Showing papers in "Physics of Plasmas in 2011"

Point design targets, specifications, and requirements for the 2010 ignition campaign on the National Ignition Facility

Abstract: Point design targets have been specified for the initial ignition campaign on the National Ignition Facility [G. H. Miller, E. I. Moses, and C. R. Wuest, Opt. Eng. 443, 2841 (2004)]. The targets contain D-T fusion fuel in an ablator of either CH with Ge doping, or Be with Cu. These shells are imploded in a U or Au hohlraum with a peak radiation temperature set between 270 and 300 eV. Considerations determining the point design include laser-plasma interactions, hydrodynamic instabilities, laser operations, and target fabrication. Simulations were used to evaluate choices, and to define requirements and specifications. Simulation techniques and their experimental validation are summarized. Simulations were used to estimate the sensitivity of target performance to uncertainties and variations in experimental conditions. A formalism is described that evaluates margin for ignition, summarized in a parameter the Ignition Threshold Factor (ITF). Uncertainty and shot-to-shot variability in ITF are evaluated, and...

Convective transport by intermittent blob-filaments: Comparison of theory and experiment

Abstract: A blob-filament (or simply “blob”) is a magnetic-field-aligned plasma structure which is considerably denser than the surrounding background plasma and highly localized in the directions perpendicular to the equilibrium magnetic field B. In experiments and simulations, these intermittent filaments are often formed near the boundary between open and closed field lines, and seem to arise in theory from the saturation process for the dominant edge instabilities and turbulence. Blobs become charge-polarized under the action of an external force which causes unequal drifts on ions and electrons; the resulting polarization-induced E × B drift moves the blobs radially outwards across the scrape-off-layer (SOL). Since confined plasmas generally are subject to radial or outwards expansion forces (e.g., curvature and ∇B forces in toroidal plasmas), blob transport is a general phenomenon occurring in nearly all plasmas. This paper reviews the relationship between the experimental and theoretical results on blob form...

Review of field-reversed configurations

Abstract: This review addresses field-reversed configurations (FRCs), which are compact-toroidal magnetic systems with little or no toroidal field and very high β (ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure). Although enthusiasm for the FRC has primarily been driven by its potential for an attractive fusion reactor, this review focuses on the physics rather than on technological or engineering aspects. Major advances in both theory and experiment have taken place since the previous comprehensive FRC review in 1988. Even so many questions remain. In particular, even though FRC experiments have exhibited remarkable stability, how well this extrapolates to larger systems remains unresolved. The review considers FRCs under familiar topical categories: equilibrium, global stability, self-organization, transport, formation, and sustainment.

Phase diagram for magnetic reconnection in heliophysical, astrophysical, and laboratory plasmas

Abstract: Recent progress in understanding the physics of magnetic reconnection is conveniently summarized in terms of a phase diagram which organizes the essential dynamics for a wide variety of applications in heliophysics, laboratory, and astrophysics. The two key dimensionless parameters are the Lundquist number and the macrosopic system size in units of the ion sound gyroradius. In addition to the conventional single X-line collisional and collisionless phases, multiple X-line reconnection phases arise due to the presence of the plasmoid instability either in collisional and collisionless current sheets. In particular, there exists a unique phase termed “multiple X-line hybrid phase” where a hierarchy of collisional islands or plasmoids is terminated by a collisionless current sheet, resulting in a rapid coupling between the macroscopic and kinetic scales and a mixture of collisional and collisionless dynamics. The new phases involving multiple X-lines and collisionless physics may be important for the emergin...

