skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Visible imaging and spectroscopy of disruption runaway electrons in DIII-D

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4801738· OSTI ID:22130424
; ;  [1]; ;  [2]; ;  [3];  [4]
  1. University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0417 (United States)
  2. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831 (United States)
  3. General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, California 92186-5608 (United States)
  4. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)

The first visible light images of synchrotron emission from disruption runaway electrons are presented. The forward-detected continuum radiation from runaways is identified as synchrotron emission by comparing two survey spectrometers and two visible fast cameras viewing in opposite toroidal directions. Analysis of the elongation of 2D synchrotron images of oval-shaped runaway beams indicates that the velocity pitch angle v{sub Up-Tack }/v{sub ||} ranges from 0.1 to 0.2 for the detected electrons, with energies above 25 MeV. Analysis of synchrotron intensity from a camera indicates that the tail of the runaway energy distribution reaches energies up to 60 MeV, which agrees with 0D modeling of electron acceleration in the toroidal electric field generated during the current quench. A visible spectrometer provides an independent estimate of the upper limit of runaway electron energy which is roughly consistent with energy determined from camera data. Synchrotron spectra reveal that approximately 1% of the total post-thermal quench plasma current is carried by the detected high-energy runaway population with energies in the range of 25-60 MeV; the bulk of the plasma current thus appears to be carried by relativistic electrons with energy less than 25 MeV. In addition to stable oval shapes, runaway beams with other shapes and internal structure are sometimes observed.

OSTI ID:
22130424
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 20, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English