Calculations of electron inelastic mean free paths and stopping powers for several alkali halides (KF, KCl, KBr, and KI) and metal oxides (BeO, MgO, SiOZ, and A1203) have been performed in the 50 eV to 10 keV energy range. The complex dielectric formalism, improved to include the energy gap, was used for estimating the valence part of the transport characteristics, whereas the part related to electron-core interactions was evaluated according to Gryzinski's theory. An extended comparison of these calculations with the available experimental data as well as with other theoretical predictions is presented. Trends of the energy dependence of the inelastic mean free path and stopping power in alkali halides are studied. The role of the plasmon deexcitation process as a source for low-energy electrons in secondary electron emission spectra is discussed. The presented data can be used in Monte-Carlo simulations of electron transport in the considered materials.

The differences in thermal contraction of the composite materials in a cable in conduit conductor (CICC) for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), in combination with electromagnetic charging, cause axial, transverse contact and bending strains in the Nb 3 Sn filaments. These local loads cause distributed strain alterations, reducing the superconducting transport properties. The sensitivity of ITER strands to different strain loads is experimentally explored with dedicated probes. The starting point of the characterization is measurement of the critical current under axial compressive and tensile strain, determining the strain sensitivity and the irreversibility limit corresponding to the initiation of cracks in the Nb 3 Sn filaments for axial strain. The influence of spatial periodic bending and contact load is evaluated by using a wavelength of 5 mm. The strand axial tensile stress-strain characteristic is measured for comparison of the axial stiffness of the strands. Cyclic loading is applied for transverse loads following the evolution of the critical current, n-value and deformation. This involves a component representing a permanent (plastic) change and as well as a factor revealing reversible (elastic) behavior as a function of the applied load.The experimental results enable discrimination in performance reduction per specific load type and per strand type, which is in general different for each manufacturer involved. Metallographic filament fracture studies are compared to electromagnetic and mechanical load test results. A detailed multifilament strand model is applied to analyze the quantitative impact of strain sensitivity, intrastrand resistances and filament crack density on the performance reduction of strands and full-size ITER CICCs. Although a full-size conductor test is used for qualification of a strand manufacturer, the results presented here are part of the ITER strand verification program. In this paper, we present an overview of the results and comparisons.

The performance of the toroidal field (TF) magnet conductors for the ITER machine are qualified by a short full-size sample (4 m) current sharing temperature (Tcs) test in the SULTAN facility at CRPP in Villigen, Switzerland, using the operating current of 68 kA and the design peak field of 11.8 T. Several samples, including at least one from each of the six ITER Domestic Agencies participating in TF conductor fabrication (China, European Union, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States), have been qualified by the ITER Organization after achieving Tcs values of 6.0–6.9 K, after 700–1000 electromagnetic cycles. These Tcs values exceed the ITER specification and enabled the industrial production of these long-lead items for the ITER tokamak to begin in each Domestic Agency. Some of these samples did not pass the qualification test. In this paper, we summarize the performance of the qualified samples, analyze the effect of strand performance on conductor performance, and discuss the details of the test results.

A model for calculating the electron inelastic mean free path and stopping power in insulators in the 50 eV–10 keV energy range is presented. Both valence and core electron contributions have been considered. The valence part has been estimated following the dielectric theory modified to include the energy gap; the core contribution has been evaluated on the basis of the classical binary encounter theory. Inelastic mean free path and stopping power calculations based on this model have been performed for several alkali halides: LiF, NaCl, KCl and CsI. They are compared to existing experimental data and Penn model’s predictions for the mean free path and to Bethe’s values for the stopping power; a fair agreement is found for incident electron energies higher than 100-200 eV.

A model of electron transport in alkali halides, below 10 eV, is described. It is based on theoretically calculated microscopic cross sections of electron interactions with lattice phonons. Both acoustic and optical scatterings are taken into account, the former being also treated as a quasielastic process that randomizes the electron motion. Monte Carlo calculations based on the model simulate the UV-induced photoelectron emission from CsI. The calculated quantum efficiency and energy spectra are in good agreement with experimental data, in the photon energy range of 6.3–8.6 eV. The probability for an electron to escape from CsI, NaCl, and KCl is provided as a function of its energy and creation depth. A comparison is made between our approach and other phenomenological models.