Resumo em Inglês:

Measurements on the ion flux transmission in a magnetically filtered d-c vacuum arc are presented. The device includes a metallic plasma-generating chamber with water-cooled electrodes coupled to a substrate chamber through a quarter-torus magnetic filter. It is employed a Copper cathode (6 cm in diameter) with a Copper annular anode. The filter consists in a steel cylinder 500 mm length and 100 mm inner diameter with 90o of bending angle and corrugated lateral walls, surrounded by a magnetic field generating coil. The arc is operated at a current level of 100 A, and the intensity of the filtering magnetic field was in the range 0¡200 G (measured at the knee of the filter). This magnetic field is enough high so as to magnetize the electrons but not the ions. The discharge is ignited by bringing (and later removing) a tungsten striker into contact with the cathode. The arc voltage drop, the floating potentials of the filter and the plasma, and the ion current collected by probes located at different positions as functions of the magnetic field intensity are reported and compared with measurements presented in the literature with other similar devices.

Resumo em Inglês:

An experimental characterization of a low-current (30-40 A) cutting torch is presented. To avoid contamination of the plasma arc by removed anode material, a rotating steel cylinder was used as the anode and the arc was anchored onto the cylinder lateral surface. The cathode-anode and cathode-nozzle voltage drops, together with the gas pressure in the plenum chamber were registered for different values of the mass flow rate injected into the plenum chamber. By employing an optical system with a large magnifi cation (<FONT FACE=Symbol>»</FONT> 15 X), the arc radius the nozzle exit was also determined with a digital optical camera. The obtained experimental quantities were used to evaluate several flow properties at the nozzle exit (hot arc plasma and cold gas temperatures, arc and gaz velocities, etc.) by employing a simplifi ed theoretical model for the plasma flow in the nozzle. The obtained results are in reasonable agreement with the data reported in the literature by other authors. Explanations of the origin of the clogging effect and the nozzle voltage are also presented.

Resumo em Inglês:

An experimental study of the metallic ion flux in a pulsed copper vacuum arc with an annular anode and operated with an axial magnetic field is presented. It is employed an insulating drift duct surrounded by an external coil which generates an axial magnetic field. Operating the arc under vacuum condition, measurements of the ion flux and the plasma potential at different axial positions along the duct and different magnetic field values are presented. The arc voltage and the total discharge current as functions of the magnetic field intensity are also reported. We find that the decay of the ion flux through the duct walls is not exponential. A simplified model for the ion emission is used in order to obtain an interpretation of the measured ion current for different axial positions and magnetic field strength, and a good agreement with the experimental points is found.

Resumo em Inglês:

Spectral emission lines from a low pressure d-c arc discharge with a Ti cathode were studied in various ambient gases; N2, O2, and Ar. Light from the plasma was detected by an optical spectrometer multichannel analyzer (OSMA). The spectral intensities of Ti, Ti+, Ar and N2 were measured as a function of the gas pressure in the range 5 × 10-3 - 0.5 mbar. The measurements were performed in the inter-electrode region at different distances from the cathode. For N2 and O2 as the filling gases, the intensities of Ti and Ti+ increase with the gas pressure up to pressure values of the order of 0:2¡0:4 mbar, while they decrease for higher pressure values. With Ar gas, a different behavior of the Ti+ intensity was found; it presents an increasing general trend. The behavior of the lines was qualitatively analyzed in terms of the most relevant atomic processes that take place in the metallic plasma - gas structure (charge-exchange, electron impact excitation and ionization, etc.). It is found that the behavior of the observed spectral lines can be satisfactorily explained in terms of the relevance of these processes as functions of the neutral gas density and electron temperature.

Resumo em Inglês:

We present a simple hydrodynamic model to obtain the profiles of the relevant physical quantities along a nozzle of arbitrary cross-section in a cutting torch. The model uses a two-zone approximation (a hot central plasma carrying the discharge current wrapped by a relatively cold gas which thermally isolates the nozzle wall from the plasma). Seeking for a solution with sonic conditions at the nozzle exit, the model allows expressing all the profiles in terms of the externally controlled parameters of the torch (geometry of the torch, discharge current, mass flow of the gas and plenum pressure) and the values of the arc and gas temperatures at the nozzle entrance. These last two values can be estimated simply appealing to energy conservation in the cathode-nozzle region. The model contains additional features compared with previous reported models, while retaining simplicity. The detailed consideration of an arc region coupled to the surrounding gas dynamics allows determining voltage drops and consequent delivered power with less assumptions than those found in other published works, and at the same time reduces the set of parameters needed to determine the solution.

Resumo em Inglês:

Brazilian Solar Spectroscope (BSS), operating in the frequency range of (1000 ¡ 2500) MHz with high time and frequency resolutions, has observed various fine structures showing intensity variations as functions of time and frequency. Here we are reporting radio bursts observed by BSS, from August to October/2001, exhibiting fine structures with total duration of the order of 300 ms, covering a frequency range of ~ 200 MHz. These characteristics are similar to those of the narrow band type III bursts observed above 1000 MHz. Hence these fine structures are variants of decimetric narrow band type III-like bursts. The fine structures observed exhibit variation of intensity as a function of frequency and curvatures in the frequency-time plane. These fine structures are explained as a propagation effect. We suggest that these structures are the signatures of the chromospheric density inhomogeneities lying in the line-of-sight path between the observer and the radio source. If the emitted frequencies are lower than the plasma frequency of the inhomogeneity, there will be absorption over a certain band, corresponding to the dimension of the inhomogeneity. The curved like structures are due to lower group velocities of the lower frequencies in the density inhomogeneities. The estimated scale sizes of the irregularities obtained are of the order of 10¹ - 10(4) km. Thus an alternative method to total solar eclipse observation is suggested for investigations of chromospheric density irregularities.

