Visible imaging of edge turbulence in NSTX (open access)

Visible imaging of edge turbulence in NSTX

Edge plasma turbulence in tokamaks and stellarators is believed to cause the radical heat and particle flux across the separatrix and into the scrape-off-layers of these devices. This paper describes initial measurements of 2-D space-time structure of the edge density turbulence made using a visible imaging diagnostic in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). The structure of the edge turbulence is most clearly visible using a method of gas puff imaging to locally illuminate the edge density turbulence.
Date: June 13, 2000
Creator: Zweben, S.; Maqueda, R.; Hill, K.; Johnson, D. & al, et
System: The UNT Digital Library
Determining equivalent damage loading for full-scale wind turbine blade fatigue tests (open access)

Determining equivalent damage loading for full-scale wind turbine blade fatigue tests

This paper describes a simplified method for converting wind turbine rotor design loads into equivalent-damage, constant-amplitude loads and load ratios for both flap and lead-lag directions. It is an iterative method that was developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) using Palmgren-Miner's linear damage principles. The general method is unique because it does not presume that any information about the materials or blade structural properties is precisely known. According to this method, the loads are never converted to stresses. Instead, a family of M-N curves (moment vs. cycles) is defined with reasonable boundaries for load-amplitude and slope. An optimization program iterates and converges on the constant amplitude test load and load ratio that minimizes the sensitivity to the range of M-N curves for each blade section. The authors constrained the general method to match the NedWind 25 design condition for the Standards, Measurements, and Testing (SMT) blade testing pro gram. SMT participants agreed to use the fixed S-N slope of m = 10 from the original design to produce consistent test-loads among the laboratories. Unconstrained, the general method suggests that slightly higher test loads should be used for the NedWind 25 blade design spectrum. NedWind 25 blade test loads …
Date: March 13, 2000
Creator: Freebury, G. & Musial, W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Investigation of vessel exterior air cooling for a HLMC reactor (open access)

Investigation of vessel exterior air cooling for a HLMC reactor

The Secure Transportable Autonomous Reactor (STAR) concept under development at Argonne National Laboratory provides a small (300 MWt) reactor module for steam supply that incorporates design features to attain proliferation resistance, heightened passive safety, and improved cost competitiveness through extreme simplification. Examples are the achievement of 100%+ natural circulation heat removal from the low power density/low pressure drop ultra-long lifetime core and utilization of lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) coolant enabling elimination of main coolant pumps as well as the need for an intermediate heat transport circuit. It is required to provide a passive means of removing decay heat and effecting reactor cooldown in the event that the normal steam generator heat sink, including its normal shutdown heat removal mode, is postulated to be unavailable. In the present approach, denoted as the Reactor Exterior Cooling System (RECS), passive decay heat removal is provided by cooling the outside of the containment/guard vessel with air. RECS is similar to the Reactor Vessel Auxiliary Cooling System (RVACS) incorporated into the PRISM design. However, to enhance the heat removal, RECS incorporates fins on the containment vessel exterior to enhance heat transfer to air as well as removable steel venetian conductors that provide a conduction heat transfer …
Date: January 13, 2000
Creator: Sienicki, J. J. & Spencer, B. W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Magnetoconductance of Independently Tunable Tunnel-Coupled Double Quantum Wires (open access)

Magnetoconductance of Independently Tunable Tunnel-Coupled Double Quantum Wires

The authors report on their recent experimental studies of vertically-coupled quantum point contacts subject to in-plane magnetic fields. Using a novel flip-chip technique, mutually aligned split gates on both sides of a sub micron thick double quantum well heterostructure define a closely-coupled pair of ballistic one-dimensional (1D) constrictions. They observe quantized conductance steps due to each quantum well and demonstrate independent control of each ID constriction width. In addition, a novel magnetoconductance feature at {approximately}6 T is observed when a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to both the current and growth directions. This conductance dip is observed only when 1D subbands are populated in both the top and bottom constrictions. This data is consistent with a counting model whereby the number of subbands crossing the Fermi level changes with field due to the formation of an anticrossing in each pair of 1D subbands.
Date: July 13, 2000
Creator: Blount, Mark A.; Moon, J. S.; Simmons, Jerry A.; Lyo, Sungkwun K.; Wendt, Joel R. & Reno, John L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Applied environmental technology development at the Savannah River Site: A retrospective on the last half of the 20th century (open access)

