Recent progress of plasma confinement and heating studies in the gas dynamic trap

Abstract

Abstract. The paper includes a brief overview of previous researches on the stabilization of MHD instabilities, study of micro-instabilities, and demonstration a tangible increase of the electron temperature with application of auxiliary ECR heating. A review of the results of recent researches related to application of microwave radiation for plasma generation, and plasma heating in the GDT device is presented. The paper summarizes also recent results of researches that oriented on study of expander physics.

Electron cyclotron emission at the fundamental harmonic in GDT magnetic mirror

“…Recently, efficient ECRH of a relatively dense plasma has been demonstrated in the large-scale axially symmetric mirror device GDT (gas-dynamic trap) in the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics [7][8][9][10][11] . In these experiments, a combined plasma heating by neutral deuterium beams (total power up to 5 MW) and microwave radiation (700 kW) results in the record for open traps bulk electron temperatures up to 1 keV at density about 10 13 cm -3 , thus demonstrating plasma parameters comparable to those in toroidal systems 10 .…”

Wall stabilization of the rigid ballooning $m=1$ mode in a long-thin mirror trap

“…Traditionally, two types of boundary conditions are considered. In the presence of conductive ends directly in magnetic mirrors, it is required that the boundary condition be satisfied φ = 0 (10) at z = ±L. A similar boundary condition is usually used in studying the stability of small-scale ballooning disturbances, thereby modeling the presence of a stabilizing cell behind a magnetic mirror (see, for example, [1]).…”

“…Probably oblivion for many years of Lodestro's work is due to the early termination of the TMX (Tandem Mirror eXperiment) and MFTF-B (Mirror Fusion Test Facility B) projects in the USA in the same 1986 [3]. However, achievement of a high electron temperature and high beta in the Gas-Dynamic Trap (GDT) at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics in Novosibirsk [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12], emergence of new ideas [13] and new projects [14,15] makes us rethink old results.…”

Mirror based fusion neutron source: Current status and prospective

“…The projected neutron source of plasma type is based on the gas dynamic trap (GDT), which is a special magnetic mirror system for plasma confinement [3]. Essential progress in plasma parameters was performed in recent experiments at the GDT facility in the Budker Institute (see Fig.1), which is a hydrogen (deuterium) prototype of the source [4]. This is a 7 m long axisymmetric mirror trap with high mirror ratio (B 0 = 0.3 T, B m up to 15 T) for two-component plasma confinement.…”