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At least 37 records · Page 2

Analysis of the HAE activity in the TJ-II stellarator using a Landau closure model

The aim of this study is to analyze the stability of helical Alfvén eigenmodes (HAEs) in TJ-II discharges and the stabilizing effect of the energetic particles generated by the neutral beam injector (NBI) on pressure gradient-driven modes (PGDMs). HAE and PGDM stability is studied using the linear version of the gyro-fluid code FAR3d and the continuous structure by the STELLGAP code. First, Alfvén eigenmode (AE) and PGDM activity observed in the experiments is reproduced by the simulations, identifying unstable m/n = 4/7 − 2/3 and 7/12 − 5/8 HAEs triggered around ρ = 0.66 showing a frequency of 209 and 204 kHz, respectively, as well as 5/3 PGDM. Next, a parametric study is performed with respect to the thermal ion density and iota profile in the middle-outer plasma region to verify the robustness of the simulation results with respect to the uncertainty of experimental profiles. The analysis confirms that experimental uncertainty does not cause large deviations in the simulation results, showing the destabilization of the same HAEs for all the configurations tested. The simulations also indicate the decay of the 5/3 PGDM growth rate as the energetic particle (EP) population in the plasma increases, consistent with the experiment. Stability analysis of the n = 3, 7, 11, n = 5, 9, 13, n = 6, 10, 14, and n = 8, 12 helical families is performed with respect to the NBI operational regime for different EP energies, β as well as deposition profiles. The most unstable configuration is the radially localized on-axis NBI operation (stiff EP density profile gradients nearby the magnetic axis). Using the simulation model that reproduces the observed Alfvén activity, we extend the study to analyze NBI performance within a theoretical framework. It shows that increasing NBI voltage (which raises EP energy) leads to a degradation in NBI performance for a given power (related to EP β and their density). To achieve better NBI operation, higher voltage must be balanced with lower injection power, ensuring stable AEs while keeping the same EP β.

Plasma confinement↗

Effect of anisotropic fast ions on internal kink stability in DIII-D negative and positive triangularity plasmas

Recent DIII-D experiments show that sawtooth stability is strongly affected by anisotropic fast ions from neutral beam injection (NBI) in both negative and positive triangularity plasmas. Fast ions from co-current NBI are stabilizing for the sawtooth stability, resulting in longer sawtooth periods. On the other hand, fast ions from counter-current NBI are destabilizing, leading to small and frequent sawteeth. The relative change of sawtooth period and amplitude is more than a factor of two. These observations appear to hold in both plasma shapes. Non-perturbative toroidal modeling, utilizing the magnetohydrodynamic-kinetic hybrid stability code MARS-K (Liu et al 2008 Phys. Plasmas 15 112503), reveals an asymmetric dependence of the stability of the n = 1 (n is the toroidal mode number) internal kink mode on the injection direction of NBI, being qualitatively consistent with the experimentally observed sawtooth behavior. The MARS-K modeling results suggest that anisotropic fast ions affect the mode growth rate and frequency through both adiabatic and non-adiabatic contributions. Here, the asymmetry of the internal kink mode instability relative to the NBI direction is mainly due to the non-adiabatic contribution of passing fast ions, which stabilize (destabilize) the internal kink with the co-(counter-) current NBI as compared to the fluid counterpart. However, finite orbit width (FOW) correction to passing particles partially cancels the asymmetry. Trapped particles are always stabilizing due to precessional drift resonance. Modeling also shows that fast ions affect the internal kink in a similar manner in both negative and positive triangularity plasmas, although being slightly more unstable in the negative triangularity configuration already in the fluid limit. The similarity is mainly attributed to the fact that the mode is localized in the plasma core region, with very similar eigenmode structures in both negative and positive configurations. Furthermore, MARS-K modeling indicates that other factors, such as the plasma rotation and the drift kinetic effects of thermal plasmas, weakly modify the mode stability as compared to the drift kinetic resonance effects and FOW correction of fast ions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Design and Study of Inductively Coupled Plasma Chamber Components Using the SupRISE Test Device at DIII-D