Applied environmental technology development at the Savannah River Site: A retrospective on the last half of the 20th century

Fifty years ago, the Savannah River Site (SRS) was built to produce nuclear materials. These operations impacted air, soil, groundwater, ecology and the local environment. Throughout its history, SRS has addressed these contamination issues directly and has maintained a strong commitment to environmental stewardship. The site boasts many environmental firsts. Notably, SRS was the first major DOE facility to perform a baseline ecological assessment. This pioneering effort, by Ruth Patrick and the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, was performed during SRS planning and construction in the early 1950's. This unique early example sets the stage for subsequent efforts. Since that time, the scientists and engineers at SRS have proactively identified environmental problems as they occurred and have skillfully developed elegant and efficient solutions.
Date: March 13, 2000
Creator: Looney, B. B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
RF cogging in the FNAL Booster Accelerator (open access)

RF cogging in the FNAL Booster Accelerator

The Fermilab Booster operates at a Radio Frequency (RF) harmonic number of 84 with beam in all buckets. One or two bunches of beam are systematically lost in the 8 GeV extraction process as beam is swept across a magnetic septum during the extraction kicker rise time. The prompt radiation and component activation resulting from this localized high energy beam loss become serious concerns as Booster beam throughput must be increased more than tenfold to meet the requirements of RUN II, NUMI, and MiniBooNE experiments. Synchronizing a gap in the beam to the firing of the extraction kickers, a relatively easy and standard practice in many machines, can eliminate the problem. This seemingly simple operation is greatly complicated in the Booster by the need to synchronize extraction to beam already circulating in the Main Injector. Coupled with the inflexibility of the Booster resonant magnetic cycle, cycle to cycle variations, and constraints inherent in the accelerator physics, that requirement forces active control of the gap's azimuthal position throughout the acceleration process as the revolution frequency sweeps rapidly. Until recently, the complexities of actually implementing and demonstrating this process in the Booster had not been worked out. This paper describes a successful …
Date: June 13, 2000
Creator: Webber, William A. Pellico and Robert C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Accelerating technology transfer from federal laboratories to the private sector by industrial R and D collaborations - A new business model (open access)

Accelerating technology transfer from federal laboratories to the private sector by industrial R and D collaborations - A new business model

Many important products and technologies were developed in federal laboratories and were driven initially by national needs and for federal applications. For example, the clean room technology that enhanced the growth of the semiconductor industry was developed at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) decades ago. Similarly, advances in micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS)--an important set of process technologies vital for product miniaturization--are occurring at SNL. Each of the more than 500 federal laboratories in the US, are sources of R and D that contributes to America's economic vitality, productivity growth and, technological innovation. However, only a fraction of the science and technology available at the federal laboratories is being utilized by industry. Also, federal laboratories have not been applying all the business development processes necessary to work effectively with industry in technology commercialization. This paper addresses important factors that federal laboratories, federal agencies, and industry must address to translate these under utilized technologies into profitable products in the industrial sector.
Date: April 13, 2000
Creator: Lombana, Cesar A.; Romig, Alton D.; Linton, Jonathan D. & Martinez, J. Leonard
System: The UNT Digital Library
Power for peace, prosperity, and the environment (open access)

Power for peace, prosperity, and the environment

The remarkable prosperity and standard of living enjoyed in the US is in large part linked to the use of energy. While high-energy use brings many benefits, it also causes environmental degradation. In the last decade, the potentially devastating effects of degradation of greenhouse gases have received worldwide attention. The tradeoff between sustaining a healthy environment and sustaining a healthy economy is a major challenge of the 21st century. In this paper, the authors explore some of the issues and focus particularly on the option of enhancing nuclear energy as a way to help sustain economic prosperity while decreasing pollution of the atmosphere.
Date: April 13, 2000
Creator: Eagan, Robert J.; Baker, Arnold B. & Sanders, Thomas L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Java based open architecture controller (open access)