Increased laser-accelerated proton energies via direct laser-light-pressure acceleration of electrons in microcone targetsa)

Abstract: We present experimental results showing a laser-accelerated proton beam maximum energy cutoff of 675 MeV, with more than 5 × 106 protons per MeV at that energy, using flat-top hollow microcone targets This result was obtained with a modest laser energy of ∼80 J, on the high-contrast Trident laser at Los Alamos National Laboratory From 2D particle-in-cell simulations, we attribute the source of these enhanced proton energies to direct laser-light-pressure acceleration of electrons along the inner cone wall surface, where the laser light wave accelerates electrons just outside the surface critical density, in a potential well created by a shift of the electrostatic field maximum with respect to that of the magnetic field maximum Simulations show that for an increasing acceleration length, the continuous loading of electrons into the accelerating phase of the laser field yields an increase in high-energy electrons

Magnetic Shielding of the Channel Walls in a Hall Plasma Accelerator

Abstract: In a qualification life test of a Hall thruster it was found that the erosion of the acceleration channel practically stopped after approx 5,600 h. Numerical simulations using a two-dimensional axisymmetric plasma solver with a magnetic field-aligned mesh reveal that when the channel receded from its early-in-life to its steady-state configuration the following changes occurred near the wall: (1) reduction of the electric field parallel to the wall that prohibited ions from acquiring significant impact kinetic energy before entering the sheath, (2) reduction of the potential fall in the sheath that further diminished the total energy ions gained before striking the material, and (3) reduction of the ion number density that decreased the flux of ions to the wall. All these changes, found to have been induced by the magnetic field, constituted collectively an effective shielding of the walls from any significant ion bombardment. Thus, we term this process in Hall thrusters "magnetic shielding."

The experimental plan for cryogenic layered target implosions on the National Ignition Facility--The inertial confinement approach to fusion

Abstract: Ignition requires precisely controlled, high convergence implosions to assemble a dense shell of deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel with ρR>∼1 g/cm2 surrounding a 10 keV hot spot with ρR ∼ 0.3 g/cm2. A working definition of ignition has been a yield of ∼1 MJ. At this yield the α-particle energy deposited in the fuel would have been ∼200 kJ, which is already ∼10 × more than the kinetic energy of a typical implosion. The National Ignition Campaign includes low yield implosions with dudded fuel layers to study and optimize the hydrodynamic assembly of the fuel in a diagnostics rich environment. The fuel is a mixture of tritium-hydrogen-deuterium (THD) with a density equivalent to DT. The fraction of D can be adjusted to control the neutron yield. Yields of ∼1014−15 14 MeV (primary) neutrons are adequate to diagnose the hot spot as well as the dense fuel properties via down scattering of the primary neutrons. X-ray imaging diagnostics can function in this low yield environment providing additional information about the assembled fuel either by imaging the photons emitted by the hot central plasma, or by active probing of the dense shell by a separate high energy short pulse flash. The planned use of these targets and diagnostics to assess and optimize the assembly of the fuel and how this relates to the predicted performance of DT targets is described. It is found that a good predictor of DT target performance is the THD measurable parameter, Experimental Ignition Threshold Factor, ITFX ∼ Y × dsf 2.3, where Y is the measured neutron yield between 13 and 15 MeV, and dsf is the down scattered neutron fraction defined as the ratio of neutrons between 10 and 12 MeV and those between 13 and 15 MeV.

Reduced fluid-kinetic equations for low-frequency dynamics, magnetic reconnection, and electron heating in low-beta plasmas

Abstract: A minimal model for magnetic reconnection and, generally, low-frequency dynamics in low-beta plasmas is proposed. The model combines analytical and computational simplicity with physical realizability: it is a rigorous limit of gyrokinetics for plasma beta of order the electron-ion mass ratio. The model contains collisions and can be used both in the collisional and collisionless reconnection regimes. It includes gyrokinetic ions (not assumed cold) and allows for the topological rearrangement of the magnetic field lines by either resistivity or electron inertia, whichever predominates. The two-fluid dynamics are coupled to electron kinetics—electrons are not assumed isothermal and are described by a reduced drift-kinetic equation. The model, therefore allows for irreversibility and conversion of magnetic energy into electron heat via parallel phase mixing in velocity space. An analysis of the exchanges between various forms of free energy and its conversion into electron heat is provided. It is shown how all relevant linear waves and regimes of the tearing instability (collisionless, semicollisional, and fully resistive) are recovered in various limits of our model. An efficient way to simulate our equations numerically is proposed, via the Hermite representation of the velocity space. It is shown that small scales in velocity space will form, giving rise to a shallow Hermite-space spectrum, whence it is inferred that, for steady-state or sufficiently slow dynamics, the electron heating rate will remain finite in the limit of vanishing collisionality.

