Electron kinetic effects on interferometry, polarimetry and Thomson scattering measurements in burning plasmas (invited).

At anticipated high electron temperatures in ITER, the effects of electron thermal motion on Thomson scattering (TS), toroidal interferometer/polarimeter (TIP), and poloidal polarimeter (PoPola) diagnostics will be significant and must be accurately treated. The precision of the previous lowest order linear in τ = Te/mec(2) model may be insufficient; we present a more precise model with τ(2)-order corrections to satisfy the high accuracy required for ITER TIP and PoPola diagnostics. The linear model is extended from Maxwellian to a more general class of anisotropic electron distributions that allows us to take into account distortions caused by equilibrium current, ECRH, and RF current drive effects. The classical problem of the degree of polarization of incoherent Thomson scattered radiation is solved analytically exactly without any approximations for the full range of incident polarizations, scattering angles, and electron thermal motion from non-relativistic to ultra-relativistic. The results are discussed in the context of the possible use of the polarization properties of Thomson scattered light as a method of Te measurement relevant to ITER operational scenarios.

Classical impurity ion confinement in a toroidal magnetized fusion plasma.

High-resolution measurements of impurity ion dynamics provide first-time evidence of classical ion confinement in a toroidal, magnetically confined plasma. The density profile evolution of fully stripped carbon is measured in MST reversed-field pinch plasmas with reduced magnetic turbulence to assess Coulomb-collisional transport without the neoclassical enhancement from particle drift effects. The impurity density profile evolves to a hollow shape, consistent with the temperature screening mechanism of classical transport. Corroborating methane pellet injection experiments expose the sensitivity of the impurity particle confinement time to the residual magnetic fluctuation amplitude.

Anisotropic ion heating and tail generation during tearing mode magnetic reconnection in a high-temperature plasma.

Complementary measurements of ion energy distributions in a magnetically confined high-temperature plasma show that magnetic reconnection results in both anisotropic ion heating and the generation of suprathermal ions. The anisotropy, observed in the C(+6) impurity ions, is such that the temperature perpendicular to the magnetic field is larger than the temperature parallel to the magnetic field. The suprathermal tail appears in the majority ion distribution and is well described by a power law to energies 10 times the thermal energy. These observations may offer insight into the energization process.

Mass-dependent ion heating during magnetic reconnection in a laboratory plasma.

Noncollisional ion heating in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas and the mechanism of conversion of magnetic energy to ion thermal energy are not well understood. In the Madison Symmetric Torus reversed-field pinch experiment, ions are heated rapidly during impulsive reconnection, attaining temperatures exceeding hundreds of eV, often well in excess of the electron temperature. The energy budget of the ion heating and its mass scaling in hydrogen, deuterium, and helium plasmas were determined by measuring the fraction of the released magnetic energy converted to ion thermal energy. The fraction ranges from about 10%-30% and increases approximately as the square root of the ion mass. A simple model based on stochastic ion heating is proposed that is consistent with the experimental data.

Momentum transport from current-driven reconnection in the reversed field pinch.

We calculate momentum transport from tearing fluctuations in a reversed field pinch with sheared flow, considering both the effect of a single tearing mode (through quasilinear theory and MHD computation) and multiple tearing modes (through nonlinear MHD computation). A single tearing mode transports momentum, via Maxwell and Reynolds stresses, more rapidly than classical viscous forces. Moreover, the transport is enhanced by nonlinear coupling of multiple modes.

The evolution of the magnetic moment in a corrugated magnetic field.

In the first part, the equations of motion in a weakly corrugated, periodic magnetic field are linearized and solved by using paraxial approximation, to describe the model and the associated resonance condition. In the second part, the nonlinear evolution of the magnetic moment of resonant particles, in connection with their axial displacement is investigated analytically by using the multiple scale method. It is seen that the linear evolution is converted into a slow and periodic oscillation around the unperturbed value, with a considerable amplitude. The analytic expressions for the period and amplitude of the oscillations are derived and compared with the numerical simulations, which are also presented. Finally, the limitations of the paraxial approximation are concluded by investigating the numerical simulations, with actual field expressions. (c) 1997 American Institute of Physics.