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Results for “PLASMA RADIAL PROFILES”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Computational modeling study of the radial line slot antenna microwave plasma source with comparisons to experiments

The radial line slot antenna plasma source is a high-density microwave plasma source comprising a high electron temperature source region within the plasma skin depth from a coupling window and low electron temperature diffusion region far from the window. The plasma is typically comprised of inert gases like argon and mixtures of halogen or fluorocarbon gases for etching. Following the experimental study of Tian et al.[J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 24, 1421 (2006)], a two-dimensional computational model is used to describe the essential features of the source. A high density argon plasma is described using the quasi-neutral approximation and coupled to a frequency-domain electromagnetic wave solver to describe the plasma-microwave interactions in the source. The plasma is described using a multispecies plasma chemistry mechanism developed specifically for microwave excitation conditions. The plasma is nonlocal by nature with locations of peak power deposition and peak plasma density being very different. The spatial distribution of microwave power coupling depends on whether the plasma is under- or over-dense and is described well by the model. The model predicts the experimentally observed low-order diffusion mode radial plasma profiles. The trends of spatial profiles of electron density and electron temperature over a wide range of power and pressure conditions compare well with experimental results.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Turbulent Transport Control via Shaping of Radial Plasma Flow Profiles (Final Technical Report)

The strong coupling between the different physical variables involved in the plasma transport phenomenon and the high complexity of its dynamics call for a model-based, multivariable approach to profile control where those predictive models could be exploited. The overall objective of this project has been to extend the existing body of work by investigating numerically and experimentally active control of unstable fluctuations, including fully developed turbulence and the associated cross-field particle transport, via manipulation of flow profiles in a magnetized laboratory plasma device. Fluctuations and particle transport can be monitored by an array of electrostatic probes, and E x B flow profiles can be controlled via a set of biased concentric ring electrodes that terminate the plasma column. The goals of the proposed research have been threefold: i- to develop a predictive code to simulate plasma transport in the linear HELCAT (HELicon-CAThode) plasma device at the University of New Mexico (UNM), where the experimental component of the proposed research has been carried out; ii- to establish the feasibility of using advanced model-based control algorithms to control cross-field turbulence-driven particle transport through appropriate manipulation of radial plasma flow profiles, iii- to investigate the fundamental nonlinear dynamics of turbulence and transport physics. Lehigh University (LU), including Prof. Eugenio Schuster and one full-time graduate student, has been primarily responsible for control-oriented modeling and model-based control design. Undergraduate students have also participated in this project through the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program. The main goal of the LU Plasma Control Group has been to study the feasibility of controlling turbulence-driven transport by shaping the radial poloidal flow profile (i.e., by controlling flow shear) via biased concentric ring electrodes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Turbulent Transport Control via Shaping of Radial Plasma Flow Profiles

Turbulence, and turbulence-driven transport are ubiquitous in magnetically confined plasmas, where there is an intimate relationship between turbulence, transport, instability driving mechanisms (such as gradients), plasma flows, and flow shear. Though many of the detailed physics of the interrelationship between turbulence, transport, drive mechanisms, and flow remain unclear, there have been many demonstrations that transport and/or turbulence can be suppressed or reduced via manipulations of plasma flow profiles. This is well known in magnetic fusion plasmas [e.g., high confinement mode (H-mode) and internal transport barriers (ITB’s)], and has also been demonstrated in laboratory plasmas. However, it may be that the levels of particle transport obtained in such cases [e.g. H-mode, ITB’s] are actually lower than is desirable for a practical fusion device. Ideally, one would be able to actively feedback control the turbulent transport, via manipulation of the flow profiles. The purpose of this research was to investigate the feasibility of using both advanced model-based control algorithms, as well as non-model-based algorithms, to control cross-field turbulence-driven particle transport through appropriate manipulation of radial plasma flow profiles. The University of New Mexico was responsible for the experimental portion of the project, while our collaborators at the University of Montana provided plasma transport modeling, and collaborators at Lehigh University developed and explored control methods.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Measurements and modeling of the impact of weak magnetic fields on the plasma properties of a planar slot antenna driven plasma source

