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Properties of deuterium (D) supersaturated surface layers (DSSLs) formed in tungsten (W), such as thickness, internal microstructures, and D retention, are experimentally investigated as a function of the incident ion energy, E i. W samples were exposed to D plasmas in the PISCES-A linear plasma device in a range of E i ∼ 45–175 eV, while other plasma exposure parameters were fixed: sample temperature, T s, ∼423 K, ion flux, Γi, ∼1.2 × 1021 m−2s−1, and fluence, Φi, ∼3.0 × 1024 m−2. High-resolution, cross-sectional, transmission electron microscopy observations confirm that (1) a DSSL forms even at the lowest E i ∼ 45 eV, (2) the DSSL thickness, Δ t DSSL, is found to decrease with decreasing E i from ∼11–12 nm at E i ∼ 175 eV to ∼5–6 nm at ∼45 eV, and to agree with approximately the maximum implantation depth calculated using SDTrimSP, and (3) high-density D nanobubbles with a diameter of ∼1 nm or less exist inside the DSSL, which is deemed to validate a theory-predicted vacancy stabilization process due to trapping of a solute D atom(s). Utilizing a D areal density of ∼4.2 × 1019 m−2 in the first 14 nm from the surface at E i ∼ 75 eV from nuclear reaction analysis and the measured E i dependence of Δ t DSSL, our previous laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy data is updated: both dynamic and static D retention increase with decreasing E i, and the D/W atomic fraction during plasma exposure reaches ∼0.3 at E i ∼ 45 eV. A possible DSSL formation mechanism is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radial neutral uniformity measurements in an HDP helicon are reported.

The angular sputtering distributions measured for carbon atom and cluster as C, [C.sub.2], and [C.sub.3] for low-energy normal incident ion bombardment of noble gas (Xe, Kr, Ar, Ne, and He), with the incident ion energy ranging from 75 to 225 eV are reported. The results obtained for the bombarding gases provide insight into the undercosine angular distributions of the sputtered atoms and clusters.

Measurement of the molybdenum angular sputtering distribution during xenon ion bombardment from a plasma is presented, with incident ion energy [E.sub. Xe] ranging between 75 and 225 eV. Results are in agreement with the experiments showing an under-cosine distribution for the lower energies, which involves towards a cosine distribution as the incident ion energy increases.

The intermediate oscillatory phase during the L–H transition, termed the I-phase, is studied in the EAST superconducting tokamak using a newly developed dual gas puff imaging (GPI) system near the L–H transition power threshold. The experimental observations suggest that the oscillatory behaviour appearing at the L–H transition could be induced by the synergistic effect of the two components of the sheared m, n = 0 E × B flow, i.e. the turbulence-driven zonal flow (ZF) and the equilibrium flow. The latter arises from the equilibrium, and is, to leading order, balanced by the ion diamagnetic term in the radial force balance equation. A slow increase in the poloidal flow and its shear at the plasma edge are observed tens of milliseconds prior to the I-phase. During the I-phase, the turbulence recovery appears to originate from the vicinity of the separatrix with clear wave fronts propagating both outwards into the far scrape-off layer (SOL) and inwards into the core plasma. The turbulence Reynolds stress is directly measured using the GPI system during the I-phase, providing direct evidence of kinetic energy transfer from turbulence to ZFs at the plasma edge. The GPI observations strongly suggest that the SOL transport physics and the evolution of pressure gradient near the separatrix play an important role in the L–I–H transition dynamics. To highlight these new physics, the previous predator–prey model is extended to include a new equation for the SOL physics. The model successfully reproduces the L–I–H transition process with several features comparing favourably with GPI observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the Electric Tokamak (ET), which is under construction at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). Design of the ET to rotate poloidally via a radial current induced by fast wave; Bifurcation of the plasma into a global high confinement mode; Use of a gyrokinetic code; Effects on ion temperature gradient turbulence.

Reports on the first probe measurements of edge turbulence and transport in an neutral beam induced high confinement mode. Strong negative radial electric field observed in H-mode; Transient suppression of normalized ion saturation and floating potential fluctuation levels at the low confinement mode to high confinement mode transition.

Examines the paradigm of shear suppression of turbulence as the mechanism for the low to high (L to H) confinement mode transition, by quantitative comparison of the predictions of the paradigm with experimental results from the DIII-D tokamak. Triggering of a VxB rotation due to the L to H transition; Spatial dependence of the turbulence reduction.