Resumo em Inglês:

Geomagnetic storms are intervals of time when a sufficiently intense and long-lasting interplanetary convection electric field leads, through a substantial injection of energy into the magnetosphere-ionosphere system, to an intensified ring current, strong enough to exceed some key threshold of the quantifying storm time Dst index. We have studied all the 9 great magnetic storms (peak Dst < -200 nT) observed during the rise and maximum of solar cycle 23 (from 1997 to early 2001), in order to identify their solar and interplanetary causes. Apart of one storm occurred during the period without observations from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), all of them were related to coronal mass ejections observed by the Large Angle and Spectroscopic Coronagraph (LASCO). The sources of interplanetary southward magnetic field, Bs, responsible for the occurrence of the storms were related to the intensified shock/sheath field, interplanetary magnetic cloud's field, or the combination of sheath-cloud or sheath-ejecta field. It called our attention the fact that one of the events was related to a slow CME, with CME expansion speed not greater than 550 km/s. The purpose of this paper is to address the main sources of large geomagnetic disturbances using the current satellite capability available. As a general conclusion, we found that shock/sheath compressed fields are the most important interplanetary causes of great magnetic storms during this period.

Resumo em Inglês:

We review the effect of finite amplitude circularly polarized waves on the behavior of linear ion-beam plasma instabilities. It has been shown that left-hand polarized waves can stabilize linear right-handed instabilities [1]. It has also been shown that for beam velocities capable of destabilizing left-handed waves, left-hand polarized large amplitude waves can also stabilize these waves. On the other hand, when the large amplitude wave is right-hand polarized, they can either stabilize or destabilize right-handed instabilities depending on the wave frequency and beam speed [2]. Finally, we show that the presence of large amplitude left-hand polarized waves can also trigger electrostatic ion-acoustic instabilities by forcing the phase velocities of two ion acoutic waves to become equal, above a threshold amplitude value.

Resumo em Inglês:

Parallel permittivity elements are derived for radio-frequency waves in an axisymmetric tokamak with D-shaped transverse cross-sections of the magnetic surfaces under arbitrary aspect ratio, arbitrary elongation and small triangularity. The bounce resonances are taken into account for untrapped (passing or circulating) and three groups of trapped particles. The corresponding limits for the simpler plasma models are considered. Our dielectric characteristics are suitable to estimate the wave dissipation by electron Landau damping during the plasma heating and current drive generation in the frequency range of Alfvén and fast magnetosonic waves, for both the large and low aspect ratio tokamaks with circular, elliptic and D-shaped magnetic surfaces. The dissipated wave power is expressed by the summation of terms including the imaginary parts of both the diagonal and non-diagonal elements of the parallel permittivity.

Resumo em Inglês:

The treatment of surfaces by plasma immersion ion implantation requires pulsed power modulators to provide negative high voltage pulses. To achieve this requirement, we have developed three basic circuit configurations in our laboratory: pulse forming network (PFN), hard-tube pulser (HT) and Blumlein line. In this paper we discuss these three types of circuit topologies.As experimental results, first we present the voltage/current characteristic waveforms of PFN and HT pulsers in the PIII treatment of different materials (aluminum, silicon and stainless steel) as well we describe the surface characterization of the materials thereof treated.And finally,we show recent high voltage tests of a high voltage Blumlein pulser (150kV/300A/1mus) to be used in surface treatments of polymers and aluminum alloys.

Resumo em Inglês:

In order to measure the plasma temperature and density in the spherical tokamak ETE, a one-channel Thomson scattering system was implemented. During the upgrade of capacitor banks and optimization since the beginning of operation, the plasma pulse duration has increased from 1.5 ms up to 12 ms with plasma currents varying from 10 kA to 60 kA. During this phase, the electron temperature was increased from 20 eV to 160 eV with densities as high as 3.5×10(19) m-3. Presently, the Thomson scattering diagnostic is being upgraded based on the time-delay technique, that consists in usingfi bers of different lengths to transmit the scattered light signals to the same polychromator. This system will allow measurements of electron temperature and density profi les with ten spatial points per laser shot and per polychromator. This work describes in details the Thomson scattering system, presents a selection of results obtained by this system since the initial phase of operation, and shows details of the proposed upgrade of the Thomson scattering system.

Resumo em Inglês:

High-power generation in backward-wave oscillators (BWO) of large section requires that the beam electrons flowing close to the corrugated wall interact efficiently with surface waves supported by a periodic structure. Such waves are described by the superposition of slow-wave space harmonics of the operating mode. The present paper reports on design tools for BWOs operating in symmetric TM modes since these modes are able to perturb the axial velocity and electron density on rectilinear beams confined by an external magnetic field in slow-wave systems. Here we investigate whether a cylindrical guide with sinusoidally rippled wall can provide strong coupling between the guide surface waves and mildly relativistic (~ 500 keV) electron beams in the 8-9 GHz frequency range for BWOs of large diameter (D ~ 3lambda). For this purpose, the characteristic equation of a sinusoidally corrugated structure is derived on the basis of the Rayleigh-Fourier method, whereby the field solution is represented by a single expansion of TM eigenmodes. From the dispersion diagrams thus obtained we infer the appropriate periodic length and ripple amplitude of the guiding structure that optimize the beam-wave interaction.

Resumo em Inglês:

An in situ Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) characterization was performed on Pulsed-Laser Ablation (PLA) process used for fullerene-like CNx thin film deposition at nitrogen pressures within the 5 - 100 mTorr range. Plumes were generated by ablation of pyrolytic graphite (99.99%) target using a (500 mJ, 7 ns, 1064 nm) Nd: YAG-pulsed laser. The spectra from the plume show, essentially, the presence of the band heads of CN Violet vibrational/rotational B²sigma+ - X²sigma+ system and the characteristic C2 emission lines, belonging to the Swan A³pig - X'3piu system. These excited CN and C2 molecules were generated by laser ablation and by collisions of the plume with the substrate surface. Their vibrational temperatures were strongly dependent on nitrogen pressure during the deposition process and presented a decrease between 2.64 and 1.23 eV, as pressure increased from 5 to 100 mTorr. Synthesis of fullerene-like structures required high molecular temperatures at the condensation surface. High concentrations of CN radicals in the plasma promoted nitrogen incorporation into the films. The OES plasma characterization allowed for a correlation of the concentration and vibrational temperatures of CN and C2 species present in the plasma with the fullerene-like CNx film composition and bonding, determined by XPS, IR, and Raman spectroscopy.

Resumo em Inglês:

In this paper a review and assessment of the Hot Temperature Plasma Processing of Waste is presented. The environmental advantage of this method over incineration is clearly demonstrated. The present technology of Plasma Arcs and the Modern Plasma Torches Applications are also shown. An Assessment of the Heavy Duty Gasification Combined Cycle Turbines, Gasification Process, Magmavication/Vitrification process, and Environmental Engineering Protection are also described.

