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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

ION COLLISIONAL TRANSPORT COEFFICIENTS IN THE SOLAR WIND AT 1 au

Proton and alpha particle collisional transport coefficients (isotropization, relative deceleration frequencies, and heating rates) at 1 au are quantified using the Wind /Solar Wind Experiment data. In agreement with previous studies, the ion–ion Coulomb collisions are generally important for slow solar wind streams and tend to reduce the temperature anisotropies, the differential streaming, and the differences between the proton and alpha particle temperatures. In slow solar wind streams the Coulomb collisions between protons and alpha particles are important for the overall proton energetics, as well as the relative deceleration between the two species. It is also shown that ion temperature anisotropies and differential streaming need to be taken into account for evaluation of the collisional transport coefficients.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Effects of alpha beam on the parametric decay of a parallel propagating circularly polarized Alfven wave: Hybrid simulations

Alfven waves with a finite amplitude are found to be unstable to a parametric decay in low beta plasmas. In this paper, the parametric decay of a circularly polarized Alfven wave in a proton-electron-alpha plasma system is investigated with one-dimensional (1-D) hybrid simulations. In cases without alpha particles, with the increase of the wave number of the pump Alfven wave, the growth rate of the decay instability increases and the saturation amplitude of the density fluctuations slightly decrease. However, when alpha particles with a sufficiently large bulk velocity along the ambient magnetic field are included, at a definite range of the wave numbers of the pump wave, both the growth rate and the saturation amplitude of the parametric decay become much smaller and the parametric decay is heavily suppressed. At these wave numbers, the resonant condition between the alpha particles and the daughter Alfven waves is satisfied, therefore, their resonant interactions might play an important role in the suppression of the parametric decay instability.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Pushing Particles with Waves: Current Drive and α -Channeling

It can be advantageous to push particles with waves in tokamaks or other magnetic confinement devices, relying on wave-particle resonances to accomplish specific goals. Waves that damp on electrons or ions in toroidal fusion devises can drive currents if the waves are launched with toroidal asymmetry. Theses currents are important for tokamaks, since they operate in the absence of an electric field with curl, enabling steady state operation. The lower hybrid wave and the electron cyclotron wave have been demonstrated to drive significant currents. Non-inductive current also stabilizes deleterious tearing modes. Waves can also be used to broker the energy transfer between energetic alpha particles and the background plasma. Alpha particles born through fusion reactions in a tokamak reactor tend to slow down on electrons, but that could take up to hundreds of milliseconds. Before that happens, the energy in these alpha particles can destabilize on collisionless timescales toroidal Alfven modes and other waves, in a way deleterious to energy confinement. However, it has been speculated that this energy might be instead be channeled instead into useful energy, that heats fuel ions or drives current. Furthermore, an important question is the extent to which these effects can be accomplished together.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fast Particle-Wave Interactions and Alfvén Eigenmodes in JET Tokamak Plasmas

