Advanced Plasma Energy

Advanced Energy Generation Division Advanced Plasma Energy Research Section

Professor : Kazunobu NAGASAKI
Associate Professor : Kai MASUDA
Assistant Professor : Shinji KOBAYASHI

High-power microwave system, compact neutron/proton sources driven by fusion plasmas, plasma diagnostics, highly brilliant relativistic electron beam are being developed by controlling charged particles and electromagnetic field.

Development of Advanced Energy by electromagnetic waves and particle beams

Advanced and innovative control methods for the collective behavior of charged particles are being developed in this research section to bring about enormous contributions to the human beings. Emphasized are particularly studies of nonlinear interactions between charged particles and electromagnetic fields. Production, heating, current drive and MHD suppression of fusion plasmas by electron cyclotron resonance are studied by using high-power microwave sources such as magnetrons and gyrotrons. Application of microwaves is also targeted for the development of heating and current drive systems. Clarification and understanding of physical mechanism of fluctuations existing inside the plasma is also a key issue to achieve high performance plasma because a variety of instabilities can act to transport plasma and determine the plasma confinement. Hence, advanced diagnostic tools with higher spatio-temporal resolutions such as microwave diagnostics and multichannel Langmuir probes and novel technique of fluctuation data analysis are developed and approached. Also studied are production and application of energetic particles: Production of highly brilliant relativistic electron beams are studied for the development of advanced light sources such as free electron lasers. Compact neutron/ proton sources based on Inertial Electrostatic Confinement fusion are being developed for versatile applications such as PET isotope production and detection of illicit materials. Studies of advanced D-3He fuel fusion are also being pursued by the use of the compact fusion device.

High-power microwave source "Gyrotron"

A gyrotron produces a Gaussian-shaped microwave beam of 70GHz 500kW power, which is used for production, heating and current drive of fusion plasmas.

Neutron / Proton Sources based on Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusion

Ions focused within the transparent gridded cathode undergo fusion reactions that produce energetic neutrons. Protons produced with a moderate applied voltage of tens kV gain a huge energy of 14.7 MeV via D-3He fusion reactions.

Measurement and spectrum analysis of fluctuations in high temperature plasma

Various fluctuations appear in plasma and cause transport. Measurement and analysis of those fluctuations in the frequency range from kHz to MHz are important issues to understand properties of plasma transport.