Nonextensive dust-acoustic solitary waves

Abstract: The seminal paper of Mamun et al. [Phys. Plasmas 3, 702 (1996)] is revisited within the theoretical framework of the Tsallis statistical mechanics. The nonextensivity may originate from the correlation or long-range interactions in the dusty plasma. It is found that depending on whether the nonextensive parameter q is positive or negative, the dust-acoustic (DA) soliton exhibits compression for q 0. The lower limit of the Mach number for the existence of DA solitary waves is greater (smaller) than its Maxwellian counterpart in the case of superextensivity (subextensivity).

Langmuir rogue waves in electron-positron plasmas

Abstract: Progress in understanding the nonlinear Langmuir rogue waves which accompany collisionless electron-positron (e-p) plasmas is presented. The nonlinearity of the system results from the nonlinear coupling between small, but finite, amplitude Langmuir waves and quasistationary density perturbations in an e-p plasma. The nonlinear Schrodinger equation is derived for the Langmuir waves’ electric field envelope, accounting for small, but finite, amplitude quasistationary plasma slow motion describing the Langmuir waves’ ponderomotive force. Numerical calculations reveal that the rogue structures strongly depend on the electron/positron density and temperature, as well as the group velocity of the envelope wave. The present study might be helpful to understand the excitation of nonlinear rogue pulses in astrophysical environments, such as in active galactic nuclei, in pulsar magnetospheres, in neutron stars, etc.

Review of recent theories and experiments for improving high-power microwave window breakdown thresholdsa)

Abstract: Dielectric window breakdown is a serious challenge in high-power microwave (HPM) transmission and radiation. Breakdown at the vacuum/dielectric interface is triggered by multipactor and finally realized by plasma avalanche in the ambient desorbed or evaporated gas layer above the dielectric. Methods of improving breakdown thresholds are key challenges in HPM systems. First, the main theoretical and experimental progress is reviewed. Next, the mechanisms of multipactor suppression for periodic rectangular and triangular surface profiles by dynamic analysis and particle-in-cell simulations are surveyed. Improved HPM breakdown thresholds are demonstrated by proof-of-principle and multigigawatt experiments. The current theories and experiments of using dc magnetic field to resonantly accelerate electrons to suppress multipactor are also synthesized. These methods of periodic profiles and magnetic field may solve the key issues of HPM vacuum dielectric breakdown.

Capsule implosion optimization during the indirect-drive National Ignition Campaign

Abstract: Capsule performance optimization campaigns will be conducted at the National Ignition Facility [G. H. Miller, E. I. Moses, and C. R. Wuest, Nucl. Fusion 44, 228 (2004)] to substantially increase the probability of ignition. The campaigns will experimentally correct for residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models using a variety of ignition capsule surrogates before proceeding to cryogenic-layered implosions and ignition experiments. The quantitative goals and technique options and down selections for the tuning campaigns are first explained. The computationally derived sensitivities to key laser and target parameters are compared to simple analytic models to gain further insight into the physics of the tuning techniques. The results of the validation of the tuning techniques at the OMEGA facility [J. M. Soures et al., Phys. Plasmas 3, 2108 (1996)] under scaled hohlraum and capsule conditions relevant to the ignition design are shown ...

