Development of an experimental facility for the study of microparticle initiated radio frequency vacuum breakdown.

An ongoing objective in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) systems is the improvement of power coupling to the plasma. During the last decade, this goal has been mainly pursued through the study of the coupling resistance, either by optimizing the antenna layout or by tailoring the scrape-off layer profile with gas puffing. Another approach is to increase the voltage handling capability of the ICRF system, limited by breakdown in the launchers or in the transmission lines. This paper describes the design of the ICRF Breakdown EXperiment (IBEX), a device to investigate fundamental aspects of radio frequency arcs under ICRF-relevant conditions. IBEX can achieve a peak voltage of 48 kV at 54 MHz with a 5 kW input power.

Convective transport suppression in the scrape-off layer using ion cyclotron resonance heating on the ASDEX Upgrade Tokamak.

Turbulence properties in the scrape-off layer (SOL) in the presence of ion cyclotron frequency heating (ICRH) are compared to instances where it is absent. The discharges are all in a high-confinement mode (H-mode) regime. During ICRH, the SOL plasma density increases whereas turbulence large-scale and convective structures are shown to be suppressed. The probability distribution function is thus recorded to be closer to a Gaussian, and a net decrease in the low-frequency density fluctuations is reflected in the power spectra. Consequently, the level of turbulent fluctuations decreases significantly. Turbulence suppression is also reported during edge localized modes (ELMs) where both the ELMs-induced transport and duration are strongly affected. The increase of neutrals by gas puffing did not alter this behavior. We deduce that ICRH can be used as to suppress convective transport and reduce the ELM's amplitude.

Polarization Stark spectroscopy for spatially resolved measurements of electric fields in the sheaths of ICRF antenna.

A multichannel spectroscopic diagnostic based on the Stark effect on helium lines was developed and implemented in IShTAR (Ion Cyclotron Sheath Test ARrangement) to measure the spatial distribution of electric fields across the radio frequency sheaths of the ion cyclotron antenna. Direct measurements of the DC electric fields in the antenna sheaths are an important missing component in understanding the antenna-plasma edge interactions in magnetically confined fusion plasmas since they will be used to benchmark theoretical models against real antenna operation. Along with the high-resolution Czerny-Turner monochromator and a detector with an intensifier, the hardware relies on the 2 chained set of linear-to-linear fiber bundles that provide seven optical channels capable of resolving an 8.4 mm region in the vicinity of the antenna's box. The diagnostic is supported with local helium gas puff, enabling it to operate in nonhelium plasmas. Spatially resolved electric field was measured for two discharge configurations, one with and one without the ICRF antenna. The results show a clear difference in the shape of the DC electric field's spatial profile for the two cases studied, with the elevated values when the ICRF antenna was operating. This demonstrates the ability of the diagnostic to measure even small relative changes in the intensity of the electric field.

IShTAR: A test facility to study the interaction between RF wave and edge plasmas.

Existence of high electric fields near an RF antenna launcher causes a number of parasitic phenomena, such as arcing and impurity release, which seriously deteriorate the performance of an Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies (ICRF) heating scheme in fusion devices. Limited accessibility of the near antenna region in large-scale fusion experiments significantly complicates the associated experimental studies. The IShTAR test facility has been developed with the requirement to provide a better accessibility and diagnosability of plasmas in the direct vicinity of an ICRF antenna. The purpose of this work is to give a detailed description on the experimental setup and the available diagnostics. Furthermore, the paper will demonstrate the capability of the experiment to study phenomena near an ICRF antenna launcher which are relevant for large-scale fusion ion cyclotron resonance heating systems.

Development of a spectroscopic diagnostic tool for electric field measurements in IShTAR (Ion cyclotron Sheath Test ARrangement).

IShTAR, Ion cyclotron Sheath Test ARrangement, is a linear device dedicated to the investigation of the edge plasma-ICRF (Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies) antenna interactions in tokamak edge-like conditions and serves as a platform for a diagnostic development for measuring the electric fields in the vicinity of ICRF antennas. We present here our progress in the development of an optical emission spectroscopy method for measuring the electric fields which concentrates on the changes in the helium spectral line profiles introduced by the external electrical field, i.e., the Stark effect. To be able to fully control the operating parameters, at the first stage of the study, the measurements are conducted on a planar electrode installed in the centre of the plasma column in IShTAR's helicon plasma source. At the second stage, the measurements are performed in the vicinity of IShTAR's ICRF antenna.

Theory of a cylindrical Langmuir probe parallel to the magnetic field and its calibration with interferometry.

