Search

Spatially resolved rotational temperature of ground state hydrogen molecules desorbed from plasma-facing surface was measured in QUEST, LTX-β, and DIII-D tokamaks, and the increases of the rotational temperature with the surface temperature and due to collisional-radiative processes in the plasmas were evaluated. The increase due to collisional-radiative processes was calculated by solving rate equations considering electron and proton collisional excitation and deexcitation and spontaneous emission. The calculation results suggest a high sensitivity for the rotational temperature to electron and proton densities, but a negligible sensitivity to the electron, proton, and surface temperatures. In the three tokamaks with different plasma parameters and plasma facing surface materials, the spatial profile of the rotational temperature was estimated using Fulcher-α emission lines (600-608 nm). In QUEST, the spatial profile of the rotational temperature was estimated from spatially resolved spectra. In the other tokamaks, the rotational temperature was evaluated assuming a single point emission with a location determined from the Fulcher-α emission profile as measured with a filtered camera. In metal-walled devices QUEST and LTX-β, the rotational temperature increased with the surface temperature, and the calculated collisional-radiative increase is consistent with measured increase assuming that the rotational temperature at the surface is approximately 450 K higher than the surface temperature. In DIII-D with carbon walls, a larger collisional-radiative increase than the other tokamaks was observed because of the higher density leading to a large difference from the calculated increase compared to the other smaller tokamaks. Measurement of the Fulcher-α emission profile with higher spatial resolution in DIII-D may reduce the difference and reveal the effect of the surface temperature on the rotational temperature. These results shows the increases in the rotational temperature with the surface temperature and due to the collisional-radiative processes.

The first step to realize automatic experimental data analysis for fusion plasma experiments is fitting noisy data of temperature and density spatial profiles, which are obtained routinely. However, it has been difficult to construct algorithms that fit all the data without over- and under-fitting. In this paper, we show that this difficulty originates from the lack of knowledge of the probability distribution that the measurement data follow. We demonstrate the use of a machine learning technique to estimate the data distribution and to construct an optimal generative model. We show that the fitting algorithm based on the generative modeling outperforms classical heuristic methods in terms of the stability as well as the accuracy., Accepted by Transactions on Plasma Science

A spectroscopic system with multiple viewing chords was developed for QUEST (Q-shu University Experiment with Steady-State Spherical Tokamak) to measure the spatial distribution of ion toroidal velocities in discharges sustained by electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECH). Twenty-four viewing chords were aligned in the midplane and C III emission line spectra were measured for three types of ECH discharge under different magnetic field configurations. By applying an inversion method to the measured spectra, we evaluated the radial distributions of C2+ ion emissivity, temperature, and toroidal velocity. The error in the evaluated velocity was estimated to be less than 5 km/s. It was found that the velocity depends on the magnetic field configuration.

Collisional--radiative (CR) models based on \textit{ab initio} atomic structure calculation have been utilized over 20 years to analyze many-electron atomic and ionic spectra. Although the population distribution of the excited states in plasmas and their emission spectra are computed using the CR models, systematic and analytical understanding of the population kinetics are still lacking. % In this work, we present a reduced model of the population dynamics in many-electron atomic ions, in which we approximate the dense energy structure of complex many-electron atoms by a continuum, a continuous CR model (CCRM). Using this simplification, we show an analytical population distribution of many-electron atoms in plasmas and its electron-density and temperature dependence. % In particular, the CCRM shows that the population distribution of highly excited states of many-electron atoms in plasmas resembles a Boltzmann distribution but with an effective excitation temperature. We also show the existence of three typical electron-density regions and two electron-temperature regions where the parameter dependence of the excitation temperature is different. Analytical representations of the effective excitation temperature and the boundaries of these phases are also presented.

