Erratum: “The structure of the magnetic reconnection exhaust boundary” [Phys. Plasmas 19, 022110 (2012)]
No abstract prepared.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
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Effect of packing material on methane activation in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor
The conversion of methane is measured in a planar-type dielectric barrier discharge reactor using γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (sphere), α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (sphere), and γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (16–20 mesh). Investigations on the surface properties and shape of the three packing materials clearly indicate that methane activation is considerably affected by the material used. Capacitances inside the discharge gap are estimated from charge–voltage plots, and a comparison of the generated and transferred charges for different packing conditions show that the difference in surface properties between γ- and α-phase Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} affects the discharge characteristics. Moreover, all packing conditions show different charge characteristics that are related to the electron density. Finally, the packing material's shape affects the local electron temperature, which is strongly related to methane conversion. The combined results indicate that both microscale and macroscale variations in a packing material affect the discharge characteristics, and a packing material should be considered carefully for effective methane activation.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Optical probe investigation of laser ablated carbon plasma plume in nitrogen ambient
We report the study of carbon plasma produced using 1064 nm laser in nitrogen ambient at atmospheric pressure using 2-dimensional fast imaging of ablated plume, optical emission spectroscopy, and optical probe at 532 nm for interferometry and shadowgraphy. The dominance of C{sub 2} and CN molecules over ionic species at later stages of expanding carbon plasma plume is reported. The observed ring structure in shadowgrams and change in the direction of fringe shift from positive to negative in recorded interferograms are correlated with the relative abundance of different species in the plasma plume as function of time delay with respect to ablating pulse. An agreement in observed onset time of formation of clusters/atomic species or low ionic species using different diagnostic techniques has been reported.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Neutral depletion and the helicon density limit
It is straightforward to create fully ionized plasmas with modest rf power in a helicon. It is difficult, however, to create plasmas with density >10{sup 20} m{sup −3}, because neutral depletion leads to a lack of fuel. In order to address this density limit, we present fast (1 MHz), time-resolved measurements of the neutral density at and downstream from the rf antenna in krypton helicon plasmas. At the start of the discharge, the neutral density underneath the antenna is reduced to 1% of its initial value in 15 μs. The ionization rate inferred from these data implies that the electron temperature near the antenna is much higher than the electron temperature measured downstream. Neutral density measurements made downstream from the antenna show much slower depletion, requiring 14 ms to decrease by a factor of 1/e. Furthermore, the downstream depletion appears to be due to neutral pumping rather than ionization.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Determination of transition probabilities for the 3p → 3s transition array in neon using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy
We present here a study of the optical emission spectra of the laser produced neon plasma generated by a Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm. The spectra were recorded using the laser induced breakdown spectroscopy 2000 detection system comprising of five spectrometers covering the entire visible region. The observed spectra yield all the optically allowed transitions between the 2p{sup 5}3p upper and 2p{sup 5}3s lower configurations based levels. The relative line strengths of all the dipole allowed transitions have been determined using the intensity ratios and compared with the J-file sum rule. The absolute transition probabilities have been calculated by using the lifetimes of the upper levels and the intensities of the observed spectral lines and show good agreement with the literature values.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Experimental test of whether electrostatically charged micro-organisms and their spores contribute to the onset of arcs across vacuum gaps
Recently it was proposed [L. R. Grisham et al. Phys. Plasmas 19, 023107 (2012)] that one of the initiators of vacuum voltage breakdown between conducting electrodes might be micro-organisms and their spores, previously deposited during exposure to air, which then become electrostatically charged when an electric potential is applied across the vacuum gap. This note describes a simple experiment to compare the number of voltage-conditioning pulses required to reach the nominal maximum operating voltage across a gap between two metallic conductors in a vacuum, comparing cases in which biological cleaning was done just prior to pump-down with cases where this was not done, with each case preceded by exposure to ambient air for three days. Based upon these results, it does not appear that air-deposited microbes and their spores constitute a major pathway for arc initiation, at least for exposure periods of a few days, and for vacuum gaps of a few millimeters, in the regime where voltage holding is usually observed to vary linearly with gap distance.
