After many years of fusion research, the conditions needed for a D–T fusion reactor have been approached on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [Fusion Technol. 21, 1324 (1992)]. For the first time the unique phenomena present in a D–T plasma are now being studied in a laboratory plasma. The first magnetic fusion experiments to study plasmas using nearly equal concentrations of deuterium and tritium have been carried out on TFTR. At present the maximum fusion power of 10.7 MW, using 39.5 MW of neutral-beam heating, in a supershot discharge and 6.7 MW in a high-βp discharge following a current rampdown. The fusion power density in a core of the plasma is ≊2.8 MW m−3, exceeding that expected in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) [Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1991), Vol. 3, p. 239] at 1500 MW total fusion power. The energy confinement time, τE, is observed to increase in D–T, relative to D plasmas, by 20% and the ni(0) Ti(0) τE product by 55%. The improvement in thermal confinement is caused primarily by a decrease in ion heat conductivity in both supershot and limiter-H-mode discharges. Extensive lithium pellet injection increased the confinement time to 0.27 s and enabled higher current operation in both supershot and high-βp discharges. Ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) heating of a D–T plasma, using the second harmonic of tritium, has been demonstrated. First measurements of the confined alpha particles have been performed and found to be in good agreement with TRANSP [Nucl. Fusion 34, 1247 (1994)] simulations. Initial measurements of the alpha ash profile have been compared with simulations using particle transport coefficients from He gas puffing experiments. The loss of alpha particles to a detector at the bottom of the vessel is well described by the first-orbit loss mechanism. No loss due to alpha-particle-driven instabilities has yet been observed. D–T experiments on TFTR will continue to explore the assumptions of the ITER design and to examine some of the physics issues associated with an advanced tokamak reactor.

In this paper, we describe a 250 GHz gyrotron oscillator, a critical component of an integrated system for magic angle spinning (MAS) dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) experiments at 9T, corresponding to 380 MHz 1 H frequency. The 250 GHz gyrotron is the first gyro-device designed with the goal of seamless integration with an NMR spectrometer for routine DNP-enhanced NMR spectroscopy and has operated under computer control for periods of up to 21 days with a 100% duty cycle. Following a brief historical review of the field, we present studies of the membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR) using DNP-enhanced multidimensional NMR. These results include assignment of active site resonances in [U-13 C, 15 N]-bR and demonstrate the utility of DNP for studies of membrane proteins. Next, we review the theory of gyro-devices from quantum mechanical and classical viewpoints and discuss the unique considerations that apply to gyrotron oscillators designed for DNP experiments. We then characterize the operation of the 250 GHz gyrotron in detail, including its long-term stability and controllability. We have measured the spectral purity of the gyrotron emission using both homodyne and heterodyne techniques. Radiation intensity patterns from the corrugated waveguide that delivers power to the NMR probe were measured using two new techniques to confirm pure mode content: a thermometric approach based on the temperaturedependent color of liquid crystalline media applied to a substrate and imaging with a pyroelectric camera. We next present a detailed study of the mode excitation characteristics of the gyrotron. Exploration of the operating characteristics of several fundamental modes reveals broadband continuous frequency tuning of up to 1.8 GHz as a function of the magnetic field alone, a feature that may be exploited in future tunable gyrotron designs. Oscillation of the 250 GHz gyrotron at the second harmonic of cyclotron resonance begins at extremely low beam currents (as low 12 mA) at frequencies between 320-365 GHz, suggesting an efficient route for the generation of even higher frequency radiation. The low starting currents were attributed to an elevated cavity Q, which is confirmed by cavity thermal load measurements. We conclude with an appendix containing a detailed description of the control system that safely automates all aspects of the gyrotron operation.