Java based open architecture controller

At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) the authors have been developing an open architecture machine tool controller. This work has been patterned after the General Motors (GM) led Open Modular Architecture Controller (OMAC) work, where they have been involved since its inception. The OMAC work has centered on creating sets of implementation neutral application programming interfaces (APIs) for machine control software components. In the work at LLNL, they were among the early adopters of the Java programming language. As an application programming language, it is particularly well suited for component software development. The language contains many features, which along with a well-defined implementation API (such as the OMAC APIs) allows third party binary files to be integrated into a working system. Because of its interpreted nature, Java allows rapid integration testing of components. However, for real-time systems development, the Java programming language presents many drawbacks. For instance, lack of well defined scheduling semantics and threading behavior can present many unwanted challenges. Also, the interpreted nature of the standard Java Virtual Machine (JVM) presents an immediate performance hit. Various real-time Java vendors are currently addressing some of these drawbacks. The various pluses and minuses of using the Java programming language and …
Date: January 13, 2000
Creator: Weinert, G. F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A theoretical analysis of the reaction between ethyl and molecular oxygen (open access)

A theoretical analysis of the reaction between ethyl and molecular oxygen

Using a combination of electronic-structure theory, variational transition-state theory, and solutions to the time-dependent master equation, the authors have studied the kinetics of the title reaction theoretically over wide ranges of temperature and pressure. The agreement between theory and experiment is quite good. By comparing the theoretical and experimental results describing the kinetic behavior, they have been able to deduce a value for the C{sub 2}H{sub 5}-O{sub 2} bond energy of {approximately}34 kcal/mole and a value for the exit-channel transition-state energy of {minus}4.3 kcal/mole (measured from reactants). These numbers compare favorably with the electronic-structure theory predictions of 33.9 kcal/mole and {minus}3.0 kcal/mole, respectively. The master-equation solutions show three distinct temperature regimes for the reaction, discussed extensively in the paper. Above T {approx} 700 K, the reaction can be written as an elementary step, C{sub 2}H{sub 5} + O{sub 2} {leftrightarrow} C{sub 2}H{sub 4} + HO{sub 2}, with the rate coefficient, k(T) = 3.19 x 10{sup {minus}17} T{sup 1.02} exp(2035/RT) cm{sup 3}/molec.-sec., independent of pressure even though the intermediate collision complex may suffer a large number of collisions.
Date: December 13, 2000
Creator: Miller, James A.; Klippenstein, Stephen J. & Robertson, Stuart H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Rotation and particle loss in Tore Supra (open access)

Rotation and particle loss in Tore Supra

Although plasma heating with ICRF imparts negligible angular momentum to a tokamak plasma, the high energy particles give significant torque to the plasma through diamagnetic effects. This effect has been directly modeled through guiding center simulations. It is found that heating in Tore Supra, with the location of the resonance surface on the high field side of the magnetic axis, can produce negative central rotation of up to 40 km/sec. Particle loss also contributes to negative rotation, but this is not the dominant effect in most discharges. In this work the authors examine the effect of collisions and strong plasma rotation on the loss of high energy particles. Magnetic field strength variation due to discrete toroidal field coils, or ripple, produces two important loss channels in tokamaks. The trapping of particles in local ripple wells produces super banana orbits and, in the case of strong ripple, direct loss orbits leading to the plasma edge. These particles leave the device in the direction of vertical drift, and are characterized by small values of parallel velocity, or pitch. Ripple also causes high energy particles in banana orbits to diffuse stochastically, leading to banana orbits which impact the wall near the outer midplane. …
Date: June 13, 2000
Creator: White, R. B.; Perkins, F. W.; Garbet, X. & Bourdelle, C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Physics Results from the National Spherical Torus Experiment (open access)

Physics Results from the National Spherical Torus Experiment

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is designed for studying toroidal plasma confinement at very low aspect-ratio, A = R/a = 0.85m/0.68m {approximately} 1.25, with cross-section elongation up to 2.2 and triangularity up to 0.5, for plasma currents up to 1 MA and vacuum toroidal magnetic fields up to 0.6 T on axis. Conducting plates are installed close to the plasma on the outboard side to stabilize kink modes. This should permit operation with toroidal-{beta} approaching 40% [1]. The plasmas will be heated by up to 6 MW High-Harmonic Fast Waves (HHFW) at a frequency 30 MHz and by 5 MW of 80 keV deuterium Neutral Beam Injection. Inductive plasma startup can be supplemented by the process of Coaxial Helicity Injection (CHI).
Date: June 13, 2000
Creator: Bell, M. G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Optimization of retardance for a complete Stokes polarimeter (open access)

