A main ion charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (mChERS) diagnostic has been developed to measure the velocity and temperature of the main deuterium ions in the C-2W (also called Norman) field-reversed configuration (FRC) device. A modulated diagnostic neutral beam (DNB) of hydrogen with 40 keV full energy and a nominal current of 8.5 A provides the charge exchange signal. The DNB can achieve a fast modulation frequency of up to 10 kHz, a rare attribute to find on other fusion devices, which defines the time resolution of mChERS. Currently, the mChERS diagnostic provides simultaneous measurements at five spatial locations in the FRC plasma using a high-speed camera. The design and capabilities of the mChERS system are presented along with first experimental data.
International Astronomical Union was formed after the First World War although it became truly international only after the Second World War. Its Commission 41 on History of Astronomy (C41) was set up in 1948 and in a few years established itself as an active and influential unit. It has the distinction of being a joint Commission, the other partner being International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IUHPS). Since IAU is an internationally respected body of professional astronomers, its support for history of astronomy enhances the credibility of the discipline in the eyes of scientists as well as science establishments of individual countries. C41 is committed to advancing objective and rigorous world history of astronomy taking into account all its aspects.
The discovery of almost two thousand exoplanets has revealed an unexpectedly diverse planet population. We see gas giants in few-day orbits, whole multi-planet systems within the orbit of Mercury, and new populations of planets with masses between that of the Earth and Neptune-all unknown in the Solar System. Observations to date have shown that our Solar System is certainly not representative of the general population of planets in our Milky Way. The key science questions that urgently need addressing are therefore: What are exoplanets made of? Why are planets as they are? How do planetary systems work and what causes the exceptional diversity observed as compared to the Solar System? The EChO (Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory) space mission was conceived to take up the challenge to explain this diversity in terms of formation, evolution, internal structure and planet and atmospheric composition. This requires in-depth spectroscopic knowledge of the atmospheres of a large and well-defined planet sample for which precise physical, chemical and dynamical information can be obtained. In order to fulfil this ambitious scientific program, EChO was designed as a dedicated survey mission for transit and eclipse spectroscopy capable of observing a large, diverse and well-defined planet sample within its 4-year mission lifetime. The transit and eclipse spectroscopy method, whereby the signal from the star and planet are differentiated using knowledge of the planetary ephemerides, allows us to measure atmospheric signals from the planet at levels of at least 10 −4 relative to the star. This can only be achieved in conjunction with a carefully designed stable payload and satellite platform. It is also necessary to provide broad instantaneous wavelength coverage to detect as many molecular species as possible, to probe the thermal structure of the planetary atmospheres and to correct for the contaminating effects of the stellar photosphere. This requires wavelength coverage of at least 0.55 to 11 μm with a goal of covering from 0.4 to 16 μm. Only modest spectral resolving power is needed, with R~300 for wavelengths less than 5 μm and R~30 for wavelengths greater than this. spectroscopy technique means that no spatial resolution is required. A telescope collecting area of about 1 m 2 is sufficiently large to achieve the necessary spectro-photometric precision: for the Phase A study a 1.13 m 2 telescope, diffraction limited at 3 μm has been adopted. Placing the satellite at L2 provides a cold and stable thermal environment as well as a large field of regard to allow efficient time-critical observation of targets randomly distributed over the sky. EChO has been conceived to achieve a single goal: exoplanet spectroscopy. The spectral coverage and signal-to-noise to be achieved by EChO, thanks to its high stability and dedicated design, would be a game changer by allowing atmospheric composition to be measured with unparalleled exactness: at least a factor 10 more precise and a factor 10 to 1000 more accurate tha...
Antonio César González-García et al. / Orientatio ad sidera: astronomía y paisaje urbano en...
TAE Technologies’s advanced beam-driven field-reversed configuration device has a large fast-ion population, allowing for fast-ion D-alpha (FIDA) studies. Development of a FIDA spectrometer for the new C-2W device is underway. Previous measurements were combined with C-2W geometry to inform the design [N. Bolte, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 87, 11E520 (2016)]. Measured signal levels led to the purchase of a Phantom Miro 110 high-speed camera that will be paired with a Holospec f/1.8 spectrograph from Kaiser Optical Systems, Inc. The spectrograph utilizes a custom transmission grating centered at 656.0 nm. Simulations were used to choose available ports with large predicted signals. Eight neutral beams and 354 ports were considered. Experimentally obtained 1D plasma profiles from C-2U were mapped onto Q2D [M. Onofri, Phys. Plasmas 24, 092518 (2017)] simulation flux surfaces. For each point on the vessel wall, many lines-of-sight (LOSs) are created to view the entirety of each neutral beam path. FIDA spectra are simulated for each LOS using the FIDA simulation code FIDASIM [http://d3denergetic.github.io/FIDASIM/; W. Heidbrink, Commun. Comput. Phys. 10, 716 (2011); and B. Geiger, “Fast-ion transport studies using FIDA spectroscopy at the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak,” Ph.D. thesis, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 2012]. Integrating over wavelength and beam-space allows individual ports to be chosen for their large prospective signals.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.