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We present a calculation of the microwave field distribution in a magic angle spinning (MAS) probe utilized in dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) experiments. The microwave magnetic field (B 1S ) profile was obtained from simulations performed with the High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) software suite, using a model that includes the launching antenna, the outer Kel-F stator housing coated with Ag, the RF coil, and the 4 mm diameter sapphire rotor containing the sample. The predicted average B 1S field is 13µT/W 1/2 , where S denotes the electron spin. For a routinely achievable input power of 5 W the corresponding value is γ SB 1S = 0.84 MHz. The calculations provide insights into the coupling of the microwave power to the sample, including reflections from the RF coil and diffraction of the power transmitted through the coil. The variation of enhancement with rotor wall thickness was also successfully simulated. A second, simplified calculation was performed using a single pass model based on Gaussian beam propagation and Fresnel diffraction. This model provided additional physical insight and was in good agreement with the full HFSS simulation. These calculations indicate approaches to increasing the coupling of the microwave power to the sample, including the use of a converging lens and fine adjustment of the spacing of the windings of the RF coil. The present results should prove useful in optimizing the coupling of microwave power to the sample in future DNP experiments. Finally, the results of the simulation were used to predict the cross effect DNP enhancement (ε) vs. ω 1S /(2π) for a sample of 13 C-urea dissolved in a 60:40 glycerol/water mixture containing the polarizing agent TOTAPOL; very good agreement was obtained between theory and experiment.

Abstract. Collective Thomson scattering (CTS) experiments were carried out at ASDEX Upgrade to measure the one-dimensional velocity distribution functions of fast ion populations. These measurements are compared with simulations using the codes TRANSP/NUBEAM and ASCOT for two different neutral beam injection (NBI) configurations: two NBI sources and only one NBI source. The measured CTS spectra as well as the inferred one-dimensional fast ion velocity distribution functions are clearly asymmetric as a consequence of the anisotropy of the beam ion populations and the selected geometry of the experiment. As expected, the one-beam configuration can clearly be distinguished from the two-beam configuration. The fast ion population is smaller and the asymmetry is less pronounced for the one-beam configuration. Salient features of the numerical simulation results agree with the CTS measurements while quantitative discrepancies in absolute values and gradients are found.

The operating characteristics of a 140-GHz 14-W long pulse gyrotron are presented. The device is being used in dynamic nuclear polarization enhanced nuclear magnetic resonance (DNP/NMR) spectroscopy experiments. The gyrotron yields 14 W peak power at 139.65 GHz from the TE(0,3) operating mode using a 12.3-kV 25-mA electron beam. Additionally, up to 12 W peak has been observed in the TE(2,3) mode at 136.90 GHz. A series of mode converters transform the TE(0,3) operating mode to the TE(1,1) mode. Experimental results are compared with nonlinear simulations and show reasonable agreement. The millimeter-wave output beam was imaged in a single shot using NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript a pyroelectric camera. The mode patterns matched reasonably well to theory for both the TE(0,1) mode and the TE(1,1) mode. Repeatable mode patterns were obtained at intervals ranging from 0.8 s apart to 11 min apart at the output of the final mode converter.

Here we present the first measurements by collective Thomson scattering of the evolution of fast-ion populations in a magnetically confined fusion plasma. 150 kW and 110 Ghz radiation from a gyrotron were scattered in the TEXTOR tokamak plasma with energetic ions generated by neutral beam injection and ion cyclotron resonance heating. The temporal behavior of the spatially resolved fast-ion velocity distribution is inferred from the received scattered radiation. The fast-ion dynamics at sawteeth and the slowdown after switch off of auxiliary heating is resolved in time. The latter is shown to be in close agreement with modeling results.

A 0.9 to 1.5 kW, 2.45 GHz atmospheric pressure air microwave plasma torch has been operated efficiently with less than 1 % reflected power. The plasma is sustained in a 28 mm internal diameter fused quartz tube which penetrates perpendicularly through the wide walls of a tapered and shorted WR-284 (72 x 17 mm cross-section) waveguide. A study has been made of the effects of power and airflow on the electronic excitation temperature, T exc. Abel inversion of radial profile chord averaged Fe I emission lines in the 370 to 377 nm range have been used to obtain localized profile measurements of T exc inside the waveguide excitation region. In general, temperature profiles peak on axis with no evidence of a skin effect in the large diameter (10 mm FWHM emission intensity) plasmas. A maximum central T exc of 6550 K ± 350 K is observed at an airflow rate of 28 lpm. When maintaining a constant flow rate of 14 lpm, a 55 % increase in microwave power from 0.9 to 1.4 kW causes a ~100 % increase in plasma volume without any noticeable effect on the central T exc value. At a constant microwave power of 1.4 kW, an increase in total flow rate from 11 to 28 lpm decreases the volume of the plasma by ~25 % and increases the central T exc by ~13 %. The axially peaked temperature profiles are consistent with an electron density of ~ 10 13 cm-3 .