Resumo em Inglês:

Plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) of stainless steels with nitrogen has been successfully used for surface hardening purposes. This process has been carried out inside a toroidal discharge chamber in a DC/RF plasma. The RF plasma was created by one antenna located inside the chamber, diametrically opposite to the DC electrode. The latter is polarized with 1 kV and then the discharge is controlled by varying the gas pressure before the RF signal is applied. The main plasma parameters were established by means of double electric probes yielding electron temperature values within 0.5-1.5 eV and density values within 1.5×10(15) to 4×10(15) m-3 for the DC case while 1.5-3.0 eV and 7×10(14) to 3×10(15) m-3 were reached with RF assisted DC. We present in this work the experimental results obtained from a PIII process applied to AISI 304 stainless steel plates. The outcome shows that the Vickers hardness has been incremented according to the gas pressure within the 1×10-1 to 1×10-3 mbar range. The treated plates were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the results point to an increased percentage of nitrogen, around 20%. By means of x-ray diffractometry (XRD) the gamma expanded phase and compounds such as Fe3NiN, Ni4N, FeNiN and Fe3N were determined.

Resumo em Inglês:

Electron beam transport through a quadrupole electrostatic system is investigated by particle-in-cell simulation in the present work, where - at the advantage of easier experimental implementation - the analogous parabolic electrostatic potential replaces the usual neutralizing ion background of bounded plasma systems. Looking at the maximum transported current and the dynamical behavior dependence on the electron beam injection energy, we have found that for a partial neutralizing electrostatic potential (i) the transmitted current significantly increases in relation to other electrostatic devices, due mainly to two-dimensional effects, (ii) the occurrence of stable static solutions with the typical profile of unstable static solutions of the classical Pierce diode, and (iii) a new bifurcation sequence of the steady-state solutions, at which periodic virtual cathode oscillations turn into intermittent spiking oscillations, which ultimately evolve to stable oscillations when increasing the input energy of the injected electron beam.

Resumo em Inglês:

Electron cyclotron emission due to electrons described by a particular distribution function has been studied. The latter presents an extended tail generated by the interaction of the Lower Hybrid wave with the plasma as compared to the Maxwellian distribution function. For this purpose a new code has been developed which calculates for an arbitrary distribution function the intensity of radiation arriving at the plasma edge, the emission profile (as a function of position) and the optical depth (as a function of frequency) using the full dielectric tensor for a magnetized plasma. The electron distribution function is obtained by solving the Fokker-Planck equation in the frame of the quasilinear theory using a slab model. Results obtained for TCABR-like parameters show changes in the emission localized at positions where electron distribution function has been modified by the waves. Main parameter governing the changes in the electron cyclotron emission is the wave power. Changes in the plasma temperature and density profiles do not alter the emission profiles substantially. Reconstructed electron temperature profile has been obtained from the code radiation emission simulation, showing good agreement with the imposed temperature profile. The present results also showed that the changes in the emission profile in the region where the Lower Hybrid wave deposes its energy as compared with the emission profile of the plasma with Maxwellian distribution function are not so strong.

Resumo em Inglês:

In the present paper we study the effects of occurrence of radial transport of particles in a tokamak, and the effects of the presence of an Internal Transport Barrier (ITB), on the current drive efficiency and power deposition profiles in the case of lower hybrid waves generating an extended tail in the electron distribution function. The results are obtained by numerical solution of the Fokker-Planck equation which rules the evolution of the electron distribution function. We assume that the radial transport of particles is due to magnetic or electrostatic fluctuations, and introduce a model to describe the ITB, with adjustable parameters. The presence of an Edge Transport Barrier (ETB) is simulated by Neumann boundary conditions at the plasma edge. The results obtained show very different behavior for current drive whether we have electrostatic or magnetic transport origin. The change in the plasma current due to magnetic transport has been observed to be more significant than the change due to electrostatic transport, basically because the magnetic transport is more effective in diffusing high-velocity particles of the electron tail.

Resumo em Inglês:

A summary of ion generation experiments at both low (10(9) W=cm²) and high (10(16) W=cm²) laser intensities, using Nd:YAG and iodine lasers, as well as the properties of the ions produced, are presented. Different medium- and high-Z elements were tested as a target: Ag, Al, Au, Co, Cu, Nb, Ni, Pb, Pt, Sn, Ta, W. A maximum charge state 55+ and maximum energy 34 MeV were recorded for Ta ions at high laser intensities, while the charge states up to 10+ and energies lower than 10 keV are characteristic for the region of low limit intensities. At laser intensities above 2 × 10(14) W=cm² conditions for the presence of nonlinear processes are fulfilled and ion acceleration due to ponderomotive force appears, in addition to the thermal and hot electron guided ambipolar acceleration. The existence of two production mechanisms for highly charged ions with charge states above z = 50+ has been demonstrated by changing the minimum focus position with regard to the target surface (by changing the interaction length with pre-formed plasma for relativistic self-focusing). Various potential applications of LIS are mentioned.

Resumo em Inglês:

Recent theoretical studies on the use of neutral beams (NB), rotating magnetic fields (RMF) and helicity injection (HI) to form and sustain compact toroids are reported. A Monte Carlo code was employed to study NB injection in Field Reversed Configurations (FRC) and Spheromaks. The code calculates the ionization of the neutral particles and follows the exact orbits of the ions. The magnetic field and density profiles are determined by solving a Grad-Shafranov equation that includes the beam current. RMF current drive in FRCs was studied using a fully 2D code that solves the two fluid equations with massless electrons and uniform temperature. The ion momentum equation includes viscosity and collisions with electrons and neutrals. The electrons are described using an Ohm's law with the Hall and pressure gradient terms. Ion spin up due to collisions with electrons reduces the current drive efficiency and a large fraction of neutrals is needed to keep the azimuthal ion velocity small. The principle of minimum rate of energy dissipation was employed to calculate relaxed states for a flux core spheromak sustained by helicity injection. States with large regions of closed flux surfaces and significant toroidal current were found. Changing the resistivity profile modifies the safety factor profile, which can change from one that has a maximum at the magnetic axis (for uniform resistivity) to a tokamak-like q-profile.

