4
Novel,
Laser-Based Probe for Measuring Neutral Densities in Tokamak Plasmas--HY-Tech
Research Corporation, 104 Centre Court, Radford Industrial Center, Radford, VA
24141-5123; 540-639-4019, www.hytechresearch.com
Dr.
Robert C. Hazelton, Principal Investigator, bhazelton@hytechresearch.com
Dr.
Robert C. Hazelton, Business Official, bhazelton@hytechresearch.com
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG02-04ER83974
Amount:
$99,971
Neutral
species play important roles in many aspects of the operation of tokamak fusion
reactors, including divertor operation, particle recycling, and edge turbulence
effects. Diagnostics are required to
quantitatively determine the state of neutral species, including their
densities, temperatures, and directed velocities.
However, current diagnostics are difficult to absolutely calibrate and
suffer from the lack of spatial resolution.
This project will develop a resonant, heterodyne interferometer to
measure chordal, ground state densities of various neutral transitions including
H",
D",
and T".
In Phase I, the interferometer will be designed, fabricated, and tested
with in-house plasma sources. The
critical issues are to demonstrate device operation with a tunable laser source,
to optimize immunity to environmental noise (i.e., vibrational effects), and to
demonstrate a capability to make meaningful measurements in plasmas akin to
tokamak plasmas. In Phase II, the
instrument will be installed and operated on the Alcator Cmod tokamak.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: In addition to the fusion energy application, the resonant interferometer should be robust enough for an industrial setting and would be an ideal sensor to monitor and control the plasma deposition of metal/diamond-like-carbon coatings, used to reduce friction, reduce wear, extend service life and improve the reliability of automotive components.