Separatrix of the single-null diverted plasma produced in the HL-2A tokamak is determined by a fast algorithm for identifying plasma boundary. Higher power LH wave (1.5MW) is injected into the diverted plasma with a slightly asymmetric spectrum. Plasma heating by electron Landau interaction results in operation scenarios of preferentially dominant electron heating. Current profile control under...

A miniature multichord soft-x-ray detection system has been installed on the Madison Symmetric Torus ~MST! reversed-field pinch to study the plasma equilibrium and fluctuation properties of standardand improved-confinement discharges. Because of the relatively flat MST density and temperature profiles, the spatial resolution is relatively poor along the line of sight. However, the system can re...

Closed field line confinement systems can develop convective cells when the MHD interchange stability criterion is violated. Using a previously derived set of reduced equations [ V.P. Pastukhov and N.V. Chudin, Plasma Physics Reports 27, 907 (2001)] it is shown that a true steady state solution can exist. For an assumed large-scale vortex pattern the plasma pressure profile that is implied by t...

With the aim of understanding the anomalous transport mechanism in the magnetic confinement fusion plasma and quantitatively predicting the transport level, gyrokinetic simulations of plasma turbulence have been carried out by means of the originally developed code (GKV code). The GKV simulations solving time-evolutions of particle distribution function in the five-dimensional phase-space have ...

Silicon nanowires were selectively grown at temperatures below 400 °C by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using silane as the Si source and gold as the catalyst. A detailed growth study is presented using electron microscopy, focused ion beam preparation, and Raman spectroscopy. A radio-frequency plasma significantly increased the growth rate. The Si nanowires show an uncontaminated, c...

In the USA and Japan, an "innovative confinement concepts" program investigates alternatives to the large and expensive "tokamak" device for fusion energy. Compact toroids like spheromaks or FRCs are smaller and simpler, hence potentially more economical. Their study is uncovering some complex interaction between plasma flows and magnetic topology: e.g. flared magnetic flux tubes collimate into...

Introduction Control of plasma profiles is an essential ingredient in tokamak operation, in particular to access improved confinement regimes where the safety factor (q) profile plays a major role in determining plasma confinement and stability. This paper shows how physics models of profile transport can be used for improved plasma profile control methods. We show two distinct applications. In...

Recently, it was reported that the evidence of non-diffusive (that is, convective) plasma transport from the edge of core plasma to the first wall in magnetic confinement fusion devices. Such a transport is thought to be provided by intermittent filamentary coherent plasma structures “blobs” in scrape-off layer (SOL) [1]. Many theoretical and numerical studies about blob dynamics have been perf...

The Ring Trap 1 (RT-1) experiment has succeeded to produce a magnetospherelike high-beta (hot electron) plasma in a dipole magnetic field. Magnetic levitation of the super-conducting magnet, freeing it from mechanical supports, brought about significant improvement of plasma parameters (density, temperature, confinement time, etc.). The maximum (local) beta exceeds 0.1, which is primarily contr...

We examined the relationship between plasma cortisol levels, hepatic glutamine synthetase (GNS) activity and the form of nitrogen excreted (e.g. urea, ammonia) in undisturbed versus confined/crowded (acutely stressed) gulf toadfish. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that acute increases in plasma cortisol levels are required to trigger the increase in GNS activity induced by the confinemen...