DISCOVER: New integrated code to simulate helium detached plasma in a linear device

A detached plasma integrated simulation code with various elastic/inelastic reactions (DISCOVER) was developed for better understanding of detached helium plasma experiments. DISCOVER, which includes a neutral transport code, fluid code, and collisional radiative code, considers elastic and inelastic collisions between recycling neutrals and bulk particles, as well as the transport of metastable atoms [He(21S) and He(23S)]. The code was used for simulating helium plasma in the linear plasma device NAGDIS-II. The transition from attached to detached plasma was demonstrated in the simulation by increasing the upstream electron density through an increase in the gas supply from the plasma source while maintaining a fixed downstream gas injection rate. In addition, similar transition was also observed by introducing neutral particles from downstream, while maintaining a fixed upstream electron density. In the detached plasma, the density of He(23S) near the end target was approximately seven times higher than that in the attached plasma. Furthermore, it was evident that the transport of He(23S) enhanced the electron energy rate coefficient and influenced the spatial distribution of the detached plasma.