Optimization of retardance for a complete Stokes polarimeter

The authors present two figures of merit based on singular value decomposition which can be used to assess the noise immunity of a complete Stokes polarimeter. These are used to optimize a polarimeter consisting of a rotatable retarder and fixed polarizer. A retardance of 132{degree} (approximately three eights wave) and retarder orientation angles of {+-}51.7{degree} and {+-}15.1{degree} are found to be optimal when four measurements are used. Use of this retardance affords a factor of 1.5 improvement in signal-to-noise ratio over systems employing a quarter wave plate. A geometric means of visualizing the optimization process is discussed, and the advantages of the use of additional measurements are investigated. No advantage of using retarder orientation angles spaced uniformly through 360{degree} is found over repeated measurements made at the four angles given previously.
Date: January 13, 2000
Creator: Sabatke, D.S.; Descour, M.R.; Dereniak, E.L.; Sweatt, W.C.; Kemme, S.A. & Phipps, G.S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dual-rod Yb: YAG laser for high-power and high-brightness applications (open access)

Dual-rod Yb: YAG laser for high-power and high-brightness applications

The authors describe a diode-pumped Yb:YAG laser producing 1,080 W cw with 27.5% optical-optical efficiency and 532 W Q-switched with M{sup 2} = 2.2 and 17% optical-optical efficiency. The laser uses two composite Yb:YAG rods separated by a 90 degree quartz rotator for bifocusing compensation. A microlensed diode array end-pumps each rod using a hollow lens duct for pump delivery. By changing resonator parameters, they can adjust the fundamental mode size and the output beam quality. Using a flattened gaussian intensity profile to calculate the mode fill efficiency and clipping losses, the authors compare experimental data to modeled output power vs beam quality.
Date: March 13, 2000
Creator: Honea, E. C.; Beach, R.; Mitchell, S. C.; Skidmore, J. A.; Emanuel, M. A.; Sutton, S. B. et al.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Photochemical arrays formed by spatial compartmentalization of colloidal nanoparticles in a polymer-based hydrogel (open access)

Photochemical arrays formed by spatial compartmentalization of colloidal nanoparticles in a polymer-based hydrogel

The development of practical strategies for the assembly of semiconductor and metal colloid nanoparticles into ordered architectures is an area of considerable current interest, since it offers an opportunity for exploiting the optical and electronic properties of these colloids for device development. Prior research has explored creating such organized nanoparticle assemblies by Langmuir-Blodgett techniques or controlled solvent evaporation on suitable substrates. These approaches suffer from several limitations, however, most notably the generation of relatively simple structures and the lack of structural tailorability, preventing full exploitation of these materials. More recently, directed assembly using chemisorption of streptavidin-biotin or thiol-derivatized gold nanoparticles onto substrates has been described. Alternative approaches to achieving two-dimensional confinement of nanoparticles that do not involve substrate-supported materials, but rather organize the nanoparticles into mesoscopically-ordered soft condensed matter, may offer the advantage of enhanced processability and may permit construction of nanocomposite structures based on functional nanoparticles embedded in a processable, polymer-based matrix. This work describes the development of an alternative strategy for constructing 2-D arrays of functional metal and semiconductor nanoparticles. The approach involves directing the organization of nanocrystals into a processable (i.e., by externally applied magnetic and electric fields) polymer-grafted lipid-based complex fluid. By altering the surface chemistry …
Date: January 13, 2000
Creator: Firestone, M. A.; Rajh, T.; Makarova, O. V.; Seifert, S.; Tiede, D. M. & Thurnauer, M. C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
QUALITY CONTROL AND CHECKING OF ELECTRONICALLY SUBMITTED PAPERS TO ACCELERATOR CONFERENCES. (open access)

QUALITY CONTROL AND CHECKING OF ELECTRONICALLY SUBMITTED PAPERS TO ACCELERATOR CONFERENCES.

