Previous studies of plasma microturbulence have indicated that the fluctuation power scales with radial wave number, k⊥ , like k⊥−2→k⊥−3.5 for k⊥ ≥2 cm−1. This implies that low k fluctuations may dominate the spectrum. Beam emission spectroscopy (BES) has been developed to provide spatially localized measurements of density fluctuations in this low k region of the spectrum (k⊥ ≤2 cm−1). A 20-channel system has been installed on TFTR which images one of the heating neutral beams (via fiber optics) onto a set of photoconductive photodiode detectors. Fluctuations in the fluorescent Dα emission from the beam can be related to the local plasma density fluctuations via a model of the atomic excitation processes. The analysis of BES data utilizes many of the standard statistical analysis techniques such as power spectra, coherency and cross phase, and correlation analysis which are also used in the analysis of, for example, Langmuir probe data. In the case of BES however, these techniques require some special modifications to account for systematic effects such as photon statistics and fluctuations in the neutral beam density induced by the strong fluctuations near the plasma edge.
First of a kind measurements of high-frequency ion temperature microturbulence in fusion-grade plasmas have been made in TFTR. The ion temperature fluctuations and carbon density fluctuations were found to have spectra similar to those of the ion density fluctuations across the plasma radius. The ratio of the relative fluctuation levels, (T /T)/(ñ/n), is 2 ± 0.5 from r/a = 0.59 to r/a = 0.99. The fact that this ratio is greater than unity is consistent with the general expectations of ion temperature gradient driven turbulence theory and suggests that ion drift modes dominate trapped electron modes in the turbulent spectrum. The temperature fluctuation spectra were found to exhibit a narrow transition region between distinctive edge and core turbulent modes, as has been seen with ion density fluctuations. The ratio of the relative fluctuation levels is greater than unity across this transition, which suggests that, despite the different modes present, the underlying instability is driven by the ion temperature gradient.
We demonstrate control of the topography of strain-induced wrinkle patterns through the interplay between the bulk and the nanoscale cross-linked top layer of plasma treated, spin-coated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) thin films. The different morphological phases observed, varying from herringbones to caps, are in agreement with recent theoretical predictions. The cap phase exhibits short-range 3-fold-symmetric close-packed self-organization, demonstrating a bottom-up pathway toward the wafer-scale production of ordered, nanoscale patterns on surfaces.
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