Heating, current drive and confinement regimes with the JET ICRH and lhcd systems

During its 1990 operation, 2 large RF systems were available on JET. The Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH) system was equipped with new beryllium screens and with feedback matching systems. Specific impurities generated by ICRH were reduced to negligible levels even in the most stringent H-mode conditions. A maximum power of 22 MW was coupled to L-mode plasmas. High quality H-modes (tau-E greater-than-or-equal-to 2.5 tau-EG) were achieved using dipole phasing. A new high confinement mode was discovered. It combines the properties of the H-mode regime to the low central diffusivities obtained by pellet injection. A value of n(d) tau-E T(i) = 7.8 x 10(20) m-3 s keV was obtained in this mode with T(e) approximately T(i) approximately 11 keV. In the L-mode regime, a regime, a record (140 kW) D-He-3 fusion power was generated with 10 - 14 MW of ICRH at the He-3 cyclotron frequency. Experiments were performed with the prototype launcher of the Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD) systems with coupled power up to 1.6 MW with current drive efficiencies up to < n(e) > R I(CD)/P = 0.4 x 10(20) m-2 A/W. Fast electrons are driven by LHCD to tail temperatures of 100 keV with a hollow radial profile. Paradoxically, LHCD induces central heating particularly in combination with ICRH. Finally we present the first observations of the synergistic acceleration of fast electrons by Transit Time Magnetic Pumping (TTMP) (from ICRH) and Electron Landau Damping (ELD) (from LHCD). The synergism generates TTMP current drive even without phasing the ICRH antennae.

Robust Sliding Mode Control for Tokamaks

Nuclear fusion has arisen as an alternative energy to avoid carbon dioxide emissions, being the tokamak a promising nuclear fusion reactor that uses a magnetic field to confine plasma in the shape of a torus. However, different kinds of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities may affect tokamak plasma equilibrium, causing severe reduction of particle confinement and leading to plasma disruptions. In this sense, numerous efforts and resources have been devoted to seeking solutions for the different plasma control problems so as to avoid energy confinement time decrements in these devices. In particular, since the growth rate of the vertical instability increases with the internal inductance, lowering the internal inductance is a fundamental issue to address for the elongated plasmas employed within the advanced tokamaks currently under development. In this sense, this paper introduces a lumped parameter numerical model of the tokamak in order to design a novel robust sliding mode controller for the internal inductance using the transformer primary coil as actuator.

Is General Relativity a simplified theory?

IARD 8th Biennial Conference on Classical and Quantum Relativistic Dynamics of Particles and Fields - Galileo Galilei Inst Theoret Phys (GGI), Florence, ITALY - MAY 29-JUN 01, 2012. Edited by:Horowitz, LP

Photographic investigations in molecular spectroscopy

The determination of the energy levels and the probabilities of transition between them, by the formal analysis of observed electronic, vibrational, and rotational band structures, forms the direct goal of all investigations of molecular spectra, but the significance of such data lies in the possibility of relating them theoretically to more concrete properties of molecules and the radiation field. From the well developed electronic spectra of diatomic molecules, it has been possible, with the aid of the non-relativistic quantum mechanics, to obtain accurate moments of inertia, molecular potential functions, electronic structures, and detailed information concerning the coupling of spin and orbital angular monenta with the angular momentum of nuclear rotation. The silicon fluori1e molecule has been investigated in this laboratory, and is found to emit bands whose vibrational and rotational structures can be analyzed in this detailed fashion.

Like silicon fluoride, however, the great majority of diatomic molecules are formed only under the unusual conditions of electrical discharge, or in high temperature furnaces, so that although their spectra are of great theoretical interest, the chemist is eager to proceed to a study of polyatomic molecules, in the hope that their more practically interesting structures might also be determined with the accuracy and assurance which characterize the spectroscopic determinations of the constants of diatomic molecules. Some progress has been made in the determination of molecule potential functions from the vibrational term values deduced from Raman and infrared spectra, but in no case can the calculations be carried out with great generality, since the number of known term values is always small compared with the total number of potential constants in even so restricted a potential function as the simple quadratic type. For the determination of nuclear configurations and bond distances, however, a knowledge of the rotational terms is required. The spectra of about twelve of the simpler polyatomic molecules have been subjected to rotational analyses, and a number of bond distances are known with considerable accuracy, yet the number of molecules whose rotational fine structure has been resolved even with the most powerful instruments is small. Consequently, it was felt desirable to investigate the spectra of a number of other promising polyatomic molecules, with the purpose of carrying out complete rotational analyses of all resolvable bands, and ascertaining the value of the unresolved band envelopes in determining the structures of such molecules, in the cases in which resolution is no longer possible. Although many of the compounds investigated absorbed too feebly to be photographed under high dispersion with the present infrared sensitizations, the location and relative intensities of their bands, determined by low dispersion measurements, will be reported in the hope that these compounds may be reinvestigated in the future with improved techniques.

Plasma channeling by multiple short-pulse lasers

Channeling by a train of laser pulses into homogeneous and inhomogeneous plasmas is studied using particle-in-cell simulation. When the pulse duration and the interval between the successive pulses are appropriate, the laser pulse train can channel into the plasma deeper than a single long-pulse laser of similar peak intensity and total energy. The increased penetration distance can be attributed to the repeated actions of the ponderomotive force, the continuous between-pulse channel lengthening by the inertially evacuating ions, and the suppression of laser-driven plasma instabilities by the intermittent laser-energy cut-offs.

