Demonstrating improved confinement of energetic ions is one of the key goals of the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator. In the past campaigns, measuring confined fast ions has proven to be challenging. Future deuterium campaigns would open up the option of using fusion-produced neutrons to indirectly observe confined fast ions. There are two neutron populations: 2.45 MeV neutrons from thermonuclear and beam-target fusion, and 14.1 MeV neutrons from DT reactions between tritium fusion products and bulk deuterium. The 14.1 MeV neutron signal can be measured using a scintillating fiber neutron detector, whereas the overall neutron rate is monitored by common radiation safety detectors, for instance fission chambers. The fusion rates are dependent on the slowing-down distribution of the deuterium and tritium ions, which in turn depend on the magnetic configuration via fast ion orbits. In this work, we investigate the effect of magnetic configuration on neutron production rates in W7-X. The neutral beam injection, beam and triton slowing-down distributions, and the fusion reactivity are simulated with the ASCOT suite of codes. The results indicate that the magnetic configuration has only a small effect on the production of 2.45 MeV neutrons from DD fusion and, particularly, on the 14.1 MeV neutron production rates. Despite triton losses of up to 50 %, the amount of 14.1 MeV neutrons produced might be sufficient for a time-resolved detection using a scintillating fiber detector, although only in high-performance discharges.

The transport of heavy impurities has been investigated at the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator during core electron root confinement (CERC) experiments. Iron atoms were injected via the laser blow-off technique and analyzed by VUV and x-ray spectrometers. The injected amount of iron does not change the global plasma parameters but yields strong enough line radiation for detailed studies based on the impurity transport code STRAHL. The latter is supplied with neo-classical diffusion and convection profiles from the drift kinetic equation solver (DKES) and has been embedded into a least-squares fit that searches for additional anomalous diffusion and convection profiles, required to explain the measurements. While the resulting convection velocities agree within uncertainties with neo-classical theory, the anomalous diffusion profile exhibits values more than two orders of magnitude larger than the neo-classical one. This significant level of anomalous transport is possibly explained by turbulence. The high ratio and flat density profile present during the experiment yield low thresholds for temperature gradient driven modes that are expected off-axis where the obtained diffusion profile peaks.

In this paper, the plasma volume averaged impurity confinement of selected charge states and impurity species has been characterized for the Stellarator Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), covering a wide range of atomic charges ( Z = 12–44) and atomic masses ( M = 28–184). A comparison of the experimental findings to theoretical neoclassical and turbulent transport expectations suggests, aside from/in addition to the neoclassical transport, an additional significant anomalous transport mechanism, which is not inconsistent with the predictions of a turbulence dominated impurity transport and is in agreement with the experimental results from recent transport studies based on the direct measurements of impurity diffusion profiles, performed at W7-X.

In this series of two papers, the E-H transition in a planar inductively coupled radio frequency discharge (13.56 MHz) in pure oxygen is studied using comprehensive plasma diagnostic methods. The electron density serves as the main plasma parameter to distinguish between the operation modes. The (effective) electron temperature, which is calculated from the electron energy distribution function and the difference between the floating and plasma potential, halves during the E-H transition. Furthermore, the pressure dependency of the RF sheath extension in the E-mode implies a collisional RF sheath for the considered total gas pressures. The gas temperature increases with the electron density during the E-H transition and doubles in the H-mode compared to the E-mode, whereas the molecular ground state density halves at the given total gas pressure. Moreover, the singlet molecular metastable density reaches 2% in the E-mode and 4% in the H-mode of the molecular ground state density. These measured plasma parameters can be used as input parameters for global rate equation calculations to analyze several elementary processes. Here, the ionization rate for the molecular oxygen ions is exemplarily determined and reveals, together with the optical excitation rate patterns, a change in electronegativity during the mode transition.

This paper reports on the design and the performance of the recently upgraded X-ray imaging spectrometer systems, X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer and high resolution X-ray imaging spectrometer, installed at the optimized stellarator Wendelstein 7-X. High resolution spectra of highly ionized, Helike Si, Ar, Ti, and Fe as well as H-like Ar have been observed. A cross comparison of ion and electron temperature profiles derived from a spectral fit and tomographic inversion of Ar and Fe spectra shows a reasonable match with both the spectrometers. The also measured impurity density profiles of Ar and Fe have peaked densities at radial positions that are in qualitative agreement with the expectations from the He-like impurity fractional abundances, given the measured temperature profiles. Repeated measurements of impurity decay times have been demonstrated with an accuracy of 1 ms via injection of non-recycling Ti, Fe, and Mo impurities using a laser blow-off system.

We present a detailed overview and first results of the new laser blow-off system on the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X. The system allows impurity transport studies by the repetitive and controlled injection of different tracer ions into the plasma edge. A Nd:YAG laser is used to ablate a thin metal film, coated on a glass plate, with a repetition rate of up to 20 Hz. A remote-controlled adjustable optical system allows the variation of the laser spot diameter and enables the spot positioning to non-ablated areas on the target between laser pulses. During first experiments, clear spectral lines from higher ionization stages of the tracer ions have been observed in the X-ray to the extreme ultraviolet spectral range. The temporal behavior of the measured emission allows the estimate of transport properties, e.g., impurity transport times in the order of 100 ms. Although the strong injection of impurities is well detectable, the global plasma parameters are barely changed.

Key words Low pressure rf discharge, oxygen plasma, electron and negative ion density, plasma instability.The capacitively coupled radio frequency plasma at 13.56 MHz in oxygen was systematically studied by 160 GHz Gaussian beam microwave interferometry at high temporal resolution (200 ns) and simultaneous laser photodetachment for electron and negative ion density analysis. Additionally, spatio-temporally resolved electric probe measurements were performed for comparison with microwave interferometry. A high and low electronegative operation mode was found in the asymmetric rf discharge. In the high electronegative mode it was shown the significant role of the metastable excited oxygen molecules in electron attachment and detachment processes. In particular, a temporary electron density increase is observed in the early afterglow of a pulsed rf plasma. The transition between both modes is driven by the rf power and the self-bias voltage, respectively. In connection with the phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy and the study of the electron heating mechanisms the transition into the low electronegative mode at higher rf power shows a relation to the alpha to gamma mode transition. Furthermore, electron density fluctuations are measured over a wide field of processing parameters, e.g. due to the attachment-induced ionization instability. PIC-MCC simulation and fluid model calculation of a symmetric oxygen rf discharge confirm the different electron heating mechanisms and the dominance of negative atomic oxygen ions.

Periodic fluctuations in the frequency range from 0.3 to 3 kHz were experimentally investigated in capacitively coupled radio frequency (13.56 MHz) oxygen plasma. The Gaussian beam microwave interferometry directly provides the line integrated electron density fluctuations. A system of two Langmuir probes measured the floating potential spatially (axial, radial) and temporally resolved. Hence, the floating potential fluctuation development is mapped within the discharge volume and provides a kind of discharge breathing and no wave propagation. Finally, it was measured the optical emission pattern of atomic oxygen during the fluctuation as well as the RF phase resolved optical emission intensity at selected phase position of the fluctuation by an intensified charge-coupled device camera. The deduced excitation rate pattern reveals the RF sheath dynamics and electron heating mechanisms, which is changing between low and high electronegativity during a fluctuation cycle. A perturbation calculation was taken into account using a global model with 15 elementary collision processes in the balance equations for the charged plasma species (O2+, e, O−, O2−) and a harmonic perturbation. The calculated frequencies agree with the experimentally observed frequencies. Whereby, the electron attachment/detachment processes are important for the generation of this instability.