Download Plasma transport across magnetic field lines in low

38th EPS Conference on Plasma Physics (2011)
I1.302
Plasma transport across magnetic field lines in low-temperature plasma
sources
G. J. M. Hagelaar1
LAPLACE, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
1
Magnetized plasma transport plays a key role not only in hot fusion plasmas but also in lowtemperature plasma sources operating at low pressure, in which magnetic fields are used to
limit charged particle losses to the walls, reduce the electric plasma conductivity, and/or
obtain special kinds of energy coupling. [1, 2] Typical parameters for these plasma sources
are: plasma density 1016 - 1018 m-3, neutral gas density 1019-1020 m-3, electron temperature 120 eV, magnetic field strength 0.01 - 0.10 T, which are quite different from those of fusion
plasmas. Widely used in applications like materials processing [2], space propulsion, and
neutral beam injection [3], these plasma sources are generally developed by a combination of
experimental research and numerical modeling. However, as we discuss in this presentation,
the understanding of the effect of the magnetic field on low-temperature plasmas is far from
complete, and the standard modeling methods used in this field are rather limited as to the
description of magnetized plasma transport. This problem has become particularly urgent in
recent efforts to model the negative ion source of the neutral beam heating system for ITER,
in which a magnetic filter is used to lower the electron temperature and facilitate the negative
ion extraction. [3-5] This presentation gives an overview of the state-of-the-art and the open
questions in magnetized low-temperature plasma modeling, illustrated with preliminary
results on the magnetic filter of the ITER negative ion source.
References
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
V. A. Rozhansky and L. D. Tsendin, “Transport phenomena in partially ionized plasma” (Taylor &
Francis, London, 2001).
M. Lieberman and A. Lichtenberg, “Principles of plasma discharges and materials processing, second
edition” (John Wiley & Sons Inc. USA, 2005).
R. S. Hemsworth and T. Inoue, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 33 (6), 1799-1813 (2005).
E. Speth et al., Nucl. Fusion 46, S220-S238 (2006).
J. P. Boeuf, G. J. M. Hagelaar, P. Sarrailh, G. Fubiani, N. Kohen, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 20,
015002 (2011).