Thesis (Degree of Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineer and M.S. in Astronautical Engineering) Naval Postgraduate School, June 1997. / Thesis advisors, Oscar Biblarz, Christopher L. Frenzen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-107). Also available online.

It is possible to obtain information about various properties of the fuel ions deuterium (D) and tritium (T) in a fusion plasma by measuring the neutron emission from the plasma. Neutrons are produced in fusion reactions between the fuel ions, which means that the intensity and energy spectrum of the emitted neutrons are related to the densities and velocity distributions of these ions. This thesis describes different methods for analyzing data from fusion neutron measurements. The main focus is on neutron spectrometry measurements, using data used collected at the tokamak fusion reactor JET in England. Several neutron spectrometers are installed at JET, including the time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR and the magnetic proton recoil (MPRu) spectrometer. Part of the work is concerned with the calculation of neutron spectra from given fuel ion distributions. Most fusion reactions of interest – such as the D + T and D + D reactions – have two particles in the final state, but there are also examples where three particles are produced, e.g. in the T + T reaction. Both two- and three-body reactions are considered in this thesis. A method for including the finite Larmor radii of the fuel ions in the spectrum calculation is also developed. This effect was seen to significantly affect the shape of the measured TOFOR spectrum for a plasma scenario utilizing ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) in combination with neutral beam injection (NBI). Using the capability to calculate neutron spectra, it is possible to set up different parametric models of the neutron emission for various plasma scenarios. In this thesis, such models are used to estimate the fuel ion density in NBI heated plasmas and the fast D distribution in plasmas with ICRH.

No description available.

プラズマ診断は，プラズマプロセス中の荷電粒子の役割を理解する上で重要である．しかしながら，一般的なプラズマ診断は低圧の場合に限られているため，大気圧プラズマの特性を把握するためには新たな診断技術の開発が必要である．本論文では，ゲルディエンコンデンサーを用いた大気圧プラズマ診断を提案し，実用上十分な性能を有すことを実証した内容について報告している．さらに測定に影響を及ぼす要因についても調査した. / Plasma diagnostics plays an important part in understanding the role of charged particles during plasma processes. However, since common plasma diagnostic techniques are limited to low-pressure case, there is a need for the development of a new diagnostic method specifically for atmospheric pressure plasma characterization. In this dissertation, a diagnostic technique based on the Gerdien condenser theory is developed for laboratory-produced atmospheric pressure plasma. The Gerdien condenser, which is a classical instrument employed in atmospheric science, is capable in measuring the ion mobility and density from an obtained current-voltage characteristic. The factors that can affect the measurements are also investigated. / 博士(工学) / Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering / 同志社大学 / Doshisha University

Boron nitride is found mainly in two crystal structures / in hexagonal structure (h-BN) which is very much like graphite and in cubic structure (c-BN) with properties very close to those of diamond. h-BN is a natural lubricant due to its layered structure. It is generally used in sliding parts of the moving elements such as rotating element beds in turbine shafts. Since c-BN is the hardest known material after diamond it is used in making hard metal covers. In addition to its possible microelectronics applications (can be used to make p-n junction), its resistance to high temperatures and its high forbidden energy gap are its superiorities over diamond. Recent studies have shown that c-BN can be produced by Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) in plasma. But these studies have failed to determine how all of the production parameters (boron and nitrogen sources, composition of the gas used, substrate, RF power, bias voltage, substrate temperature) affect the c-BN content, mechanical stress and the deposition rate of the product with a systematic approach. The systematic study was realized in the range of available experimental ability of the present PVD and CVD equipment and accessories. The BN films were produced in the plasma equipment for CVD using RF and MW and magnetron sputtering and were studied with the measurement and testing facilities. It is believed that with this approach it will be possible to collect enough experimental data to optimize production conditions of BN with desired mechanical and optoelectronic properties. h-BN films were successfully deposited in both systems. It was possible to deposit c-BN films with the MW power, however they were weak in cubic content. Deposition at low pressures eliminated the hydrogen contamination of the films. High substrate temperatures led to more chemically and mechanically stable films.

Methods of slab-geometry molecular dynamics computer simulation were tested, compared, and applied to the prediction of activity coefficients, interfacial electrochemistry characterization, and ion transport through a model biological channel-membrane structure. The charged-sheets, 2-D Ewald, corrected 3-D Ewald, and corrected particle-particle-particle-mesh (P3M) methods were compared for efficiency and applicability to slab-geometry electrolyte systems with discrete water molecules. The P3M method was preferred for long-range force calculation in the problems of interest and was used throughout. The osmotic molecular dynamics method (OMD) was applied to the prediction of liquid mixture activity coefficients for six binary systems: methanol/n-hexane, n-hexane/n-pentane, methanol/water, chloroform/acetone, n-hexane/chloroform, methanol/ chloroform. OMD requires the establishment of chemical potential equilibrium across a semi-permeable membrane that divides the simulation cell between a pure solvent chamber and a chamber containing a mixture of solvent and solute molecules in order to predict the permeable component activity coefficient at the mixture side composition according to a thermodynamic identity. Chemical potential equilibrium is expedited by periodic adjustment of the mixture side chamber volume in response to the observed solvent flux. The method was validated and shown to be able to predict activity coefficients within the limitations of the simple models used. The electrochemical double layer characteristics for a simple electrolyte with discrete water molecules near a charged electrode were examined as a function of ion concentration, electrode charge, and ion size. The fluid structure and charge buildup near the electrode, the voltage drop across the double layer, and the double layer capacitance were studied and were found to be in reasonable agreement with experimental findings. Applied voltage non-equilibrium molecular dynamics was used to calculate the current-voltage relationship for a model biological pore. Ten 10-nanosecond trajectories were computed in each of 10 different conditions of concentration and applied voltage. The channel-membrane structure was bathed in electrolyte including discrete water molecules so that solvation, entry, and exit effects could be studied. Fluid structure, ion dynamics, channel selectivity, and potential gradients were examined. This work represents the first such channel study that does not neglect the vital contributions of discrete water molecules.