The DIII-D National Fusion Facility aims to increase the auxiliary heating power for the tokamak by upgrading the Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) system. In collaboration with North Carolina State University, the conventional ‘arc and filament’ NBI ion sources will be converted to inductively coupled plasma (ICP) sources which utilize radio frequency (RF) coupling to maximize reliability for high power operation. In support of this initiative, a full scale test device (SupRISE, Superior Radiofrequency Ion Source Experiment) is currently under construction at the DIII-D Facility. In preparation for the construction of a full scale prototype that can be installed on the DIII-D NBI system, experiments on SupRISE will be conducted to determine the optimal RF frequency for high power coupling, Faraday shield slit configuration, and ICP chamber length. SupRISE is comprised of an approximately 30 x 70 cm quartz dielectric vessel with an internal Faraday shield enclosed in a secondary vacuum chamber to ensure structural stability of the dielectric. Actively cooled front and back plates are designed to reduce the thermal stresses on the plasma facing components and mate with the existing accelerator used by the NBI system at DIII-D. 50 kW of RF power will be coupled to the plasma through the quartz over a variable frequency range of 4-8 MHz to sustain a plasma density of ∼ 10 18 m −3 for a 10 s ON, 210 s OFF duty cycle. Various modelling efforts have been employed to simulate the thermal and stress profiles over the primary components of the SupRISE device as well as the inductance behavior of the RF antenna. These simulation results and the final design for SupRISE will be presented. An additional reduced-scale predecessor ICP source (called RISE) has been used to develop a predictive match model that will be applied to frequency optimization studies on SupRISE. Furthermore, the outcomes of this research and complementary efforts at North Carolina State University are essential for the incorporation of ICP NBI positive ion sources at the DIII-D facility.

DIII-D↗

Effect of the neutral beam injector operational regime on the Alfven eigenmode saturation phase in DIII-D plasma

The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of the neutral beam injector (NBI) operation regime on the saturation phase of the Alfven Eigenmodes (AEs) in DIII-D plasma. Here, the analysis is done using the linear and nonlinear versions of the gyro-fluid code FAR3d. A set of parametric analyses are performed modifying the nonlinear simulation EP $β$ (NBI injection power), EP energy (NBI voltage) and the radial location of the EP density profile gradient (NBI radial deposition). The analysis indicates a transition from the soft (local plasma relaxation) to the hard MHD (global plasma relaxation) limit if the simulation EP $β$ $\unicode{x2A7E}$ $0.02$, leading to bursting MHD activity caused by radial AEs overlapping. MHD bursts cause an enhancement of the EP transport showing ballistic-like features as avalanche-like events. Simulations in the soft MHD limit show an increment of the EP density gradient as the EP $β$ increases. On the other hand, there is a gradient upper limit in the hard MHD limit, consistent with the critical-gradient behavior. AEs induce shear flows and zonal current leading to the deformation of the flux surfaces and the safety factor profile, respectively, particularly strong for the simulation in the hard MHD limit. Simulations in the hard MHD regime show a decrease of the AE frequency in the saturation phase; this is caused by the destabilization of a transitional mode between a $9/3-10/3$ TAE and a $9/3$ RSAE that may explain the AE frequency down-sweeping observed in some DIII-D discharges. Reducing the EP energy in the nonlinear simulations leads to a weakening of the plasma perturbation. On the other hand, increasing the EP energy causes the opposite effect. Nonlinear simulations of off-axis NBI profiles indicate a lower plasma perturbation as the EP density gradient is located further away from the magnetic axis.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Theoretical analysis of energetic-ion-driven resistive interchange mode stabilization strategies using a Landau closure model