Resumo em Inglês:

SAE 1020 is a widely used plain carbon steel, as mortar reinforcement in buildings and small machine parts. But aside from good mechanical properties, its surface suffer from severe corrosion and high wear rate, due to modest hardness. Chromium (Cr) in excess of 12% in Fe alloys renders them resistant to several corrosive attacks. So we tried to introduce Cr in such amounts into the surface of that steel. Cr films were deposited by electron beam on SAE 1020 steel. Bombarding the Cr film either by nitrogen Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII) or nitrogen ion beam (IB), Cr atoms were recoil introduced into the Fe matrix. Normally, in the recoil process, heavy atoms are used, but in this set of experiments we used a relatively lighter atom, viz. nitrogen. SRIM simulation was used to show Cr atoms range in the steel matrix after being hit by nitrogen atoms. AES analysis showed ranges far beyond the calculated figures and in percentages above 13at. %, enough to the purposes of these works. Preliminary corrosion results showed remarkable enhancement under corrosive attack.

Resumo em Inglês:

To improve the performance of critical part components, new methods for surface strengthening are being developed with success, like plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) and hybrid surface treatments mixing PIII and ion nitriding processes. A combination of high pressure (4 × 10¹Pa), moderate temperature (up to 450ºC) glow discharge nitriding with low pressure (8 × 10-2Pa) and low DC bias voltage ion nitriding (or DC PIII) was implemented. Depending on the particular conditions of the treatment and the depth probed, mixed phases of gammaN and epsilon were measured in the treated SS304 steel sample. This near surface modification resulted in an improved hardness (up to a factor of 2.7 ×) of the sample which could also enhance its wear properties. Surface modification of Ti6Al4V alloy and SS304 steel by a combination of PIII and subsequent ion nitriding was investigated as well. Nitrogen ions were implanted into the specimens at 15 keV and then ion nitrided at low pressure (7 × 10-2Pa) with a bias of -800 V. Compared to the untreated samples, the hardness of Ti6Al4V alloy and the steels could be improved significantly. AES results indicated high retained doses in both samples, confirming the high efficiency of this hybrid process.

Resumo em Inglês:

We compare and discuss several approximations to the dispersion relation for electrostatic waves in inhomogeneous plasmas, either obtained directly from Poisson's equation, or from the dielectric constant obtained using a dielectric tensor derived using the plane wave approximation, or from the dielectric constant derived using the effective dielectric tensor.

Resumo em Inglês:

The preservation of Onsager symmetry for the effective dielectric tensor is discussed for a homogeneous plasma immersed in a inhomogeneous magnetic field, using the unperturbed orbits correct up to order kB, which is the scalelength of the field inhomogeneity. General features of the calculation of the components of the tensor are discussed and detailed calculations are developed for the zz component, which is shown to satisfy the conditions for Onsager symmetry, in agreement with previous results obtained using less precise expressions for the unperturbed orbits.

Resumo em Inglês:

Large scale magnetic fields in galaxies are thought to be generated, by a mean field dynamo. In order to have generated the fields observed, the dynamo would have had to have operated for a sufficiently long period of time. However, magnetic fields of similar intensities to the one in our galaxy, are observed in high redshift galaxies, where a mean field dynamo would not have had time to produce the observed fields. MHD turbulence produces small scale magnetic fields at a faster rate than it does mean fields, which can diffuse toward larger scales. If the turbulence is helical, magnetic fields generated at small scales can become correlated over large scales. We study the evolution of magnetic field correlations in the first objects formed in the universe, due to the action of a turbulent, helical, stochastic dynamo, for redshifts 5 < z < 10. Ambipolar diffusion can play a significant role in this process due to the low level of ionization of the gas in the first objects. We show that for reasonable values of the parameters that characterize the turbulent plasma in the time interval considered, fields can grow to high intensities (~ muG), with large coherence lengths (~ 2 - 6 kpc).

Resumo em Inglês:

One of the main objectives of the research program at ETE is devoted to the study of confinement properties in a low aspect ratio tokamak plasma configuration, and to attain this purpose the determination of plasma parameters of the edge region plays an essential role. A Fast Neutral Lithium Beam (FNLB) diagnostics was developed to perform the measurement of the density profile and its fluctuations at the edge of the plasma in ETE. The first light signals were collected after the filling of ETE chamber with He gas (10-4 Torr), where the optimization of this diagnostics was done, to adjust the better point for focalization of the beam and for the optical detection system setup. An extensive study of the variation of the intensity of the light signal with the variation of the gas pressure was carried out. This calibration will be used during shots in ETE to measure the rapidly varying pressure of the pulsed discharge by FNLB technique, a requirement imposed by the use of puff valves for injection of the gas. This paper will also describe the several phases of the development of this diagnostics, discuss the problems occurred and the adopted solutions and show the first measurements of the probing of the edge plasma of ETE with FNLB.

Resumo em Inglês:

The electrical breakdown has been investigated for low-pressure argon and nitrogen discharges under the influence of an external longitudinal magnetic field. Plane-parallel aluminum electrodes (5 cm diameter) separated by a variable distance d (4.0 cm < d < 11.0 cm) were sustained with a dc voltage (0 < V < 1 kV). A Helmholtz coil was used to produce an uniform magnetic field(B) parallel to the discharge axis. Paschen curves were obtained and the secondary electron emission coefficient (gamma), the first Townsend ionization coefficient (alpha) and the ionization efficiency(eta), were plotted with respect to the variation of the reduced field (E/P). To observe the effect of the magnetic field these curves were plotted for fixed values of B=0 and B=350 Gauss. As consequence of the longitudinal magnetic field, the free paths of the electrons in the Townsend discharge are lengthened and their lateral diffusion is reduced, thus reducing electron losses to the walls. The data presented in this paper give a quantitative description of the B-field effect on the Townsend's coefficients and overall it is concluded that the DC electrical breakdown of the gases is facilitated if a longitudinal magnetic field is applied along the discharge axis.