The radial line slot antenna plasma source is a type of surface wave plasma source driven by a planar slot antenna. Microwave power is transmitted through a slot antenna structure and dielectric window to a plasma characterized by a generation zone adjacent to the window and a diffusion zone that contacts a substrate. The diffusion zone is characterized by a very low electron temperature. This renders the source useful for soft etch applications and thin film deposition processes requiring low ion energy. Another property of the diffusion zone is that the plasma density tends to decrease from the axis to the walls under the action of ambipolar diffusion at distances far from where the plasma is generated. A previous simulation study [Yoshikawa and. Ventzek, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 31, 031306 (2013)] predicted that the anisotropy in transport parameters due to weak static magnetic fields less than 50 G could be leveraged to manipulate the plasma profile in the radial direction. These simulations motivated experimental tests in which weak magnetic fields were applied to a radial line slot antenna source. Plasma absorption probe measurements of electron density and etch rate showed that the magnetic fields remote from the wafer were able to manipulate both parameters. A summary of these results is presented in this paper. Argon plasma simulation trends are compared with experimental plasma and etch rate measurements. A test of the impact of magnetic fields on charge up damage showed no perceptible negative effect.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Inertia driven radial breathing and nonlinear relaxation in cylindrically confined pure electron plasma

The dynamics of cylindrically trapped electron plasma has been investigated using a newly developed 2D Electrostatic PIC code that uses unapproximated, mass-included equations of motion for simulation. Exhaustive simulations, covering the entire range of Brillouin ratio, were performed for uniformly filled circular profiles in rigid rotor equilibrium. The same profiles were then loaded away from equilibrium with an initial value of rigid rotation frequency different from that required for radial force balance. Both these sets of simulations were performed for an initial zero-temperature or cold load of the plasma with no spread in either angular velocity or radial velocity. The evolution of the off-equilibrium initial conditions to a steady state involve radial breathing of the profile that scales in amplitude and algebraic growth with Brillouin fraction. For higher Brillouin fractions, the growth of the breathing mode is followed by complex dynamics of spontaneous hollow density structures, excitation of poloidal modes, leading to a monotonically falling density profile.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS2013

Radial Profiles of Plasma Electron Characteristics in a Low-Power Arcjet

Since 1960, the Arc Jet Complex at NASA Ames Research Center has been a source of long-duration, high-enthalpy flow for materials testing with application to the thermal protection of aerospace vehicle components. From their inception the facilities have played an integral role supporting many of NASA's space flight programs and numerous DoD projects. In recent years advancements in computational fluid dynamics (CFO) have made the resultant models a valuable tool for assessing and predicting performance, however, the inherent limitation of models to compensate for a dissociated, transitionally high temperature nonequilibrated flowfield have made further measurements necessary. The use of electrostatic probe diagnostics within similarly harsh plasma environments in previous studies have been met with much success. In this study, the use of a single Langmuir probe was implemented to characterize the plasma parameters of interest as they vary radially within a large volume of the plume. Classical Langmuir probe theory was applied to achieve first order estimates of the heavy particle temperature, the ratio T(sub i)/T(sub e), and the ionization fraction. As expected, both the electron temperature and electron density measurements show a dependence on radial distance from the plume centerline, with electron density profiles showing the largest dependence. This paper aims to validate and strengthen modeling work conducted at the NASA Ames Research Center by measuring the critical plasma parameters (electron temperature, electron density, and plasma potential) within the arc plume of a subscale arc jet. These parameters are intended to give physical insight into the flow characteristics while providing the necessary boundary conditions to validate full scale simulations.

Codron, Douglas↗
DOE OSTI2013

A biased probe analysis of potential well formation in an electron only, low beta Polywell magnetic field

Orbital limited motion theory has been applied to two biased probes in a low beta Polywell. The cases studied include electron injection, magnetic field scaling, Polywell bias scaling, and radial position profiles. Langmuir's original orbital limited motion results for a monoenergetic electron beam are shown to be in excellent agreement for electron injection into the Polywell. A distribution function is proposed for the electron plasma characteristics in the centre of the magnetic null and confirmed with experimental results. A translational stage was used to measure the radial plasma potential profile. In other experiments, two probes were used to simultaneously measure the profiles in both the null and a position halfway along a corner cusp. The results confirm a radial potential well created by electron trapping in the device. In addition, we present preliminary results of the potential well scaling with the magnetic field, Polywell bias voltage, and the injected beam current. The electron population was found to maintain non-equilibrium in all cases studied.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Effects of the resistivity profile on the formation of a reversed configuration and single helicity states in compressible simulations of the reversed-field pinch

Compressible magnetohydrodynamics simulations of the reversed-field pinch (RFP) are presented. Previous simulations of the RFP, including density and pressure evolution, showed that a stationary state with a reversed toroidal magnetic field could not be obtained, contrary to the results produced with numerical codes neglecting density and pressure dynamics. The simulations described in the present paper show that including density and pressure evolution, a stationary RFP configuration can be obtained if the resistivity has a radial profile steeply increasing close to the wall. Such resistivity profile is more realistic than a uniform resistivity, since the temperature at the wall is lower than in the plasma core.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Turbulent energy exchange: Calculation and relevance for profile prediction