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
Analysis and experimental study on formation conditions of large-scale barrier-free diffuse atmospheric pressure air plasmas in repetitive pulse mode
Atmospheric air diffuse plasmas have enormous application potential in various fields of science and technology. Without dielectric barrier, generating large-scale air diffuse plasmas is always a challenging issue. This paper discusses and analyses the formation mechanism of cold homogenous plasma. It is proposed that generating stable diffuse atmospheric plasmas in open air should meet the three conditions: high transient power with low average power, excitation in low average E-field with locally high E-field region, and multiple overlapping electron avalanches. Accordingly, an experimental configuration of generating large-scale barrier-free diffuse air plasmas is designed. Based on runaway electron theory, a low duty-ratio, high voltage repetitive nanosecond pulse generator is chosen as a discharge excitation source. Using the wire-electrodes with small curvature radius, the gaps with highly non-uniform E-field are structured. Experimental results show that the volume-scaleable, barrier-free, homogeneous air non-thermal plasmas have been obtained between the gap spacing with the copper-wire electrodes. The area of air cold plasmas has been up to hundreds of square centimeters. The proposed formation conditions of large-scale barrier-free diffuse air plasmas are proved to be reasonable and feasible.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Experimental study on the emission spectra of microwave plasma at atmospheric pressure
An experimental study on microwave plasma at atmospheric pressure was conducted by employing optical emission spectroscopy. Based on a microwave plasma generation device developed for nanoparticle synthesis, we studied the influence of input microwave power and gas flow rate on the optical emission behaviors and electron temperature of plasma using Ar, He, and N{sub 2} as working gas, respectively. The physics behind these behaviors was discussed. The results are useful in characterizing microwave plasma at atmospheric pressure and can be used for improving nanoparticle synthesis system for commercial use in the future.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Using indium tin oxide material to implement the imaging of microwave plasma ignition process
In this paper, a method is introduced to get global observation of microwave plasma ignition process at high pressure. A microwave resonator was designed with an indium tin oxide coated glass at bottom. Microwave plasma ignition was implemented in methane and air mixture at 10 bars by a 2 ms-3 kW-2.45 GHz microwave pulse, and the high speed images of the ignition process were obtained. The images visually proved that microwave plasma ignition could lead to a multi-point ignition. The system may also be applied to obtain Schlieren images, which is commonly used to observe the development of flame kernel in an ignition process.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Plasma generation for controlled microwave-reflecting surfaces in plasma antennas
The idea of replacing metal antenna elements with equivalent plasma objects has long been of interest because of the possibility of switching the antenna on and off. In general, two kinds of designs have so far been reported: (a) Separate plasma “wires” which are thin glass tubes filled with gas, where plasma appears due to discharge inside. (b) Reflecting surfaces, consisting of tightly held plasma wires or specially designed large discharge devices with magnetic confinement. The main disadvantages of these antennas are either large weight and size or too irregular surfaces for proper reflection. To design a microwave plasma antenna in the most common radar wavelength range of 1–3 cm with a typical gain of 30 dB, a smooth plasma mirror having a 10–30 cm diameter and a proper curvature is required. The plasma density must be 10{sup 12}–10{sup 14} cm{sup −3} in order to exceed the critical density for the frequency of the electromagnetic wave. To achieve this we have used a ferromagnetic inductively coupled plasma (FICP) source, where a thin magnetic core of a large diameter is fully immersed in the plasma. In the present paper, we show a way to adapt the FICP source for creating a flat switchable microwave plasma mirror with an effective diameter of 30 cm. This mirror was tested as a microwave reflector and there was found no significant difference when compared with a copper plate having the same diameter.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Neutron production from puffing deuterium in plasma focus device
The current research has continued on the PF-1000 plasma focus device at the current of 2 MA by comparison of the shots with and without injected deuterium. The increase of the total neutron yield at the level of 10{sup 10}–10{sup 11} per shot was achieved after the compression of about 10 μg/cm of the deuterium from the gas-valve by about 46 μg/cm of the neon or deuterium plasma sheath. It increases five times at the decrease of the puffing deuterium mass to one-half. In shots with neon in the chamber and with puffing deuterium, a considerable decrease was confirmed of the soft X-ray emission in comparison with shots without deuterium injection. This decrease can be explained by the absence of the neon in the region of the compressed and hot plasma. The deuterium plasma from the gas-puff should then be confined in the internal structures both in the phase of implosion as well as during their formation and transformation. In shots with puffing deuterium, the evolution of instabilities in the plasma column was suppressed. The deuterium plasma has a higher conductance and better ability to form expressive and dense plasmoids and to transport the internal current in comparison with neon plasma. Neutrons were produced both at the initial phase of stagnation, as well as at a later time at the evolution of the constrictions and dense plasmoids.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
System for time-discretized vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy of spark breakdown in air
A system for time-discretized spectroscopic measurements of the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) emission from spark discharges in the 60-160 nm range has been developed for the study of early plasma-forming phenomena. The system induces a spark discharge in an environment close to atmospheric conditions created using a high speed puff value, but is otherwise kept at high vacuum to allow for the propagation of VUV light. Using a vertical slit placed 1.5 mm from the discharge the emission from a small cross section of the discharge is allowed to pass into the selection chamber consisting of a spherical grating, with 1200 grooves/mm, and an exit slit set to 100 μm. Following the exit slit is a photomultiplier tube with a sodium salicylate scintillator that is used for the time discretized measurement of the VUV signal with a temporal resolution limit of 10 ns. Results from discharges studied in dry air, Nitrogen, SF{sub 6}, and Argon indicate the emission of light with wavelengths shorter than 120 nm where the photon energy begins to approach the regime of direct photoionization.
