1. |
- Pamela, J., et al.
(author)
-
Overview of results and possibilities for fast particle research on JET
- 2002
-
In: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 42:8, s. 1014-1028
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The large physical size of the JET tokamak, its heating systems and diagnostics, and its capability to operate with full deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasmas, including high-power tritium neutral beam injection (NBI), give it unique possibilities in fast particle research in fusion plasmas. These have already been used to generate significant (2-3 MW level) power in fusion a-particles in the 1997 D-T campaign. Recent JET experiments have concentrated on two important scenarios of relevance to next-step tokamak devices: the ELMy H-mode plasmas and plasmas with strong internal transport barriers (ITBs). The achieved progress will help in preparation for a possible second D-T experiment on JET. Fast particle studies have also been carried out recently using ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH)-accelerated particles and external-excitation methods to study Alfven eigenmodes (AEs). Looking towards the future, the capability of JET will be enhanced by upgrades to the NBI system, ICRH system and various diagnostics. Results of the first JET D-T experiment (DTE1) form a basis on which to elaborate a second D-T experiment (DTE2) which could be proposed after these enhancements. The alpha-physics part of this programme would be divided between the investigation of alpha-particle confinement, heating and loss processes in the 'integrated scenarios' (where the discharge is as close as possible to an ITER-relevant scenario), and dedicated 'alpha-physics' experiments, with specially prepared plasmas. In ELMy H-mode plasmas the fusion performance could roach Q(=P-fusion/P-input) of similar to0.33 at the highest combined heating powers, corresponding to similar to 6x10(-4), allowing a test of the margins of TAE stability in quasi-steady-state conditions. The integrated-scenario fast particle programme could concentrate on the instabilities and heating in plasma regimes with strong steady-state ITBs, with expected Q values similar to0.58 and similar to2x10(-3), demonstrating the compatibility of these operating scenarios with alpha-effects. Excitation of TAEs by alpha-particles in the plasma core could also be studied in such integrated scenarios. An issue which will receive attention is the confinement of MeV energy ions in the centre of ITB plasmas with strongly reversed shear, where the low current density in the centre may lead to the alpha-particles entering loss orbits. In preparation for a D-T campaign, studies of triton burn-up in deuterium ITB plasmas will begin in the 2002 experimental campaigns. Special 'afterglow' experiments to measure TAEs after the termination of the (stabilizing) NBI have already been explored in JET deuterium ITB scenarios and would be planned for DTE2. It is intended to develop special versions of ITB plasmas with dominant ion heating which would maximize the sensitivity to degradation of alpha-heating effects.
|
|
2. |
- Ongena, J., et al.
(author)
-
Recent progress on JET towards the ITER reference mode of operation at high density
- 2001
-
In: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. - 0741-3335 .- 1361-6587. ; 43, s. A11-A30
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent progress towards obtaining high density and high confinement in JET as required for the ITER reference scenario at Q = 10 is summarized. Plasmas with simultaneous confinement H-98(y.2) = 1 and densities up to n/n(Gw) similar to 1 are now routinely obtained. This has been possible (i) by using plasmas at high (delta similar to 0.5) and medium (delta similar to 0.3-0.4) triangularity with sufficient heating power to maintain Type I ELMs, (ii) with impurity seeded plasmas at high (delta similar to 0.5) and low (delta less than or equal to 0.2) triangularity, (iii) with an optimized pellet injection sequence, maintaining the energy confinement and raising the density, and (iv) by carefully tuning the gas puff rate leading to plasmas with peaked density profiles and good confinement at long time scales. These high performance discharges exhibit Type I ELMs, with a new and more favourable behaviour observed at high densities, requiring further studies. Techniques for a possible mitigation of these ELMs are discussed, and first promising results are obtained with impurity seeding in discharges at high triangularity. Scaling studies using the new data of this year show a strong dependence of confinement on upper triangularity, density and proximity to the Greenwald limit. Observed MHD instabilities and methods to avoid these in high density and high confinement plasmas are discussed.
|
|
3. |
- Noterdaeme, J. M., et al.
(author)
-
Heating, current drive and energetic particle studies on JET in preparation of ITER operation
- 2003
-
In: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 43:3, s. 202-209
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper summarizes the recent work on JET in the three areas of heating, current drive and energetic particles. The achievements have extended the possibilities of JET, have a direct connection to ITER operation and provide new and interesting physics. Toroidal rotation profiles of plasmas heated far off axis with little or no refuelling or momentum input are hollow with only small differences on whether the power deposition is located on the low field side or on the high field side. With LH current drive the magnetic shear was varied from slightly positive to negative. The improved coupling (through the use of plasma shaping and CD4) allowed up to 3.4 MW of PLH in internal transport barrier (ITB) plasmas with more than 15 MW of combined NBI and ICRF heating. The q-profile with negative magnetic shear and the ITB could be maintained for the duration of the high heating pulse (8 s). Fast ions have been produced in JET with ICRF to simulate alpha particles: by using third harmonic He-4 heating, beam injected He-4 at 120 kV were accelerated to energies above 2 MeV taking advantage of the unique capability of JET to use NBI with 4 He and to confine MeV class ions. ICRF heating was used to replicate the dynamics of alpha heating and the control of an equivalent Q = 10 `burn' was simulated.
|
|
4. |
|
|
5. |
- Sauter, O., et al.