The aim of the present study is to perform a theoretical analysis of different strategies to stabilize energetic-ion-driven resistive interchange mode (EIC) in Large Helical Device (LHD) plasma. In this work, we use a reduced MHD for the thermal plasma coupled with a gyrofluid model for the energetic particles (EP) species. The hellically trapped EP component is introduced through a modification of the drift frequency to include their precessional drift. The stabilization trends of the 1/1 EIC observed experimentally with respect to the thermal plasma density and temperature are reproduced by the simulations, showing a reasonable agreement with the data. The LHD operation scenarios with stable 1/1 EIC are identified, leading to the stabilization of the 1/1 EIC if the thermal plasma density and temperature are above a given threshold. Additionally, the 1/1 EIC are also stabilized if the rotational transform is modified in a way that the 1/1 rational surface is located further away than 0.9 times the normalized radius, or the magnetic shear in the plasma periphery is enhanced. Also, LHD discharges with large magnetic fields show a higher EIC destabilization threshold with respect to the thermal plasma density. If the perpendicular NBI deposition region is moved further inward than 0.875 times the normalized radius the 1/1 EIC are also stabilized. Furthermore, increasing the perpendicular NBI voltage such that the EP energy is higher than 30 keV stabilizes the 1/1 EIC. Moreover, deuterium plasmas show a higher stability threshold for the 1/1 EIC than hydrogen plasmas. The experimental data shows a larger time interval between EIC events as the power of the tangential NBI is increased providing that the perpendicular NBI power is at least 13 MW. This implies a stabilizing effect of the tangential NBI.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

First neutral beam experiments on Wendelstein 7-X

In the previous divertor campaign, the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) device injected 3.6 MW of neutral beam heating power allowing for the achievement of densities approaching 2 × 10 20 m -3 , and providing the first initial assessment of fast ion confinement in a drift optimized stellarator. The neutral beam injection (NBI) system on W7-X is comprised of two beam boxes with space for four radio frequency sources each. The 3.6 MW of heating reported in this work was achieved with two sources in the NI21 beam box. The effect of combined electron-cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and NBI was explored through a series of discharges varying both NBI and ECRH power. Discharges without ECRH saw a linear increase in the line-integrated plasma density, and strong peaking of the core density, over the discharge duration. The presence of 1 MW of ECRH power was found to be sufficient to control a continuous density rise during NBI operation. Simulations of fast ion wall loads were found to be consistent with experimental infrared camera images during operation. In general, NBI discharges were free from the presence of fast ion induced Alfvénic activity, consistent with low beam betas. These experiments provide data for future scenario development and initial assessment of fast-ion confinement in W7-X, a key topic of the project.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Decoupling of peeling and ballooning thresholds for pedestal stability and reduction in ELM frequency via enhanced turbulence with edge electron cyclotron heating in DIII-D

Abstract The edge localized mode (ELM) frequency ( f ELM ) decreased by 63% when electron cyclotron heating (ECH) deposition location is shifted from ρ = 0.4 to ρ = 0.8 in DIII-D discharges where the power ratio between neutral beam injection (NBI) and ECH ( P NBI / P ECH ) is kept at ∼1. The performance of the pedestal in the ECH heated case is compared with a pure NBI reference discharge while keeping the total input power constant. All these discharges are performed at balanced input torque conditions. Furthermore, in the pure NBI discharge a strong decoupling of the peeling–ballooning (PB) thresholds is observed. The PB decoupling is preserved when the ECH is deposited at ρ = 0.8 and P NBI / P ECH ∼ 1, while the thresholds manifest a closed stability boundary when the ECH is deposited at ρ = 0.4. The inter-ELM pedestal recovery time is considerably larger for the ECH at ρ = 0.8 case. Increased pedestal turbulence is observed in beam emission spectroscopy (BES), Doppler backscattering and magnetic diagnostics for the ECH at the ρ = 0.8 case. Strong growth of a TEM-like mode is observed in BES and the mode growth is correlated with the decrease in f ELM . In view of these observations, the increased pedestal turbulence seems to be the plausible reason behind the delayed pedestal recovery following an ELM event in the ECH at ρ = 0.8 case, and the preservation of PB decoupling through temperature pedestal profile widening. TRANSP interpretative simulations show that the ECH at the ρ = 0.8 case is more susceptible to ITG/TEM turbulence.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Accessing the triplet manifold of naphthalene benzimidazole–phenanthroline in rhenium(i) bichromophores

In this work, the steady-state and ultrafast to supra-nanosecond excited state dynamics of fac-[Re(NBI-phen)(CO) 3 (L)](PF 6 ) (NBI-phen = 16H-benzo[4',5']isoquinolino[2',1':1,2]imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthrolin-16-one) as well as their respective models of the general molecular formula [Re(phen)(CO) 3 (L)](PF 6 ) (L = PPh 3 and CH 3 CN) has been investigated using transient absorption and time-gated photoluminescence spectroscopy. The NBI-phen containing molecules exhibited enhanced visible light absorption with respect to their models and a rapid formation (<6 ns) of the triplet ligand-centred (LC) excited state of the organic ligand, NBI-phen. These triplet states exhibit an extended excited state lifetime that enable the energized molecules to readily engage in triplet–triplet annihilation photochemistry.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Refined interpretation of electron temperature response to neutral beam injection at DIII-D

