Objetivo
The usefulness of frequency-tunable millimetre wave sources for plasma heating and diagnostics will be investigated. A feasibility study of tuning existing sources will be carried out and possible improvements suggested.
It is well known that high-power millimetre waves can fulfil many functions like plasma breakdown, heating, current drive and diagnostics in fusion plasma experiments including both tokamak and stellarator concepts. While it is quite obvious that frequency tunability of the corresponding sources would be beneficial for many applications, no detailed investigations of this possibility currently exist.
The fast/slow and discrete/continuous tunability of the source frequency will be studied and new methods to widen the frequency window for tuning at high power will be presented. The frequency of the generator can be changed by adjusting mechanically the dimensions of the resonator, changing the magnetic field of changing voltages. The first possibilities are slow, while the last one is fast and of greatest interest in plasma applications. The fast frequency tuning in electron cyclotron heating for controlling and adjusting the power deposition profile in the plasma is studied. The fast change between different heating scenarios or even between heating and current drive can be demonstrated. Tuning the source frequency opens a new method for alpha particle and fast ion velocity distribution diagnostics based on the enhanced collective scattering at plasma resonances. This will be investigated by the computational methods being developed and experimentally verified at the participating laboratories.
On the basis of the current study: requirements for tunability of microwave power sources in the power range 1 kW - 1 MW and frequency range 30 - 600 GHz for different applications in plasma physics will be determined; possibilities of practical construction of tunable microwave sources with specified parameters will be explored; costs of manufacturing of tunable microwave sources will be estimated; and industrial companies with the potential to manufacture such tunable microwave sources will be approached.
Tema(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Data not availableRégimen de financiación
Data not availableCoordinador
02150 Espoo
Finlandia