Dust mode of carbon pellet ablation in the W7-AS stellarator

A new type of carbon pellet ablation in the high-density ion-heated plasma of the Wendelstein 7-AS stellarator is studied. In contrast to conventional ablation in the form of atoms or clusters, this type of ablation features the emission of small (micrometer) carbon particles from the surface of the pellet. The emission angles and velocities of such microparticles are determined. Their sizes are estimated with two methods. The experimental data are compared with theoretical predictions.