Production of a plasma that has a large degree of ionization (DOI), volume, and spatial and temporal uniformities is a challenge for the improvement of the performance of plasma-based vapor deposition processes. As a potential candidate for the discharge, we investigate plasma parameters arising in helium electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) discharges due to a simple cusp field. Two-dimensional distributions of helium atom emission-line intensities were measured using spectroscopy with multiple viewing chords and then de-convoluted by Abel inversion. The local plasma parameters, including the atomic density, were evaluated using collisional-radiative model analysis. The DOI calculated from the electron and atomic densities reached up to 35% and, in most of the region inside the ECR surface, it was more than 10%.

We developed a method to infer the calibration parameters of multichannel measurement systems, such as channel variations of sensitivity and noise amplitude, from experimental data. We regard such uncertainties of the calibration parameters as dependent noise. The statistical properties of the dependent noise and that of the latent functions were modeled and implemented in the Gaussian process kernel. Based on their statistical difference, both parameters were inferred from the data. We applied this method to the electron density measurement system by Thomson scattering for Large Helical Device plasma, which is equipped with 141 spatial channels. Based on the 210 sets of experimental data, we evaluated the correction factor of the sensitivity and noise amplitude for each channel. The correction factor varies by $\approx$ 10\%, and the random noise amplitude is $\approx$ 2\%, i.e., the measurement accuracy increases by a factor of 5 after this sensitivity correction. The certainty improvement in the spatial derivative inference was demonstrated.

In spectroscopic measurements of magnetically confined torus plasmas, the line-integrated emission along a viewing chord is usually observed. However, by utilizing the dependence of the magnitude of the Zeeman splitting on the emission location, a few localized emissions existing along the viewing chord can be separated. A detailed analysis of the Zeeman split spectral lineshapes then makes it possible to evaluate the local values of the magnetic field strength, population density, temperature, and flow velocity. We have introduced polarization spectroscopy to improve the accuracy in separating the overlapped spectra. The polarization resolved Hα, He I, and H2 Fulcher-α band spectra are measured in the TRIAM-1M tokamak, and the atomic and molecular dynamics are investigated. Further progress in the simultaneous measurements of the Balmer series and Fulcher-α band spectra in LHD, and extension to the CH Gerö band spectra, are briefly presented.

The intensity ratios between specific pairs of helium atom (HeI) emission lines are functions of the electron temperature (Te) and density (ne), and these functions have been used for the analysis of Te and ne in various types of discharge plasma. We applied this method to a low-density (ne

We report development of a high dynamic range spectroscopic system comprising a spectrometer with 30% throughput and a camera with a low-noise fast-readout complementary metal-oxide semiconductor sensor. The system achieves a 10(6) dynamic range (∼20 bit resolution) and an instrumental function approximated by a Voigt profile with Gauss and Lorentz widths of 31 and 0.31 pm, respectively, for 656 nm light. The application of the system for line profile observations of the Balmer-α emissions from high temperature plasmas generated in the Large Helical Device is also presented. In the observed line profiles, emissions are detected in far wings more than 1.0 nm away from the line center, equivalent to neutral hydrogen atom kinetic energies above 1 keV. We evaluate atom density distributions in the core plasma by analyzing the line profiles.

We have simultaneously measured high resolution emission spectra of the hydrogen atomic Balmer-α, -β, -γ lines and molecular Fulcher-α band for a LHD peripheral plasma generated under a central magnetic field strength of 0.4 T. It is found that the velocity distributions of excited atoms calculated from the Balmer-α, -β, and -γ line shapes show similar profiles to each other. The translational kinetic energy corresponding to the average velocity is about 13 eV, which is about 300 times larger than the rotational energy of hydrogen molecules estimated from the line intensities in the Fulcher-α band. The velocity distributions differ from Maxwellian and have a high velocity tail over 1×10 5 m/s. A correlation between the high velocity tail and the electron temperature and density is seen and suggesting the excited atoms having such high velocities to be generated by the charge exchange collisions from high velocity protons in the peripheral region.

