EFDA-JET-CP(05)02/17
Neutron Energy Measurements of Trace Tritium Plasmas with NE213 Compact Spectrometer at JET
Properties of the energy distribution functions of thermal- and high energy- fuel ions in tokamak plasmas can be obtained by measuring the energy spectra of the neutron emission. The Trace Tritium Experimental (TTE) campaign aimed mainly to particle transport studies. A compact broadband neutron spectrometer, fully characterized for neutron detection (1.5MeV <En< 20MeV) at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt accelerator facility, based on a liquid scintillator (NE213) with neutron/gamma discrimination features was operated successfully during TTE [1,2] with good energy resolution (DE/E<4% at En =2.5 MeV and DE/E <2% at En-14 MeV). Pulse height spectra of the neutron emission from different TTE plasma scenarios with Neutral Beam (NB), RadioFrequency (RF) and combined NB+ RF heating schemes were acquired. Simultaneous spectral acquisition of the DD (at 2.5MeV) and DT (at 14MeV) emissions was performed, due to the broadband energy feature of the spectrometer. The present paper will report on the comparison between the TTE measured neutron spectra, obtained with the MAXED unfolding code, and theoretical spectra evaluated by means of the FPS Monte Carlo kinematics code which takes into account the various parameters of the investigated plasma scenarios. Aim of this analysis is the determination of the energy distribution functions of the deuterons and tritons and their dependence from the different heating scenarios, in order to distinguish the contribution of the suprathermal ion component of the neutron emissions. Particular attention will be devoted to the possible RF effects on the deuteron population in combined heating TTE ELMy H mode plasmas as indicated by recent PION analysis.