The anomalous heat production due to turbulence is neither routinely calculated in nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations nor routinely retained in profile prediction studies. In this work, we develop a symmetrized method to compute the exchange which dramatically reduces the intermittency in the time-dependent moment, thereby improving the accuracy of the time-average. We also examine the practical impact on transport-timescale simulations, and show that the exchange has only a minor impact on profile evolution for a well-studied DIII-D discharge.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

UEDGE modelling of detached divertor operation for long-leg divertor geometries in ARC

In this work, simulations of the ARC scrape-off layer and divertor configuration are carried out using UEDGE to perform the first power-handling assessment for the divertor design. A convective–diffusive anomalous transport model is implemented in the code to reproduce the radial plasma profiles anticipated for the device at the outer mid-plane. Levels of exhaust power from the core are varied, and a 0.5% fixed fraction neon impurity seeding is included in investigations to find steady-state detached solutions. Initial studies employing a super-X divertor configuration have shown that a stable detached divertor-operational window exists for reactor exhaust powers in the range of 72–92 MW, which is close to projected levels of exhaust power of 105 MW across the separatrix anticipated for ARC. Under these conditions, the divertor heat flux is fully dissipated by radiation and radial losses to the sidewalls of the divertor channel, leading to acceptable levels of power flux density on plasma-facing components. Simulations are being extended to study the performance of the X-point target geometry and to explore the sensitivity to the physics model and input parameters.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Validation of transport models using additive flux minimization technique

A new additive flux minimization technique is proposed for carrying out the verification and validation (V and V) of anomalous transport models. In this approach, the plasma profiles are computed in time dependent predictive simulations in which an additional effective diffusivity is varied. The goal is to obtain an optimal match between the computed and experimental profile. This new technique has several advantages over traditional V and V methods for transport models in tokamaks and takes advantage of uncertainty quantification methods developed by the applied math community. As a demonstration of its efficiency, the technique is applied to the hypothesis that the paleoclassical density transport dominates in the plasma edge region in DIII-D tokamak discharges. A simplified version of the paleoclassical model that utilizes the Spitzer resistivity for the parallel neoclassical resistivity and neglects the trapped particle effects is tested in this paper. It is shown that a contribution to density transport, in addition to the paleoclassical density transport, is needed in order to describe the experimental profiles. It is found that more additional diffusivity is needed at the top of the H-mode pedestal, and almost no additional diffusivity is needed at the pedestal bottom. The implementation of this V and V technique uses the FACETS::Core transport solver and the DAKOTA toolkit for design optimization and uncertainty quantification. The FACETS::Core solver is used for advancing the plasma density profiles. The DAKOTA toolkit is used for the optimization of plasma profiles and the computation of the additional diffusivity that is required for the predicted density profile to match the experimental profile.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

The effect of initial conditions on the electromagnetic radiation generation in type III solar radio bursts

Extensive particle-in-cell simulations of fast electron beams injected in a background magnetised plasma with a decreasing density profile were carried out. These simulations were intended to further shed light on a newly proposed mechanism for the generation of electromagnetic waves in type III solar radio bursts [D. Tsiklauri, Phys. Plasmas, 18, 052903 (2011)]. The numerical simulations were carried out using different density profiles and fast electron distribution functions. It is shown that electromagnetic L and R modes are excited by the transverse current, initially imposed on the system. In the course of the simulations, no further interaction of the electron beam with the background plasma could be observed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Reinvestigation of the charge density distribution in arc discharge fusion system

A continual arc discharge system has been setup and the light intensity of arc discharge has been profiled. The mathematical model of local energy density distribution in arc discharge fusion has been simulated which is in good qualitative agreement with light intensity profile of arc discharge in the experiments. Eventually, the local energy density distribution of arc discharge system is able to be precisely manipulated to act as heat source in the fabrication of fused fiber devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Ion-acoustic supersolitons in plasmas with two-temperature electrons: Boltzmann and kappa distributions

Acoustic supersolitons arise when a plasma model is able to support three consecutive local extrema of the Sagdeev pseudopotential between the undisturbed conditions and an accessible root. This leads to a characteristic electric field signature, where a simple bipolar shape is enriched by subsidiary maxima. Large-amplitude nonlinear acoustic modes are investigated, using a pseudopotential approach, for plasmas containing two-temperature electrons having Boltzmann or kappa distributions, in the presence of cold fluid ions. The existence domains for positive supersolitons are derived in a methodological way, both for structure velocities and amplitudes, in terms of plasma compositional parameters. In addition, typical pseudopotentials, soliton, and electric field profiles have been given to illustrate that positive supersolitons can be found in the whole range of electron distributions from Maxwellian to a very hard nonthermal spectrum in kappa. However, it is found that the parameter ranges that support supersolitons vary significantly over the wide range of kappa considered.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Ion acceleration from laser-driven electrostatic shocks

