A suite of diagnostics is proposed to characterize microwave plasma dissociation of CO2: laser scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and passive emission imaging. It provides a comprehensive performance characterization as is illustrated on the basis of experiments in a 2.45 GHz, 1 kW microwave reactor with tangential gas injection. For example, two operating regimes are identified as function of pressure: the diffuse and constricted plasma mode. Their occurrence is explained by evaluation of microwave propagation, which changes with the electron‐heavy particle collision frequency ve−h. In the diffuse mode, gas temperatures of 1500–3500 K are determined. The measured conversion degree, specific energy input, and temperature are summarized in a two‐temperature thermal model, which is solved to obtain the gas temperature at the periphery of the reactor and the size of the hot zone. Solutions are found with edge temperatures of hundreds of K, and hot zone fractions which agree with the measured behavior. The agreement shows that non‐thermal processes play only a marginal role in the measured parameter space of the diffuse discharge. In the constricted mode, the radial plasma size is independent of power. A skin depth equal to the plasma size corresponds to electron densities of 1018–1019 m−3. Temperatures in the central filament are in the range 3000–5000 K. Both discharge modes are up to 50% energy efficient in CO production. Rayleigh signals increase in the afterglow, hinting at rapid gas cooling assuming that the gas composition remains unchanged.

Tin (Sn) is an attractive option for a liquid metal wall material for future fusion reactors. Control of tritium inventory is key for the successful operation of these reactors, but little data exists up until now on hydrogen isotope retention in Sn. Free surface Sn targets and Sn-based capillary porous structure targets were exposed to deuterium (D) plasma in nano-PSI and magnum-PSI respectively. The retained D inventory was determined using the methods of thermal desorption spectroscopy and nuclear reaction analysis. The retention dependence is somewhat complex due to the mixed composition of the exposed samples as well as their liquid nature. The D retained in both types of Sn targets was found to increase with increasing D plasma fluence. For free surface liquid Sn targets, both thermal desorption spectroscopy and nuclear reaction analysis measurements showed a negative relationship between D retention and sample temperature. For capillary porous structure Sn targets, D retained in the top layer measured by nuclear reaction analysis decreased with temperature while the total D retained measured by thermal desorption spectroscopy remained approximately constant. By extracting pure Sn pieces from the targets it was found that the amount of D retained in pure Sn was much lower than that in the whole Sn-based targets and was estimated to be about 10 −7 -10 −4 D/Sn. D retained at the Sn-wall interface was found to dominate the total amount of D retained in the whole sample and observed cavities between deposited Sn droplets and the wall are the leading candidates responsible for this. Cavity formation is proposed to be the main retention mechanism for D in liquid Sn targets, although enhanced solubility leading to supersaturation under a D plasma environment is mainly responsible for the observed higher D retention in pure Sn compared with normal solubility under D gas. When compared with tungsten, D in Sn samples is of the same order of magnitude at temperatures below 300 °C, but at higher temperatures at least one to two orders of magnitude higher, most likely due to D trapped in cavities.

Pilot-PSI is a magnetized linear plasma device designed for investigating the plasma-surface interactions at ITER-relevant parameters. A frequency-multiplied microwave interferometer system was installed on the Pilot-PSI device for preliminary measurements in the divertor-relevant plasma. We report measurements of the electron line integrated density and its fluctuations. The Hα line emission was monitored using a fast visible camera and was compared with the interferometer data. Both diagnostics measured similar fluctuation frequencies. This suggests that the fluctuations of ions and electrons are well coupled in Pilot-PSI, at least in the plasma regime that was investigated.

A frequency multiplied microwave interferometer, a Hα line emission measurement system, and a high speed camera system were installed on the Pilot-PSI device for low frequency fluctuation study in the detached plasma condition. The two dimensional Hα line emission and its fluctuation were monitored with a fast visible camera with Hα filter. The coherent low frequency fluctuations of frequency of approximately 13 kHz were measured by all measurement systems. The stronger fluctuation intensities were observed in the downstream of the ionization front region in the detached plasma condition. Moreover, we show the clear difference between the strong fluctuation regions of the electron line density and Hα line emission for the first time. This means that the fluctuations of Hα line emissions was caused by not only electrons but also by hydrogen ions.

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The microstructure evolution during preparation of thin Si(111) samples for surface sensitive imaging has been studied using ultra-high vacuum (UHV) transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of ion beam sputtering and electron annealing have been investigated. A unique and routine sample preparation method for surface sensitive TEM imaging that combines TEM sample preparations with surface science sample preparation was developed. The microstructure evolution during the sample preparation process was studied in detail.