The anisotropy of the electron velocity distribution function (EVDF) in plasmas can be deduced from the polarization of emissions induced by anisotropic electron-impact excitation. In this paper, we develop a compact thermal lithium atom beam source for spatially resolved measurements of the EVDF anisotropy in electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasmas. The beam system is designed such that the ejected beam has a slab shape, and the beam direction is variable. The divergence and flux of the beam are evaluated by experiments and calculations. The developed beam system is installed in an ECR plasma device with a cusp magnetic field, and the LiI 2s–2p emission (670.8 nm) is observed in low-pressure helium plasma. The two-dimensional distributions of the degree and direction of the polarization in the LiI emission are measured by a polarization imaging system. The evaluated polarization distribution suggests the spatial variation of the EVDF anisotropy.

Superdense core plasmas with a highly peaked electron density profile have been obtained in reduced recycling discharges in the Large Helical Device [ O. Motojima et al., Phys. Plasmas 6, 1843 (1999) ]. The polarization separation spectroscopy technique has been applied to characterize Hα emissions in the peripheral region of superdense core plasmas. Fitting positions of the high intensity Hα line are located just outside of the last closed flux surface in the local island divertor configuration. In the helical divertor configuration, high intensity emissions are observed around the inner and outer X points and along the divertor legs. In both configurations the hydrogen atoms have an inward velocity along the lines of sight.

We developed a spectrometer specialized for simultaneous observation of the hydrogen Balmer-alpha, -beta, -gamma lines and the Fulcher-alpha v(')=v(')=2 rovibronic transition band. The spectrometer was optimized for the light input coupled by nine optical fibers having 400 mu m core diameters. The spectral resolutions were 0.02-0.03 nm for these wavelength ranges at the entrance slit width of 20 mu m. The polarization resolved spectra of these emissions from the peripheral region of large helical device (LHD) plasmas were measured simultaneously and showed the polarization dependence coming from the magnetic field in the LHD plasma., Article, REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS. 81(3):033106 (2010)

In helium discharge plasmas, the relative emission intensities of the fine-structure transitions belonging to the HeI 23S–23P transition can be affected by radiation reabsorption. Since the magnitude of the reabsorption depends on the density and temperature of the 23S metastable atoms, their density can be determined by measuring the 23S–23P emission line shape using a high wavelength-resolution spectrometer. In this study, the applicable conditions of the method in terms of the opacity and line broadening are revealed, and possible causes of errors in the measurement, i.e. spatial distributions of the density and temperature and the effects of external magnetic and electric fields, are investigated. The effect of reabsorption under an external magnetic field is experimentally confirmed using a glow discharge plasma installed in a superconducting magnet.

In magnetically confined torus plasmas, the local emission intensity, temperature, and flow velocity of atoms in the inboard and outboard scrape-off layers can be separately measured by a passive emission spectroscopy assisted by observation of the Zeeman splitting in their spectral line shape. To utilize this technique, a near-infrared interference spectrometer optimized for the observation of the helium 23S–23P transition spectral line (wavelength 1083 nm) has been developed. The applicability of the technique to actual torus devices is elucidated by calculating the spectral line shapes expected to be observed in LHD and QUEST (Q-shu University Experiment with Steady State Spherical Tokamak). In addition, the Zeeman effect on the spectral line shape is measured using a glow-discharge tube installed in a superconducting magnet.

We have observed attenuated total reflection at a glass/rubidium vapor interface in high precision. The atom density was from $3.8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{20}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\text{to}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}3.7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{21}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{m}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ and the angle of incidence was from 48.4 to 64.8\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. Redshift and broadening of the reflection spectra were observed. The redshift depended on atom density, angle of incidence, light polarization and hyperfine structure. The observed broadening was attributed to the self-broadening of the resonance line. Calculation based on the Fresnel formula with a local index for the susceptibility of the vapor, which included the Lorentz local field correction and the modification of the wave vector of the evanescent light by the optically dense atomic vapor, was found to be in reasonable agreement with the experimental results.