A weakened cascade model for turbulence in astrophysical plasmas

Abstract: A refined cascade model for kinetic turbulence in weakly collisional astrophysical plasmas is presented that includes both the transition between weak and strong turbulence and the effect of nonlocal interactions on the nonlinear transfer of energy. The model describes the transition between weak and strong MHD turbulence and the complementary transition from strong kinetic Alfven wave (KAW) turbulence to weak dissipating KAW turbulence, a new regime of weak turbulence in which the effects of shearing by large scale motions and kinetic dissipation play an important role. The inclusion of the effect of nonlocal motions on the nonlinear energy cascade rate in the dissipation range, specifically the shearing by large-scale motions, is proposed to explain the nearly power-law energy spectra observed in the dissipation range of both kinetic numerical simulations and solar wind observations.

A comparison of emissive probe techniques for electric potential measurements in a complex plasma

Abstract: The major emissive probe techniques are compared to better understand the floating potential of an electron emitting surface in a plasma. An overview of the separation point technique, floating point technique, and inflection point in the limit of zero emission technique is given, addressing how each method works as well as the theoretical basis and limitations of each. It is shown that while the floating point method is the most popular, it is expected to yield a value ∼1.5Te/e below the plasma potential due to a virtual cathode forming around the probe. The theoretical predictions were checked with experiments performed in a 2 kW annular Hall thruster plasma (ne ∼ 109−1010 cm−3and Te ∼ 10−50 eV). The authors find that the floating point method gives a value around 2Te/e below the inflection point method, which is shown to be a more accurate emissive probe technique than other techniques used in this work for measurements of the plasma potential.

Symmetry tuning for ignition capsules via the symcap techniquea)

Abstract: Symmetry of an implosion is crucial to get ignition successfully. Several methods of control and measurement of symmetry have been applied on many laser systems with mm size hohlraums and ns pulses. On the National Ignition Facility [Moses et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 041006 (2009)] we have large hohlraums of cm scale, long drive pulses of 10 s of ns, and a large number of beams with the option to tune their wavelengths. Here we discuss how we used the x-ray self-emission from imploding surrogates to ignition capsules (symcaps) to measure the symmetry of the implosion. We show that symcaps are good surrogates for low order symmetry, though having lower sensitivity to distortions than ignition capsules. We demonstrate the ability to transfer energy between laser beams in a gas-filled hohlraum using wavelength tuning, successfully tuning the lowest order symmetry of the symcaps in different size hohlraums at different laser energies within the specification established by calculations for successful ignition.

Modulational instability of ion-acoustic waves in a plasma with a q-nonextensive electron velocity distribution

Abstract: The modulational instability (MI) of ion-acoustic waves (IAWs) in a two-component plasma is investigated in the context of the nonextensive statistics proposed by Tsallis [J. Stat. Phys. 52, 479 (1988)]. Using the reductive perturbation method, the nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE) which governs the MI of the IAWs is obtained. The presence of the nonextensive electron distribution is shown to influence the MI of the waves. Three different ranges of the nonextensive q-parameter are considered and in each case the MI sets in under different conditions. Furthermore, the effects of the q-parameter on the growth rate of MI are discussed in detail.

Measurements of magneto-Rayleigh–Taylor instability growth during the implosion of initially solid metal liners a)

Abstract: A recent publication [D. B. Sinars et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 185001 (2010)] describes the first controlled experiments measuring the growth of the magneto-Rayleigh–Taylor instability in fast (∼100 ns) Z-pinch plasmas formed from initially solid aluminum tubes (liners). Sinusoidal perturbations on the surface of these liners with wavelengths of 25–400 μm were used to seed single-mode instabilities. The evolution of the outer liner surface was captured using multiframe 6.151 keV radiography. The initial paper shows that there is good agreement between the data and 2-D radiation magneto-hydrodynamic simulations down to 50 μm wavelengths. This paper extends the previous one by providing more detailed radiography images, detailed target characterization data, a more accurate comparison to analytic models for the amplitude growth, the first data from a beryllium liner, and comparisons between the data and 3D simulations.

