What are Atomic and Molecular Data?
Compilation and evaluation of atomic and molecular (A&M) data, being basic data for analyzing plasma characteristics, are carried out for the research and development of controlled fusion.
The first wall of the vacuum vessel in a fusion reactor is constantly exposed to particle and thermal impacts. This results in damage through sputtering, chemical erosion, etc. Particle-material interactions create impurities in plasma. Thus, data on these interactions are useful to select wall materials.
Photons and charged particles, such as electrons, D, T, and He, and impurity ions all exist in fusion plasma. Neutral beam is injected into the plasma for heating. A large number of data for many kinds of collision processes of these particles are required to analyze plasma characteristics.
Characteristic spectral lines emitted from from impurity ions are used in plasma diagnostic. Their wavelengths and intensities reflect their atomic structures. Ions are identified by these emission lines. Compilation of these data facilitates the identification of impurity ions.
The information on the microscopic A&M processes mentioned above is called A&M data.