Publications by authors named "Prechel G"
A method for determining the fast-ion population density in magnetically confined plasmas as a function of pitch-radius, (λ, R), using a solid-state neutral-particle analyzer (ssNPA) signal and neutral-beam injection (NBI) power-output data has been developed. Oscillations in the NBI power output are replicated only in the active part of the ssNPA signal, allowing this to be separated from the passive and background signals, which usually complicate data from this diagnostic. Results obtained using this method are compared with those from standard techniques using data from the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak Upgrade spherical tokamak.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- A compact solid-state neutral particle analyzer (SSNPA) diagnostic, originally used at NSTX-U, has been relocated to MAST-U and operated successfully during the first physics campaign.
- The SSNPA detects fast neutral particles from charge exchange reactions to analyze fast ion distribution, featuring three 16-channel sensors for radial plasma views with a resolution of 3-4 cm, 200 kHz temporal resolution, and a few degrees pitch angle resolution.
- Preliminary data indicates that all sensors are functioning as planned, with a signal-to-noise ratio around 15, and shows a correlation between SSNPA signals and magnetohydrodynamic activity in the plasma.