None
Date: January 13, 2000
Creator: MacKay, W. W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comprehensive testing of Nedwind 12-Meter wind turbine blades at NREL (open access)

Comprehensive testing of Nedwind 12-Meter wind turbine blades at NREL

This paper describes the structural testing of two NedWind 25 12-m blades at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The tests were conducted under the Standards, Measurement and Testing (SMT) Program in conjunction with tests conducted by four European laboratories to develop a common database of blade testing methods. All of the laboratories tested duplicate copies of blades taken from series production. Blade properties, including weight, center of gravity, natural frequencies, stiffness, and damping, were determined. Static load tests were performed at 110% of the extreme design load for strain verification. NREL performed single-axis and two-axis fatigue tests using business-as-usual testing practices. The single-axis test combined equivalent life loading for the edge and flap spectra into a single resultant load. The two-axis test applied the edge and flap components independently at a phase angle of 90{degree}. Damage areas were observed at (1) the trailing edge, which cracked near the maximum chord; (2) between the steel root collar and the composite, where circumferential cracking was noted; and (3) along the top of the spar between the 2,500-mm and 4,200-mm stations, where a notable increase in acoustic emissions was detected. NREL observed that the onset of damage occurred earlier in the single-axis …
Date: March 13, 2000
Creator: Larwood, S. & Musial, W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Temporal switching jitter in photoconductive switches (open access)

Temporal switching jitter in photoconductive switches

This paper reports on a recent comparison made between the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) gallium arsenide, optically-triggered switch test configuration and the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) gallium arsenide, optically-triggered switch test configuration. The purpose of these measurements was to compare the temporal switch jitter times. It is found that the optical trigger laser characteristics are dominant in determining the PCSS jitter.
Date: April 13, 2000
Creator: Gaudet, John A.; Skipper, Michael C.; Abdalla, Michael D.; Ahern, Sean M.; Mar, Alan; Loubriel, Guillermo M. et al.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Exploring old and new benzene formation pathways in low-pressure premixed flames of aliphatic fuels (open access)

Exploring old and new benzene formation pathways in low-pressure premixed flames of aliphatic fuels

A modeling study of benzene and phenyl radical formation is performed for three low-pressure premixed laminar flat flames having an unsaturated C{sub 2} or C{sub 3} hydrocarbon fuel (acetylene, ethylene, and propene). Predictions using three published detailed elementary-step chemical kinetics mechanisms are tested against MBMS species profile data for all three flames. The differences between the three mechanisms predictive capabilities are explored, with an emphasis on benzene formation pathways. A new chemical kinetics mechanism is created combining features of all three published mechanisms. Included in the mechanism are several novel benzene formation reactions involving combinations of radicals such as C{sub 2}H+C{sub 4}H{sub 5}, and C{sub 5}H{sub 3}+CH{sub 3}. Reactions forming fulvene (a benzene isomer) are included, such as C{sub 3}H{sub 3}+C{sub 3}H{sub 5},as well as fulvene-to-benzene reactions. Predictions using the new mechanism show virtually all of the benzene and phenyl radical to be formed by reactions of either C{sub 3}H{sub 3}+C{sub 3}H{sub 3} or C{sub 3}H{sub 3}+C{sub 3}H{sub 5}, with the relative importance being strongly dependent upon the fuel. C{sub 5}H{sub 3}+CH{sub 3} plays a minor role in fulvene formation in the acetylene flame. The C{sub 2}H{sub x}+C{sub 4}H{sub 4} reactions do not contribute noticeably to benzene or phenyl radical …
Date: December 13, 2000
Creator: Pope, Christopher J. & Miller, James A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Love-Wave Biosensors Using Cross-Linked Polymer Waveguides on LiTaO{sub 3} Substrates (open access)

Love-Wave Biosensors Using Cross-Linked Polymer Waveguides on LiTaO{sub 3} Substrates

The design and performance of Love-wave sensors using cross-linked poly-(methyl methacrylate) waveguides of thickness of 0.3--3.2 {micro}m on LiTaO{sub 3} substrates are described. It is found that this layer-substrate combination provides sufficient waveguidance, and electrical isolation of the IDTs from the liquid environment to achieve low acoustic loss and distortion. In bio-sensing experiments, mass sensitivity up to 1,420 Hz/(ng/mm{sup 2}) is demonstrated.
Date: July 13, 2000
Creator: BENDER,FLORIAN; CERNOSEK,RICHARD W. & JOSSE,F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Survey and alignment of the Fermilab Recycler Antiproton Storage Ring (open access)