Hyperfine-structure-resolved absorption spectra of the 6 {sup 2}S{sub 1/2}{yields}5 {sup 2}D{sub 5/2} of cesium atoms have been observed with a temperature-controlled cell and a diode laser. From a comparison with the absorption of the D{sub 2} transition at the same atom density range, the oscillator strength of the electric quadrupole transition was determined to be (4.69{+-}0.05)x10{sup -7}. Reflection spectra of the same transition have also been observed in the partial and total reflection regimes with a reflection cell. An increase in the apparent oscillator strength was observed for total reflection with an increase in the angle of incidence, by a factor up to 1.5 at {theta}{sub c}+83.8 mrad and 2.4 at {theta}{sub c}+107.5 mrad for s and p polarizations, respectively, where {theta}{sub c} is the critical angle. The observed enhancement is ascribed to the incidence-angle-dependent wave vector and polarization vector of the evanescent wave.

The absorption line strengths of electric-dipole-forbidden (magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole) transitions have been calculated in the evanescent light field that accompanies the total reflection of light. Owing to the complex wave and polarization vectors of the evanescent light, the apparent oscillator strength is enhanced from that in the propagating light and the enhancement for the electric quadrupole transition depends on the polarization vector of the incident light. Separation of the contribution from each component of the wave and polarization vectors is proposed with a magnetic-sublevel-resolved measurement for the $(s\text{\ensuremath{-}}d)$ electric quadrupole transition.

We have observed for the first time reflection spectra of an electric quadrupole transition for the cesium atom (6 (2)S(1/2)-5 (2)D(5/2)) line at an angle of incidence from theta(c)-11.9 to theta(c)+107.5 mrad, where theta(c) is the critical angle for total reflection. From a comparison with the calculated absorption in the attenuated total reflection, the oscillator strengths for s and p polarizations were found to increase with an increase in the angle of incidence by a factor up to 1.5 at theta(c)+83.8 mrad and 2.4 at theta(c)+107.5 mrad, respectively, in the experiment. The dependences of the observed enhancement on the angle of incidence were in good agreement with the calculated ones for the oscillator strength of the quadrupole transition in the evanescent light.

We observed polarization-resolved emission spectra of the Balmer-α, -β, and -γ lines of hydrogen atoms and the Q branches of the Fulcher-α band of hydrogen molecules simultaneously with six lines of sight in a poloidal cross section of the Large Helical Device (LHD). From the fit of the spectra including the line splits and their polarization dependence due to the Zeeman effect, we determined the emission locations, intensities and temperatures of the atoms and molecules. The determined emission locations of the hydrogen atoms were just outside the last closed flux surface and the intensities showed small dependence on the location. The emission locations of the molecules were rather around the divertor legs and their emission intensities showed location dependences. The determined atomic temperature was about 1 eV and the molecular rotational temperature was 0.04∼0.07 eV, both of which showed no systematic dependence on the location within the experimental accuracy.

The progress of physical understanding as well as parameter improvement of net-current-free helical plasma is reported for the Large Helical Device since the last Fusion Energy Conference in Daejeon in 2010. The second low-energy neutral beam line was installed, and the central ion temperature has exceeded 7 keV, which was obtained by carbon pellet injection. Transport analysis of the high-T-i plasmas shows that the ion-thermal conductivity and viscosity decreased after the pellet injection although the improvement does not last long. The effort has been focused on the optimization of plasma edge conditions to extend the operation regime towards higher ion temperature and more stable high density and high beta. For this purpose a portion of the open helical divertors are being modified to the baffle-structured closed ones aimed at active control of the edge plasma. It is compared with the open case that the neutral pressure in the closed helical divertor increased by ten times as predicted by modelling. Studies of physics in a three-dimensional geometry are highlighted in the topics related to the response to a resonant magnetic perturbation at the plasma periphery such as edge-localized-mode mitigation and divertor detachment. Novel approaches of non-local and non-diffusive transport have also been advanced.