A theory for data interpretation is presented for a cylindrical Langmuir probe in plasma parallel to the magnetic field direction. The theory is tested in a linear low-temperature plasma device Aline, in a capacitive radio-frequency (RF) discharge. The probe is placed on a 3D manipulator, and a position scan is performed. To exclude strong RF perturbations, the probe is RF compensated. Using the theory, electron densities are obtained from the current at the plasma potential, where no sheath is present. Results are calibrated by line-integrated density measurements of a 26.5 GHz microwave interferometer. Reasonable agreement is observed for probe and interferometer measurements. Furthermore, preceding, more general probe theory is compared to the one developed in the current work and the application limits are discussed.

Observations of core ion cyclotron emission on ASDEX Upgrade tokamak.

The B-dot probe diagnostic suite on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak has recently been upgraded with a new 125 MHz, 14 bit resolution digitizer to study ion cyclotron emission (ICE). While classic edge emission from the low field side plasma is often observed, we also measure waves originating from the core with fast fusion protons or beam injected deuterons being a possible emission driver. Comparing the measured frequency values with ion cyclotron harmonics present in the plasma places the origin of this emission on the magnetic axis, with the fundamental hydrogen/second deuterium cyclotron harmonic matching the observed values. The actual values range from ∼27 MHz at the on-axis toroidal field BT = -1.79 T to ∼40 MHz at BT = -2.62 T. When the magnetic axis position evolves during this emission, the measured frequency values track the changes in the estimated on-axis cyclotron frequency values. Core ICE is usually a transient event lasting ∼100 ms during the neutral beam startup phase. However, in some cases, core emission occurs in steady-state plasmas and lasts for longer than 1 s. These observations suggest an attractive possibility of using a non-perturbing ICE-based diagnostic to passively monitor fusion alpha particles at the location of their birth in the plasma core, in deuterium-tritium burning devices such as ITER and DEMO.

ICRF wave field measurements in the presence of scrape off layer turbulence on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak (invited).

A new array of B-dot probes was installed on ASDEX Upgrade. The purpose of the new diagnostic is to study Ion Cyclotron Range-off Frequencies (ICRF) wave field distributions in the evanescent scrape-off layer (SOL) plasma region on the low field side of ASDEX Upgrade. The vacuum measurements (no gas, BT = 0 T) reveal ICRF wave field measurements consistent with the profiles expected from the newly installed 3-strap ICRF antennas outside the antenna box: the shape of the toroidal distribution of both the amplitude and the phase is the same for the case of only the central straps being active, as for the case of only the side straps being active. These profiles become strongly modified during plasma operations. The modifications can be separated into two types: "Inter-edge localized mode (ELM)" and "During-ELM" periods. The phase distribution of the ICRF wave fields remains well-defined during the Inter-ELM period; however, it becomes more spread out over the entire 360° range during ELMs. The observed modulations cannot be explained by the observed changes in the ICRF power, as monitored in the transmission line. However, they are consistent with ICRF coupling changes introduced by plasma filaments: the plasma density perturbations due to the filaments are high enough to change the nature of the fast ICRF wave field from evanescent to propagating. The coverage of the present diagnostic is being expanded to include both the low field side and the high field side probes. Additionally, a manipulator probe head is being developed to measure ICRF wave field radial profiles across the SOL region.

Implementation of the new multichannel X-mode edge density profile reflectometer for the ICRF antenna on ASDEX Upgrade.

A new multichannel frequency modulated continuous-wave reflectometry diagnostic has been successfully installed and commissioned on ASDEX Upgrade to measure the plasma edge electron density profile evolution in front of the Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies (ICRF) antenna. The design of the new three-strap ICRF antenna integrates ten pairs (sending and receiving) of microwave reflectometry antennas. The multichannel reflectometer can use three of these to measure the edge electron density profiles up to 2 × 1019 m-3, at different poloidal locations, allowing the direct study of the local plasma layers in front of the ICRF antenna. ICRF power coupling, operational effects, and poloidal variations of the plasma density profile can be consistently studied for the first time. In this work the diagnostic hardware architecture is described and the obtained density profile measurements were used to track outer radial plasma position and plasma shape.

A new B-dot probe-based diagnostic for amplitude, polarization, and wavenumber measurements of ion cyclotron range-of frequency fields on ASDEX Upgrade.