We present direct evidence of low frequency, radially sheared, turbulence-driven flows (zonal flows (ZFs)) triggering edge transport barrier formation preceding the L- to H-mode transition via periodic turbulence suppression in limit-cycle oscillations (LCOs), consistent with predator–prey dynamics. The final transition to edge-localized mode-free H-mode occurs after the equilibrium E × B flow shear increases due to ion pressure profile evolution. ZFs are also observed to initiate formation of an electron internal transport barrier (ITB) at the q = 2 rational surface via local suppression of electron-scale turbulence. Multi-channel Doppler backscattering (DBS) has revealed the radial structure of the ZF-induced shear layer and the E × B shearing rate, ωE×B, in both barrier types. During edge barrier formation, the shearing rate lags the turbulence envelope during the LCO by 90°, transitioning to anti-correlation (180°) when the equilibrium shear dominates the turbulence-driven flow shear due to the increasing edge pressure gradient. The time-dependent flow shear and the turbulence envelope are anti-correlated (180° out of phase) in the electron ITB. LCOs with time-reversed evolution dynamics (transitioning from an equilibrium-flow dominated to a ZF-dominated state) have also been observed during the H–L back-transition and are potentially of interest for controlled ramp-down of the plasma stored energy and pressure (normalized to the poloidal magnetic field) in ITER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial Thermal Desorption Spectrometry (pTDS) progressively depopulated trapped deuterium (D) from heavy-ion damaged tungsten (W) to determine spatial location and detrapping energies. W samples were prepared identically: 5 MeV Cu 2 + damaging ions (0.12 peak dpa dose) before D 2 plasma loading ( 10 24 D/m 2 fluence) held at 373 K. Each sample reached one of six pTDS peak-and-hold temperatures. Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA) measured the D spatial profile remaining after pTDS, before final TDS. NRA and TDS measured total D retention were in good agreement. NRA displayed three zones of D-populated defects: (I) near-surface (below 0.1 μ m), (II) heavy-ion damage (peaked ∼ 1 μ m), and (III) uniform intrinsic (bulk). D concentration in zone I reduced by ∼ 97 % in samples with pTDS at 597 K and higher, indicating near-surface traps have low detrapping energy. The Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) predicts a displacement profile for zone II that coincided with measured D profile for samples with pTDS at 597 K and higher. Samples prepared with pTDS below 597 K display a distinctly different D profile in zone II. The complete cycle of D 2 plasma loading, pTDS, NRA, and final TDS was modeled with Tritium Migration Analysis Program (TMAP) using a recently developed Pseudo Trap and Temperature Partition (PTTP) scheme. Differences in TDS profiles isolated traps that release between consecutive pTDS temperatures, demonstrating 6 distinct release peaks. The best fit was found with detrapping energies near 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, and 1.9 eV. These results show that heating at 762 K for 2.5 h released ∼ 99% of retained D in heavy-ion damaged W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulating the implantation and thermal desorption evolution in a reaction-diffusion model requires solving a set of coupled differential equations that describe the trapping and release of atomic species in Plasma Facing Materials (PFMs). These fundamental equations are well outlined by the Tritium Migration Analysis Program (TMAP) which can model systems with no more than three active traps per atomic species. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a Pseudo Trap and Temperature Partition (PTTP) scheme allowing us to lump multiple inactive traps into one pseudo trap, simplifying the system of equations to be solved. For all temperatures, we show the trapping of atoms from solute is exactly accounted for when using a pseudo trap. However, a single effective pseudo trap energy can not well replicate the release from multiple traps, each with its own detrapping energy. However, atoms held in a high energy trap will remain trapped at relatively low temperatures, and thus there is a temperature range in which release from high energy traps is effectively inactive. By partitioning the temperature range into segments, a pseudo trap can be defined for each segment to account for multiple high energy traps that are actively trapping but are effectively not releasing atoms. With increasing temperature, as in controlled thermal desorption, the lowest energy trap is nearly emptied and can be removed from the set of coupled equations, while the next higher energy trap becomes an actively releasing trap. Each segment is thus calculated sequentially, with the last time step of a given segment solution being used as an initial input for the next segment as only the pseudo and actively releasing traps are modeled. This PTTP scheme is then applied to experimental thermal desorption data for tungsten (W) samples damaged with heavy ions, which display six distinct release peaks during thermal desorption. Without modifying the TMAP7 source code the PTTP scheme is shown to successfully model the D retention in all six traps. We demonstrate the full reconstruction from the plasma implantation phase through the controlled thermal desorption phase with detrapping energies near 0.9, 1.1, 1.4, 1.7, 1.9 and 2.1 eV for a W sample damaged at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deuterium (D) retention in polycrystalline tungsten (W) with copper (Cu) ion damage concurrently produced at elevated surface temperature is investigated. An in situ heated stage held W samples at a controlled temperature up to 1243 K, which were subjected to displacement damage produced by 3.4 MeV Cu ions. D retention is subsequently explored by exposure of the W samples held at 383 K to a D 2 plasma ion fluence of 10 24 D + /m 2 . Nuclear reaction analysis (NRA), utilizing the D( 3 He,p) 4 He nuclear reaction, is used to probe the D concentration in the near surface up to 6 μ m. Thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) is used to measure outgassed HD and D 2 molecules to determine the bulk D concentration. Both NRA and TDS measure a significant reduction in D retention for samples damaged at elevated temperature. TDS quantitatively shows that the lowest energy trap remains largely unaffected while higher energy traps, induced by Cu ions, are annealed and approach intrinsic concentrations as the temperature during ion damage approaches 1243 K. Analysis of TDS data yields an activation energy of (0.10 ± 0.02) eV for recovery of ion-damage induced traps at elevated temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]