Forced magnetic reconnection and field penetration of an externally applied rotating helical magnetic field in the TEXTOR tokamak

The magnetic field penetration process into a magnetized plasma is of basic interest both for plasma physics and astrophysics. In this context special measurements on the field penetration and field amplification are performed by a Hall probe on the dynamic ergodic divertor (DED) on the TEXTOR tokamak and the data are interpreted by a two-fluid plasma model. It is observed that the growth of the forced magnetic reconnection by the rotating DED field is accompanied by a change of the plasma fluid rotation. The differential rotation frequency between the DED field and the plasma plays an important role in the process of the excitation of tearing modes. The momentum input from the rotating DED field to the plasma is interpreted by both a ponderomotive force at the rational surface and a radial electric field modified by an edge ergodization.     

Turbulence investigations during ergodic divertor operation with induced 2/1 tearing mode

Within the last year of TEXTOR operation a major part of the experiments were dedicated to the interaction of the ergodized plasma edge, induced by the dynamic ergodic divertor (DED), with the core plasma. Systematic experiments are performed in the 3/1 configuration of the DED. Depending on , the DED generates a locked 2/1 mode in the plasma at a critical current in the DED coils. Different diagnostics were used to measure the plasma response in the core and edge. The investigations in this paper are focused on the measurement of density fluctuation and the analysis of the coherent-mode structure outside the q = 2 surface using O-mode poloidal correlation reflectometry. A reduction of the quasi-coherent mode amplitude and frequency is observed, caused by the 2/1 mode together with a decrease of the density scale length. Moreover, the deduced poloidal rotation velocity at the q = 3 surface changes from the electron to the ion diamagnetic drift direction with the onset of the 2/1 island. Also a reduction of the density fluctuations is observed as well as a decrease in the poloidal correlation length. From Ar-injection a delayed inward propagation of the emission maximum is observed for different Ar ionization stages when the 2/1 mode is generated.Similar experiments with a slowly rotating DED show that the steepened density gradients are spatially localized and confirm the hypothesis that the 2/1 mode is responsible for the observations.Presented at the Workshop Electric Fields Structures and Relaxation in Edge Plasmas, Nice, France, October 26–27, 2004.     

Influence of the dynamic ergodic divertor on the density limit in TEXTOR

A significant influence of the dynamic ergodic divertor (DED) on the density limit in TEXTOR has been found. In Ohmic discharges, where without DED detachment normally arises at the density limit, a MARFE (multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge) develops when the DED is operated in a static regime. The threshold of the MARFE onset in the neutral beam heated plasmas is increased by applying 1 kHz ac DED at the high-field side. The theoretical predictions based on the parallel energy balance taking poloidal asymmetries into account agree well with the experimental observation.     

低杂波控制电流分布与改善约束研究

在HT-7超导托卡马克装置上利用低杂波电流驱动有效地控制了等离子体电流分布,并使等离子体约束性能改善。数值模拟与硬X射线测量结果均表明,低杂波的发射功率谱、纵场和等离子体密度对改变等离子体电流分布有明显的影响。在优化低杂波电流驱动实验参数的条件下,等离子体密度、温度分布发生了理想的变化。在电子和离子温度分布上出现了内部输运垒,同时等离子体的能量约束时间和粒子约束时间均有提高。     

Effects of a vertical magnetic field on particle confinement in a magnetized plasma torus

The particle confinement in a magnetized plasma torus with superimposed vertical magnetic field is modeled and measured experimentally. The formation of an equilibrium characterized by a parallel plasma current canceling out the grad B and curvature drifts is described using a two-fluid model. Characteristic response frequencies and relaxation rates are calculated. The predictions for the particle confinement time as a function of the vertical magnetic field are verified in a systematic experimental study on the TORPEX device, including the existence of an optimal vertical field and the anticorrelation between confinement time and density.     

Effect of Longitudinal Magnetic Field on the Spread of Erosion Laser Plasma in Vacuum and Generation of Plasma Magnetic Fields

Dynamics of erosion laser plasma in vacuum and generation of magnetic field by moving plasma (in particular, in the presence of external static magnetic field oriented along the direction of plasma motion) are experimentally studied. Radial confinement of the spread of plasma, a decrease in the electrification of target upon plasma formation, and an increase in the induction of the plasma magnetic field by a factor of 10–15 are revealed at an induction of the external magnetic field of about 0.35 T. Dependences of the induction of the plasma magnetic field on the power density of the laser radiation are determined for the above regimes.     

Multicharged ion source based on the Tornado closed magnetic confinement system

It is proposed to use the Tornado closed magnetic confinement system with microwave plasma heating for creating a pulsed source of multicharged ions. The plasma losses in closed confinement systems are determined by the diffusion across the magnetic field, which substantially increases the plasma lifetime as compared to mirror confinement systems. A plasma heating scenario with the successive switching-on of two oscillators is proposed: an oscillator operating at a frequency of 2.45 GHz produces the initial plasma, which is then heated at a frequency of 15 or 53 GHz. It is shown that it is possible to achieve the distribution of ions over charge states with a maximum at Ar¹⁶⁺ at a plasma density of 2×10¹³ cm⁻³. The extracted ion current in this case can attain 1 A.     