Resumo em Inglês:

Nitrogen Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII) has been used to modify the surface chemical structure of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE). Grinding and polishing processes based on abrasive papers and alumina pastes have been evaluated with regard to their results on the improvement of polymer surface roughness, which has shown to be of crucial importance for hardness characterization. Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and Nanoindentation tests were used to characterize the modified surfaces. Experimental results has shown that UHMWPE surface mechanical properties such as hardness and elastic modulus can be improved by induced chain cross-linking between the macromolecules on the polymer surface caused by nitrogen PIII. The new material formed on the surface is Diamond Like Carbon (DLC). As a significant improvement in hardness was obtained by DLC synthesis on the treated surface, it is expected a dramatic improvement of abrasion resistance and overall durability of prostheses made with PIII treated UHMWPE.

Resumo em Inglês:

Doppler or Stark line broadening effects are generally used to determinate plasma temperature. These methods are difficult to apply to spectra of highly ionized atoms due to the short wavelengths involved. It is not at all easy to achieve sufficient wavelength resolution in this spectral range. In this case, a spectroscopic technique based on the relative intensities of lines must be used to measure the electron temperature in a plasma. However the relation of the measure of relative line intensity and the plasma electron temperature is complex and a number of issues must be examined for the diagnostic. In simple cases, only a two levels system need be considered. Here we introduce a semi-empirical method to determine the plasma temperature that takes into account multiple levels structure. In the theoretical model we consider a local thermodynamic equilibrium(LTE). The greatest difficult in the determination of plasma temperature using a multiple levels approach is overcome by calculating the transition probabilities in terms of the oscillator strength parameters. To check the method we calculated the oscillator strengths for the Cu I using a multi-configurational Hartree-Fock relativistic (HFR) approach. The electrostatic parameters were optimized by a least-squares procedure, in order to obtain the best fitting to the experimental energy levels. This method produces gf- values that are in better agreement with their experimental values than the produced by the ab initio calculation. The temperature obtained was 5739.3 K, what is compatible with direct measurements made for cupper DC discharge.

Resumo em Inglês:

The rotating low frequency (RLF) field penetration and dissipation and the effect of ponderomotive forces driven by Ergodic Magnetic Limiter (EML) on the poloidal/ toroidal flow in tokamak plasmas are discussed. EML coils are represented as a sheet current expanded in Fourier series with poloidal/toroidal wave numbers M/N depending on coil shape and feeding. The Alfvén wave mode conversion effect in the RLF range is found responsible for wave dissipation at the rational magnetic surfaces qr = -M/N = 3 typical for EML coil design. Analytical and numerical calculations show maximums of LF field dissipation at the local Alfvén wave resonance omega = <FONT FACE=Symbol>½</FONT>k||cA<FONT FACE=Symbol>½</FONT> near the rational magnetic surface qr = 3 in Tokamak Chauffage Alfvén Brésilien. The poloidal rotation velocity U, taken into account in the dielectric tensor, can strongly modify the LF field and dissipated power profiles. Even stationary EML fields can dissipate at the local Alfvén wave resonance (UM/rA = k||cA). Preliminary estimations show that the stationary EML fields can decelerate the plasma rotation.

Resumo em Inglês:

Some recent results concerning the synthesis of carbon nanostructures in a thermal plasma generating by a plasma torch are presented. Several tests were carried out in different operational conditions. The plasma was formed with argon and different gas mixtures of argon-acetylene or argon-methane to which some catalyst materials (ferrocene and cerium oxide) were added. These catalysts were introduced into the plasma in a solid (powder) or/and a gaseous state. Their feeding rate into the plasma jet was fixed along with some other operating conditions such as plasma power, gas flow rate and reactor pressure. The principal main feature observed was a short reaction time so that each test lasted for no longer than 5 minutes. The solid products obtained were collected and prepared for following analyses. The products were examined using XRD and TEM techniques in order to characterize the morphological structure of their samples. The spatial distribution of temperature in the plasma was evaluated by in-situ emission spectroscopy. The self-absorption was taken into account by simulating an integrated radiation in relation to the Swan band d³pig -> a³piu(0,0), emitted by the C2 radical. Also, the exhaust gases were characterized by gas chromatography during each test.

Resumo em Inglês:

The biggest advantage of plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) is the capability of treating objects with irregular geometry without complex manipulation of the target holder. The effectiveness of this approach relies on the uniformity of the incident ion dose. Unfortunately, perfect dose uniformity is usually difficult to achieve when treating samples of complex shape. The problems arise from the non-uniform plasma density and expansion of plasma sheath. A particle-in-cell computer simulation is used to study the time-dependent evolution of the plasma sheath surrounding two-dimensional objects during process of plasma immersion ion implantation. Before starting the implantation phase, steady-state nitrogen plasma is established inside the simulation volume by using ionization of gas precursor with primary electrons. The plasma self-consistently evolves to a non-uniform density distribution, which is used as initial density distribution for the implantation phase. As a result, we can obtain a more realistic description of the plasma sheath expansion and dynamics. Ion current density on the target, average impact energy, and trajectories of the implanted ions were calculated for three geometrical shapes. Large deviations from the uniform dose distribution have been observed for targets with irregular shapes. In addition, effect of secondary electron emission has been included in our simulation and no qualitative modifications to the sheath dynamics have been noticed. However, the energetic secondary electrons change drastically the plasma net balance and also pose significant X-ray hazard. Finally, an axial magnetic field has been added to the calculations and the possibility for magnetic insulation of secondary electrons has been proven.

Resumo em Inglês:

Using high energy, pulsed X-rays, generated by a 4.7 kJ Plasma Focus operated with deuterium - argon admixtures, images of fast rotating metallic pieces were obtained. This illustrates the potential application of Plasma Focus devices for non invasive scanning of moving metallic objects. The samples for radiographic imaging were located outside the plasma focus chamber. High-sensitivity, fast-response commercial radiographic film was used as X-ray detector. The use of small doses of argon helps to enhance both the neutron production and the hard X-ray emission. By analyzing the mean attenuation of the studied radiation in different metals, an X-ray effective energy of about 100 keV was obtained.

Resumo em Inglês:

Separatrix reconnection in the standard nontwist map is described, including exact methods for determining the reconnection threshold in parameter space. These methods are implemented numerically for the case of oddperiod orbit reconnection, where meanders (invariant tori that are not graphs) appear. Nested meander structure is numerically demonstrated, and the idea of meander transport is discussed.

