Simulation for plasma-material interaction on fusion science and nano-technology

Abstract

Plasma-material interaction (PMI) refers to phenomena that occur at the interface between plasma and solid surfaces. The plasma, which is high-energy and low-density, facilitates the formation of nanometer-scale structures on solid surfaces. Nanotechnology is supported by the PMI. In nuclear fusion research, plasma-induced microscopic changes in solid surfaces of the inner wall of the vacuum vessel are important issues. For instance, the reaction product helium plasma induces a fuzzy nanostructure on a tungsten surface.

　In the PMI, while focusing on spatially microscopic changes, the plasma irradiation time is extremely long, ranging from seconds to hours. Of course, some elementary processes occur on microscopic time scales, but in order to elucidate the whole, it is necessary to regard the PMI as a special subject in microscopic space and macroscopic time. From this point of view, I will introduce the difficulty and interest of the numerical simulation for the PMI, as well as future efforts.