Fast-ion losses due to high-frequency MHD perturbations in the ASDEX upgrade Tokamak

Implementation of synthetic fast-ion loss detector and imaging heavy ion beam probe diagnostics in the 3D hybrid kinetic-MHD code MEGA

A synthetic fast-ion loss (FIL) detector and an imaging Heavy Ion Beam Probe (i-HIBP) have been implemented in the 3D hybrid kinetic-magnetohydrodynamic code MEGA. First synthetic measurements from these two diagnostics have been obtained for neutral beam injection-driven Alfvén Eigenmode (AE) simulated with MEGA. The synthetic FILs show a strong correlation with the AE amplitude. This correlation is observed in the phase-space, represented in coordinates (P_ϕ, E), being toroidal canonical momentum and energy, respectively. FILs and the energy exchange diagrams of the confined population are connected with lines of constant E^', a linear combination of E and P_ϕ. First i-HIBP synthetic signals also have been computed for the simulated AE, showing displacements in the strike line of the order of ∼1 mm, above the expected resolution in the i-HIBP scintillator of ∼100 μm.

A rotary and reciprocating scintillator based fast-ion loss detector for the MAST-U tokamak

The design and unique feature of the first fast-ion loss detector (FILD) for the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak - Upgrade (MAST-U) is presented here. The MAST-U FILD head is mounted on an axially and angularly actuated mechanism that makes it possible to independently adapt the orientation [0°, 90°] and radial position [1.40 m, 1.60 m] of the FILD head, i.e., its collimator, thus maximizing the detector velocity-space coverage in a broad range of plasma scenarios with different q₉₅. The 3D geometry of the detector has been optimized to detect fast-ion losses from the neutral beam injectors. Orbit simulations are used to calculate the strike map and predict the expected signals. The results show a velocity-space range of [4 cm, 13 cm] in gyroradius and [30°, 85°] in pitch angle, covering the entire neutral beam ion energy range. The optical system will provide direct sight of the scintillator and simultaneous detection with two cameras, giving high spatial and temporal resolution. The MAST-U FILD will shed light on the dominant fast-ion transport mechanisms in one of the world's two largest spherical tokamaks through absolute measurements of fast-ion losses.

Development of the scintillator-based probe for fast-ion losses in the HL-2A tokamak

A new scintillator-based lost fast-ion probe (SLIP) has been developed and operated in the HL-2A tokamak [L. W. Yan, X. R. Duan, X. T. Ding, J. Q. Dong, Q. W. Yang, Yi Liu, X. L. Zou, D. Q. Liu, W. M. Xuan, L. Y. Chen, J. Rao, X. M. Song, Y. Huang, W. C. Mao, Q. M. Wang, Q. Li, Z. Cao, B. Li, J. Y. Cao, G. J. Lei, J. H. Zhang, X. D. Li, W. Chen, J. Chen, C. H. Cui, Z. Y. Cui, Z. C. Deng, Y. B. Dong, B. B. Feng, Q. D. Gao, X. Y. Han, W. Y. Hong, M. Huang, X. Q. Ji, Z. H. Kang, D. F. Kong, T. Lan, G. S. Li, H. J. Li, Qing Li, W. Li, Y. G. Li, A. D. Liu, Z. T. Liu, C. W. Luo, X. H. Mao, Y. D. Pan, J. F. Peng, Z. B. Shi, S. D. Song, X. Y. Song, H. J. Sun, A. K. Wang, M. X. Wang, Y. Q. Wang, W. W. Xiao, Y. F. Xie, L. H. Yao, D. L. Yu, B. S. Yuan, K. J. Zhao, G. W. Zhong, J. Zhou, J. C. Yan, C. X. Yu, C. H. Pan, Y. Liu, and the HL-2A Team, Nucl. Fusion 51, 094016 (2011)] to measure the losses of neutral beam ions. The design of the probe is based on the concept of the α-particle detectors on Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) using scintillator plates. The probe is capable of traveling across an equatorial plane port and sweeping the aperture angle rotationally with respect to the axis of the probe shaft by two step motors, in order to optimize the radial position and the collimator angle. The energy and the pitch angle of the lost fast ions can be simultaneously measured if the two-dimensional image of scintillation light intensity due to the impact of the lost fast ions is detected. Measurements of the fast-ion losses using the probe have been performed during HL-2A neutral beam injection discharges. The clear experimental evidence of enhanced losses of beam ions during disruptions has been obtained by means of the SLIP system. A detailed description of the probe system and the first experimental results are reported.