Resumo em Inglês:

Using two dimensional numerical codes, we show that the direct electron heating found with electron cyclotron emission (ECE) radiometry is related to local Alfvén wave resonances in Tokamak Chauffage Alfvén Brésilean (TCABR) plasmas. The m/N =1/2, 0/2 and 0/3 modes are dominant in the observed wave heating, due to Alfvén wave continuum absorption. In particular, the resonant absorption of the m = 0 sideband harmonic plays an important role in the central core and peripheral heating. The increase of the electron temperature during the radio frequency pulse was accompanied by a local density rise that produced a cut-off of the ECE emission. The observed heating profile is also consistent with the reflectometer measurements of the density fluctuations induced by radio frequency fields in the local Alfvén wave resonance of the m/N =-1/-2, 1/-3 modes in TCABR.

Resumo em Inglês:

The experimental results on the Alfvén mode structure identification by the microwave reflectometry in TCABR tokamak are presented. The knowledge of the spatial spectrum of the excited waves is crucial for optimization of Alfvén wave plasma heating and noninductive current drive scenarios in tokamak plasmas. No less important is the possibility to use the Alfvén wave excitation for diagnostic purposes. A microwave reflectometer with fixed frequency was used to register plasma density oscillations driven by the excited Alfvén waves, under the condition of the spectrum scanned by a controlled plasma density rise. It is shown that when the position of the local Alfvén resonance, rA, which is defined by relation omega = k||(rA)C A(rA), is close to the plasma zone where the microwave signal is reflected, the high-frequency modulation of the output signal of the reflectometer at the RF generator frequency increases. The possibility to use the observed effect for finding the plasma current profile in tokamaks is discussed.

Resumo em Inglês:

The preliminary design study of the Alfvén wave system for the ETE spherical tokamak is presented. The main objective of the proposed RF system is generation of travelling Alfvén waves, which can be used for the study of the non-inductive current drive and the plasma heating in a wide range of operational regimes, which are specific for tokamaks with small aspect ratio R/a <IMG SRC="/img/revistas/bjp/v34n4b/til.gif">1.2 - 1.5. The antenna system consists of four modules, which are separated by 90º in toroidal direction. Each module has two sets of RF current carrying poloidal straps that are positioned symmetrically in relation to the equatorial plane of the vacuum chamber at the poloidal coordinates ±45º. The poloidal extension of each strap is approximately 90º. The excited mode numbers can be controlled by the phasing of the feeding RF current. In the basic regime of operation, the straps in the same toroidal cross-sections are fed by the RF currents with (0, ±pi/2) phasing so that they can excite travelling modes M = ±1, N = ±1. In order to decrease the periphery RF power deposition and to improve the selectivity of the Alfvén mode excitation, the inclination of the antenna straps in toroidal direction can be adjusted in the range of angles ±30º. The dependence of the antenna efficiency on the antenna orientation is studied numerically in the frame of 1-D MHD model.

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There are reasons to believe that the solar matter density fluctuates around an equilibrium profile. One of these reasons is a resonance between the Alfvén waves and the g-modes inside the Sun that creates spikes in the density profile. The neutrinos are created in the solar core and passing through these spikes feel them as a noisy perturbation, whose correlation length is given by the distance between the spikes. When we consider these perturbations on the density profile, the values of the neutrino parameters necessary to obtain a solution to the solar neutrino problem are affected. In particular, in the present work, we show that the values of the parameters of mass and mixing angle that satisfy both the Large Mixing Angle solution to the solar neutrinos and the data from KamLAND - that observes neutrinos created in earth nuclear reactors - are shifted in the direction of lower values as the amplitude of the density noise increases. This means that, depending on the new data of KamLAND and other detectors, it can be necessary to invoke random perturbations in the Sun to recover compatibility with solar neutrino observations. In this case, the neutrino observations will be used as a real probe of the solar interior, giving information of the density profile in the central part of the Sun, which can not be observed directly.

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Experiments in a low pressure glow discharge on gases of environmental relevance: CO2,CO y O2 are reported. We studied the various atomic processes: ionization, excitation and molecular dissociation with typical discharge parameters of p~0.6 mbar, I< 0.1 A and V~1100 Volts. We used visible and near UV spectroscopy to observe the emitted radiation on both electrodes on pure gases and hydrogen seeded mixtures. We also set up Langmuir probes in both electrodes.

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We solve the problem of a resistive toroid carrying a steady azimuthal current. We use standard toroidal coordinates, in which case Laplace's equation is R-separable. We obtain the electric potential inside and outside the toroid, in two separate cases: 1) the toroid is solid; 2) the toroid is hollow (a toroidal shell). Considering these two cases, there is a difference in the potential inside the hollow and solid toroids. We also present the electric field and the surface charge distribution in the conductor due to this steady current. These surface charges generat not only the electric field that maintains the current flowing, but generate also the electric field outside the conductor. The problem of a toroid is interesting because it is a problem with finite geometry, with the whole system (including the battery) contained within a finite region of space. The problem is solved in an exact analytical form. We compare our theoretical results with an experimental figure demonstrating the existence of the electric field outside the conductor carrying steady current.

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In this work we present a comparison between the solar origins of two solar-terrestrial connection events occurring on April 1999 and February 2000, respectively. On April 13 (1999), a coronal mass ejection (CME) appeared for the first time in LASCO-C2 coronagraph field of view at 03:30 UT. The possible solar disc source of this CME was located at coordinates N25 E05, and it consisted on flaring activity together with a filament eruption as seen in EIT images. The geomagnetic storm with a Dst peak of -91 nT registered on April, 17 was attributed to this solar surface activity. On February 8, 9 and 10 (2000) three Earth-directed halo CMEs were recorded by LASCO coronagraphs. The interaction of two of them caused the intense interplanetary geomagnetic storm registered on February 12 (Dst = -110 nT). The CMEs detected on February 8 and 10 were launched from AR 8858 and the source of the activity was attributed to two solar flares of X-ray class M1.3 and C7.3 respectively. The CME detected on February 9 was originated in AR 8853 and flaring activity was also identified as the solar source for this event. In this study we discuss the solar origins of the events that gave rise to coronal and interplanetary disturbances and as a consequence produced geomagnetic activity at the Earth. This work is part of a complete study that is searching the solar origin, the interplanetary aspects and the magnetospheric effects of these events.