Measurements and modeling of Alfvén eigenmode induced fast ion transport and loss in DIII-D and ASDEX Upgrade

Abstract: Neutral beam injection into reversed magnetic shear DIII-D and ASDEX Upgrade plasmas produces a variety of Alfvenic activity including toroidicity-induced Alfven eigenmodes and reversed shear Alfven eigenmodes (RSAEs) These modes are studied during the discharge current ramp phase when incomplete current penetration results in a high central safety factor and increased drive due to multiple higher order resonances Scans of injected 80 keV neutral beam power on DIII-D showed a transition from classical to AE dominated fast ion transport and, as previously found, discharges with strong AE activity exhibit a deficit in neutron emission relative to classical predictions By keeping beam power constant and delaying injection during the current ramp, AE activity was reduced or eliminated and a significant improvement in fast ion confinement observed Similarly, experiments in ASDEX Upgrade using early 60 keV neutral beam injection drove multiple unstable RSAEs Periods of strong RSAE activity are accompanied

On a plasma having nonextensive electrons and positrons: Rogue and solitary wave propagation

Abstract: Generation of nonlinear ion-acoustic waves in a plasma having nonextensive electrons and positrons has been studied. Two wave modes existing in such plasma are considered, namely solitary and rogue waves. The reductive perturbation method is used to obtain a Korteweg-de Vries equation describing the system. The latter admits solitary wave pulses, while the dynamics of the modulationally unstable wave packets described by the Korteweg-de Vries equation gives rise to the formation of rogue excitation that is described by a nonlinear Schrodinger equation. The dependence of both solitary and rogue waves profiles on the nonextensive parameter, positron-to-ion concentration ratio, electron-to-positron temperature ratio, and ion-to-electron temperature ratio are investigated numerically. The results from this work are expected to contribute to the in-depth understanding of the nonlinear excitations that may appear in nonextensive astrophysical plasma environments, such as galactic clusters, interstellar medium, etc.

Neoclassical transport simulations for stellarators

Abstract: The benchmarking of the thermal neoclassical transport coefficients is described using examples of the Large Helical Device (LHD) and TJ-II stellarators. The thermal coefficients are evaluated by energy convolution of the monoenergetic coefficients obtained by direct interpolation or neural network techniques from the databases precalculated by different codes. The temperature profiles are calculated by a predictive transport code from the energy balance equations with the ambipolar radial electric field estimated from a diffusion equation to guarantee a unique and smooth solution, although several solutions of the ambipolarity condition may exist when root-finding is invoked; the density profiles are fixed. The thermal transport coefficients as well as the ambipolar radial electric field are compared and very reasonable agreement is found for both configurations. Together with an additional W7-X case, these configurations represent very different degrees of neoclassical confinement at low collisionalities. The impact of the neoclassical optimization on the energy confinement time is evaluated and the confinement times for different devices predicted by transport modeling are compared with the standard scaling for stellarators. Finally, all configurations are scaled to the same volume for a direct comparison of the volume-averaged pressure and the neoclassical degree of optimization.

Onset of fast reconnection in Hall magnetohydrodynamics mediated by the plasmoid instability

Abstract: The role of a super-Alfvenic plasmoid instability in the onset of fast reconnection is studied by means of the largest Hall magnetohydrodynamics simulations to date, with system sizes up to 104 ion skin depths (di). It is demonstrated that the plasmoid instability can facilitate the onset of rapid Hall reconnection, in a regime where the onset would otherwise be inaccessible because the Sweet–Parker width is significantly above di. However, the topology of Hall reconnection is not inevitably a single stable X-point. There exists an intermediate regime where the single X-point topology itself exhibits instability, causing the system to alternate between a single X-point geometry and an extended current sheet with multiple X-points produced by the plasmoid instability. Through a series of simulations with various system sizes relative to di, it is shown that system size affects the accessibility of the intermediate regime. The larger the system size is, the easier it is to realize the intermediate regime. A...

