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Investigation of filamentary structures was performed on the spherical tokamak Globus-M by the Doppler backscattering (DBS) method. Filaments were detected in the H-mode regime both during the edge localized mode event and in the periods between them. They manifested themselves as bursts of quasi-coherent fluctuations (BQFs) of the output signals of the DBS quadrature detector. To confirm BQF appearing due to backscattering from a moving filament, special experiments were carried out with two DBS systems located at different poloidal angles. Using the new filament research method one could evaluate their velocity, mode number, and radial and poloidal positions. Using this technique, it was possible to estimate the size of the filaments. Experiments have shown that the filaments move predominantly in the direction of the electron diamagnetic drift with a velocity exceeding the velocity of background small-scale fluctuations. Filaments were recorded more frequently when the density gradient on the plasma periphery increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Divertor Thomson scattering (DTS) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) are both laser aided diagnostics well suited to combination with common probing and collecting optics that are the most sophisticated and expensive part of any ITER optical diagnostic system. The combination of DTS and LIF are used for simultaneous measurement of local electron (Te, ne), ion (Ti, nHeII) and atom (nHeI, nH(D,T)) parameters and provide basic information on rates of electron and ion processes to allow basic understanding of the physics of divertor plasma detachment. The measured parameters permit the calculation of rates of ionization and recombination using Te, ne, Ti, ni, nHeI and nH(D,T); emission intensity—Te, ne, ni, nHeI and nH(D,T); frictional force of the plasma flow due to collisions with neutrals—Ti, ni, T0, nHeI and nH(D,T) and pressure of the incoming plasma flow—Te, ne, Ti and ni. The paper discusses the benefits of DTS and LIF integration, suggests new approaches to the estimation of DTS capability, LIF implementation and possibilities for further diagnostic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is devoted to the thermal energy confinement study at the compact spherical tokamak Globus-M. The regression fit of the database for the H-mode plasma was performed. The energy confinement time (τE) dependence on toroidal magnetic field BT is very strong. However the τE dependence on plasma current Ip is weaker than conventional scaling IPB98(y,2) predicts. The BTτE dependence on ν* is significantly stronger than in ITER scaling, but weaker than those obtained at NSTX and MAST spherical tokamaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the final Globus-M experimental campaign Btor and Ip were raised by 25% up to 0.5 T and 250 kA, respectively, expanding available range of experimental parameters. In these experiments an overall improvement in plasma performance was observed, plasma total stored energy and neutron rate increased significantly. The energy confinement time dependence on Btor and ne was close to linear. L-H transition threshold was 5–10 times higher than threshold predicted by the scaling. Despite the small plasma-wall distance, the level of radiation losses in the main plasma volume was relatively small and decreased as Btor rised. An increase in Btor and Ip led to a decrease in the sawtooth-induced losses. While a rise in the plasma current led to a decrease of fast ion losses per TAE burst at the same amplitude; frequency of bursts and their amplitude increased. Doppler backscattering, applied to study TAE localization for the first time, revealed that TAE fluctuations are localized in the region of normalized minor radii ρ  =  0.5–0.75. A new movable 9-pin head probe provided data, necessary for power decay length scaling investigation. Significant power decay length contraction, stronger than predicted by Eich’s scaling, was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of limit cycle oscillation (LCO) studies in the spherical Globus-M tokamak are presented. The oscillations of E  ×  B drift velocity, turbulence level, Dα light emission, plasma density and magnetic field with the LCO frequency were simultaneously observed. Properties of two LCO regimes, with and without the transition to the H-mode, are compared. The results of a correlation analysis between the flows and turbulence require the use of a 1D model of the LCO development. The bicoherent analysis demonstrates that zonal flows dominate in LCOs. An up–down asymmetry of the poloidal magnetic field oscillations with the LCO frequency is found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Globus-M spherical tokamak has demonstrated practically all of the project objectives during the 15-year period of operation. The main factor limiting further progress in plasma performance is a relatively low toroidal magnetic field. The maximum toroidal magnetic field achieved on Globus-M was 0.4 T with the exception of a limited number of shots with 0.55 T, which led to damage of the toroidal field coil in 2002. The increase of the magnetic field up to 1.0 T together with the plasma current up to 0.5 MA will result in the significant enhancement of the operating parameters in the upgraded Globus-M2 machine. The experimental program will be focused on plasma heating and non-inductive current drive and will contribute to the creation of a physical and technological base for the compact fusion neutron source development. In the article a brief overview of the physical background for the machine upgrade is outlined. The current status of the project implementation is described. First experimental results on moderate magnetic field increase from 0.4 T up to 0.5 T in the existing Globus-M machine are discussed. The improvement of plasma confinement as well as enhancement of efficiency of the beam driven current is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tritium retention inside the vacuum vessel is a potentially serious constraint in the operation of large-scale fusion machines like ITER. An in situ diagnostics for first wall H/D/T retention by laser induced desorption spectroscopy (LIDS) is proposed for use between plasma discharges. The technique is based on local baking of the first wall by laser irradiation and subsequent analysis of the in-vessel gas by optical emission spectroscopy of plasma radiation. The local heating implementation, kinetics of H/D/T thermal extraction and the accuracy of optical emission spectroscopy measurements are analysed. To resolve the H/D/T lines spectroscopically, their thermal broadening should be minimized to prevent overlapping of the line shapes. A comparative