Greifswald 2009 – scientific programme

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P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik

P 15: Poster: Diagnostik

P 15.5: Poster

Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 17:30–19:30, Foyer des IfP

Development of a Monte-Carlo code to understand the ASDEX pressure gauge performance — •Pierre Sauter, Andrea Scarabosio, and Günter Haas — Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Association, Boltzmannstrasse 2, D-85748 Garching

The APG (ASDEX pressure gauge) is an ionisation pressure gauge specifically designed to work in the presence of magnetic fields and is used in many tokamak experiments to measure the neutral particle density. However, important features such as a 10-fold sensitivity enhancement in strong magnetic field and early saturation of the measurement signal above 10 Pa were not completely understood.

To gain more insight into the underlying physical processes and support optimization efforts, we have developed a Monte-Carlo code, whose main characteristics and results are presented in this work. It incorporates a realistic geometry and electric field model and stochastically simulates collisions between electrons and the neutral gas. Processes neglected are interactions of charged particles with each other and the surfaces of the gauge.

The simulation qualitatively reproduces the experimental performance of the APG, especially sensitivity enhancement and early saturation in strong magnetic field. The reasons for these properties are now much clearer and optimizations of the APG geometry can be tested with the code.