DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Relation of the runaway avalanche threshold to momentum space topology

Abstract

Here, the underlying physics responsible for the formation of an avalanche instability due to the generation of secondary electrons is studied. A careful examination of the momentum space topology of the runaway electron population is carried out with an eye toward identifying how qualitative changes in the momentum space of the runaway electrons is correlated with the avalanche threshold. It is found that the avalanche threshold is tied to the merger of an O and X point in the momentum space of the primary runaway electron population. Such a change of the momentum space topology is shown to be accurately described by a simple analytic model, thus providing a powerful means of determining the avalanche threshold for a range of model assumptions.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
OSTI Identifier:
1417822
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-17-28349
Journal ID: ISSN 0741-3335
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-06NA25396
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 60; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0741-3335
Publisher:
IOP Science
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; Magnetic Fusion Energy

Citation Formats

McDevitt, Christopher J., Guo, Zehua, and Tang, Xian -Zhu. Relation of the runaway avalanche threshold to momentum space topology. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1088/1361-6587/aa9b3f.
McDevitt, Christopher J., Guo, Zehua, & Tang, Xian -Zhu. Relation of the runaway avalanche threshold to momentum space topology. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587/aa9b3f
McDevitt, Christopher J., Guo, Zehua, and Tang, Xian -Zhu. Fri . "Relation of the runaway avalanche threshold to momentum space topology". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587/aa9b3f. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1417822.
@article{osti_1417822,
title = {Relation of the runaway avalanche threshold to momentum space topology},
author = {McDevitt, Christopher J. and Guo, Zehua and Tang, Xian -Zhu},
abstractNote = {Here, the underlying physics responsible for the formation of an avalanche instability due to the generation of secondary electrons is studied. A careful examination of the momentum space topology of the runaway electron population is carried out with an eye toward identifying how qualitative changes in the momentum space of the runaway electrons is correlated with the avalanche threshold. It is found that the avalanche threshold is tied to the merger of an O and X point in the momentum space of the primary runaway electron population. Such a change of the momentum space topology is shown to be accurately described by a simple analytic model, thus providing a powerful means of determining the avalanche threshold for a range of model assumptions.},
doi = {10.1088/1361-6587/aa9b3f},
journal = {Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion},
number = 2,
volume = 60,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 05 00:00:00 EST 2018},
month = {Fri Jan 05 00:00:00 EST 2018}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 9 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Save / Share:

Works referenced in this record:

Chapter 3: MHD stability, operational limits and disruptions
journal, June 2007


Collisional avalanche exponentiation of runaway electrons in electrified plasmas
journal, January 1993


Theory for avalanche of runaway electrons in tokamaks
journal, October 1997


Fokker-Planck simulations mylb of knock-on electron runaway avalanche and bursts in tokamaks
journal, November 1998


Avalanche runaway growth rate from a momentum-space orbit analysis
journal, June 1999

  • Parks, P. B.; Rosenbluth, M. N.; Putvinski, S. V.
  • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 6, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.873524

Runaway electron production in DIII-D killer pellet experiments, calculated with the CQL3D/KPRAD model
journal, November 2000

  • Harvey, R. W.; Chan, V. S.; Chiu, S. C.
  • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 7, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.1312816

Kinetic modelling of runaway electrons in dynamic scenarios
journal, July 2016


Analysis of Avalanche Runaway Generation after Disruptions with Low-Z and Noble Gas Species
journal, January 2017

  • Matsuyama, Akinobu; Yagi, Masatoshi
  • Plasma and Fusion Research, Vol. 12, Issue 0
  • DOI: 10.1585/pfr.12.1403032

Relativistic limitations on runaway electrons
journal, June 1975


Effect of bremsstrahlung radiation emission on fast electrons in plasmas
journal, September 2016


Damping of relativistic electron beams by synchrotron radiation
journal, December 2001

  • Andersson, F.; Helander, P.; Eriksson, L. -G.
  • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 8, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.1418242

Radiation reaction induced non-monotonic features in runaway electron distributions
journal, July 2015


Numerical characterization of bump formation in the runaway electron tail
journal, January 2016


Momentum–space structure of relativistic runaway electrons
journal, June 1998

  • Martı́n-Solı́s, J. R.; Alvarez, J. D.; Sánchez, R.
  • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 5, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.872911

Theory of Two Threshold Fields for Relativistic Runaway Electrons
journal, April 2015


Models of primary runaway electron distribution in the runaway vortex regime
journal, November 2017

  • Guo, Zehua; Tang, Xian-Zhu; McDevitt, Christopher J.
  • Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 24, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.5006917

Effect of Partially Screened Nuclei on Fast-Electron Dynamics
journal, June 2017


Fast plasma shutdown by killer pellet injection in JT-60U with reduced heat flux on the divertor plate and avoiding runaway electron generation
journal, February 1997


Analysis of shot-to-shot variability in post-disruption runaway electron currents for diverted DIII-D discharges
journal, July 2012


Runaway electron drift orbits in magnetostatic perturbed fields
journal, March 2011


Monte Carlo evaluation of transport coefficients
journal, January 1981


Theory of runaway electrons in ITER: Equations, important parameters, and implications for mitigation
journal, March 2015


Zur Theorie des Durchgangs schneller Elektronen durch Materie
journal, January 1932


Electron-Electron and Positron-Electron Scattering Measurements
journal, April 1954

  • Ashkin, Arthur; Page, Lorne A.; Woodward, W. M.
  • Physical Review, Vol. 94, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1103/PhysRev.94.357

Works referencing / citing this record:

Spatial transport of runaway electrons in axisymmetric tokamak plasmas
journal, January 2019

  • McDevitt, Christopher J.; Guo, Zehua; Tang, Xian-Zhu
  • Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Vol. 61, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1088/1361-6587/aaf4d1

Avalanche mechanism for runaway electron amplification in a tokamak plasma
journal, April 2019

  • McDevitt, Christopher J.; Guo, Zehua; Tang, Xian-Zhu
  • Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Vol. 61, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1088/1361-6587/ab0d6d

Physics of runaway electrons in tokamaks
journal, June 2019

  • Breizman, Boris N.; Aleynikov, Pavel; Hollmann, Eric M.
  • Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 59, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1088/1741-4326/ab1822