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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
O. Meneghini, S. Shiraiwa, I. Faust, R. R. Parker, A. Schmidt, G. Wallace
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 60 | Number 1 | July 2011 | Pages 40-47
doi.org/10.13182/FST11-A12403
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Non-inductive lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) experiments have been carried out on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak and the hard x-ray (HXR) spectrum has been measured. An improved analysis technique of the experimental HXR data has been developed to more accurately evaluate the HXR flux for this type of discharge. We have simulated a similar LHCD discharge with the full wave code LHEAF (Lower Hybrid wavE Analysis based on FEM). This code, combined with the newly developed 3D Fokker-Planck (v∥, v⊥, r) and synthetic HXR diagnostic modules, to calculate the steady state electron distribution function in the plasma and the resulting HXR radiation spectrum. The simulated non-thermal x-ray proflle shave been found to be in good agreement with the measured experimental profile. In particular LHEAF simulations were able to reproduce the broad width of the measured HXR profile for a discharge with low n∥, which has been a long standing issue for LHCD simulations on Alcator C-Mod.