Bifurcation to 3D helical magnetic equilibrium in an axisymmetric toroidal device

We report the first direct measurement of the internal magnetic field structure associated with a 3D helical equilibrium generated spontaneously in the core of an axisymmetric toroidal plasma containment device. Magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium bifurcation occurs in a reversed-field pinch when the innermost resonant magnetic perturbation grows to a large amplitude, reaching up to 8% of the mean field strength. Magnetic topology evolution is determined by measuring the Faraday effect, revealing that, as the perturbation grows, toroidal symmetry is broken and a helical equilibrium is established.     

Electrostatic global vortices in a nonuniform cylindrical magneto-plasma

We present nonlinear properties of the low-frequency nonlinear electrostatic waves in a nonuniform bounded magneto-plasma with the equilibrium density and parallel ion velocity gradients along the radial direction. The existence of electrostatic global vortices in a cylindrical magnetoplasma is established. The present results should help to understand the properties of coherent vortical structures in the presence of a magnetic field-aligned ion flow with a radial ion velocity gradient in laboratory magnetoplasmas that are bounded and nonuniform.     

Energy Selecting Action of Limiters on Particle Fluxes Penetrating into the SOL-Plasma

A simple model of the penetration of particle effluxes from the core plasma into the SOL-plasma of tokamaks is proposed. The assumptions made are free streaming of particles parallel to the magnetic field and anomalous particle transport perpendicular to the toroidal field with a constant radial velocity. The model has been proved for measured particle fluxes of Li which was injected into the core plasma of the tokamak T-10. The dependence of the Li-particle flux on the minor radius as well as toroidal asymmetries in the SOL-plasma can be explained by the results of the calculations.     

六极子磁场中自旋轨道耦合玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体的基态结构

研究囚禁在环形势中的Rashba自旋轨道耦合玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体在六极子磁场中的基态特性。在这种情况下,磁场破坏了自旋轨道耦合哈密顿量的旋转对称性,但系统仍具有2π/3的离散对称性。数值结果发现:在弱相互作用情况下,六极子磁场和Rashba自旋轨道耦合使环形囚禁的凝聚体呈类六边形的基态密度分布,当磁场强度超过某一临界值时,凝聚体将崩塌;在强相互作用情况下,半量子涡旋出现在凝聚体中,且被六极子磁场钉在方位角Ф=nπ/3的径向位置,涡旋的旋转方向取决于径向磁场的方向。     

Dielectric tensor elements for the description of waves in rotating inhomogeneous magnetized plasma spheroids

The dielectric permittivity tensor elements of a rotating cold collisionless plasma spheroid in an external magnetic field with toroidal and axial components are obtained. The effects of inhomogeneity in the densities of charged particles and the initial toroidal velocity on the dielectric permittivity tensor and field equations are investigated. The field components in terms of their toroidal components are calculated and it is shown that the toroidal components of the electric and magnetic fields are coupled by two differential equations. The influence of thermal and collisional effects on the dielectric tensor and field equations in the rotating plasma spheroid are also investigated. In the limiting spherical case, the dielectric tensor of a stationary magnetized collisionless cold plasma sphere is presented.     

An analytic solution of the stationary MHD equations for a rotating toroidal plasma

An analytic MHD equilibrium for an axisymmetric torodial plasma with toroidal and toroidal flow is obtained in the limit of small ratio of poloidal to toroidal magnetic field and small beta. For a critical value of the poloidal velocity a limitation of the domain of validity of the solution appears.     

Toroidal plasma rotation induced by the dynamic ergodic divertor in the TEXTOR tokamak

The first results of the Dynamic Ergodic Divertor in TEXTOR, when operating in the m/n=3/1 mode configuration, are presented. The deeply penetrating external magnetic field perturbation of this configuration increases the toroidal plasma rotation. Staying below the excitation threshold for the m/n=2/1 tearing mode, this toroidal rotation is always in the direction of the plasma current, even if the toroidal projection of the rotating magnetic field perturbation is in the opposite direction. The observed toroidal rotation direction is consistent with a radial electric field, generated by an enhanced electron transport in the ergodic layers near the resonances of the perturbation. This is an effect different from theoretical predictions, which assume a direct coupling between rotating perturbation and plasma to be the dominant effect of momentum transfer.     

Initial Measurements of Plasma Potential in the Core of the MST Reversed Field Pinch with a Heavy Ion Beam Probe

Measurement of the plasma potential in the core of MST marks both the first interior potential measurements in an RFP, as well as the first measurements by a Heavy Ion Beam Probe (HIBP) in an RFP. The HIBP has operated with (20-110) keV sodium beams in plasmas with toroidal currents of (200-480) kA over a wide range of densities and magnetic equilibrium conditions. A positive plasma potential is measured in the core, consistent with the expectation of rapid electron transport by magnetic fluctuations and the formation of an outwardly directed ambipolar radial electric field. Comparison between the radial electric field and plasma flow is underway to determine the extent to which equilibrium flow is governed by E×B. Measurements of potential and density fluctuations are also in progress.Unlike HIBP applications in tokamak plasmas, the beam trajectories in MST (RFP) are both three-dimensional and temporally dynamic with magnetic equilibrium changes associated with sawteeth. This complication offers new opportunity for magnetic measurements via the Heavy Ion Beam Probe (HIBP). The ion orbit trajectories are included in a Grad-Shafranov toroidal equilibrium reconstruction, helping to measure the internal magnetic field and current profiles. Such reconstructions are essential to identifying the beam sample volume locations, and they are vital in MST's mission to suppress MHD tearing modes using current profile control techniques. Measurement of the electric field may be accomplished by combining single point measurements from multiple discharges, or by varying the injection angle of the beam during single discharges.The application of an HIBP on MST has posed challenges resulting in additional diagnostic advances. The requirement to keep ports small to avoid introducing magnetic field perturbations has led to the design and successful implementation of cross-over sweep systems. High levels of ultraviolet radiation are driving alternative methods of sweep plate operation. While, substantial levels of plasma flux into the HIBP diagnostic chambers has led to the use of magnetic plasma suppression.     