Accurate particle and power deposition profiles of neutral beam injection (NBI) are essential to transport studies, and that information is usually acquired through Monte Carlo simulations with a given collisional model. The deposition process of the energetic beam particles leads to the informative electron temperature (T e ) evolution trajectory, which can be captured by electron cyclotron emission (ECE) system due to its good spatial and temporal resolution. Previously, some work has been done to interpret the T e responses to the pulsed NBI as a linear heating source with Fourier-based techniques, although that approach fell short when the fast ion slowing-down time becomes significant (~100 ms). It has been observed in DIII-D that the modulated NBI pulses (10–50 Hz) reduce local core T e values ~0.1 keV through cold electron dilution in high-T e (>2 keV) plasmas alongside accumulative heating. Here, a novel approach to interpret the T e response to NBI was developed by linearizing and modeling the detailed T e evolution trajectory using coherently averaged ECE data based on the different time scales of the terms in the local power and particle balance equations. The technique does not require absolute calibrations of ECE and is independent of collisional models. The resulting beam deposition profiles show good consistency and reasonable agreement with Monte Carlo calculations based on the atomic data from the Atomic Data and Analysis Structure (ADAS). Local electron density response measured by Thomson scattering (TS) also suggests the same features when the beam pulse is large enough for that diagnostic to resolve. The remaining discrepancies are also discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

MHD stability trends and improved performance of LHD inward-shifted configurations: The role of the neutral beam current drive and thermal plasma density

The aim of the present study is to analyze the effect of the neutral beam current drive (NBCD), thermal plasma density, and NBI operational regime on the stability of pressure gradient-driven modes (PGDM) and Alfvén eigenmodes (AE) in LHD inward-shifted configurations. The stabilization of n/m = 1/2 PGDM (n toroidal mode and m poloidal mode) is observed in the discharge 167 800 during the co-NBCD phase. The iota profile evolution measured by motional stark effect diagnostic may indicate the iota profile up-shift caused by the co-NBCD can induce a non-resonant transition of the rational surface 1/2 before the mode stabilization. The evolution of the iota profile and continuum gaps in the discharge 167 805 during the ctr-NBCD phase leads to the stabilization of the AE, caused by the narrowing of the continuum gap as the iota profile down-shift. Opposite stability trends are identified for PGDM and AE stability with respect to the thermal plasma density. A larger thermal plasma density (larger thermal β) further enhances PGDM although the continuum gaps are narrower leading to configurations with stable AEs. The linear stability of AEs is analyzed using the gyro-fluid FAR3d code to reproduce the AE stability trends observed in the experiments with respect to the NBCD and thermal plasma density. The analysis of hypothetical scenarios dedicated to study different NBI operational regimes with respect to EP energy, and β and radial density profiles indicate off-axis NBI operation shows a higher EP β threshold to destabilize AEs compared to on-axis configuration. This is explained by the presence of a TAE gap in the inner plasma region, easily destabilized by an on-axis NBI injection. The control of the NBCD and thermal plasma in the discharge 167 800 shows a transitory stabilization of PGDM and AEs, as well as an improved discharge performance identified by an increment of the neutron fluxes.

Varela, Jacobo↗

Impact of suprathermal ions on neutron yield in the pre-DT phase of ITER operation