Tailoring the air plasma with a double laser pulse

Abstract: We present a comprehensive model of plasma dynamics that enables a detailed understanding of the ways the air plasma induced in the atmosphere in the wake of a laser-induced filament can be controlled by an additional laser pulse. Our model self-consistently integrates plasma-kinetic, Navier−Stokes, electron heat conduction, and electron−vibration energy transfer equations, serving to reveal laser−plasma interaction regimes where the plasma lifetime can be substantially increased through an efficient control over plasma temperature, as well as suppression of attachment and recombination processes. The model is used to quantify the limitations on the length of uniform laser-filament heating due to the self-defocusing of laser radiation by the radial profile of electron density. The envisaged applications include sustaining plasma guides for long-distance transmission of microwaves, standoff detection of impurities and potentially hazardous agents, as well as lightning control and protection.

Short-wavelength and three-dimensional instability evolution in National Ignition Facility ignition capsule designs

Abstract: Ignition capsule designs for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [G. H. Miller, E. I. Moses, and C. R. Wuest, Opt. Eng. 443, 2841 (2004)] have continued to evolve in light of improved physical data inputs, improving simulation techniques, and, most recently, experimental data from a growing number of NIF sub-ignition experiments. This paper summarizes a number of recent changes to the cryogenic capsule design and some of our latest techniques in simulating its performance. Specifically, recent experimental results indicated harder x-ray drive spectra in NIF hohlraums than were predicted and used in previous capsule optimization studies. To accommodate this harder drive spectrum, a series of high-resolution 2-D simulations, resolving Legendre mode numbers as high as 2000, were run and the germanium dopant concentration and ablator shell thicknesses re-optimized accordingly. Simultaneously, the possibility of cooperative or nonlinear interaction between neighboring ablator surface defects has motivated a s...

On plasma detachment in propulsive magnetic nozzles

Abstract: Three detachment mechanisms proposed in the literature (via resistivity, via electron inertia, and via induced magnetic field) are analyzed with an axisymmetric model of the expansion of a small-beta, weakly collisional, near-sonic plasma in a diverging magnetic nozzle. The model assumes cold, partially magnetized ions and hot, isothermal, fully magnetized electrons. Different conditions of the plasma beam at the nozzle throat are considered. A central feature is that a positive thrust gain in the nozzle of a plasma thruster is intimately related to the azimuthal current in the plasma being diamagnetic. Then, and contrary to existing expectations, the three aforementioned detachment mechanisms are divergent, that is, the plasma beam diverges outwards of the guide nozzle, further hindering its axial expansion and the thrust efficiency. The rate of divergent detachment is quantified for the small-parameter range of the three mechanisms. Alternative mechanisms for a convergent detachment of the plasma beam are suggested.

A hydrodynamical model for relativistic spin quantum plasmas

Abstract: Based on the one-body particle-antiparticle Dirac theory of electrons, a set of relativistic quantum fluid equations for a spin half plasma is derived. The particle-antiparticle nature of the relativistic particles is explicit in this fluid theory, which also includes quantum effects such as spin. The nonrelativistic limit is shown to be in agreement with previous attempts to develop a spin plasma theory derived from the Pauli Hamiltonian. Harnessing the formalism to the study of electromagnetic mode propagation, conceptually new phenomena are revealed; the particle-antiparticle effects increase the fluid opacity to these waves, while the spin effects tend to make the fluid more transparent.

SIESTA: A scalable iterative equilibrium solver for toroidal applications

Abstract: A new solver for rapidly obtaining magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibria in toroidal systems in the presence of islands and stochastic regions is described. It is based on the Kulsrud-Kruskal MHD energy minimization principle. To carry out this minimization, small displacements are made around a convenient set of curvilinear coordinates obtained from a nearby three-dimensional equilibrium that assumes nested surfaces. Because the changes of the magnetic fields and pressure are small, corresponding to small changes in the initial magnetic and kinetic energies, solutions for the linearized perturbations can be used to rapidly and iteratively find lower energy states with magnetic islands. A physics-based preconditioner is developed to accelerate the convergence of the iterative procedure to obtain an ideal MHD equilibrium with broken magnetic surfaces (islands).