This document serves as the closeout report of DOE Grant Award No. DE-FG02-99ER54563 with project period 1 April 2015 through 31 March 2020. The project comprised the international collaboration between MIT and EU scientists on the JET facility to improve our understanding of the physics of energetic particle-wave interactions by measuring the damping rates of stable Alfvén Eigenmodes (AEs) and unstable energetic particle driven modes. More specifically, this project involved the continued participation of MIT, the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, the Swiss Plasma Center, and theorists from various European laboratories and from UC Irvine. Past contributions from the University of São Paulo are gratefully acknowledged. The Alfvén Eigenmode Active Diagnostic (AEAD) on JET discharges was successfully upgraded in this period and has extracted physically useful information, in primarily deuterium plasma discharges. It is expected that such experiments would be continued during the DT campaign in CY 2021 to assess the damping rates of similar modes in the presence of alpha particles, a product of fusing burning plasma. Only JET would carry out such experiments in the near term in the world. It is important to note that this collaboration was continued under DOE Grant Award No. DE-SC0014264 from 1 April 2020 through the present. In this grant period, the AEAD was upgraded with a set of individual amplifiers for each of a set of six antennas in two toroidally opposite locations. These new amplifiers allowed targeted selection of the antennas’ toroidal spectrum for AEs of interest with toroidal mode number | n | ≤ 20. The resonant detection and measurement of the damping rates of AEs was obtained from magnetic probes that could be compared with theory and simulations. This is a key topic of investigation for ITER and all other next-step fusion experiments, where such modes will interact with energetic particles produced by fusion reactions (alpha particles), Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) and Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH). The majority of the observations during this period were of Toroidal Alfvén Eigenmodes (TAEs) as these are most commonly observed on JET; a number of measurements were made during dedicated TAE experiments. However, a new set of lower frequency band filters were procured with the goal of studying Geodesic Acoustic Modes (GAMs), Beta (Acoustic) AEs (BAE/BAAEs), and Reverse Shear AEs (RSAEs), also predicted by theory. Commissioning and optimizations were successfully completed in this period, and the diagnostic has been in operation during the more recent JET campaigns. Initial results have been obtained in dedicated TAE experiments and successfully compared to drift-kinetic theory. A wide range of theoretical studies have been undertaken in support of the upcoming JET campaigns experiments. To supplement the ongoing use of ideal MHD codes, such as MISHKA during the studies of TAEs, gyrokinetic simulations of low frequency AEs were performed in collaboration with UC Irvine. The Gyrokinetic Toroidal Code (GTC) was used to determine the structure, frequencies and stability of AEs in JET plasmas. Thus, a solid scientific foundation has been laid for future DT campaigns in JET in the 2021 operation period when the damping rates of relevant modes in the presence of alpha particles could be assessed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

CR-39 track detector calibration for H, He, and C ions from 0.1-0.5 MeV up to 5 MeV for laser-induced nuclear fusion product identification

Laser-accelerated ion beams can be used in many applications and, especially, to initiate nuclear reactions out of thermal equilibrium. We have experimentally studied aneutronic fusion reactions induced by protons accelerated by the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration mechanism, colliding with a boron target. Such experiments require a rigorous method to identify the reaction products (alpha particles) collected in detectors among a few other ion species such as protons or carbon ions, for example. CR-39 track detectors are widely used because they are mostly sensitive to ions and their efficiency is near 100%. We present a complete calibration of CR-39 track detector for protons, alpha particles, and carbon ions. We give measurements of their track diameters for energy ranging from hundreds of keV to a few MeV and for etching times between 1 and 8 h. We used these results to identify alpha particles in our experiments on proton-boron fusion reactions initiated by laser-accelerated protons. We show that their number clearly increases when the boron fuel is preformed in a plasma state.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Review of using gallium nitride for ionizing radiation detection

With the largest band gap energy of all commercial semiconductors, GaN has found wide application in the making of optoelectronic devices. It has also been used for photodetection such as solar blind imaging as well as ultraviolet and even X-ray detection. Unsurprisingly, the appreciable advantages of GaN over Si, amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), SiC, amorphous SiC (a-SiC), and GaAs, particularly for its radiation hardness, have drawn prompt attention from the physics, astronomy, and nuclear science and engineering communities alike, where semiconductors have traditionally been used for nuclear particle detection. Several investigations have established the usefulness of GaN for alpha detection, suggesting that when properly doped or coated with neutron sensitive materials, GaN could be turned into a neutron detection device. Work in this area is still early in its development, but GaN-based devices have already been shown to detect alpha particles, ultraviolet light, X-rays, electrons, and neutrons. Furthermore, the nuclear reaction presented by {sup 14}N(n,p){sup 14}C and various other threshold reactions indicates that GaN is intrinsically sensitive to neutrons. This review summarizes the state-of-the-art development of GaN detectors for detecting directly and indirectly ionizing radiation. Particular emphasis is given to GaN's radiation hardness under high-radiation fields.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2011

