60 Years of neutral particle analysis: from early tokamaks to ITER

• Published in: European physical journal H Vol. 46; no. 1
• Main Authors: Petrov, M. P., Afanasyev, V. I., Chernyshev, F. V., Goncharov, P. R., Mironov, M. I., Petrov, S. Ya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Analyzers; Astronomy; Astrophysics and Cosmology; Distribution functions; Fluxes; History and Philosophical Foundations of Physics; History of Science; Hydrogen isotopes; Ion distribution; Isotope ratios; Measurement Science and Instrumentation; Neutral particles; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Plasma; Quantum Physics; Regular Article; Stellarators; Tokamak devices; Union of Soviet Socialist Republics > USSR
• ISSN: 2102-6459; 2102-6467
• DOI: 10.1140/epjh/s13129-021-00009-6

Academician A. D. Sakharov’s idea concerning the emission of atomic flux from hot plasma (1951) inspired scientists of A. F. Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute to create the first in the world instrument called Neutral Atom Analyzer in 1960 and then in 1961 to use it successfully on the Alpha device (USSR, 1958–1963). Now the analysis of fluxes of fast atoms referred to as Neutral Particle Analysis (NPA) is one of the main diagnostic methods for the ion component of plasma in tokamaks, stellarators, and other devices. NPA provides a unique opportunity for studying the ion distribution functions, ion temperatures and hydrogen isotope ratio in hot plasma. Neutral particle analyzers developed at the Ioffe Institute were widely used in the USSR until the late 1970s, and afterwards began to be employed worldwide. Since then, most of the information on the ion distribution functions and the behavior of fast ions in fusion plasma is obtained from NPA measurements on all leading magnetic confinement fusion systems worldwide. The specialized complex of atom analyzers currently being created at the Ioffe Institute is included in the primary list of ITER diagnostics. The integration of this complex on ITER is expected to begin in 2025.