Plasma Wakefield Acceleration with a Modulated Proton Bunch

Abstract: The plasma wakefield amplitudes which could be achieved via the modulation of a long proton bunch are investigated. We find that in the limit of long bunches compared to the plasma wavelength, the strength of the accelerating fields is directly proportional to the number of particles in the drive bunch and inversely proportional to the square of the transverse bunch size. The scaling laws were tested and verified in detailed simulations using parameters of existing proton accelerators, and large electric fields were achieved, reaching 1 GV/m for LHC bunches. Energy gains for test electrons beyond 6 TeV were found in this case.

Edge energy transport barrier and turbulence in the I-mode regime on Alcator C-Mod

Abstract: We report extended studies of the I-mode regime [Whyte et al., Nucl. Fusion 50, 105005 (2010)] obtained in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak [Marmar et al., Fusion Sci. Technol. 51(3), 3261 (2007)]. This regime, usually accessed with unfavorable ion B × ∇B drift, features an edge thermal transport barrier without a strong particle transport barrier. Steady I-modes have now been obtained with favorable B × ∇B drift, by using specific plasma shapes, as well as with unfavorable drift over a wider range of shapes and plasma parameters. With favorable drift, power thresholds are close to the standard scaling for L–H transitions, while with unfavorable drift they are ∼ 1.5–3 times higher, increasing with Ip. Global energy confinement in both drift configurations is comparable to H-mode scalings, while density profiles and impurity confinement are close to those in L-mode. Transport analysis of the edge region shows a decrease in edge χeff, by typically a factor of 3, between L- and I-mode. The decrease correlates with ...

H-mode pedestal scaling in DIII-D, ASDEX Upgrade, and JET

Abstract: Multi device pedestal scaling experiments in the DIII-D, ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) and JET tokamaks are presented in order to test two plasma physics pedestal width models. The first model proposes a scaling of the pedestal width Δ/a ρ * 1/2 to ρ * based on the radial extent of the pedestal being set by the point where the linear turbulence growth rate exceeds the ExB velocity. In the multi device experiment where ρ * at the pedestal top was varied by a factor of four while other dimensionless parameters where kept fixed, it has been observed that the temperature pedestal width in real space coordinates scales with machine size, and that therefore the gyroradius scaling suggested by the model is not supported by the experiments. This density pedestal width is not invariant with ρ * which after comparison with a simple neutral fuelling model may be attributed to variations in the neutral fuelling patterns. The second model, EPED1, is based on kinetic ballooning modes setting the limit of the radial extent of the pedestal region and leads to Δ βp 1/2 . All three devices show a scaling of the pedestal width in normalised poloidal flux as Δ βp 1/2 , as described by the kinetic ballooning model, however on JET and AUG this could not be distinguished from an interpretation where the pedestal is fixed in real space. Pedestal data from all three devices have been compared with the predictive pedestal model EPED1 and the model produces pedestal height values that match the experimental data well.

Electron self-injection into an evolving plasma bubble: Quasi monoenergetic laser-plasma acceleration in the blowout regime

Abstract: An electron density bubble driven in a rarefied uniform plasma by a slowly evolving laser pulse goes through periods of adiabatically slow expansions and contractions. Bubble expansion causes robust self-injection of initially quiescent plasma electrons, whereas stabilization and contraction terminate self-injection thus limiting injected charge; concomitant phase space rotation reduces the bunch energy spread. In regimes relevant to experiments with hundred terawatt- to petawatt-class lasers, bubble dynamics and, hence, the self-injection process are governed primarily by the driver evolution. Collective transverse fields of the trapped electron bunch reduce the accelerating gradient and slow down phase space rotation. Bubble expansion followed by stabilization and contraction suppresses the low-energy background and creates a collimated quasi-monoenergetic electron bunch long before dephasing. Nonlinear evolution of the laser pulse (spot size oscillations, self-compression, and front steepening) can also cause continuous self-injection, resulting in a large dark current, degrading the electron beam quality.