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This work presents a study of multilayered Ti/TiN/TiC thin films obtained using a PAPVD (Plasma Assisted Physical Vapor Deposition) system by pulsed-arc discharge. For this purpose, a titanium target and a stainless steel substrate were used, placed on the cathode and on the anode, respectively, inside a vacuum chamber. To grow these films, different gases and concentrations were required. Ti is obtained with argon gas, TiN with nitrogen, and TiC with methane, at 2.5 mbar and 5 mm distance between electrodes. By means of X ray diffraction (XRD), the phases present in the film were determined, observing (111), (200), and (100) orientations for both, TiN and TiC. Also, by employing XRD techniques, Titanium Atoms Distance (DTA) was calculated at the interface of TiN and TiC, in order to study the crystallographic match. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) was employed in order to carry out elemental analyses in the materials. These analyses were obtained for 12 keV and 30 keV, observing the effects in the results. Taking advantage of defects generated during the growth of the multilayer, chemical composition maps were carried out, probing the combination of Ti and N in one layer and Ti and C in the other layer. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) technique allowed observing the presence of the multilayer, as well as the measurement of the thicknesses of each layer, which are in the order of nanometers.

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Fast acting gas valves that operate between two very different pressure environments, which may differ in several orders of magnitude, are not available commercially and, therefore, they must be specifically projected and constructed. For the TCABR impurity pellet injector, under construction, an electromagnetic valve has been built which operates for gas pressure that ranges from 20 to 40 atm at one side of the valve to 10-9atm at the other side. The working principle of the valve is based on the displacement of an aluminum disk (which controls the gas flux) from its closing position by an electromagnetic force, in result to an induced electric current on the disk caused by a magnetic flux variation. Experimental results showed that the electromagnetic impulse on the disk lasts for 200 mus and takes less than 30 ms for the valve to shut up again.

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A compact Plasma Focus operated in deuterium which produces 2 10(8) neutrons per pulse, has been used as a radiation source for water detection by neutron scattering. The detecting system is composed by two silver activation sensors operated simultaneously on every shot. These detectors have quite different responses depending on whether the incoming neutrons are energetic or thermalised. Energetic neutrons come from the Plasma Focus itself, whereas those thermalized come, scattered, from the substance to be detected. The comparison between the readouts of each detector allows to reveal the presence of the blanket. The shot to shot variation of the Plasma Focus neutron yield does not preclude the detection. In practice shots with yields belonging to the 2 10(7)- 2 10(8)range, can be conveniently used. The obtained results indicate that the method is able to detect water contents of few percents in volume placed about 8.5 cm away from the Plasma Focus chamber. The presented method admits side-on as well as directional detection.

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The structure of magnetic field lines in a tokamak with reversed magnetic shear is investigated by means of analytically derived area-preserving non-twist Poincaré maps. The basic configuration is the magnetic field produced by an ergodic limiter, superimposed to the tokamak equilibrium field in suitable coordinates. We consider the cases of one and two resonant modes, focusing on magnetic island dimerization and the formation of a transport barrier in the chaotic layer of field lines.

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One alternative application in the decomposition and destruction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by a silent plasma dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) has been successfully accomplished. For this purpose, we have designed and constructed two pairs of cells, of rectangular and circular geometries, 333.96 cm³ each cell, and a similar second pair of 62.25 cm³ each one. Resonant inverters for low (3.3 kHz) and high (100 kHz) frequencies were also designed and applied to these cells. The specification of the main physical parameters of each cell contemplates: i) a first order degradation ratio of the compound, and ii) air breakdown at atmospheric pressure as a function of the carrying gas. The power consumed by the cells during the discharges was computed both theoretically and experimentally by Manley's method. The equipment was applied to the degradation of toluene, which has been degraded by an oxidation process in air-oxygen and argon-oxygen gas mixtures at atmospheric pressure within the cells. The destruction efficiency was measured as a function of the initial concentration. When air is used as an oxidant, a clear formation of solid products on the walls of dielectric glass plates has been observed, such deposits being polymeric in nature. These deposits seem to be responsible for a decline in the degradation efficiency of the treated compounds.

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A millimeter/microwave detection system, in operation in the TCABR Tokamak is described. The system is used for electron cyclotron measurements. The main part of the system is a heterodyne sweeping radiometer based on a BWO oscillator that operates in the frequency range of 52 to 85GHz. The system operates in two modes : fixed frequency (maximum resolution of 10 mus) and sweeping mode (50 mus per frequency step). The radiometer is calibrated in frequency and in radiation intensity. The frequency calibration is made by means of a precision harmonic oscillator. The absolute calibration was done using a blackbody (microwave absorber) immersed in liquid nitrogen (77 K) and also put in an oven with adjustable temperature up to 1470 K. Two others components are also used for periodic intensity calibration check and sensibility measurements : a Criogenic Matched Load and a Noise Source. A Gaussian antenna is used for better space resolution measurements. Between the antenna and the radiometer, oversized waveguides are used to reduced the signal attenuation. The antenna axis is in the equatorial plane of the machine and perpendicular to the plasma column axis. The accessibility and absorption conditions are discussed. Results showing time and radial profi les of the detected ECE radiation for the TCABR are presented. For a magnetic fi eld of B TO = 1.14T it was verifi ed that the maximum permissible density to access the second harmonic in the X mode is n e0 <FONT FACE=Symbol>@</FONT> 2.3 × 10(19) m-3.

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In tokamak machines with low toroidal magnetic fields and high plasma densities, the accessibility conditions impose restrictions to the detection of the Electron Cyclotron Emission (ECE). In these machines, the righthand cutoff condition can be used as an independent method to determine the local electron density from the ECE data in thermal discharges. In this paper is shown the results obatined from the detection of ECE radiation in the TCABR tokamak, in operation at the Institute of Physics of University of São Paulo. The effect of the ECE radiation cutoff was observed for different radial positions of the plasma column. To reach the ECE cutoff condition, the electron density was increased monotonically by the use of an external gas puffing system. For sufficient high densities, the emission at some frequencies is cutoff and the first and the last frequency to be cutoff depends on the shape of the density profile. These measurements do not require the plasma to be optically thick. It was observed that, for a toroidal field B O = 1:14T, the first cutoff of ECE occurs for a radial position r <FONT FACE=Symbol>@</FONT> 5 cm. From these measurements the radial electron density was determined. For a symmetric parabolic profile n e = n eo [1 - (r/a)²]alpha , values of alpha between 0.86 and 0.97 were experimentally obtained. A good agreement of these values with those obtained from the microwave interferometer measurements (<FONT FACE=Symbol>a »</FONT>0:85) was found. Therefore, the ECE right-hand cutoff constitutes an independent method to obtain information about the electron density profile.

