A scaling law of the neutral penetration length and Balmer-α wing shape in high-temperature plasmas

Hydrogen atoms penetrating deep inside high-temperature magnetically confined plasmas by repetitive charge-exchange collisions result in a particle source of the plasma, which affects the plasma transport significantly. In this paper, we present an approximate solution of the fluid equations for neu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Keisuke Fujii, Masahiro Hasuo, Motoshi Goto, Jeremy D. Lore
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Nuclear Fusion
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/add358
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Summary:Hydrogen atoms penetrating deep inside high-temperature magnetically confined plasmas by repetitive charge-exchange collisions result in a particle source of the plasma, which affects the plasma transport significantly. In this paper, we present an approximate solution of the fluid equations for neutral transport and an analytical representation of the neutral penetration length, in a simplified plasma geometry. This analysis predicts a power-law decay in the Balmer- α line wings which reflects the velocity distribution of the neutral atoms, with the power-law exponent analytically represented as well. These scaling laws are compared with a simple Monte–Carlo simulation and spectroscopic observations of Large Helical Device plasmas. Since the Balmer- α line wings are experimentally accessible, our formulation opens the possibility to quickly estimate the neutral penetration length from spectroscopic observations.
ISSN:0029-5515