The Influence of Stochastic Layers of Magnetic Field Lines on Transport Barrier Formation in a Stellarator System

The results of local measurements of RF discharge plasma parameters in the process of internal transport barriers (ITB) formation in the vicinity of rational magnetic surfaces in the Uragan-3M torsatron are presented. The following phenomena were observed in the process of ITB formation: widening of the radial density distribution, formation of plateaus on radial density and electron temperature distributions, formation of regions with high shear of poloidal plasma rotation velocity and radial electric field in the vicinity of stochastic layers of magnetic field lines, decrease of density fluctuations and their radial correlation length, decorrelation of density fluctuations, and increase of the bootstrap current.After the ITB formation, the transition to the improved plasma confinement regime takes place. The transition moves to the beginning of the discharge with the increase of heating power. The possible mechanism of ITB formation near rational surfaces is discussed.     

非均匀磁场磁镜粒子约束的Monte-Carlo模拟

本文在碰撞区和无碰撞区之间的过渡区,就LAMEX和抛物线轮廓两种空间变化磁场磁镜,用Monte-Carlo模拟研究了粒子约束问题。在过渡区,粒子约束时间高于其它两区公式的外推值,并与磁镜比成正比关系。这一模拟还用自洽解的方法得到了密度轮廓,并研究了这一轮廓和等离子体参数的关系。 关键词：     

Enhanced confinement and quasi-single-helicity regimes induced by poloidal current drive

Enhanced confinement regimes with quasihelical symmetry are reproducibly obtained in the modified reversed field pinch eXperiment (RFX)-mod by reducing the level of internal chaos through the combination of a smooth magnetic boundary (through a virtual shell scheme) and the oscillating poloidal current drive technique. The plasma moves from a chaotic multiple helicity towards a quasi-single-helicity regime with a magnetic island showing high temperature and soft x-ray emissivity. The chaos reduction involves also the plasma outside the island allowing for a global enhanced confinement with an improvement up to 50%.     

Classical Model of Confinement

The confinement mechanism proposed earlier and then applied successfully to meson spectroscopy by one of the authors is interpreted in classical terms. For this aim the unique solution of the Maxwell equations, an analog of the corresponding unique solution of the SU(3)-Yang-Mills equations describing linear confinement in quantum chromodynamics, is used. Motion of a charged particle is studied in the field representing magnetic part of the mentioned solution and it is shown that one deals with the full classical confinement of the charged particle in such a field: under any initial conditions the particle motion is accomplished within a finite region of space so that the particle trajectory is near magnetic field lines while the latter are compact manifolds (circles). An asymptotical expansion for the trajectory form in the strong field limit is adduced. The possible application of the obtained results in thermonuclear plasma physics is also shortly outlined.     

利用低杂波改善约束的实验研究

介绍了在HT-6M托卡马克上,利用双低杂波的组合,成功地实现了准稳态的高约束模式运行. 能量约束时间提高两倍以上,粒子的约束在较高密度下依然改善3倍以上.通过应用波扩散及 电流径向扩散方程计算低杂波电流传播的方法,对一组典型的数据进行数值模拟.计算表明 ,在HT-6M低杂波实验中,由于纵场较低,密度较高,低杂波的能量沉积在离磁轴较远的位 置,使等离子体电流密度分布成为反剪切位形,内部输运垒地形成,大大提高了等离子体的 约束状况.实验数据也给出了反剪切的证据. 关键词： 托卡马克 低杂波 约束改善     

About bursty behaviour, coherent structures, wide scrape-off layer and large parallel flows in the edge of the Tore Supra tokamak

We present the measurements of plasma characteristics in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of the Tore Supra tokamak performed by means of reciprocating Langmuir probe. The probe is inserted into the machine from top. As the radial distance from last closed flux surface (LCFS) increases, ion saturation current exhibits stronger bursty character and its probability density function becomes increasingly skewed towards positive values. At the same time, burst duration and inter-burst time increase dramatically. We explain this phenomenon by radial propagation and dynamics of the ensemble of coherent turbulent structures of different size. The results of two-dimensional fluid modelling based of flux-driven interchange instability mechanism are in excellent agreement with experimental results. We obtained clear experimental evidence that most of the coherent structures are formed in poloidally localized region of the SOL around the outboard midplane. If the probe is magnetically connected to this region, the SOL is very wide and we detect bursty behaviour in the far SOL. On the other hand, if the probe is not magnetically connected to the outboard midplane region (magnetic field lines are intercepted by the outboard limiter), then the SOL is very thin and bursty behaviour is much less prominent. Detection of bursty behaviour in the far SOL is correlated with existence of wide SOL pointing on important role of bursty transport by means of coherent turbulent structures in establishing the width of the SOL in tokamaks. The measurements of parallel flow in the SOL shows that plasma particle radial flux coming from confinement region to the SOL is mostly poloidally localized around the outboard midplane. Our estimations show that more than 80% of plasma particle radial flux is coming from confinement region to the SOL in poloidally localized region — approximately ±15° — around the outboard midplane. Presented at the Workshop “Electric Fields, Structures and Relaxation in Edge Plasmas”, Roma, Italy, June 26–27, 2006.     