We observe the Balmer-α, -β, and -γ lines of hydrogen atoms and Q branches of the Fulcher-α band of hydrogen molecules simultaneously with their polarization resolved for large helical device. From the fit including the line splits and the polarization dependences by the Zeeman effect, the emission locations, intensities, and the temperatures of the atoms and molecules are determined. The emission locations of the hydrogen atoms are determined outside but close to the last closed flux surface (LCFS). The results are consistent with a previous work (Phys. Plasmas 12, 042501 (2005)). On the other hand, the emission locations of the molecules are determined to be in the divertor legs, which is farer from those of the atoms. The kinetic energy of the atoms is 1 ∼ 20 eV, while the rotational temperature of molecules is ∼0.04 eV. Additionally, substantial wings, which originate from high velocity atoms and are not reproduced by the conventional spectral analysis, are observed in the Balmer line profiles. We develop a one-dimensional model to simulate the transport of the atoms and molecules. The model reproduces the differences of the emission locations of the atoms and molecules when their initial temperatures are assumed to be 3 eV and 0.04 eV, respectively. From the model, the wings of the Balmer-α line is attributed to the high velocity atoms exist deep inside the LCFS, which are generated by the charge exchange collisions with hot protons there.

An aluminum pellet has been injected into a high-temperature plasma produced in the Large Helical Device (LHD). Emission from an ablation cloud of the pellet in a whole visible range is simultaneously measured with an echelle spectrometer having an instrumental resolution from 0.055 nm at 400 nm to 0.10 nm at 750 nm. More than 50 of Al I, II, III and IV lines are resolved. We estimate the electron temperature and density of the ablation cloud from the intensity distribution and Stark broadening of the emission lines, respectively. The electron temperature and density are found to show increase and decrease, respectively, as an increase in the charge state of aluminum. We also determine the Stark broadening coefficients of several Al II lines from the observed Stark widths.

We have carried out numerical inversion of the Laplace transform for the observed line profile, and have derived the intensity distribution function against the atom temperature. The temperature dependence is interpreted to the spatial dependence, where other diagnostic results are used, so that the radial profile of photon emission rate is derived. The photon emission rate is then interpreted to the ionization rate with the help of collisional-radiative model calculation. From the ionization rate derived we have evaluated the particle confinement time τp as a function of the average minor radius, reff, for two discharges characterized by the different magnetic field strength. In the strong field case, a turning point is clearly seen in the τp profile at around reff = 0.6, which corresponds to the last closed magnetic flux surface. In the weak field case, the absolute confinement time is approximately one-order smaller than that in the strong field case.

Using a positive column of helium–neon glow discharge plasma at several temperatures between 77 and 294 K, the disalignment rates of excited neon atoms in the 2p5 and 2p10 (in Paschen notation) levels are measured by a polarization-resolved laser-induced fluorescence technique. For the 2p10 case, the disalignment rate due to radiation reabsorption is evaluated from the optical thickness of the plasma measured by a self-absorption method, and then is subtracted from the disalignment rate measured. From the slope of the obtained disalignment rate plotted against the helium atom density we determine the rate coefficients due to helium atom collisions. These rate coefficients are compared with the results of quantum multi-channel close-coupling calculations using the modified long-range potentials proposed by Bahrim and Khadilkar (2009 Phys. Rev. A 79 042715) from the original potentials of Hennecart and Masnou-Seeuws (1985 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Phys. 18 657). Our present experiment agrees excellently with the theory for the 2p5 level at any temperatures between 77 and 294 K, and for the 2p10 state only at 294 K. Below 294 K, the experimental rate coefficients for the 2p10 state show a more rapid decrease with the decrease in temperature than the theory predicts.