Fast-particle-driven Alfvénic modes in a reversed field pinch

Alfvénic modes are observed due to neutral beam injection for the first time in a reversed field pinch plasma. Modeling of the beam deposition and slowing down shows that the velocity and radial localization are high. This allows instability drive from inverse Landau damping of a bump-on-tail in the parallel distribution function or from free energy in the fast ion density gradient. Mode switching from a lower frequency toroidal mode number n=5 mode that scales with beam injection velocity to a higher frequency n=4 mode with Alfvénic scaling is observed.

Modeling the response of a fast ion loss detector using orbit tracing techniques in a neutral beam prompt-loss study on the DIII-D tokamak

A numerical model describing the expected measurements of neutral beam prompt-losses by a newly commissioned fast ion loss detector (FILD) in DIII-D is presented. This model incorporates the well understood neutral beam deposition profiles from all eight DIII-D beamlines to construct a prompt-loss source distribution. The full range of detectable ion orbit phase space available to the FILD is used to calculate ion trajectories that overlap with neutral beam injection footprints. Weight functions are applied to account for the level of overlap between these detectable orbits and the spatial and velocity (pitch) properties of ionized beam neutrals. An experimental comparison is performed by firing each neutral beam individually in the presence of a ramping plasma current. Fast ion losses determined from the model are in agreement with measured losses.

Convective and diffusive energetic particle losses induced by shear Alfvén waves in the ASDEX upgrade tokamak

We present here the first phase-space characterization of convective and diffusive energetic particle losses induced by shear Alfvén waves in a magnetically confined fusion plasma. While single toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes (TAE) and Alfvén cascades (AC) eject resonant fast ions in a convective process, an overlapping of AC and TAE spatial structures leads to a large fast-ion diffusion and loss. Diffusive fast-ion losses have been observed with a single TAE above a certain threshold in the fluctuation amplitude.

Scintillator based detector for fast-ion losses induced by magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in the ASDEX upgrade tokamak

A scintillator based detector for fast-ion losses has been designed and installed on the ASDEX upgrade (AUG) tokamak [A. Herrmann and O. Gruber, Fusion Sci. Technol. 44, 569 (2003)]. The detector resolves in time the energy and pitch angle of fast-ion losses induced by magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) fluctuations. The use of a novel scintillator material with a very short decay time and high quantum efficiency allows to identify the MHD fluctuations responsible for the ion losses through Fourier analysis. A Faraday cup (secondary scintillator plate) has been embedded behind the scintillator plate for an absolute calibration of the detector. The detector is mounted on a manipulator to vary its radial position with respect to the plasma. A thermocouple on the inner side of the graphite protection enables the safety search for the most adequate radial position. To align the scintillator light pattern with the light detectors a system composed by a lens and a vacuum-compatible halogen lamp has been allocated within the detector head. In this paper, the design of the scintillator probe, as well as the new technique used to analyze the data through spectrograms will be described. A last section is devoted to discuss the diagnosis prospects of this method for ITER [M. Shimada et al., Nucl. Fusion 47, S1 (2007)].

A flexible luminescent probe to monitor fast ion losses at the edge of the TJ-II stellarator

A mobile luminescent probe has been developed to detect fast ion losses and suprathermal ions escaping from the plasma of the TJ-II stellarator device. The priorities for its design have been flexibility for probe positioning, ease of maintenance, and detector sensitivity. It employs a coherent fiber bundle to relay, to the outside of the vacuum chamber, ionoluminescence images produced by the ions that impinge, after entering the detector head through a pinhole aperture, onto a screen of luminescent material. Ionoluminescence light detection is accomplished by a charge-coupled device camera and by a photomultiplier, both of which are optically coupled to the in-vacuum fiber bundle head by means of a standard optical setup. A detailed description of the detector, and the first results obtained when operated close to the plasma edge, are reported.