(author)
-
Control of neoclassical tearing modes by sawtooth control
- 2002
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 88:10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The onset of a neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) depends on the existence of a large enough seed island. It is shown in the Joint European Torus that NTMs can be readily destabilized by long-period sawteeth, such as obtained by sawtooth stabilization from ion-cyclotron heating or current drive. This has important implications for burning plasma scenarios, as alpha particles strongly stabilize the sawteeth. It is also shown that, by adding heating and current drive just outside the inversion radius, sawteeth are destabilized, resulting in shorter sawtooth periods and larger beta values being obtained without NTMs.
|
|
6. |
- Eriksson, L-G, et al.
(author)
-
Destabilization of fast-ion-induced long sawteeth by localized current drive in the JET tokamak.
- 2004
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 92:23
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In a tokamak fusion reactor the energetic alpha particles will transiently stabilize the magnetohydrodynamic activity causing sawtooth oscillations. The crash events terminating long sawtooth free periods can provide seed islands for neoclassical tearing modes [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 105001 (2002)]]. To shorten the sawtooth periods localized current drive near the q=1 surface is a possibility. This Letter provides the first experimental evidence for the effectiveness of this method in the different physics regime associated with fast-ion-induced long sawteeth on the JET tokamak.
|
|
7. |
- Hedenfalk, I, et al.
(author)
-
Gene-expression profiles in hereditary breast cancer
- 2001
-
In: New England Journal of Medicine. - 0028-4793. ; 344:8, s. 48-539
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Many cases of hereditary breast cancer are due to mutations in either the BRCA1 or the BRCA2 gene. The histopathological changes in these cancers are often characteristic of the mutant gene. We hypothesized that the genes expressed by these two types of tumors are also distinctive, perhaps allowing us to identify cases of hereditary breast cancer on the basis of gene-expression profiles.METHODS: RNA from samples of primary tumor from seven carriers of the BRCA1 mutation, seven carriers of the BRCA2 mutation, and seven patients with sporadic cases of breast cancer was compared with a microarray of 6512 complementary DNA clones of 5361 genes. Statistical analyses were used to identify a set of genes that could distinguish the BRCA1 genotype from the BRCA2 genotype.RESULTS: Permutation analysis of multivariate classification functions established that the gene-expression profiles of tumors with BRCA1 mutations, tumors with BRCA2 mutations, and sporadic tumors differed significantly from each other. An analysis of variance between the levels of gene expression and the genotype of the samples identified 176 genes that were differentially expressed in tumors with BRCA1 mutations and tumors with BRCA2 mutations. Given the known properties of some of the genes in this panel, our findings indicate that there are functional differences between breast tumors with BRCA1 mutations and those with BRCA2 mutations.CONCLUSIONS: Significantly different groups of genes are expressed by breast cancers with BRCA1 mutations and breast cancers with BRCA2 mutations. Our results suggest that a heritable mutation influences the gene-expression profile of the cancer.
|
|
8. |
- Testa, D., et al.
(author)
-
Experimental test of damping models for n=1 toroidal Alfven eigenmodes in JET
- 2003
-
In: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 43:6, s. 479-482
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The damping rate of the n = 1 toroidal Alfven eigenmodes (TAE) mode in Ohmic-heated JET plasmas has been measured and compared with the prediction of the kinetic NOVA-K code, which includes electron and ion Landau damping of the global shear-Alfven wave field, collisional damping, and radiative damping. It was found that the calculated damping rate is too small to account for the measured value under these experimental conditions. A relatively weak dependence of the damping rate on the normalized Larmor radius is observed experimentally.
|
|
9. |
- Valovic, M., et al.
(author)
-
Density peaking in low collisionality ELMy H-mode in JET
- 2004
-
In: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0741-3335 .- 1361-6587. ; 46:12, s. 1877-1889
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Low collisionality, low particle source. ELMy H-modes (type-III) with sawteeth are produced in JET in order to address the question of density profile evolution in the reference q(95) = 3 ITER scenario. The paper focuses on particle transport in the core zone around the mid-radius. The pedestal region including ELMs and the region affected by sawteeth are not considered. By replacing a significant part of the neutral beam heating by RF power the beam particle flux at mid-radius has been reduced to Gamma(Beam)/n(e) = 0.07 m s(-1). The additional flux due to wall neutrals is estimated as Gamma(Wall)/n(e) = 0.12 m s(-1). Density profiles are found to be modestly peaked under these conditions with a relative density difference of Deltan/(n) = 0.23 across the zone not affected by sawteeth and ELMs. In a region around the mid-radius the ratio of effective particle diffusivity to electron thermal diffusivity is found to be D-e,D-eff/chi(e) approximate to 0.2, which might indicate an anomalous pinch provided the particle diffusivity D-e is sufficiently lame. The measured values of D-e,D-eff/chi(e) are at the lower end of the range used in ITER models.
|
|
10. |
- Westerhof, E., et al.
(author)
-
Control of sawteeth and triggering of NTMs with ion cyclotron resonance frequency waves in JET
- 2002
-
In: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 42:11, s. 1324-1334
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A new scenario to delay or prevent neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) onset is presented. By active sawtooth destabilization, short period and low amplitude sawteeth are generated, such that the sawtooth produced NTM seed island is reduced and the threshold normalized plasma pressure for triggering of NTMs, beta(Nonset), is increased. The scenario has been explored experimentally in the Joint European Torus (JET). Ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) waves tuned to the 2nd harmonic H-minority resonance have been used for sawtooth control. Whereas ICRF waves generally induce sawtooth stabilization, favouring the triggering of NTMs and reducing beta(Nonset), the present experiments show that by toroidally directed waves, ion cyclotron current drive is produced, and that sawteeth can be destabilized by careful positioning of the 2nd harmonic H resonance layer with respect to the sawtooth inversion radius. As a result, NTM onset is delayed and beta(Nonset) is increased above its value obtained in discharges with additional heating from neutral beam injection alone.
|
|