We develop a collisional-radiative model for calculating the velocity distributions of excited hydrogen atoms. In the model, the velocity distributions are approximated using linear combinations of several basis functions which are treated as discrete velocity states, and only charge exchange collisions with proton are considered as velocity changing collisions. The populations in the velocity and excited states are calculated under an assumption of a quasi-stationary state. With the model we derive the velocity distribution of the ground state atoms from that of excited atoms in the n = 3 level observed for an LHD plasma, where n is the principal quantum number. The mean kinetic energy of the ground state atoms is estimated to be 5.6 eV, which is 0.05 eV less than that of the n = 3 atoms.

We have observed Fe14+ (3s2 1S0 - 3s3p 1P1) and Fe15+ (3s 2S1/2 - 3p 2P3/2) emissions from a LHD plasma with a space-resolved extreme-ultraviolet spectrometer. The observed intensity distributions against the viewing chord for the respective emissions are reconstructed to the emission flux distributions in the plasma against the normalized radius of the poloidal cross section with a maximum entropy method. Both of the emissions localize in the periphery region, and the Fe14+ emission is located outer side than that of Fe15+. We calculate the charge state distribution of Fe ions against the normalized radius assuming the ionization equilibrium at the electron temperature and density, which are measured by a Thomson scattering method. The calculated result is consistent with the experimental one.

wavelength ranges are 0.008, 0.009, 0.010, 0.008, and 0.007nm. We apply the spectrometer to the observation of emissions from a LHD plasma. The observed profiles of these emission lines and bands show polarization dependence. The absolute intensities of these emissions are also estimated. c

The behavior of hydrogen neutral particles in and around the ergodic layer of Large Helical Device plasmas has been investigated through Hα emission spectral line profiles using plasma polarization spectroscopy (PPS). The PPS technique enables us to quantitatively evaluate emission locations, atomic temperatures and velocity components along the line-of-sight (LOS) for both inner and outer peripheral regions. The emission locations and the LOS components of atomic velocities are determined by varying the magnetic field axis Rax from 3.60 m to 4.00 m, shot by shot. The high intensity region of Hα emissions is localized in the inner ergodic layer for the inward configuration. With an increase in Rax, the high intensity region of Hα emission moves outward.

A variety of density profiles observed in the Large Helical Device (LHD) have suggested an interesting core impurity transport. The edge impurity transport in the ergodic layer formed by stochastic magnetic field lines with long connection length (10-2000 m) can also exhibit interesting phenomena in the competition of perpendicular and parallel transport. The LHD discharge is highly robust against impurity buildup, and operation is possible essentially up to the global power balance limit because current-driven instability does not principally exist. The LHD plasma has therefore provided information on many interesting physics issues closely related to impurities. Recent results of impurity-related physics experiments in the LHD are briefly reviewed. The specific contents presented here are (1) core impurity behavior with perpendicular transport, (2) edge impurity behavior with parallel transport, (3) high-Z discharges with high ion temperature, (4) impurity pellet injection with improved plasma performance, (5) impurity pellet ablation in the presence of energetic ions with high heat flux and (6) observation of magnetic dipole forbidden transitions for high-Z elements. A result from the Compact Helical System (CHS) is used only in the impurity pellet ablation study, because detailed data have not yet been obtained from the LHD. Finally, the results are summarized and future directions in these topics are noted.

When the hydrogen isotope atom is injected into the amorphous carbon with the incident energies E in of 20, 50, and 80 eV, we obtain the following physical quantities of hydrogen isotope atoms/molecules emitted from the amorphous carbon using molecular dynamics and heat conduction hybrid simulation. The physical quantities are the time evolution of the emission rate, the depth distribution of the original location of the hydrogen emitted from the target, the polar angular dependence, and the translational, rotational, and vibrational energy distributions. In addition, the approximate analysis yields the emission distributions at the vibrational (v) and rotational (J) levels. Using these distributions, we evaluate the rotational temperature T rot for v = 0 and small J states. From the above, it is found that molecules with higher rotational levels J tend to be emitted as E in increases or as the mass of hydrogen isotope increases. Moreover, the isotope effect appears in the mass dependence of T rot.