An assessment of neutron production during the pre-fusion power-operation (PFPO) phase has been carried out for a representative set of plasma scenarios predicted by the ITER Research Plan. A range of heating systems, namely neutral beam injection (NBI) (hydrogen), electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH), and ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) are planned to be used for PFPO studies in helium, hydrogen, and mixed hydrogen–helium plasmas. Fast ions (protons and 3He) originating from NBI and ICRH systems can increase neutron production in PFPO plasmas by directly interacting with intrinsic Be impurities or through secondary processes, as also evidenced at JET. The generation of fast ions in ITER PFPO scenarios has been modelled using the ASTRA-NBI and TORIC-SSFPQL codes. A significant impact of the synergy between hydrogen NBI and hydrogen-minority ICRH on neutron production in helium plasmas is reported. In addition, the stability of the toroidicity-induced Alfvén eigenmodes (TAE) is analyzed for PFPO plasmas with a high pressure of suprathermal ions and a weak reversed shear. The possible impact of sawtooth oscillations and TAEs on neutron production is discussed, based on a linear stability analysis.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Simulation study of fast ion losses associated with the rotating n = 1 resonant magnetic perturbations in KSTAR

In this work we describe a simulation framework for testing the fast ion loss mechanism associated with the experimentally observed beam ion losses when an externally applied toroidally rotating perturbed magnetic field is used to control edge localized modes in the KSTAR tokamak. The simulations reproduce the key qualitative features of neutral beam injection (NBI) ion detection by a fast ion loss detector. The NBI ion losses in the simulation mainly occur for passing particles due to orbit stochastization, which is caused by orbit resonance with the 3D field perturbations. The relative toroidal angle of NBI ion deposition to the orbit island determines the radial path of the particles between confinement or loss. The fast ion loss quantity depends on the toroidal angle rotation of the 3D field with respect to the beam deposition position. The averaged transport of toroidal canonical angular momentum reveals that linear and nonlinear resonance of the NBI ions within the 3D field are the main factors determining fast ion transport and loss.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

An Integrated Hydrological and Water Management Study of the Entire Nile River System - Lake Victoria to Nile Delta

The Nile basin River system spans 3 million km(exp 2) distributed over ten nations. The eight upstream riparian nations, Ethiopia, Eretria, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Tanzania and Kenya are the source of approximately 86% of the water inputs to the Nile, while the two downstream riparian countries Sudan and Egypt, presently rely on the river's flow for most of the their needs. Both climate and agriculture contribute to the complicated nature of Nile River management: precipitation in the headwaters regions of Ethiopia and Lake Victoria is variable on a seasonal and inter-annual basis, while demand for irrigation water in the arid downstream region is consistently high. The Nile is, perhaps, one of the most difficult trans-boundary water issue in the world, and this study would be the first initiative to combine NASA satellite observations with the hydrologic models study the overall water balance in a to comprehensive manner. The cornerstone application of NASA's Earth Science Research Results under this project are the NASA Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) and the USDA Atmosphere-land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model. These two complementary research results are methodologically independent methods for using NASA observations to support water resource analysis in data poor regions. Where an LDAS uses multiple sources of satellite data to inform prognostic simulations of hydrological process, ALEXI diagnoses evapotranspiration and water stress on the basis of thermal infrared satellite imagery. Specifically, this work integrates NASA Land Data Assimilation systems into the water management decision support systems that member countries of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD, located in Nairobi, Kenya) use in water resource analysis, agricultural planning, and acute drought response to support sustainable development of Nile Basin water resources. The project is motivated by the recognition that accurate, frequent, and spatially distributed estimates of the water balance are necessary for effective water management. This creates a challenge for watersheds that are large, include data poor regions, and/or span multiple nations. All of these descriptors apply to the Nile River basin, yet successful management of the Nile is critical for development and political stability in the region. For this reason, improved hydrological data to support cooperative water management in the Nile basin is a priority for USAID, the US State Department, the World Bank and other international organizations. In this project, the U.S. based research team is working with partners at RCMRD, Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), and their member national-level agencies to develop satellite-based land cover maps, satellite-derived evapotranspiration estimates (using the ALEXI algorithm), and NASA's Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) customized to match identified information needs. The cornerstone applied sciences product of the project is the development of a customized "Nile LDAS" that will produce optimal estimates of hydrological states and fluxes, as vetted against the in situ observations of NBI and RCMRD member organizations and independent satellite-derived hydrological estimates. Nile LDAS will be applied to improve the reliability of emerging Decision Support Systems in applications that include drought monitoring, reservoir management, and irrigation planning. The end-users such as RCMRD, NBI, Ethiopian and Kenya Meteorological and Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWSNet) will be the eventual benefactors of this work. There will be a capacity building process involving the above end-user organizations and transfer the models and the results for these organizations to execute for future use. The team has already initiated this study and the early results of first years' work are shown. The plan is to complete this work by late 2013.