Multi-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are used to study the generation of electrostatic shocks in plasma and the reflection of background ions to produce high-quality and high-energy ion beams. Electrostatic shocks are driven by the interaction of two plasmas with different density and/or relative drift velocity. The energy and number of ions reflected by the shock increase with increasing density ratio and relative drift velocity between the two interacting plasmas. It is shown that the interaction of intense lasers with tailored near-critical density plasmas allows for the efficient heating of the plasma electrons and steepening of the plasma profile at the critical density interface, leading to the generation of high-velocity shock structures and high-energy ion beams. Our results indicate that high-quality 200 MeV shock-accelerated ion beams required for medical applications may be obtained with current laser systems.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Midplane neutral density profiles in the National Spherical Torus Experiment

Atomic and molecular density data in the outer midplane of NSTX [Ono et al., Nucl. Fusion 40, 557 (2000)] are inferred from tangential camera data via a forward modeling procedure using the DEGAS 2 Monte Carlo neutral transport code. The observed Balmer-β light emission data from 17 shots during the 2010 NSTX campaign display no obvious trends with discharge parameters such as the divertor Balmer-α emission level or edge deuterium ion density. Simulations of 12 time slices in 7 of these discharges produce molecular densities near the vacuum vessel wall of 2–8 × 10{sup 17 }m{sup −3} and atomic densities ranging from 1 to 7 × 10{sup 16 }m{sup −3}; neither has a clear correlation with other parameters. Validation of the technique, begun in an earlier publication, is continued with an assessment of the sensitivity of the simulated camera image and neutral densities to uncertainties in the data input to the model. The simulated camera image is sensitive to the plasma profiles and virtually nothing else. The neutral densities at the vessel wall depend most strongly on the spatial distribution of the source; simulations with a localized neutral source yield densities within a factor of two of the baseline, uniform source, case. The uncertainties in the neutral densities associated with other model inputs and assumptions are ≤50%.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Detailed energy distributions in laser-produced plasmas of solid gold and foam gold planar targets

Foam gold was proposed to increase the laser to x-ray conversion efficiency due to its important applications. To understand the mechanism of x-ray enhancement, the detailed energy distributions and plasma profiles for laser-irradiated solid gold and foam gold targets were studied comparatively by hydrodynamic simulations using the code Multi-1D. It is confirmed that the radiation heat wave is subsonic for the normal solid gold target, while supersonic for the foam gold target. The shock wave, which is behind the supersonic radiation heat wave for the foam gold target, generates a plasma temperature gradient with high temperature near the shock wave front to produce an additional net outward radiation for enhancement of the x-ray emission. Much larger inward plasma velocity is also driven by the shock wave as an initial plasma velocity for the laser deposition and electron thermal conduct zone, which decreases the expanding plasma kinetic energy loss and helps to increase the x-ray radiation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Effects of a random spatial variation of the plasma density on the mode conversion in cold, unmagnetized, and stratified plasmas

We study the effects of a random spatial variation of the plasma density on the mode conversion of electromagnetic waves into electrostatic oscillations in cold, unmagnetized, and stratified plasmas. Using the invariant imbedding method, we calculate precisely the electromagnetic field distribution and the mode conversion coefficient, which is defined to be the fraction of the incident wave power converted into electrostatic oscillations, for the configuration where a numerically generated random density variation is added to the background linear density profile. We repeat similar calculations for a large number of random configurations and take an average of the results. We obtain a peculiar nonmonotonic dependence of the mode conversion coefficient on the strength of randomness. As the disorder increases from zero, the maximum value of the mode conversion coefficient decreases initially, then increases to a maximum, and finally decreases towards zero. The range of the incident angle in which mode conversion occurs increases monotonically as the disorder increases. We present numerical results suggesting that the decrease of mode conversion mainly results from the increased reflection due to the Anderson localization effect originating from disorder, whereas the increase of mode conversion of the intermediate disorder regime comes from the appearance of many resonance points and the enhanced tunneling between the resonance points and the cutoff point. We also find a very large local enhancement of the magnetic field intensity for particular random configurations. In order to obtain high mode conversion efficiency, it is desirable to restrict the randomness close to the resonance region.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