Radiation damage effects in a surface barrier detector after irradiation by 4.5 MeV alpha particles
Alpha particles radiation damage effects in silicon surface barrier detector
Hanser, F. A.↗
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Inertially confined fusion plasmas dominated by alpha-particle self-heating [Alpha-particle self-heating dominated inertially confined fusion plasmas]
Alpha-particle self-heating, the process of deuterium–tritium fusion reaction products depositing their kinetic energy locally within a fusion reaction region and thus increasing the temperature in the reacting region, is essential for achieving ignition in a fusion system. Here, we report new inertial confinement fusion experiments where the alpha-particle heating of the plasma is dominant with the fusion yield produced exceeding the fusion yield from the work done on the fuel (pressure times volume change) by a factor of two or more. These experiments have achieved the highest yield (26 ± 0.5 kJ) and stagnation pressures ( ≍ 220 ± 40 Gbar) of any facility-based inertial confinement fusion experiments, although they are still short of the pressures required for ignition on the National Ignition Facility (~300–400 Gbar). Finally, these experiments put us in a new part of parameter space that has not been extensively studied so far because it lies between the no-alpha-particle-deposition regime and ignition.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
An alpha particle instrument with alpha, proton, and X-ray modes for planetary chemical analyses
The interaction of alpha particles with matter is employed in a compact instrument that could provide rather complete in-situ chemical analyses of surfaces and thin atmospheres of extraterrestrial bodies. The instrument is a miniaturized and improved version of the Surveyor lunar instrument. The backscattering of alpha particles and (alpha, p) reactions provide analytical data on the light elements (carbon-iron). An X-ray mode that detects the photons produced by the alpha sources provides sensitivity and resolution for the chemical elements heavier than about silicon. The X-rays are detected by semiconductor detectors having a resolution between 150 and 250 eV at 5.9 keV. Such an instrument can identify and determine with good accuracy 99 percent of the atoms (except hydrogen) in rocks. For many trace elements, the detecting sensitivity is a few ppm. Auxiliary sources could be used to enhance the sensitivities for elements of special interest. The instrument could probably withstand the acceleration involved in semi-hard landings.
Economou, T. E.↗
Dependence of alpha-particle-driven Alfvén eigenmode linear stability on device magnetic field strength and consequences for next-generation tokamaks
Recently-proposed tokamak concepts use magnetic fields up to 12 T, far higher than in conventional devices, to reduce size and cost. Theoretical and computational study of trends in plasma behavior with increasing field strength is critical to such proposed devices. This paper considers trends in Alfvén eigenmode (AE) stability. Energetic particles, including alphas from deuterium–tritium fusion, can destabilize AEs, possibly causing loss of alpha heat and damage to the device. AEs are sensitive to device magnetic field via the field dependence of resonances, alpha particle beta, and alpha orbit width. We describe the origin and effect of these dependences analytically and by using recently-developed numerical techniques (Rodrigues et al 2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 083003). The work suggests high-field machines where fusion-born alphas are sub-Alfvénic or nearly sub-Alfvénic may partially cut off AE resonances, reducing growth rates of AEs and the energy of alphas interacting with them. High-field burning plasma regimes have non-negligible alpha particle beta and AE drive, but faster slowing down time, provided by high electron density, and higher field strength reduces this drive relative to low-field machines with similar power densities. The toroidal mode number of the most unstable modes will tend to be higher in high magnetic field devices. Finally, the work suggests that high magnetic field devices have unique, and potentially advantageous, AE instability properties at both low and high densities.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Dependence of alpha-particle-driven Alfven eigenmode linear stability on device magnetic field strength and consequences for next-generation tokamaks