Nuclear Track Detector Characterization via Alpha-Spectrometry for Radioprotection Use

Solid Nuclear Track Detectors (SNTDs), CR-39 type, are usually adopted to monitor radon gas concentrations. In order to characterize the detectors according to track geometrical parameters, detectors were irradiated inside a vacuum chamber by alpha particles at twelve energy values, obtained by different Mylar foils in front of a {sup 241}Am source. The alpha energy values were verified using a Si detector. After the exposure to the alpha particles, the detectors were chemically etched to enlarge the tracks, which were then analyzed by means of a semiautomatic system composed of an optical microscope equipped with a CCD camera connected to a personal computer to store images. A suitable routine analyzed the track parameters: major and minor axis length and mean grey level, allowing us to differentiate tracks according to the incident alpha energy and then to individuate the discrimination factors for radon alpha tracks. The combined use of geometrical and optical parameters allows one to overcome the ambiguity in the alpha energy determination due to the non-monotonicity of each parameter versus energy. After track parameter determination, a calibration procedure was performed by means of a radon chamber. The calibration was verified through an inter-comparing survey.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Systems and methods for neutron detection using scintillator nano-materials

In one embodiment, a neutron detector includes a three dimensional matrix, having nanocomposite materials and a substantially transparent film material for suspending the nanocomposite materials, a detector coupled to the three dimensional matrix adapted for detecting a change in the nanocomposite materials, and an analyzer coupled to the detector adapted for analyzing the change detected by the detector. In another embodiment, a method for detecting neutrons includes receiving radiation from a source, converting neutrons in the radiation into alpha particles using converter material, converting the alpha particles into photons using quantum dot emitters, detecting the photons, and analyzing the photons to determine neutrons in the radiation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

α decay of the T = 1 , 2 + state in B 10 and isospin symmetry breaking in the A = 10 triplet

Here, the rate of the T =1, 2+ to T =1, 0 + transition in 10 B ( T =1, T z =0) is compared to the analog transitions in 10 Be ( T =1, T z =–1) and 10 C ( T =1, T z =+1) to provide constraints on ab initio calculations using realistic nuclear forces. The relevant state in 10 B, at E x =5.164 MeV, is particle unbound. Therefore, a determination of the B ( E 2) electromagnetic transition rate requires a precise and accurate determination of the width of the state, as well as the α-particle and γ-ray branching ratios. Previous measurements of the α-particle branching ratio are just barely in agreement. We report on a new study of the α-particle branch by studying the 10 B(p,p') 10 B* reaction in inverse kinematics with the HELIOS spectrometer. The α-particle branching ratio that we observe, 0.144±0.027, is in good agreement with the evaluated value and improves the associated uncertainty. The resulting experimental B ( E 2) value is 7.0±2.2 e 2 fm 4 and is more consistent with a flat trend across the A=10 triplet than previously reported. This is inconsistent with Green's function Monte Carlo predictions using realistic three-nucleon Hamiltonians, which overpredict the B ( E 2) value in 10 C and 10 B.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A new equation of state with light nuclei and their weak interactions in core-collapse supernova simulations

We perform numerical experiments to investigate the influence of inelastic neutrino reactions with light nuclei on the standing accretion shock instability. The time evolutions of shock waves are calculated with a simple light-bulb approximation for the neutrino transport and a multi-nuclei equation of state. The neutrino absorptions and inelastic interactions with deuterons, tritons, helions and alpha particles are taken into account in the hydrodynamical simulations in addition to the ordinary charged-current interactions with nucleons. Axial symmetry is assumed but no equatorial symmetry is imposed. We show that the heating rates of deuterons reach as high as ∼ 10% of those of nucleons around the bottom of the gain region. On the other hands, alpha particles heat the matter near the shock wave, which is important when the shock wave expands and density and temperature of matter become low. It is also found that the models with heating by light nuclei have different evolutions from those without it in non-linear evolution phase. The matter in the gain region has various densities and temperatures and there appear regions that are locally rich in deuterons and alpha particles. These results indicate that the inelastic reactions of light nuclei, especially deuterons, should be incorporated in the simulations of core-collapse supernovae.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE INFLUENCE OF INELASTIC NEUTRINO REACTIONS WITH LIGHT NUCLEI ON THE STANDING ACCRETION SHOCK INSTABILITY IN CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVAE

We perform numerical experiments to investigate the influence of inelastic neutrino reactions with light nuclei on the standing accretion shock instability (SASI). The time evolution of shock waves is calculated with a simple light-bulb approximation for the neutrino transport and a multi-nuclei equation of state. The neutrino absorptions and inelastic interactions with deuterons, tritons, helions, and alpha particles are taken into account in the hydrodynamical simulations. In addition, the effects of ordinary charged-current interactions with nucleons is addressed in the simulations. Axial symmetry is assumed but no equatorial symmetry is imposed. We show that the heating rates of deuterons reach as high as {approx}10% of those of nucleons around the bottom of the gain region. On the other hand, alpha particles are heated near the shock wave, which is important when the shock wave expands and the density and temperature of matter become low. It is also found that the models with heating by light nuclei evolve differently in the non-linear phase of SASI than do models that lack heating by light nuclei. This result is because matter in the gain region has a varying density and temperature and therefore sub-regions appear that are locally rich in deuterons and alpha particles. Although the light nuclei are never dominant heating sources and they work favorably for shock revival in some cases and unfavorably in other cases, they are non-negligible and warrant further investigation.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Neutronics of Advanced-Fuel Fusion Experiments with DT Triggering

Nuclear fusion studies are currently devoted to the Deuterium-Tritium (DT) fuel cycle, the easiest way to reach ignition. The recent stress on safety by the world community has stimulated the research on other fuel cycles, based on advanced reactions, such as Deuterium-Helium-3 (DHe). With DHe, it is not necessary to breed and fuel tritium. The DHe cycle has a very low presence of energetic fusion neutrons, due to DD and DT side reactions, and it has the possibility to obtain electrical power by direct energy conversion of the protons produced by the fusion reactions. DHe fusion has its own set of problems, such as the availability of {sup 3}He and the attainment of the higher plasma parameters. To explore the possibilities of DHe plasmas, a burning plasma experiment at high magnetic field and high plasma densities is particularly attractive. Ignitor is a proposed compact high-magnetic field tokamak, aimed at studying plasma-burning conditions in Deuterium-Tritium plasmas. The Ignitor experiment is designed to reach ignition under controlled DT burning conditions. The machine parameters have been established, on the basis of existing knowledge of the confinement properties of high density plasmas. The scientific goal of the Ignitor experiment is to approach, for the first time, the ignition conditions of a magnetically confined D-T plasma. However, the plasma density limit in Ignitor being well above the optimal density for DT ignition, is potentially suitable to the higher densities required for DHe burning. In fact, Ignitor has been designed also to explore conditions where 14.7-MeV protons and 3.6-MeV alpha particles produced by the DHe reactions can supply a significant amount of thermal energy to a well-confined plasma. In particular, Ignitor can sustain plasma currents exceeding those required to confine proton orbits at birth, and has more than sufficiently high densities so that the slowing-down time of both the protons and the DT alpha particles is shorter than the electron energy replacement time of the thermal plasma in which they are produced. Preliminary analyses show that a fusion power PF around 2 MW, may be reached. As a start, Ignitor can perform initial studies at the level of approximately 1 MW of power in charged particles from the DHe reaction in a mostly DT plasma. CANDOR, a design evolution of Ignitor in the direction of a reactor using a DHe fuel cycle, has been proposed; it is a feasibility study of a high-field DHe experiment of larger dimensions and higher fusion power than Ignitor, however still based on the core Ignitor technologies. The main characteristics of the CANDOR machine are the following: the major radius Ro is about double than Ignitor, plasma currents up to 25 MA with toroidal magnetic fields B{sub T} = 13 T can be produced. Unlike Ignitor, CANDOR would operate with higher values of poloidal beta around unity and the central part of the plasma column in the Second Stability region. The characteristic times over which the plasma discharge can be sustained are longer by more than a factor of 4 than those of Ignitor. To produce such a strong magnetic field in a larger machine, the toroidal field coils have been divided into two sets of coils and the central solenoid (air core transformer) is placed between them in the inboard part. In CANDOR, the DHe burning regime can be reached, by a combination of ICRF heating and alpha particle heating due to DT fusion reactions, which take the role of a sort of trigger. Thanks to this fact, and unlike other proposed DHe fusion experiments, CANDOR is capable of reaching DHe ignition using the existing technologies, and present knowledge of plasma confinement phenomena. With the initial use of DT, where tritium comprises some 50% of an initial lower density DT plasma, but is not added thereafter, the need for an intense auxiliary heating, which is one of the main technological drawbacks of DHe ignition, would be considerably alleviated, becoming feasible with the present technology. However, this method has the disadvantage of using tritium and of presenting a higher neutron flux (due to DT reactions) than 'pure' DHe plasmas, generating a neutron flux transient when passing from the initial DT trigger reaction to the final DHe burning plasma. However, for an experimental machine one-of-a-kind of relatively small dimensions, this is not an issue. (authors)