电磁捕集器的设计

本文叙述了一个静电堵漏会切型等离子体约束系统。基本设计参数为:电极所在之处磁场达10kG;堵漏电压为10kV;等离子体密度～10~(12)cm。;离子温度>O.5keV;约束时问>5ms。 该装置可用作为等离子体积累与加热、电势屏蔽、静电堵漏轴对称串级镜端塞的研究。     

75GHz ECR等离子体

A Simple Mirror Ion Source with 75GHz pumping(SMIS 75)has been created.The confinement system is a mirror trap with magnetic field in the plug up to 5T,variable length 15—20cm and mirror ratio 3—5.Plasma heating is performed by the microwave radiation of a gyrotron(frequency 75GHz,power up to 200kW,pulse duration up to 150μs).The first results on plasma creation,heating and confinement are presented.Gas discharge conditions and charge state distributions are investigated.The main features of the plasma are high density and short confinement time.Plasma is confined in the trap in quasi-gas-dynamic regime.This means very short rising time and very dense plasma flux.     

磁约束技术对激光诱导等离子体辐射特性的影响

为了提高激光诱导击穿光谱质量,利用Nd:YAG激光器烧蚀土壤样品,研究了磁场作用下的激光诱导等离子体辐射特性。实验结果表明,在相同激光输出能量条件下,随着磁场强度的增大,等离子体的辐射强度逐渐增强。计算可知,当采用的磁场强度为0.5T时,样品元素Al,Fe,Ba和Ti的光谱线强度比无磁场作用时的分别增强了52.35%,46.64%,64.01%和51.73%,光谱信噪比分别提高了45.44%,69.64%,40.26%和41.33%;而等离子体的电子温度和电子密度分别提高了1 355.01K和0.53×1016cm-3。可见,利用磁场约束等离子体的技术是提高激光光谱质量的一种有效方法。     

双等离子体团相互作用的磁流体力学模拟

利用商用磁流体力学模拟程序USIM对双等离子体团相互作用过程进行了数值模拟,分别考察和比较了双对流等离子体团在外加磁场和无外加磁场情况下,相互作用的物理过程.发现在外加磁场情况下等离子体团相互作用会伴随着磁重联(反向磁场)、磁排斥(同向磁场)以及一些不稳定过程.针对激光产生等离子体团错位相互作用实验,进行了标度模拟,发现外加磁场起着重要作用,进一步表明激光等离子体的磁化特征.研究结果为下一步在神光Ⅱ激光装置进行强磁环境下等离子体实验提供理论指导.     

Plasma losses in a toroidal theta-pinch with superposed hexapole

A toroidal theta-pinch discharge with superposed non-helical hexapole field is investigated. The characteristic data of the discharge are: major diameter 52 cm, minor inner diameter of the vacuum vessel 6 cm, maximum magnetic field between 10 and 21 kG, rise time (quarter-cycle) 3.0 μs, maximum temperature between 40 and 100 eV, maximum density between 1 and 3×10¹⁶ cm^?3, beta-values between 0.3 and 1. The plasma confinement times are determined by measuring particle density, temperature and plasma radius. The confinement times are compared with those of models which account for cusp losses, resistive losses, and Bohm diffusion. Measured confinement times are consistent with those expected from cusp losses with a cusp slit-width of one ion gyro-radius. Above electron temperatures of 20 eV, resistive losses are negligible. Bohm diffusion is not consistent with measurements, but is of the same order of magnitude.     

Plasma confinement in tokamaks with robust torus

We present a non-linear symplectic map that describes the alterations of the magnetic field lines inside the tokamak plasma due to the presence of a robust torus (RT) at the plasma edge. This RT prevents the magnetic field lines from reaching the tokamak wall and reduces, in its vicinity, the islands and invariant curve destruction due to resonant perturbations. The map describes the equilibrium magnetic field lines perturbed by resonances created by ergodic magnetic limiters (EMLs). We present the results obtained for twist and non-twist mappings derived for monotonic and non-monotonic plasma current density radial profiles, respectively. Our results indicate that the RT implementation would decrease the field line transport at the tokamak plasma edge.     

Transport barrier inside the reversal surface in the chaotic regime of the reversed-field pinch

Magnetic field lines and the corresponding particle orbits are computed for a typical chaotic magnetic field provided by a magnetohydrodynamics numerical simulation of the reversed-field pinch. The m = 1 modes are phase locked and produce a toroidally localized bulging of the plasma which increases particle transport. The m = 0 and m = 1 modes produce magnetic chaos implying poor confinement. However, they also allow for the formation of magnetic islands which induce transport barriers inside the reversal surface.