Recently-proposed tokamak concepts use magnetic fields up to 12 T, far higher than in conven- tional devices, to reduce size and cost. Theoretical and computational study of trends in plasma behavior with increasing field strength is critical to such proposed devices. This paper considers trends in Alfven eigenmode (AE) stability. Energetic particles, including alphas from D-T fusion, can destabilize AEs, possibly causing loss of alpha heat and damage to the device. AEs are sensitive to device magnetic field via the field dependence of resonances, alpha particle beta, and alpha orbit width. We describe the origin and effect of these dependences analytically and by using recently- developed numerical techniques (Rodrigues et al. 2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 083003). The work suggests high-field machines where fusion-born alphas are sub-Alfvenic or nearly sub-Alfvenic may partially cut off AE resonances, reducing growth rates of AEs and the energy of alphas interacting with them. High-field burning plasma regimes have non-negligible alpha particle beta and AE drive, but faster slowing down time, provided by high electron density, and higher field strength reduces this drive relative to low-field machines with similar power densities. The toroidal mode number of the most unstable modes will tend to be higher in high magnetic field devices. The work suggests that high magnetic field devices have unique, and potentially advantageous, AE instability properties at both low and high densities.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Alpha particle channeling in ITER
Alpha particle channeling, the attempt to extract energy from high-energy fusion alpha particles using a combination of high- and low-frequency waves introduced in the plasma with antennae, is studied using a guiding center code. We examine the effect of the combination of cooling caused by a cyclotron mode, particle diffusion due to Alfvén modes introduced for ash removal, the inclusion of microturbulent diffusion, and the slowing down of the alpha particles on electrons. Induced cooling is achieved with a cyclotron resonance, producing additional losses of particles above 3.5 MeV in an amount about equal to the prompt loss. The removal of the low-energy cooled particles by additional modes or by microturbulent diffusion is the hardest challenge for alpha channeling. The cooled alpha particles remain deep in the plasma center, so for this removal, the method used must be capable of providing transport from the plasma center to the edge without also causing losses of high-energy particles.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Observation of lunar radon emanation with the Apollo 15 alpha particle spectrometer.
The alpha particle spectrometer, a component of the orbital Sim Bay group of 'geochemistry' experiments on Apollo 15, was designed to detect alpha particles emitted during the decay of isotopes of radon gas and her daughter products. The purpose was to measure the gross activity of radon on the lunar surface and to find possible regions of increased local activity. Results are presented from a partial analysis of Apollo 15 data. For the moon as a whole, Rn220 was not observed and the upper limit on its decay rate above the lunar surface is 0.00038 disintegrations/sq cm-sec. Rn222 was marginally observed. Possible variations of radon activity on the lunar surface are being investigated. Po210 (a daughter product of Rn222) has been detected in a broad region from west of Mare Crisium to the Van de Graaff-Orlov region. The observed count rate is (4.6 plus or minus 1.4) x 0.001 disintegrations/sq cm-sec. The observed level of Po210 activity is in excess of the amount that would be in equilibrium with Rn222 by about an order of magnitude. This implies that larger levels of radon emanation have occurred on the moon within a time scale of 10 to 100 years.
Gorenstein, P.↗
Geomagnetically trapped alpha particles
Geomagnetically trapped alpha particles from Injun IV satellite measurements
INJUN SATELLITE↗
Alpha particles diffusion due to charge changes
Alpha particles diffusion due to charge changes in a magnetized plasma is studied. Analytical calculations and numerical simulations are employed to show that this process can be very important in the pedestal-edge-SOL regions. This is the first study that presents clear evidence of the importance of atomic processes on the diffusion of alpha particles. A simple 1D model that includes inelastic collisions with plasma species, “cold” neutrals, and partially ionized species was employed. The code, which follows the exact particle orbits and includes the effect of inelastic collisions via a Monte Carlo type random process, runs on a graphic processor unit (GPU). The analytical and numerical results show excellent agreement when a uniform background (plasma and cold species) is assumed. The simulations also show that the gradients in the density of the plasma and cold species, which are large and opposite in the edge region, produce an inward flux of alpha particles. Calculations of the alpha particles flux reaching the walls or divertor plates should include these processes.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Geomagnetically trapped alpha particles.
