Measure of negative ion density in a large negative ion source using Langmuir probes

Neutral Beam Injectors (NBIs) based on negative ions are the workhorses of future fusion reactors, such as ITER, which they are expected to provide with up to 33 MW of power to heat the fusion plasma. The negative hydrogen ions are extracted from a RF plasma, in which a magnetic filter field cools down the electrons reaching the so-called expansion region and allows the formation and survival of negative ions near the apertures in the plasma grid. To further improve the production of negative ions, cesium is usually evaporated inside the source and deposited onto the plasma walls, reducing the work function of the surfaces. This dramatically increases the density of negative hydrogen ions near the surfaces, causing the transition to an electronegative plasma in the vicinity of the plasma grid. This condition can be observed with Langmuir probes, which can then be used to provide a local meaurement of negative ion density in the ion source. In this paper we use the measurements provided by the Langmuir probe sensors embedded in the plasma grid of SPIDER, the prototype ion source of ITER NBIs, to determine the density of negative ions. A fitting method based on the determination of the collection area of the different plasma species is proposed and adapted to SPIDER experimental condition, taking into account the shape of the probes and the local topology of the magnetic field. The method is then applied to the experimental data, determining the densities of the positive and negative ions and of the electrons during a plasma pulse. Finally, a vertical array of four probes in the plasma grid is used to assess the vertical profile of plasma parameters.