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Synergistic effects of Al, Ga, and In doping on ZnO nanorod arrays grown via citrate-assisted hydrothermal technique for highly efficient and fast scintillator screens

To be used as efficient alpha particle scintillator in the fields of nuclear security, nuclear nonproliferation and high-energy physics, scintillator screens must have high light output and fast decay properties. While there has been a great deal of progress in scintillation efficiency, achieving fast decay time properties are still a challenge. In this work, the near band edge (NBE) UV luminescence and alpha particle induced scintillation properties of vertically aligned densely packed ZnO nanorods (NRs) doped with Al, Ga, and In have been thoroughly investigated. The high crystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure with a strong orientation through the c -axis plane (002) and aspect ratios in the range 13–22 have been observed for all ZnO NRs. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis exhibited paramagnetic signals at g ≈ 1.96 for all ZnO NRs. A cost effective green hydrothermal synthesis technique was employed to grow well-aligned NRs. Using citrate as an additive acting as a strong reducing agent in the solution during the crystal growth, defects on the surface are significantly suppressed, thereby enhancing the NBE UV emission. Significantly higher NBE UV emission was observed from the top surface of ZnO NRs in cathodoluminescence (CL) microscopy. Results show that citrate assisted donor doping of ZnO NRs not only reduces the defect emission and NBE self-absorption, but also induces fast decay time (~ 600–700 ps), which makes ZnO NRs a good candidate for fast alpha particle scintillator screens used in associated particle imaging for time and direction tagging of individual neutrons generated in D–T and D–D neutron generators.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Alfvén eigenmode stability in a JET afterglow deuterium plasma and projections to deuterium–tritium plasmas