Geomagnetically trapped alpha particles intensity between 527 and 2502 km measured by satellite detector, noting energy/nucleon spectra form
Krimigis, S. M.↗
Integrated modeling of alpha particle losses in JET DT plasmas
Alpha particle confinement is crucial for sustaining burning plasmas and designing future reactor concepts. Along with classical/prompt losses, various magnetohydrodynamic instabilities can lead to wave-particle interactions which can transport alpha particles outward from the plasma. This can result in a reduction in plasma heating/performance, and, at worst, damage in-vessel components. Joint European Torus’s recent deuterium–tritium campaigns in 2021–2023 have produced numerous alpha particle loss measurements with its scintillator probe and Faraday cup array fast ion loss detectors as discussed in Bonofiglo et al (2024 Nucl. Fusion 64 096038). This paper will report on integrated energetic particle transport modeling in support of those measurements. The modeling is accomplished with the TRANSP and ORBIT-kick codes with the use of recently developed reduced models which calculate mode structure, amplitude, and the evolving dynamics. When possible, constraints and comparisons to experiment are conducted. Case studies are performed on a variety of magnetohydrodynamic activity, including: fishbones, tearing modes (TMs), and sawtooth crashes. Additionally, a special case of an alpha-driven toroidal Alfvén eigenmode is briefly discussed, where modeling showed marginally weak alpha losses and was unable to support experimental observations. Coupled effects between a TM and toroidal field ripple are presented and were unable to replicate the observations in lost particle pitch but did duplicate the localized flattening of the measured neutron profile. Additional modeling results compare the magnitude of losses and energy/velocity-space sensitivities against experimental observations/measurements for each scenario. This work corroborates numeric alpha transport modeling while also identifying model deficiencies. While this report details alpha transport, it also presents open issues for discussion in assessing the validity of our numerical models towards burning plasmas.
Bonofiglo, Phillip J. [Princeton Plasma Physics La↗
Assessing the impact of alpha particles on thermal confinement in JET D-T plasmas through global GENE-Tango simulations
The capability of the global, electromagnetic gyrokinetic GENE code interfaced with the transport Tango solver is exploited to address the impact of fusion alpha particles (in their dual role of fast particles and heating source) on plasma profiles and performance at JET in the discharges with the highest quasi-stationary peak fusion power during the DTE2 experimental campaigns. Employing radially global nonlinear electromagnetic GENE-Tango simulations, we compare results with/without alpha particles and alpha heating. Our findings reveal that alpha particles have a negligible impact on turbulent transport, with GENE-Tango converging to similar plasma profiles regardless of their inclusion as a kinetic species in GENE. On the other hand, alpha heating is found to contribute to the peaking of the electron temperature profiles, leading to a 1 keV drop on the on-axis electron temperature when alpha heating is neglected in Tango. The minimal impact of alpha particles on turbulent transport in this JET discharge–despite this being the shot with the highest fusion output–is attributed to the low content of fusion alpha in this discharge. To assess the potential impact of alpha particles on turbulent transport in regimes with higher alpha particle density, as expected in ITER and fusion reactors, we artificially increased the alpha particle concentration to levels expected for ITER. By performing global nonlinear GENE standalone simulations, we found that increasing the alpha particle density beyond five times the nominal value lead to significant overall turbulence destabilization. These results demonstrate that an increased alpha particle concentration can significantly impact transport properties under simulated JET experimental conditions. However, these findings cannot be directly extrapolated to ITER due to the substantial differences in parameters such as plasma size, magnetic field, plasma current, and thermal pressure.
energetic particles↗
Measurements of geomagnetically trapped alpha particles, 1968-1970. I - Quiet time distributions
Results of observations of geomagnetically trapped alpha particles over the energy range from 1.18 to 8 MeV performed with the aid of the Injun 5 polar-orbiting satellite during the period from September 1968 to May 1970. Following a presentation of a time history covering this entire period, a detailed analysis is made of the magnetically quiet period from Feb. 11 to 28, 1970. During this period the alpha particle fluxes and the intensity ratio of alpha particles to protons attained their lowest values in approximately 20 months; the alpha particle intensity versus L profile was most similar to the proton profile at the same energy per nucleon interval; the intensity ratio was nearly constant as a function of L in the same energy per nucleon representation, but rose sharply with L when computed in the same total energy interval; the variation of alpha particle intensity with B suggested a steep angular distribution at small equatorial pitch angles, while the intensity ratio showed little dependence on B; and the alpha particle spectral parameter showed a markedly different dependence on L from the equivalent one for protons.