performance analysis of several types of plasma sources with relatively cold ions is made including the following types of discharges: Penning, RF multipactor, laser torch and ECR. All these radiation sources require rather low power and could be used for remote in situ measurements of relative densities of the thermally extracted hydrogen isotopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of a multi-diagnostic approach for geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) studies in the spherical torus Globus-M are presented. The GAM oscillations of radial electric field, plasma density and magnetic field were simultaneously observed. The spatial structures of crucial plasma parameters are exhibited and discussed. The intermittent character of the GAM manifests itself as a modulation at two time-scales: equilibrium time scale and the characteristic time for limit-cycle oscillations. The mutual influence of GAM oscillations and turbulence is demonstrated by bicoherence analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First experiments on non-inductive current drive (CD) in the spherical tokamak using lower hybrid (LH) waves at 2.45 GHz are described. The basic characteristics of the new experimental approach utilizing poloidal LH wave slowing-down scheme obtained by modeling are presented at the beginning of the paper. The experimental results for a poloidal slowing-down scheme are described. The CD efficiency comparable or even higher than theoretically predicted is demonstrated in the experiment using a 10 waveguide grill with 120° phase shift between neighboring waveguides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost all optical diagnostic systems in ITER will require the implementation of mirror recovery and protection systems. Plasma cleaning is considered to be the most promising technique for the removal of metal deposits from optical surfaces. The engineering and physical aspects of RF discharge application for continuous or periodic plasma treatment are discussed with a focus on implementation under ITER conditions. The ion flux parameters obtained in capacitively coupled (CC) RF discharge were measured in the mock-up of a plasma cleaning system. The uniformity of sputtering in CC RF discharge with and without a magnetic field was studied experimentally for the cylindrical discharge reactor geometry and compared with numerical simulations. The sharp increase in the sputtering rate resulting from the non-uniform radial distribution of the ion flux was observed near the electrode edges. The longitudinal magnetic field improves sputtering uniformity. It was demonstrated that Al/Al2O3 deposits can be removed in the Ne and D2 plasma of CC RF discharge but long-term exposition results in the degradation of the polycrystalline molybdenum mirror surface. The efficiency of Al sputtering in the atmosphere containing O2 and N2 fractions was studied in the D2/O2 and D2/N2 plasma of glow discharge. The addition of 2% of oxygen or nitrogen increases the sputtering yield by 3–4 times as compared with that in a nominally pure D2 discharge. The impact of metal deposits on the performance of diagnostic mirrors is discussed. It was shown that an ultrathin metallic film with a thickness as low as a few nm may cause a significant degradation of diagnostic mirrors with a transparent coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electron component is the main channel for anomalous power loss and the main indicator of transient processes in the tokamak plasma. The electron temperature and density profiles mainly determine the operational mode of the machine. This imposes demanding requirements on the precision and on the spatial and temporal resolution of the Thomson scattering (TS) measurements. Measurements of such high electron temperature with good accuracy in a large fusion device such as ITER using TS encounter a number of physical problems. The 40 keV TS spectrum has a significant blue shift. Due to the transmission functions of the fibres and to their darkening that can occur under a strong neutron irradiation, the operational wavelength range is bounded on the blue side. For example, high temperature measurements become impossible with the 1064 nm probing wavelength since the TS signal within the boundaries of the operational window weakly depends on Te. The second problem is connected with the TS calibration. The TS system for a large fusion machine like ITER will have a set of optical components inaccessible for maintenance, and their spectral characteristics may change with time. Since the present concept of the TS system for ITER relies on the classical approach to measuring the shape of the scattered spectra using wide spectral channels, the diagnostic will be very sensitive to the changes in the optical transmission. The third complication is connected with the deviation of the electron velocity distribution function from a Maxwellian that can happen under a strong ECRH/ECCD, and it may additionally hamper the measurements. This paper analyses the advantages of a ‘multi-laser approach’ implementation for the current design of the core TS system. Such an approach assumes simultaneous plasma probing with different wavelengths that allows the measurement accuracy to be improved significantly and to perform the spectral calibration of the TS system. Comparative analysis of the conservative and advanced approaches is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behaviour of the fast particle population during 18 keV hydrogen and 26 keV deuterium neutral beam injection in deuterium plasmas is investigated. Experiments reveal large fast ion losses. The experimental results are confirmed using different types of modelling: simulation using the NUBEAM module, solution of the Boltzmann kinetic equation and solution of the 3D fast ion tracking algorithm. The dynamics of the energetic particle redistribution and losses during sawtooth oscillation and toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes are studied. A method to decrease fast ion losses under the current conditions (0.4 T, 0.2 MA) is shown. The influence of the plasma parameters on the energetic ion confinement rate is investigated. Modelling for the Globus-M2 conditions (1 T, 0.5 MA) is performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) studies in the spherical torus Globus-M via Doppler reflectometry are presented. The intermittent character of the GAM evolution is similar to the limit-cycle oscillation behavior of zonal flows. The evident correlation between the GAM rotational velocity and both Dα emission and plasma density oscillations is exhibited and discussed. The obtained experimental results are compared with those from tokamaks with large aspect ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]