Habib, Shahid↗

Fast ion studies in the extended high-performance high β P plasma on EAST

Comprehending and optimizing fast ion behaviors is critical for the enhancement of performance in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). This study explores the potential benefits of several factors that can improve the fast ion confinement. First, experiments show the change in the direction of the NBI2 from counter-I p to co-I p leads to a significant reduction in fast ion losses. TRANSP/NUBEAM simulation and tomography results based on fast-ion D-alpha measurements reveal that after the neutral beam injection (NBI) upgrade, the beam ion prompt loss is reduced by approximately 50%. Second, the upgraded ion cyclotron resonant frequency (ICRF) antenna at the N-port features twice the coupling resistance of the original antennas at EAST. This improved ICRF power coupling has enhanced the synergistic heating effect of NBI + ICRF, where the ICRF wave field accelerates beam ions at the harmonics. Experiments demonstrate that NBI + ICRF synergistic not only enhances plasma neutron yield and β P , but also accelerates beam ions to hundreds of keV. Further, the electron density and the neutral beam voltage have been optimized to reduce the fast ion slowing-down time and beam ion losses. Experimental and simulation results indicate that increasing the electron density reduces beam ion losses and enhances the bootstrap current fraction. While higher beam voltage results in a slight decrease in beam power absorption, it can increase the fraction of bootstrap current. With the understanding of these optimization of fast ion confinement, experiments have demonstrated fully non-inductive operation at high density (n e /n G ∼ 0.67, β P ∼ 3.1, β N ∼ 2.1, H 98,y2 ∼ 1.2) even without the support of co-I p beam NBI2. This investigation presents a potential regime to enhance fast ion confinement and extend performance in the high β P plasma for future experiments.

EAST tokamak↗

Neural network model of neutral beam injection in the EAST tokamak to enable fast transport simulations

The neutral beam injection (NBI) system in EAST produces energetic neutral particles, which collide with electrons and ions in tokamak plasmas and heat the plasmas through Coulomb collisions. Moreover, it drives a non-inductive source of current, due to the charge-exchange collision between neutral particles and ions, and injects toroidal torque, which generates a toroidal rotation of the plasma. The effect caused by the NBI system, such as plasma heating, current drive, total neutron rate, momentum transfer, and shine-through, are modeled by a comprehensive module called NUBEAM. However, NUBEAM is computationally intensive since it relies on Monte Carlo methods. In this work, a neural network model has been developed as a surrogate model for NUBEAM in EAST. The database for neural-network model training, validation and testing is generated by running TRANSP for experimental discharges from recent EAST campaigns (after the latest NBI upgrade) while using the NUBEAM module. Simulation results illustrate that the trained neural network has the capability of replicating the predictions made by NUBEAM while demanding a significantly shorter execution time. Finally, these results indicate that surrogate models like the one proposed in this work could enable fast transport simulations for EAST after integrating them into a control-oriented predictive code such as COTSIM.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Distinguishing Electron and Hole Dynamics in Functionalized CdSe/CdS Core/Shell Quantum Dots Using Complementary Ultrafast Spectroscopies and Kinetic Modeling

The evolution of excitation energy and photogenerated charges in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) functionalized with molecular acceptors can be probed on ultrafast time scales using techniques such as transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy. However, historical interpretations that the 1S(e)-1S 3/2 (h) transition in Cd-chalcogenide QDs is fully attributable to electrons may be misleading, and multiexponential models used to fit TA kinetics do not correspond directly to specific photophysical processes. Here, we present visible-wavelength and mid-IR TA and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements to inform a comprehensive kinetic model of the photoexcited CdSe/CdS core/shell QDs functionalized with passivating oleic acid (OA), hole-accepting ferrocene, or electron-accepting naphthalene bisimide (NBI). We show that ~30% of the 1S signal and 72% of the IR signal can originate from holes in well-passivated core/shell QDs. We also demonstrate evidence of electron trapping in OA-capped core/shell QDs, with additional electron transfer and hole trapping in the QDs functionalized with NBI. Electron (hole) trapping and detrapping occur in 450 ± 100 ps (430 ± 70 ps) and 340 ± 100 ps (1.1 ± 0.4 ns) respectively, while the time constant for electron transfer to NBI is ~1.8 ns. The comprehensive picture of photophysical processes provided by the complementary ultrafast techniques and kinetic modeling can accelerate both the fundamental science and application development of nanostructured and molecular systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Characterization of beam ion loss in high poloidal beta regime on EAST

