https://tue.osiris-student.nl/onderwijscatalogus/extern/cursus?cursuscode=3MF130&collegejaar=2025&taal=enIn this lecture course the principles of both tools, heating and diagnostics, will be discussed as well as the technical realisation. Topics are: the interaction of electromagnetic waves with plasma particles (since several heating and diagnostic methods are based on this); Heating: Ohmic heating, radio-frequent heating, electron cyclotron heating, neutral beam injection and current drive; Diagnostics: magnetic measurements, microwave diagnostics, laser aided plasma diagnostics, probes, spectroscopy and fusion product diagnostics. Implications of the harsh environment of a fusion reactor on diagnostics will be discussed as well.
At the end of this course the student should:
- have the ability to calculate the necessary temperature for a burning plasma,
- he able to derive the maximum achievable temperature of an ohmically heated plasmas
- get acquainted with the different methods to heat a plasma to the burn temperature in a fusion reactor (100 - 200 million K) and being able to discuss the benefits and shortcomings of each method (both from the physics view as well as the technical implementation): neutral beam heating, radio-frequent heating, electron cyclotron heating.
- be able to discuss the effect of current drive for the above methods.
- have the ability to describe the effect of Coulomb collisions of energetic particles with the bulk plasma and its energy transfer. Application of this knowledge to the situation of Alpha particle heating and Neutral beam heating in fusion plasmas.
- be able to derive the main principles of propagation of electromagnetic waves in in magnetized plasmas and discuss on this basis: resonances, cut- off effects and changes in the refractive index for different polarizations.
- be able to explain the physics principles and discuss the limitations of the different active and passive techniques to diagnose the plasma conditions and processes in a fusion reactor: optical spectroscopy, active beam spectroscopy, Thomson scattering, microwave diagnostics, neutron and X-ray diagnostics, magnetic diagnostics
- be able to interpret real experimental data from diagnostics on fusion devices.
- have the ability to discuss the implication of the operation of these diagnostics in a burning plasma and nuclear environment.
Written examination/Report