Krimigis, S. M.↗
Deceleration of alpha particles in the solar wind by instabilities and the rotational force: Implications for heating, azimuthal flow, and the Parker spiral magnetic field
Protons and alpha particles in the fast solar wind are only weakly collisional and exhibit a number of non-equilibrium features, including relative drifts between particle species. Two non-collisional mechanisms have been proposed for limiting differential flow between alpha particles and protons: plasma instabilities and the rotational force. Both mechanisms decelerate the alpha particles. In this paper, we derive an analytic expression for the rate Q{sub flow} at which energy is released by alpha-particle deceleration, accounting for azimuthal flow and conservation of total momentum. We show that instabilities control the deceleration of alpha particles at r r{sub crit}, where r{sub crit}≃2.5 AU in the fast solar wind in the ecliptic plane. We find that Q{sub flow} is positive at r<r{sub crit} and Q{sub flow}=0 at r⩾r{sub crit}, consistent with the previous finding that the rotational force does not lead to a release of energy. We compare the value of Q{sub flow} at r<r{sub crit} with empirical heating rates for protons and alpha particles, denoted Q{sub p} and Q{sub α}, deduced from in situ measurements of fast-wind streams from the Helios and Ulysses spacecraft. We find that Q{sub flow} exceeds Q{sub α} at r<1 AU, and that Q{sub flow}/Q{sub p} decreases with increasing distance from the Sun from a value of about one at r = 0.29–0.42 AU to about 1/4 at 1 AU. We conclude that the continuous energy input from alpha-particle deceleration at r<r{sub crit} makes an important contribution to the heating of the fast solar wind. We also discuss the implications of the alpha-particle drift for the azimuthal flow velocities of the ions and for the Parker spiral magnetic field.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Perovskite CsPbBr 3 Single Crystal Detector for Alpha-Particle Spectroscopy.
Here we report the first spectroscopic alpha particle detection based on CsPbBr 3 detectors with asymmetric contacts. The CsPbBr 3 single crystal was grown from melt using Bridgman method and then fabricated into detectors with different contacts. The In/CsPbBr 3 /Au detector presented a low dark current (~100 nA/cm 2 ) and temporal stable performance under high electric field (1000 V/cm). Such detector demonstrated excellent gamma ray resolving capability with a full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of ~5.9 keV for the 57 Co 122 keV γ ray. The CsPbBr 3 detector was capable of simultaneously resolving both the alpha particle (5.5 MeV) and γ ray (59.5 keV) peaks from 241 Am radiative isotope. The transport properties of CsPbBr 3 were then determined based on the alpha particle spectra and corresponding rise time distributions. The equivalent values of electron and hole mobilities were indicated as 63 and 49 cm 2 /(V∙s) respectively. The calculated electron and hole mobility-lifetime products were 4.5 x 10 -4 and 9.5 x 10 -4 cm 2 /V, respectively, demonstrating superior transport properties of holes over electrons in CsPbBr 3 . As a result, this work widens the scope of perovskite detectors to encompass charged radiation as well as high energy X/γ rays, and will significantly promote and guide further studies on perovskite materials for radiation detection applications.
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
Analysis of radiation risk from alpha particle component of solar particle events
The solar particle events (SPE) will contain a primary alpha particle component, representing a possible increase in the potential risk to astronauts during an SPE over the often studied proton component. We discuss the physical interactions of alpha particles important in describing the transport of these particles through spacecraft and body shielding. Models of light ion reactions are presented and their effects on energy and linear energy transfer (LET) spectra in shielding discussed. We present predictions of particle spectra, dose, and dose equivalent in organs of interest for SPE spectra typical of those occurring in recent solar cycles. The large events of solar cycle 19 are found to have substantial increase in biological risk from alpha particles, including a large increase in secondary neutron production from alpha particle breakup.
NASA Discipline Number 45-10↗
Analysis of radiation risk from alpha particle component of soalr particle events
The Solar Particle Events (SPE) will contain a primary alpha particle component, representing a possible increase in the potential risk to astronauts during an SPE over the often studied proton component. We discuss the physical interactions of alpha particles important in describing the transport of these particles through spacecraft and body shielding. Models of light ion reactions are presented and their effects on energy and Linear Energy Transfer (LET) spectra in shielding are discussed. We present predictions of particle spectra, dose, and dose equivalent in organs of interest for SPE spectra typical of those occurring in recent solar cycles. The large events of solar cycle 19 are found to have substantial increase in biological risk from alpha particles, including a large increase in secondary neutron production from alpha particle breakup.
Cucinotta, F. A.↗