A critical issue for achieving the integrated operation of steady-state long-pulse high-confinement (H-mode) plasmas on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) is to improve beam ion population confinement during neutral beam injection (NBI). To study the characterization of beam ion loss and improve beam ion confinement, the steady-state long pulse scenario discharges were conducted on EAST (β p $\geqslant$ 2.0, β N $\geqslant$ 1.7, q 95 $\geqslant$ 6.7 and H 98y2 $\geqslant$ 1.1) with NBI heating. Based on neutron yield, the beam voltage and line-averaged electron density were adjusted from 50 kV to 60 kV and 4.4 × 10 19 m –3 to 5.0 × 10 19 m –3 , respectively. The results show that the dominant mechanisms of beam ion loss are shine-through loss, prompt loss, and stochastic ripple loss. The shine-through loss fraction is determined by initial velocity, flight time and entire beam path. The change in prompt loss fraction is caused by the change in the deposition of beam ions. The change in stochastic ripple loss fraction is caused by the change in the initial fraction of trapped-confined ions. Detailed physics shows that the prompt loss fraction during counter-Ip injections (~45%) is far larger than during co-Ip injections (~5%) due to the finite orbit width. The lost ions are mainly deposited on the lower divertor or below the midplane since the direction of magnetic drift is vertical down. The orbit types of prompt loss during counter-Ip injections are mainly trapped-lost and ctr-passing lost. To minimize the prompt loss fraction during counter-Ip injections, a reversed Ip configuration (rev-Ip) discharge #94758 was conducted. The result suggests that the beam ion wall load fraction during counter-Ip tangential injection (~3%) is far lower than that in normal Ip configuration (nor-Ip) discharge #94820. It is also found that the confinement of beam ion population in the counter-Ip injection #94758 was greatly improved when compared to #94820. Finally, this study can provide unique support for the improvement of beam ion population confinement and for the performance evaluation of the NBI system on EAST and future tokamaks.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Cause and impact of low-frequency chirping modes in DIII-D hybrid discharges

Significant variations in MHD activity and fast-ion transport are observed in the DIIID high-beta, steady-state hybrid discharges with a mixture of Electron Cyclotron (EC) waves and Neutral Beam Injection (NBI). When Electron Cyclotron Heating (ECH) or Current Drive (ECCD) is applied, Alfven Eigenmodes (AEs) are usually suppressed and replaced by low-frequency bursting modes. The analysis of a recently compiled database of hybrid discharges suggests that the change of the fast-ion pressure especially the perpendicular pressure is the main factor responsible for the instability transition. The lower ratio of fast-ion injection speed v inj to Alfven speed v alfven and slight drop of safety factor q min during ECCD may also facilitate the transition. The database shows that AEs mainly occur when the fast-ion fraction P f /P total is less than 0.53 and v inj /v alfven is greater than 0.50, while low-frequency bursting modes appear in the opposite regime. In this research, P f and P total are the central fast-ion pressure from classical prediction and total plasma pressure, respectively. The reason why the instability transition correlates with P f /P total and v inj /v alfven is that they can significantly modify the drive of low-frequency bursting modes and AEs. The explanation is supported by the observation that low-frequency bursting modes are rarely seen in the hybrids with NBI only, with EC waves and counter-NBI, or with high plasma density. A careful check of the low-frequency bursting modes suggests that they are mainly chirping (neoclassical) tearing modes [referred to as chirping (N)TM], i.e. the mode frequency firstly jumps up from the steady (N)TM frequency, then chirps down, and finally returns to the steady (N)TM frequency. Sometimes, the (N)TMs are fully stabilized and replaced with pure fishbones. Lastly, the resonance condition calculation and ’Kick’ model simulations suggest that (N)TMs and fishbones can interact through modification of the fast ion distribution in phase space, which influences the drive.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