Balmer emission measurements in JET-ILW hydrogen, deuterium, tritium and deuterium-tritium low-confinement mode plasmas

Journal Article · Mon Apr 21 04:00:00 EDT 2025 · Nuclear Materials and Energy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nme.2025.101941· OSTI ID:2586837

Meigs, A. G. ^[1]; Groth, M. ^[2]; Rikala, V. -P. ^[2]; Lomanowski, B. ^[3]; Vianello, N. ^[4]; Wischmeier, M. ^[5]

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1. UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), Culham (United Kingdom)
2. Aalto Univ. (Finland)
3. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
4. Univ. of Padua (Italy); RFX Consortium (Italy)
5. Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Garching (Germany)

Measurements of Balmer-alpha (B-α) and Balmer-gamma (B-γ), where B = H, D, or T isotopes of hydrogen, emission across the low-field side (LFS) divertor in JET ITER-like Wall (ILW), low-confinement mode (L-mode) plasma indicate that the divertor plasma was more strongly detached in deuterium, tritium and deuterium–tritium than in hydrogen plasmas. These measurements are consistent with the lower degree of detachment in hydrogen versus tritium plasmas inferred from Langmuir probes (Groth et al., 2023). The ratio of B-γ to B-α is a suitable indicator of high density/low temperature conditions because B-α emission is dominated by electron impact excitation with a small electron–ion recombination component regardless of electron temperature and density (for conditions in tokamak plasmas) whilst for B-γ the recombination component increases and the excitation component decreases as the electron temperature decreases and the electron density increases. Within the uncertainty of the measurements, the electron density at the low-field side separatrix and the power crossing the separatrix are similar to permit these comparisons. The B-©/B-α ratio is well correlated with the onset of detachment as measured by Langmuir probes (McCracken et al., 1998; Groth et al., 2023). The ratios of B-γ and B-α varied between 0.005 and 0.035 for low-recycling, high-recycling and partially detached conditions, and were 60–70 % higher in partially detached hydrogen than in tritium plasmas. In contrast, the difference between deuterium, tritium and 40–60 % deuterium–tritium is within 10 % and thus within the uncertainties of the measurements. Profiles of the B-α and B-γ emission was measured with two filtered CCDs connected to the visible lost light leg of JET’s mirror link spectroscopy system (Meigs et al., 2010; Lomanowski et al., 2014). Spatially (radial) narrower B-α profiles were measured with increasing isotope mass, while similarly broadened B-γ profiles were measured.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• Contributing Organization: JET Contributors
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 2586837
• Journal Information: Nuclear Materials and Energy, Journal Name: Nuclear Materials and Energy Vol. 43; ISSN 2352-1791
• Publisher: Elsevier BV
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

Balmer
DT
Density limit
Detachment
Divertor
JET
Spectroscopy
T