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Thermonuclear ignition condition for deuterium-tritium plasmas can be achieved in compact, high magnetic field devices such as Ignitor. The main scientific goals, the underlying physics basis, and the most relevant engineering solutions of this experiment are described. Burning plasma conditions can be reached either with ohmic heating only or with small amount of auxiliary power in the form of ICRH waves, and this condition can be sustained for a time considerably longer than all the relevant plasma time scales. In the reference operating scenario, no transport barriers are present, and the resulting thermal loads on the plasma facing component are estimated to be rather modest, thanks to the high edge density and low edge temperature that ensure an effective intrinsic radiating mantle in elongated limiter configurations. Enhanced confinement regimes can also be obtained in configurations with double X-points near the first wall.

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In this work, we concentrate in the analysis of radio slowly drifting fine structures associated with solar flares recorded in the frequency range of (1000 - 2500) MHz by the Brazilian Solar Spectroscope (BSS), in regular operation at National Institute of Space Research (INPE) - Brazil. The main morphological aspects of each fine structure are narrow-band of about 5 - 10 MHz and small duration of the order of 50 milliseconds. The majority of these fine structures are observed over a time interval of a couple of minutes before the maximum of the associated flare, in the impulsive phase. However, some observations during the gradual decay phase are also reported. They drift towards lower frequencies, with slow rates typically of about of 10 - 100 MHz s-1 Estimated velocities of the exciter from the negatively drifting structures suggest that the shock-like exciter is propagating in the higher chromosphere. Than, those fine structures are interpreted as a possible signature in decimetric emissions from the chromospheric evaporation phenomenon. Details of these observations and their interpretation in terms of the plasma emission produced by accelerated particles and the chromospheric evaporation front is presented.

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Electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves in the plasma depletion layer measured by Wind on three inbound passes of the magnetosheath near the stagnation streamline are modeled using theoretical results from Gnavi et al., J. Geophys. Res., 105, 20973, 2000. The kinetic dispersion relation in a plasma composed of electrons, protons, and alpha particles, is solved with each species modeled by a bi-Maxwellian distribution function with parameters taken from observations, where available, and from average values found in the literature. While one pass was under substantially high solar wind dynamic pressure (~ 6.4 nPa), the other two passes were under normal dynamic pressure at 1 AU (~ 2.2 nPa). The presence of electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves in the terrestrial plasma depletion layer under normal dynamic pressure is documented and analyzed for the first time. The power spectral density of the magnetic fluctuations transverse to the background field, using high resolution (~ 11 samples/s) data from the Magnetic Field Investigation, is obtained for the inner, middle and outer regions of the plasma depletion layer. The analysis of spectra and comparison with theory is extended to the normal dynamic pressure regime. The observations show that at the inner plasma depletion layer position the spectral power density weakens as the dynamic pressure decreases, and that the frequency range of emission shifts downward with diminishing pressure. Using bipolytropic laws for the anisotropic magnetosheath, we argue that the effect of a reduction of Pdyn is to lower Ap, thereby weakening the driver of EICWs leading to marginally bifurcated spectra and weaker EICW activity in the PDL under typical conditions. Qualitative and in some cases quantitative agreement between theory and data is very good.

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Working within the domain of inviscid incompressible MHD theory, we found that a tangential discontinuity (TD) separating two uniform regions of different density, velocity and magnetic field may be Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) stable and yet a study of a transition between the same constant regions given by a continuous velocity profile shows the presence of the instability with significant growth rates. Since the cause of the instability stems from the velocity gradient, and since a TD may be considered as the ultimate limit of such gradient, the statement comes as a surprise. In fact, a long wavelength (lambda) boundary for the KH instability does not exist in ordinary liquids being instead a consequence of the presence of magnetic shear, a possibility that has passed unnoticed in the literature. It is shown that KH modes of a magnetic field configuration with constant direction do not have the long lambda boundary. A theoretical explanation of this feature and examples of the violation of the TD stability condition are given using a model that can be solved in closed form. Stability diagrams in the (kd, MA) plane are given (where kd = 2pid/lambda, 2d is the velocity gradient length scale, and MA is the Alfvénic Mach number) that show both the well-known limit at small lambdas and the boundary for large but finite lambdas noted here. Consequences of this issue are relevant for stability studies of the dayside magnetopause as the stability condition for a TD should be used with care in data analysis work.

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At present the Plasma Physics and Plasma Technology Group of the Comisión Chilena de Energía Nuclear (CCHEN) has the experimental facilities in order to study fast dense transient discharges in a wide range of energy and current, namely: I) energy from hundred of kilojoules to tens of joules, II) current from megaamperes to tens of kiloamperes. Also several diagnostics have been implemented. An overview of the work being carried out on dense pinch plasma focus discharges at the Comisión Chilena de Energía Nuclear is presented. The plasma energy density and scaling laws for the neutron yield are discussed. Possible applications of the radiation emitted are also discussed.

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The concept of ExB flow velocity shear suppression is utterly fundamental in modern fusion research. It is asserted that there are models enabling to understand the physics involved in LH transitions. To improve the understanding of the mechanisms leading to the formation of Transport Barriers, especially the relation between Internal and Edge barriers it is necessary to invoke the issue of electric fields. Edge transport barriers are the feature of the H-mode, the baseline regime of ITER, whereas Internal Transport Barriers are used to develop regimes that might be employed for steady state operation of ITER , definitely beneficial for design and operation of fusion power plants in the future. Their synergy will be addressed. Plasma flows are closely connected to electric fields. Therefore, their role is crucial for understanding of tokamaks aimed at the achievement of fusion energy. This appears in the well known neoclassical theory as the most accomplished and selfconsistent basis for understanding of fusion plasmas. It pertains to the novel concept of "zonal flows" emerging from the recent development of gyro-kinetic transport codes. The equilibrium poloidal and toroidal flows are also crucial for the concept of the electric field shear suppression of plasma turbulence in tokamaks. Yet, this timely and topical issue has remained largely unaddressed experimentally because of great difficulties in measuring flows in plasmas.