Time and space-resolved measurement of a gas-puff laser-plasma x-ray source

The dynamic interaction processes between a nano-second laser pulse and a gas-puff target, such as those of plasma formation, laser heating, and x-ray emission, have been investigated quantitatively. Time and space-resolved x-ray and optical measurement techniques were used in order to investigate time-resolved laser absorption and subsequent x-ray generation. Efficient absorption of the incident laser energy into the gas-puff target of 17%, 12%, 38%, and 91% for neon, argon, krypton, and xenon, respectively, was shown experimentally. It was found that the laser absorption starts and, simultaneously, soft x-ray emission occurs. The soft x-ray lasts much longer than the laser pulse due to the recombination. Temporal evolution of the soft x-ray emission region was analyzed by comparing the experimental results to the results of the model calculation, in which the laser light propagation through a gas-puff plasma was taken into account. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

Electron acceleration by an intense short-pulse laser in underdense plasma

Electron acceleration from the interaction of an intense short-pulse laser with low density plasma is considered. The relation between direct electron acceleration within the laser pulse and that in the wake is investigated analytically. The magnitude and location of the ponderomotive-force-caused charge separation field with respect to that of the pulse determine the relative effectiveness of the two acceleration mechanisms. It is shown that there is an optimum condition for acceleration in the wake. Electron acceleration within the pulse dominates as the pulse becomes sufficiently short, and the latter directly drives and even traps the electrons. The latter can reach ultrahigh energies and can be extracted by impinging the pulse on a solid target. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

Laser wakefield and self-modulation of driving pulse

A self-consistent theory of plasma response to a single laser beam is proposed. The driving pump is not viewed as invariant during its interaction with the plasmas. Its modulation by the plasmas has an obvious influence on the strength of the wakefield behind the pulse. This suggests that the compression of the low-intensity pulse by the plasmas might be a possible way to excite largae-amplitude wakefield. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

Hot spot formation outside of the fusion-fuel core

An alternative fast-ignition method is proposed involving the formation of a hot spot outside the precompressed fusion-fuel core by a series of shocks driven directly by the light pressure of laser pulses of increasing intensities. It is shown that a hot spot, which can be of different material from that of the fuel core, with temperature similar to 10 keV and density similar to 200 g/cm(2), can be formed. Being an electrically neutral plasma, the hot spot can easily be sent into the fuel core. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.

Phase dependence of electron acceleration in a tightly focused laser beam

Electron acceleration using a tightly focused ultraintensity laser beam is investigated numerically and strong phase dependence is found. The acceleration is periodic to the variety of the initial laser field phase, and the accelerated electrons are emitted in pulses of which the full width is the half period of the laser field. When a 10 PW intense laser beam is used, the electron with energy less than 1 Mev can be accelerated up to energies about 1.4 GeV. The optimal initial condition for electron acceleration is found. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.

Ion acceleration in laser-excited plasma wake fields

The dynamics of the plasma ions in the wake fields of short, ultraintense laser pulses in underdense plasmas are investigated analytically and numerically. Owing to the large ion-to-electron mass ratio, the motion of plasma ions in-such wake fields has often been assumed to be neglectable. It is shown that when the laser intensity exceeds 10(20) W/cm(2), the ion motion can no longer be ignored. In this case, ion momentum peaks appear behind the laser pulse, which correspond with the ion density peaks. The laser-excited wake field appears to be effective for ion acceleration, in particular to ions with high-charge numbers. The dependence of ion acceleration on the laser intensity, pulse width, and background plasma density is discussed. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.

紧聚焦的超短超强激光脉冲在真空中加速斜入射的相对论电子

研究了紧聚焦的线偏振飞秒超强高斯激光脉冲俘获并剧烈加速斜入射低能相对论电子的效应，发现被俘获的电子在激光脉冲纵向有质动力的强大加速作用下，可以获得GeV量级的能量，并详细研究了入射电子的初能量、斜入射角、电子与激光脉冲的相对延迟时间和激光脉冲宽度等条件对电子能量增益的影响，发现当激光脉宽超过10λ时，脉宽对电子能量增益影响不大．

激光同步辐射作为阿秒X射线辐射源的特性研究

研究了逆流相对论电子与激光脉冲相互作用获得激光同步辐射的频率上移、微分散射截面等特性.发现逆流相对论电子与短脉冲激光相互作用,可以获得阿秒X射线辐射脉冲.短脉冲激光条件下得到的后向散射光的频率上移与长脉冲激光条件下得到的后向散射光的频率上移是完全一致的,同时发现随着入射电子初始能量的增加,散射光的准直性越来越好,后向散射光脉冲的脉宽越来越短.

等离子体效应对类氦氖Kα线系电偶极辐射的影响

采用离子球模型，通过自洽求解Boltzmann方程和Poisson方程，得到类氦氖离子Kα线系的两条电偶极辐射光谱能量随等离子体环境的漂移．结果显示，Kα线系电偶极谱线随等离子体电子密度增大发生红移，红移量与等离子体电子密度有近似的正比关系；随着等离子体电子温度的降低，光谱红移对等离子体电子密度的敏感性增大。另外，所研究的两条谱线间的能量间隔随等离子体电子密度的增大而减小，减小量随等离子体电子密度的变化也呈现出近似的线性规律。值得注意的是，类氦氖Kα线系中两条电偶极谱线分别为互组合线与共振谱线，而其能量差

非相对论线偏振激光下的J×B加热

利用解析的方法研究了非相对论线偏振激光与等离子体相互作用中的J×B加热吸收机理,建立了一种包含两类有质动力效应在内的自洽理论.探讨了密度轮廓修正下的J×B加热机理,给出了相应的吸收系数随激光场强度变化的关系曲线.研究发现,当激光场强度A0=20时,J×B加热所导致的吸收系数fabs约为2.8%.