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At least 37 records · Page 2

Ion concentration ratio measurements of ion beams generated by a commercial microwave electron cyclotron resonance plasma source

A commercially available electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source (GenII Plasma Source, tectra GmbH) is widely used for surface processing. This plasma source is compatible with ultrahigh vacuum systems, and its working pressure is relatively low, around 10 –6 –10 –4 Torr even without differential pumping. Here, we report ion flux concentration ratios for each ion species in an ion beam from this source, as measured by a mass/energy analyzer that is a combination of a quadrupole mass spectrometer, an electrostatic energy analyzer, and focusing ion optics. In this study, the examined beams were those arising from plasmas produced from feed gases of H 2 , D 2 , N 2 , O 2 , Ar, and dry air over a range of input power and working pressures. H 2 (D 2 ) plasmas are widely used for nuclear fusion applications and, hence, the ion concentration ratios of H + , H 2 + , and H 3 + reported here will be useful information for research that applies this plasma source to well-controlled plasma-material interaction studies. Ion energy distributions, stability of operation, and impurity concentrations were also assessed for each of the plasma species investigated.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Cyclotron resonance accelerators for industrial applications

Here, this paper describes novel configurations for cyclotron resonance acceleration of electrons and ions that have several attractive features including: a compact robust room-temperature single-cell RF cavity as the accelerator structure; and continuous high current accelerated un-bunched beam output with self-scanning, obviating need for a separate beam scanner. An electron accelerator version, the electron Cyclotron Resonance Accelerator (eCRA), is under development to be an efficient source for high power electron and x-ray beams for medical, research, sterilization, and National Security applications, so as to replace radioactive materials. An ion accelerator version, the ion Cyclotron Auto-Resonance Accelerator (iCARA) is described here, suggesting its potential to produce, as an example, a high-current multi-MeV beam of deuterons which could be highly competitive with that produced either with linacs or cyclotrons. Such a deuteron beam could produce a high flux of fast neutrons via deuteron stripping, for applications including the transmutation of used nuclear fuel, material studies relevant for a fusion reactor inner wall, tritium breeding and medical isotope production. For the high-current, high efficiency simulated performance for eCRA and iCARA as described in this paper, the particle beams produced may not exhibit the low emittance values that are important for most discovery research. Rather, the beams could be useful for industrial applications where higher emittance and some energy spread can be tolerated, in favor of high beam power.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Multi-Species Test of Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating at High Altitudes

Observations of ion distributions and plasma waves obtained by the Dynamics Explorer 1 satellite in the high-altitude, nightside auroral zone are used to study ion energization for three ion species. A number of theoretical models have been proposed to account for the transverse heating of these ion populations. One of these, the ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) mechanism, explains ion conic formation through ion cyclotron resonance with broadband electromagnetic wave turbulence in the vicinity of the characteristic ion cyclotron frequency. The cyclotron resonant heating of the ions by low- frequency electromagnetic waves is an important energy source for the transport of ions from the ionosphere to the magnetosphere. In this paper we test the applicability of the ICRH mechanism to three simultaneously heated and accelerated ion species by modelling the ion conic formation in terms of a resonant wave-particle interaction in which the ions extract energy from the portion of the broadband electromagnetic wave spectrum which includes the ion cyclotron frequency. Using a Monte Carlo technique we evaluate the ion heating produced by the electromagnetic turbulence at low frequencies and find that the wave amplitudes near the ion cyclotron frequencies are sufficient to explain the observed ion energies.

Persoon, A. M.↗

Multi-Species Test of Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating at High Altitudes

Observations of ion distributions and plasma waves obtained by the Dynamics Explorer 1 satellite in the high-altitude, nightside auroral zone are used to study ion energization for three ion species. A number of theoretical models have been proposed to account for the transverse heating of these ion populations. One of these, the ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) mechanism, explains ion conic formation through ion cyclotron resonance with broadband electromagnetic wave turbulence in the vicinity of the characteristic ion cyclotron frequency. The cyclotron resonant heating of the ions by low-frequency electromagnetic waves is an important energy source for the transport of ions from the ionosphere to the magnetosphere. In this paper we test the applicability of the ICRH mechanism to three simultaneously heated and accelerated ion species by modelling the ion conic formation in terms of a resonant wave-particle interaction in which the ions extract energy from the portion of the broadband electromagnetic wave spectrum which includes the ion cyclotron frequency. Using a Monte Carlo technique we evaluate the ion heating produced by the electromagnetic turbulence at low frequencies and find that the wave amplitudes near the ion cyclotron frequencies are sufficient to explain the observed ion energies.

Persoon, A. M.↗

WEST actively cooled load resilient ion cyclotron resonance heating system results

Three identical new WEST ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) antennas have been designed, assembled then commissioned on plasma from 2013 to 2019. The WEST ICRH system is both load-resilient and compatible with long-pulse operations. The three antennas have been successfully operated together on plasma in 2019 and 2020, with up to 5.8 MW of coupled power. In this work, the load resilience capability has been demonstrated and the antenna feedback controls for phase and matching have been developed. The breakdown detection systems have been validated and successfully protected the antennas. The use of ICRH in combination with lower hybrid has triggered the first high confinement mode transitions identified on WEST.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A new ion and electron detector for ion cyclotron resonance spectroscopy.

A new detector using an extremelly driven tuned circuit has been developed for use in ion cyclotron resonance spectroscopy experiments. Based on the Q-meter circuit, this detector will operate at frequencies greater than 1 MHz at rf levels less than 1 mV. Operation in the frequency range 1-15 MHz allows the use of higher magnetic fields for more efficient storage of low mass ions in the trapping mode of operation. In the frequency range 2-6 MHz electrons can be detected in the ion cyclotron resonance cell by their resonant motion in the trapping plane.

Huntress, W. T., Jr.↗

Simulating energetic ions and enhanced fusion rates from ion-cyclotron resonance heating with a full-wave/Fokker–Planck model

Reproducing fast-ion enhanced fusion rates from ion-cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) in tokamaks requires the self-consistent coupling of a full-wave solver and a Fokker–Planck solver, which evolves multiple simultaneously resonant ion species. We introduce a new self-consistent model that iterates the TORIC full-wave solver with the CQL3D Fokker–Planck solver using the integrated plasma simulator (IPS). This model evolves the bounce-averaged ion distribution functions in both parallel and perpendicular velocity-space with a quasilinear radio frequency (RF) diffusion operator valid in the ion finite Larmor radius (FLR) limit and the RF electric fields with the resultant non-Maxwellian FLR dielectric tensor. This produces non-Maxwellian ICRH simulations that are fully self-consistent, fast, and interoperable with integrated modeling frameworks, such as TRANSP/GACODE/IPS-FASTRAN. We demonstrate our model's capabilities by validating it against experimental data in Alcator C-Mod. We then perform the first RF heating simulations of SPARC using self-consistent non-Maxwellian ion distributions to investigate the potential to enhance fusion rates using ion cyclotron resonance heating generated fast ions.

Physics↗