Survey and alignment of the Fermilab Recycler Antiproton Storage Ring

In June of 1999 Fermilab commissioned a newly constructed antiproton storage ring, the Recycler Ring, in the Main Injector tunnel directly above the Main Injector beamline. The Recycler Ring is a fixed 8 GeV kinetic energy storage ring and is constructed of strontium ferrite permanent magnets. The 3,319.4-meter-circumference Recycler Ring consists of 344 gradient magnets and 100 quadrupoles all of which are permanent magnets. This paper discusses the methods employed to survey and align these permanent magnets within the Recycler Ring with the specified accuracy. The Laser Tracker was the major instrument used for the final magnet alignment. The magnets were aligned along the Recycler Ring with a relative accuracy of {+-}0.25.
Date: June 13, 2000
Creator: Oshinowo, Babatunde O'Sheg
System: The UNT Digital Library
Survey of the A, B and C layers of the Fermilab D0 muon detector system (open access)

Survey of the A, B and C layers of the Fermilab D0 muon detector system

The Fermilab D0 detector is currently being upgraded to exploit the physics potential to be presented by the Main Injector and the Tevatron Collider during Run II in the Fall of 2000. One of the essential elements of this upgrade is the upgrade of the Muon detector system. The Muon detector system consists of the Central Muon Detector and the Forward Muon Detector. The Central Muon Detector consists of three detector systems: the Proportional Drift Tube (PDT) chambers which were used in Run I, the B- and C-layer Scintillation Counters, and new the A-layer Scintillation Counters. The Forward Muon Detector consists of the Mini-Drift Tubes (MDTs) and the Scintillation Pixel Counters. There are three layers, designated A, B, C, of the Muon detector system. The A-layer is closest to the interaction region and a toroid magnet is located between the A- and B-layers. This paper discusses the methods currently employed to survey and align these PDTs, MDTs, and the scintillation pixel counters in the three layers of the Muon detector system within the specified accuracy. The accuracy for the MDTs and PDTs is {+-}0.5 mm, and {+-}2.0 mm for the scintillation pixel counters. The Laser Tracker, the BETS, and the …
Date: June 13, 2000
Creator: Oshinowo, Babatunde O'Sheg
System: The UNT Digital Library
Security issues at the Department of Energy and records management (open access)

Security issues at the Department of Energy and records management

In order to discuss the connection between security issues within the Department of Energy and records management, the author covers a bit of security history and talks about what she calls ``the Amazing Project''. Initiated in late May 1999, it was to be a tri-laboratory (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory of Livermore, California, Los Alamos National Laboratory of Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Sandia National Laboratories of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Livermore, California) project. The team that formed was tasked to develop the best set of security solutions that still enabled weapon mission work to get done and the security solutions were to be the same set for everyone. The amazing project was called ''The Integrated Security Management Project'', or ''ISecM' for short. She'll describe why she thinks this project was so amazing and what it accomplished. There's a bit of sad news about the project, but then she'll move onto discuss what was learned at Sandia as a result of the project and what they're currently doing in records management.
Date: March 13, 2000
Creator: NUSBAUM,ANNA W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Generation of plasma rotation in a tokamak by ion-cyclotron absorption of fast Alfven waves (open access)

Generation of plasma rotation in a tokamak by ion-cyclotron absorption of fast Alfven waves

Control of rotation in tokamak plasmas provides a method for suppressing fine-scale turbulent transport by velocity shear and for stabilizing large-scale magnetohydrodynamic instabilities via a close-fitting conducting shell. The experimental discovery of rotation in a plasma heated by the fast-wave minority ion cyclotron process is important both as a potential control method for a fusion reactor and as a fundamental issue, because rotation arises even though this heating process introduces negligible angular momentum. This paper proposes and evaluates a mechanism which resolves this apparent conflict. First, it is assumed that angular momentum transport in a tokamak is governed by a diffusion equation with a no-slip boundary condition at the plasma surface and with a torque-density source that is a function of radius. When the torque density source consists of two separated regions of positive and negative torque density, a non-zero central rotation velocity results, even when the total angular momentum input vanishes. Secondly, the authors show that localized ion-cyclotron heating can generate regions of positive and negative torque density and consequently central plasma rotation.
Date: June 13, 2000
Creator: Perkins, F. W.; White, R. B. & Bonoli, P.
System: The UNT Digital Library