Real-time feedback control of the impurity emission front in tokamak divertor plasmas

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21268-3
• Publication Date: 2021-02-19T16:46:37Z
• Authors: T. Ravensbergen; M. van Berkel; A. Perek; C. Galperti; B. P. Duval; O. Février; R. J. R. van Kampen; F. Felici; J. T. Lammers; C. Theiler; J. Schoukens; B. Linehan; M. Komm; S. Henderson; D. Brida; M. R. de Baar
• Keywords: Science; Q; 0103 physical sciences; 01 natural sciences; 7. Clean energy; Article

AbstractIn magnetic confinement thermonuclear fusion the exhaust of heat and particles from the core remains a major challenge. Heat and particles leaving the core are transported via open magnetic field lines to a region of the reactor wall, called the divertor. Unabated, the heat and particle fluxes may become intolerable and damage the divertor. Controlled ‘plasma detachment’, a regime characterized by both a large reduction in plasma pressure and temperature at the divertor target, is required to reduce fluxes onto the divertor. Here we report a systematic approach towards achieving this critical need through feedback control of impurity emission front locations and its experimental demonstration. Our approach comprises a combination of real-time plasma diagnostic utilization, dynamic characterization of the plasma in proximity to the divertor, and efficient, reliable offline feedback controller design.