Investigation of the confinement of high energy non-neutral proton beam in a bent magnetic mirror

By using the Particle-In-Cell(PIC) simulation method, we study how the proton beam is confined in a bent magnetic mirror. It is found that the loss rate of the charged particles in a bent mirror is less than that in the axi-symmetric mirror. For a special bent mirror with the deflection angle of the coils $\alpha=45^{\circ}$, it is found that the loss rate reaches maximum value at certain ion number density where the ion electrostatic oscillation frequency is equal to the ion cyclotron frequency. In addition, the loss rate is irrelevant to the direction of the proton beam. Our results may be helpful to devise a mirror. In order to obtain the least loss rate, we may choose a appropriate deflection angle, and have to avoid a certain ion number density at which the ion electrostatic oscillation frequency is equal to the ion cyclotron frequency.

Formation of a Charged Layer in a Bounded Non-Uniform Magnetized Plasma in RF Field

A model of plasma dynamics in the box of an ICRF (ion cyclotron radio-frequency) antenna without Faraday shield used for the plasma heating in tokamaks is proposed. Formation of a macroscopic layer of oscillating charge that plays a role of a shield is predicted. Relation to phenomena observed in a scrape-off layer plasma is discussed.

Study of ion cyclotron range of frequencies heating characteristics in deuterium plasma in the Large Helical Device

The characteristics of ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) minority ion heating with a hydrogen minority and deuterium majority plasma were studied by ICRF modulation injection experiments in the Large Helical Device (LHD). In recent experiments with deuterium plasma, no significant increase in the neutron emission rate due to ICRF second harmonic deuteron heating was observed. Therefore, in this study, the neutron emission rate was used to refer to the information regarding the thermal ion component. Like the results of the observations of the heating efficiencies at various minority proton ratios, the experimental results showed good agreement with the simple model simulation of ICRF wave absorption. During these experiments, the accelerated minority hydrogen ions were observed by neutral particle analyzers. The counting rates of the energetic particles were higher in the lines of sight passing through the helical ripple than across the magnetic axis, and the counting rate decreased as the minority hydrogen ion ratio increased. The dependence of the minority hydrogen ion ratio on the density of the energetic ions was consistent with the experimentally observed heating efficiencies and simulations. The heating efficiency of ICRF minority ion heating could be well explained by simple model simulation in the LHD deuterium experiment.

Interaction of radio frequency waves with cylindrical density filaments: scattering and radiation pressure

The propagation of radio-frequency (RF) waves in tokamaks can be affected by filamentary structures, or blobs, that are present in the edge plasma and the scrape-off layer. The difference in the permittivity between the surrounding plasma and interior of a filament leads to reflection, refraction and diffraction of the waves. This, in turn, can affect the power flow into the core of the plasma and reduce the efficiency of heating and/or current generation. The scattering of RF waves, lower hybrid, helicon and ion cyclotron waves, by a single cylindrical filament, embedded in a background plasma, is studied using a full-wave analytical theory developed previously (Ram & Hizanidis, Phys. Plasmas, vol. 23, 2016, 022504). The theory assumes that the plasma in and around a filament is homogeneous and cold. A detailed scattering analysis reveals a variety of common features that exist among the three distinctly different RF waves. These common attributes can be inferred intuitively based on an examination of the cold plasma dispersion relation. The physical intuition is a useful step to understanding experimental observations on scattering, as well as results from simulations that include general forms of edge plasma turbulence. While a filament can affect the propagation of RF waves, the radiation force exerted by the waves can influence the filament. The force on a filament is determined using the Maxwell stress tensor. In 1905, Poynting was the first to evaluate and measure the radiation force on an interface separating two different dielectric media (Poynting, London Edinburgh Dublin Philos. Mag. J. Sci., vol. 9, 1905, pp. 393–406). For ordinary light propagating in vacuum and incident on a glass surface, Poynting noted that the surface is ‘pulled’ towards the vacuum. In a magnetized cold plasma, there are two independent wave modes. Even if only one of these modes is excited by an RF antenna, a filament will couple power to the other mode: a consequence of electromagnetic boundary conditions. This facet of scattering has consequences on the radiation force that go beyond Poynting's seminal contribution. The direction of the force depends on the polarization of the incident wave and on the mode structure of the waves inside and in the vicinity of a filament. It can either pull the filament toward the RF source or push it away. For slow lower hybrid waves, filaments with densities greater than the ambient density are pulled in, while filaments with lower densities are pushed out, thereby enhancing the density in front of the antenna. In the case of fast helicon and ion cyclotron waves, the direction of the force depends on the plasma and wave parameters; in particular, on the ambient density. The radiation force, in all three frequency ranges, is large enough to affect the motion of a filament and could be measured experimentally. This also suggests the possibility of modifying the edge turbulence using RF waves.

Proton-Alpha Drift Instability of Electromagnetic Ion-Cyclotron Modes: Quasilinear Development

The ability of space plasmas to self-regulate through mechanisms involving self-generated fluctuations is a topic of high interest. This paper presents the results of a new advanced quasilinear (QL) approach for the instability of electromagnetic ion-cyclotron modes driven by the relative alpha-proton drift observed in solar wind. For an extended parametric analysis, the present QL approach includes also the effects of intrinsic anisotropic temperatures of these populations. The enhanced fluctuations contribute to an exchange of energy between proton and alpha particles, leading to important variations of the anisotropies, the proton-alpha drift and the temperature contrast. The results presented here can help understand the observational data, in particular, those revealing the local variations associated with the properties of protons and alpha particles as well as the spatial profiles in the expanding solar wind.