Abstract The performance of fusion devices relies strongly on the good confinement of energetic particles (EPs). Therefore, the investigation of EP transport by magnetohydrodynamic instabilities is one of the key aspects in the development of plasma scenarios. Alfvénic instabilities in particular can lead to significant losses of alpha particles that are essential for plasma self-heating. A so-called afterglow scheme has been developed to study the destabilization of Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs) by alpha particles and associated EP transport in the JET tokamak. In this work, the linear stability of AEs is discussed for the partial afterglow phase in a JET deuterium plasma discharge and for the full afterglow phase in a projected deuterium–tritium (DT) plasma. Thanks to recent upgrades in the tokamak transport code TRANSP, one can account for the contributions of different EP species to mode stability. Analysis of deuterium plasmas shows that AE growth rates are extremely sensitive to the energy and distribution of fast ions. An increase in fast ion energy can lead to more unstable AEs. In the afterglow phase of projected DT plasmas, it is EPs that mostly drive the AEs. However, the drive by alpha particles is comparable to that by beam ions and their contribution to the net growth rate might be hard to separate. According to the discussed projections, the destabilization of AEs might be ineffective because the background plasma damping significantly exceeds the EP drive. In this case, the development of an alternative plasma scenario that allows us to overcome such damping would be required in future experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Preliminary benchmarks and analysis of boundary conditions in a trenched microstructured silicon radiation detector

Microstructured neutron detectors have the benefit of enhanced neutron detection efficiency as compared to planar devices, achieved by etching 6 LiF-filled trenches on the top surface of a silicon PIN diode. This sensor geometry results in a complex electric field distribution and depletion characteristics within the diode under reverse bias. For the first time on record, the effects of a fixed oxide charge on the microstructured device depletion characteristics and mobile carrier transport is investigated. Prototype detectors were fabricated with non-conformal surface doping. Capacitance voltage and current voltage measurements were performed for these prototypes and compared with COMSOL Multiphysics simulations. A spectral response from an 241Am alpha particle source was acquired and analyzed. It was found that monoenergetic alpha particles produce three prominent peaks in the pulse height spectrum output by the device. The peaks were confirmed by simulations to correlate with dead layers and incident trajectories into the microstructure. It was also found that significant differences in pulse rise time result, corresponding with events arriving in a low-field region in the fins and a high-field region in the bulk. Geant4 was utilized for radiation transport, interaction modeling, and benchmarking the spectral data. The results of this simulation work provide confidence in the ability to attain and benchmark electrical characteristics and spectral data for semiconductor radiation detectors employing complex microstructures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of 235 U, 238 U and 239 Pu fission ionization chamber foils by α and γ -ray spectrometry

The masses of thin, electroplated deposits of 235 U, 238 U and 239 Pu on titanium backings have been determined to better than 1.3% precision by employing three complementary measurement techniques: $\alpha$ spectrometry, 2$\pi$ gas counting, and $\gamma$-ray spectrometry. A dedicated $\alpha$ spectrometer was designed and calibrated to allow for repeatable, high-precision measurements of the absolute $\alpha$ activity of a sample. The isotopic composition of the sample was determined by fitting the peaks in the $\alpha$ spectrum, a technique which was demonstrated to be generally consistent with mass spectrometry. Independently, the total activity of the deposits were measured in a 2$\pi$ gas flow proportional counter. A detailed study of the effects of $\alpha$ particle straggling in the actinide deposit and $\alpha$ particle recoil off the sample backing material was performed. The masses of these actinide deposits were also measured via $\gamma$-ray spectrometry. Here, we found that all three systematically independent techniques produced consistent results, and could be combined into a weighted average with further reduced uncertainty. The mass ratios of these actinide deposits were determined to better than 1% precision via $\alpha$ spectrometry, enabling high-precision fission cross section ratio measurements.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2011

Studying {sup 12}B via {sup 8}Li-{alpha} resonant scattering

The inverse kinematics thick target scattering method (TTIK) has been used to study the {sup 8}Li elastic scattering on {sup 4}He in order to investigate {sup 8}Li-{alpha} cluster configurations in excited states of {sup 12}B. A {sup 8}Li beam, provided by the radioactive beam facility EXCYT, at E{sub beam} = 30.6 MeV, passing through helium thick target, continuously decreases its energy inducing elastic scattering starting from the initial energy down to zero. Four {Delta}E-E double stage silicon detector telescopes were used to detect the recoil {alpha}-particles coming from the scattering. Event by event time measurement between beam particles passing through a MCP detector and {alpha}-particles impinging on {Delta}E stage allows elastic from inelastic events discrimination, thus representing an improvement of the TTIK method. In this paper the used experimental technique and some preliminary results will be briefly described.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Center for Gyrokinetic/MHD Hybrid Simulation of Energetic Particle Physics in Toroidal Plasmas (Final Report)

