurable importance to the designers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and at other facilities. Starting with our EOS of Cu-doped Be, our second collaborator at LLE, will perform real-time simulations of laser fusion experiments at the Omega laser and at the NIF to determine how sensitive the compression path depends on the ablator EOS. Since our collaborator also has experience in performing orbital-free DFT calculations, we propose to compare predictions from this method with PIMC results. In joint publications, we plan to analyze the accuracy of different free-energy functionals in order to understand why existing orbital-free DFT calculations do not predict compression peaks along the shock Hugoniot curve that we see with PIMC. The peaks are caused by the ionization of various electron shells. Their accurate characterization is important to compare with experimental results. We will break new ground by developing PIMC techniques that can simulate iron and all other third row elements in the plasma and WDM regimes. We introduce the concept of pseudo-nodes for the efficient treatment of the core-electrons. The EOS and transport properties will be derived and published online in the form of a new WDM database. Our PIMC EOS calculations will benchmark and possibly replace semi-analytical EOS tables like QEOS or SESAME, which will impact the hydrocode simulation community and will affect the design of NIF targets. Our PIMC results will help to improve the accuracy of orbital-free DFT simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Production and Persistence of Extreme Two-temperature Plasmas in Radiative Relativistic Turbulence

Turbulence is a predominant process for energizing electrons and ions in collisionless astrophysical plasmas, and thus is responsible for shaping their radiative signatures (luminosity, spectra, and variability). To better understand the kinetic properties of a collisionless radiative plasma subject to externally driven turbulence, we investigate particle-in-cell simulations of relativistic plasma turbulence with external inverse Compton cooling acting on the electrons. We find that ions continuously heat up while electrons gradually cool down (due to the net effect of radiation), and hence the ion-to-electron temperature ratio T i /T e grows in time. Furthermore, we show that Ti/Te is limited only by the size and duration of the simulations (reaching ${T}_{i}/{T}_{e}\sim {10}^{3}$), indicating that there are no efficient collisionless mechanisms of electron–ion thermal coupling. This result has implications for models of radiatively inefficient accretion flows, such as observed in the Galactic center and in M87, for which so-called two-temperature plasmas with ${T}_{i}/{T}_{e}\gg 1$ have been invoked to explain their low luminosity. Additionally, we find that electrons acquire a quasi-thermal distribution (dictated by the competition of turbulent particle energization and radiative cooling), while ions undergo efficient nonthermal acceleration (acquiring a harder distribution than in equivalent nonradiative simulations). There is a modest nonthermal population of high-energy electrons that are beamed intermittently in space, time, and direction; these beamed electrons may explain rapid flares in certain high-energy astrophysical systems (e.g., in the Galactic center). These numerical results demonstrate that extreme two-temperature plasmas can be produced and maintained by relativistic radiative turbulence.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

ELM-free enhanced D α H-mode with near zero NBI torque injection in DIII-D tokamak

Enhanced D α H-mode (EDA H-mode), an ELM-free H-mode regime, and the concomitant quasi-coherent mode (QCM) are explored in neutral beam heated, lower single null plasmas with near zero external torque injection. This regime exhibits good energy confinement (H 98y2 ~ 1) with β N ~ 2, high density, regime access at low input power, and no ELMs. New time–resolved measurements of electron and ion density, temperature, plasma rotation, and radial electric field as well as turbulence, flows, thermal and particle transport, and linear instability calculations examining the dynamics of the QCM are presented. Measurements using multiple fluctuation diagnostics reveal the QCM to be a separatrix spanning mode, peaking just inside the separatrix, existing in a wide range of k ⊥ ρ s ~ 0.1–1.2 with multiple harmonics, and propagating with a very small phase velocity in the plasma frame, where k ⊥ is the binormal wavenumber and ρ s is the ion sound radius. Linear gyrokinetic simulations of this EDA H-mode discharge with CGYRO indicate that the trapped electron mode (TEM) and electron temperature gradient mode are the dominant instabilities in the radial region where QCM is also unstable. Qualitative analysis indicates that the properties of TEM are consistent with the experimentally observed characteristics of the QCM. These similarities suggest that the QCM is consistent with a TEM instability existing in the edge region of the EDA H-mode plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