A new B-dot probe-based diagnostic has been installed on an ASDEX Upgrade tokamak to characterize ion cyclotron range-of frequency (ICRF) wave generation and interaction with magnetized plasma. The diagnostic consists of a field-aligned array of B-dot probes, oriented to measure fast and slow ICRF wave fields and their field-aligned wavenumber (k(//)) spectrum on the low field side of ASDEX Upgrade. A thorough description of the diagnostic and the supporting electronics is provided. In order to compare the measured dominant wavenumber of the local ICRF fields with the expected spectrum of the launched ICRF waves, in-air near-field measurements were performed on the newly installed 3-strap ICRF antenna to reconstruct the dominant launched toroidal wavenumbers (k(tor)). Measurements during a strap current phasing scan in tokamak discharges reveal an upshift in k(//) as strap phasing is moved away from the dipole configuration. This result is the opposite of the k(tor) trend expected from in-air near-field measurements; however, the near-field based reconstruction routine does not account for the effect of induced radiofrequency (RF) currents in the passive antenna structures. The measured exponential increase in the local ICRF wave field amplitude is in agreement with the upshifted k(//), as strap phasing moves away from the dipole configuration. An examination of discharges heated with two ICRF antennas simultaneously reveals the existence of beat waves at 1 kHz, as expected from the difference of the two antennas' operating frequencies. Beats are observed on both the fast and the slow wave probes suggesting that the two waves are coupled outside the active antennas. Although the new diagnostic shows consistent trends between the amplitude and the phase measurements in response to changes applied by the ICRF antennas, the disagreement with the in-air near-field measurements remains. An electromagnetic model is currently under development to address this issue.

Visualization of the operational space of edge-localized modes through low-dimensional embedding of probability distributions.

Information visualization aimed at facilitating human perception is an important tool for the interpretation of experiments on the basis of complex multidimensional data characterizing the operational space of fusion devices. This work describes a method for visualizing the operational space on a two-dimensional map and applies it to the discrimination of type I and type III edge-localized modes (ELMs) from a series of carbon-wall ELMy discharges at JET. The approach accounts for stochastic uncertainties that play an important role in fusion data sets, by modeling measurements with probability distributions in a metric space. The method is aimed at contributing to physical understanding of ELMs as well as their control. Furthermore, it is a general method that can be applied to the modeling of various other plasma phenomena as well.

Plasma rotation induced by directed waves in the ion-cyclotron range of frequencies.

Changes of the toroidal plasma rotation induced by directed waves in the ion-cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) have been identified experimentally for the first time on the JET tokamak. The momentum carried by the waves is initially absorbed by fast resonating ions, which subsequently transfer it to the bulk plasma. Thus, the results provide evidence for the influence of ICRF heated fast ions on plasma rotation.

Destabilization of fast-ion-induced long sawteeth by localized current drive in the JET tokamak.

In a tokamak fusion reactor the energetic alpha particles will transiently stabilize the magnetohydrodynamic activity causing sawtooth oscillations. The crash events terminating long sawtooth free periods can provide seed islands for neoclassical tearing modes [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 105001 (2002)]]. To shorten the sawtooth periods localized current drive near the q=1 surface is a possibility. This Letter provides the first experimental evidence for the effectiveness of this method in the different physics regime associated with fast-ion-induced long sawteeth on the JET tokamak.

Alpha-tail production with ion-cyclotron-resonance heating of 4He-beam ions in JET plasmas.

Third-harmonic ion-cyclotron-resonance heating of 4He-beam ions has produced for the first time on the JET tokamak high-energy populations of 4He ions to simulate 3.5 MeV fusion-born alpha (alpha) particles. Acceleration of 4He ions to the MeV energy range is confirmed by gamma-ray emission from the nuclear reaction 9Be(alpha,ngamma) 12C and excitation of Alfvén eigenmodes. Concomitant electron heating and sawtooth stabilization are observed. The scheme could be used in next-step tokamaks to gain information on trapped alpha particles and to test alpha diagnostics in the early nonactivated phase of operation.

Controlling the profile of ion-cyclotron-resonant ions in JET with the wave-induced pinch effect.

Experiments on the JET tokamak show that the wave-induced pinch in the presence of toroidally asymmetric waves can provide a tool for controlling the profile of ion-cyclotron-resonant 3He ions. Direct evidence for the wave-induced pinch has been obtained from the measured gamma-ray emission profiles. Concurrent differences in the excitation of Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs), sawtooth stabilization, electron temperatures, and fast-ion stored energies are observed. The measured location of the AEs and gamma-ray emission profiles are consistent with the fast-ion radial gradient providing the drive for AEs.