At Colorado University-Boulder the primary task is to extend our gyrokinetic Particle-in-Cell simulation of tokamak micro-turbulence and transport to the area of energetic particle physics. We have implemented a gyrokinetic ion/massless fluid electron hybrid model in the global δƒ-PIC code GEM, and benchmarked the code with analytic results on the thermal ion radiative damping rate of Toroidal Alfvén Eigenmodes (TAE) and with mode frequency and spatial structure from eigenmode analysis. We also performed nonlinear simulations of both a single-n mode (n is the toroidal mode number) and multiple-n modes, and in the case of single-n, benchmarked the code on the saturation amplitude vs. particle collision rate with analytical theory. Most simulations use the f method for both ions species, but we have explored the full-ƒ method for energetic particles in cases where the burst amplitude of the excited instabilities is large as to cause significant re-distribution or loss of the energetic particles. We used the hybrid model to study the stability of high-n TAEs in ITER. Our simulations show that the most unstable modes in ITER lie in the rage of 10 < n < 20. Thermal ion pressure effect and alpha particles non-perturbative effect are important in determining the mode radial location and stability threshold. The thermal ion Landau damping rate and radiative damping rate from the simulations are compared with analytical estimates. The thermal ion Landau damping is the dominant damping mechanism. Plasma elongation has a strong stabilizing effect on the alpha driven TAEs. The central alpha particle pressure threshold for the most unstable n=15 mode is about β α (0) = 0.7% for the fully shaped ITER equilibrium. We also carried nonlinear simulations of the most unstable n = 15 mode and found that the saturation amplitude for the nominal ITER discharge is too low to cause large redistribution or loss of alpha particles. To include kinetic electron effects in the hybrid model we have studied a kinetic electron closure scheme for the fluid electron model. The most important element of the closure scheme is a complete Ohm’s law for the parallel electric field E || , derived by combining the quasi-neutrality condition, the Ampere’s equation and the v || moment of the gyrokinetic equations. A discretization method for the closure scheme is studied in detail for a three-dimensional shear-less slab plasma. It is found that for long-wavelength shear Alfvén waves the kinetic closure scheme is both more accurate and robust than the previous GEM algorithm using the split-scheme, whereas for the ion-gradient-driven instability the previous algorithm is more efficient. This kinetic electron closure scheme will be implemented in GEM in the future. We have studied the beam driven Reverse Shear Alfven Eigenmodes (RSAE) observed in DIII-D discharge 142111. For this purpose a new scheme for obtaining the electric potential is implemented, i.e., by solving the gyrokinetic moment (GKM) equation, which is essentially the equation for $∂\phi/∂t$ used in GEM’s split-weight scheme, and then integrating in time. Due to charge-neutrality the ExB motions of the equilibrium densities of all species cancel each other and do not cause charge separation if there is no finite Larmor radius effect. The advantage of solving the GKM equation is that this lowest-order cancellation can be made explicit. The GKM approach is found to be more accurate and robust. GEM simulations have reproduced many features of RSAE seen in the experiment, such as frequency chirping and the chirping range. It has been reported by other simulation codes that the shearing direction of the mode structure in the poloidal plane disagrees with observation. We found that the mode structure, including the shearing in the poloidal plane, is in general sensitive to the beam distribution. Using the same beam density profile as in other codes but with a slowing-down distribution in velocity, GEM simulations reproduce the mode shearing direction seen in the experiment. We have carried out extensive nonlinear simulations of RSAE.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