Monte Carlo simulation of initial breakdown phase for magnetised toroidal ICRF discharges
- Association Euratom-Belgian State, LPP-ERM/KMS, 1000 Brussels, Belgium and Ghent University, Department of Applied Physics, 9000 Ghent (Belgium)
- Association Euratom-Belgian State, LPP-ERM/KMS, 1000 Brussels (Belgium)
- Association Euratom-IPP, Max-Planck Institut für Plasmaphysik, 85748 Garching (Germany)
- Ghent University, Department of Applied Physics, 9000 Ghent (Belgium)
The radio-frequency (RF) plasma production technique in the ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) attracts growing attention among fusion experts because of its high potential for solving several basic problems of reactor-oriented superconducting fusion machines, such as ICRF wall conditioning in tokamaks and stellarators (T{sub e} = 3−5eV, n{sub e}<10{sup 12}cm{sup −3}), ICRF-assisted tokamak start-up and target plasma production (n{sub e} = 10{sup 13}cm{sup −3}) in stellarators. Plasma initiation by ICRF has been studied intensively using single particle descriptions and basic analytic models. To further improve the present understanding on plasma production employing the vacuum RF field of ICRF antennas in toroidal devices in presence of the toroidal magnetic field, and its parametric dependencies a Monte Carlo code has been developed. The 1D code RFdinity1D describes the motion of electrons, accelerated by the RF field in front of the ICRF antenna, along one toroidal magnetic field line. Dependent on their individual energies and the related electron collision cross sections (ionisation, excitation and dissociation) weighted by a Monte Carlo procedure, an electron avalanche may occur. Breakdown conditions are discussed as function of RF discharge parameters (i) RF vacuum electric field strength, (ii) RF frequency and (iii) neutral pressure (H2). The slope of the exponential density increase, taken as measure for the breakdown speed, shows qualitative agreement to experimental breakdown times as found in literature and experimental data of the ASDEX upgrade and TEXTOR tokamak, and is interpreted by studying the characteristic electron velocity distribution functions.
- OSTI ID:
- 22263873
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1580, Issue 1; Conference: 20. topical conference on radiofrequency power in plasmas, Sorrento (Italy), 25-28 Jun 2013; Other Information: (c) 2014 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANTENNAS
ASDEX TOKAMAK
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CROSS SECTIONS
DISSOCIATION
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRON COLLISIONS
ELECTRONS
ICR HEATING
ION CYCLOTRON-RESONANCE
IONIZATION
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
PLASMA PRODUCTION
STELLARATORS
TEXTOR TOKAMAK