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
Two dimensional RMHD modeling of effective ion temperatures in recent ZR argon experiments
Radiation magnetohydrodynamic r-z simulations are performed of recent Ar shots on the refurbished Z generator to examine the effective ion temperature as determined from the observed line width of the He-γ line. While many global radiation properties can be matched to experimental results, the Doppler shifts due to velocity gradients at stagnation cannot reproduce the large experimentally determined width corresponding to an effective ion temperature of 50 keV. Ion viscous heating or magnetic bubbles are considered, but understanding the width remains an unsolved challenge.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Diagnostic constraints on the amount of cold mass in imploded argon pinches on Z
The refurbished Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories has been successfully configured to drive gas-puff Z pinches. A series of experiments using Ar loads produced K-shell yields of 330 ± 9% kJ, with highly reproducible K-shell spectra and power pulses. Using spectroscopic and power data, we are able to constrain the properties of both the cold, non-K-shell radiating mass as well as the hot K-shell component of the pinch plasma. As in previous gas-puff shots on the original version of Z, only about 1/4 to 1/3 of the load mass was heated to temperatures sufficient to produce K-shell x-rays.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
High-energy electron acceleration in the gas-puff Z-pinch plasma
The characteristics of hard x-ray generation were examined in the gas-puff z-pinch experiment. The experiment on reversing the voltage was conducted. In both of the positive and negative discharges, the x-ray was generated only from the anode surface, so it was considered that the electrons were accelerated by the induced electromagnetic force at the pinch time.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Early time studies of cylindrical liner implosions at 1 MA on COBRA
Tests of the magnetized liner inertial fusion (MagLIF) concept will make use of the 27 MA Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, to implode a cylindrical metal liner to compress and heat preheated, magnetized plasma contained within it. While most pulsed power machines produce much lower currents than the Z-machine, there are issues that can still be addressed on smaller scale facilities. Recent work on the Cornell Beam Research Accelerator (COBRA) has made use of 10 mm long and 4 mm diameter metal liners having different wall thicknesses to study the initiation of plasma on the liner’s surface as well as axial magnetic field compression [P.-A. Gourdain et al., Nucl. Fusion 53, 083006 (2013)]. This report presents experimental results with non-imploding liners, investigating the impact the liner’s surface structure has on initiation and ablation. Extreme ultraviolet (XUV) imaging and optical 12 frame camera imaging were used to observe and assess emission non-uniformities as they developed. Axial and side-on interferometry was used to determine the distribution of plasma near the liner surface, including the impact of non-uniformities during the plasma initiation and ablation phases of the experiments.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Quasi-steady accelerator operation on the ZAP flow Z-pinch
The ZaP Flow Z-Pinch Experiment utilizes sheared flows to stabilize an otherwise unstable equilibrium. The sheared flows are maintained by streaming high velocity plasma parallel to the pinch. Previous operations of the machine show depletion of the accelerator’s neutral gas supply late in the pulse leading to pinch instability. The current distribution in the accelerator exhibits characteristic modes during this operation, which is corroborated by interferometric signals. The decrease in density precipitates a loss of plasma quiescence in the pinch, which occurs on a timescale related to the flow velocity from the plasma source. To abate the depletion, the geometry of the accelerator is altered to increase the neutral gas supply. The design creates a standing deflagration front in the accelerator that persists for the pulse duration. The new operating mode is characterized by the same diagnostics as the previous mode. The lessons learned in the accelerator operations have been applied to the design of a new experiment, ZaP-HD. This work was supported by grants from the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration.
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Plasma formation and dynamics in conical wire arrays in the Llampudken pulsed power generator
Plasma formation and dynamics from conical wire array is experimentally studied. Ablation from the wires is observed, forming plasma accumulation at the array axis and subsequently a jet outflow been expelled toward the top of the array. The arrays are composed by 16 equally spaced 25μ diameter tungsten wires. Their dimensions are 20mm height, with base diameters of 8mm and 16mm top diameter. The array loads are design to be overmassed, hence no complete ablation of the wires is observed during the current rise. The experiments have been carried out in the Llampudken. pulsed power generator (∼350kA in ∼350ns). Plasma dynamics is studied in both side-on and end-on directions. Laser probing (shadowgraphy) is achieved using a frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser (532nm, 12ps FWHM) captured by CCD cameras. Pinhole XUV imaging is captured using gated microchannel plate cameras with time resolution ∼5ns. Results on the jet velocity and the degree of collimation indicating the plausibility on the use of these jets as comparable to the study astrophysically produced jets are presented and discussed.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