Effect of poloidal density variation of neutral atoms on the tokamak edge

Neutral atoms in the tokamak edge affect the electric field and plasma flow through charge exchange. Here, it is shown that these effects depend sensitively on the poloidal location of the atoms. It is found that the radial electric field and toroidal flow velocity in a collisional edge plasma are largest if the atoms are concentrated on the inboard side. This feature may explain MAST and COMPASS-D observations indicating easier H-mode access for inboard gas puffing. The results suggest an external means of controlling the toroidal flow and radial electric field and their shear, and have motivated further MAST measurements appearing to support the predictions.     

Low pressure toroidal glow discharge in the radial magnetic field

The behaviour of the plasma of a low pressure toroidal glow discharge in a radial magnetic field is studied experimentally. Results concerning the plasma velocity as a function of the magnetic field for different pressures are given.The author wishes to express his thanks to Prof. J. Kracík DrSc for valuable advice and suggestions and Mr. K. Kavalier for his active assistance.     

CT-6托卡马克研究(Ⅰ)——实验装置的研制和调试

托卡马克是一种产生高温环形等离子体的聚变实验装置,也是一类复杂的现代化的电物理装备。CT-6是我国首先投入运行的小型托卡马克装置,其主要参数为:大半径45cm;小半径9.2cm;环向磁场2TL;等离子电流30kA;经过调试阶段,达到了预期目标,产生了平衡、稳定的电子温度为250eV左右的环形高温等离子体。CT-6由电磁系统(包括环向场、涡旋场、平衡场)、超高真空系统(包括环形真空室和抽气机组)、电源控制系统和诊断测量系统等部份组成,它是由中国科学院物理研究所、电工研究所及其他许多单位协作研制成功的。本文描述CT-6装置的设计、结构、工程研制和调试过程,以及有关的试验结果。 关键词：     

EAST中n=4共振磁扰动下等离子体的环向旋转制动

在EAST中n=4的共振磁扰动下观察到明显的等离子体旋转制动效应,其分布具有全局性,且峰值靠近等离子体中心。利用模拟得到的新经典环向粘滞(NTV)力矩来反演等离子体环向角速度的变化,结果表明在大部分径向区域与实验测量的速度变化符合得较好,量值上相差约1~2倍。     

Observation of peak neoclassical toroidal viscous force in the DIII-D tokamak

Observation of a theoretically predicted peak in the neoclassical toroidal viscosity (NTV) force as a function of toroidal plasma rotation rate Ω is reported. The NTV was generated by applying n=3 magnetic fields from internal coils to low Ω plasmas produced with nearly balanced neutral beam injection. Locally, the peak corresponds to a toroidal rotation rate Ω(0) where the radial electric field E(r) is near zero as determined by radial ion force balance.     

A Mechanism for Generation of the Solar Magnetic Field

We apply the mathematical technique of quantum mechanics for studying the process of solar magnetic field generation under conditions where the viscosity is negligible and the rotation velocity of the medium is independent of time. It is assumed that the magnetic field is almost toroidal, axially nonsymmetric, and antisymmetric with respect to the equatorial plane.We show that in the presence of an axisymmetric poloidal component of the hydrodynamic velocity and a radial gradient of the angular velocity of the medium, an oscillating solution growing in time exists for the field. The characteristic frequency of oscillations can exceed the rotation frequency if the rotation of the medium is nonuniform. In the case where the characteristic time of field growth amounts to 10 years, the radial velocity of the medium in the field-generation zone is approximately equal to 10 cm/sec. We also discuss briefly the problem of the existence of two field-generation zones.     

Out-of-plane bipolar and quadrupolar magnetic fields generated by shear flows in two-dimensional resistive reconnection

Shear flows perpendicular to the anti-parallel reconnecting magnetic field are often observed in magnetosphere and interplanetary plasmas, and in laboratory plasmas toroidal differential rotations can also be generated in magnetic confinement devices. Our study finds that such shear flows can generate bipolar or quadrupolar out-of-plane magnetic field perturbations in a two-dimensional resistive MHD reconnection without the Hall effects. The quadrupolar structure has otherwise been thought a typical Hall MHD reconnection feature caused by the in-plane electron convection. The results will challenge the conventional understanding and satellite observations of the signature of reconnection evidences in space plasmas.     

Control of asymmetric magnetic perturbations in tokamaks

The sensitivity of tokamak plasmas to very small deviations from the axisymmetry of the magnetic field |deltaB/B| approximately 10{-4} is well known. What was not understood until very recently is the importance of the perturbation to the plasma equilibrium in assessing the effects of externally produced asymmetries in the magnetic field, even far from a stability limit. DIII-D and NSTX experiments find that when the deleterious effects of asymmetries are mitigated, the external asymmetric field was often made stronger and had an increased interaction with the magnetic field of the unperturbed equilibrium. This Letter explains these counterintuitive results. The explanation using ideal perturbed equilibria has important implications for the control of field errors in all toroidal plasmas.     

Observation of long-distance radial correlation in toroidal plasma turbulence

This Letter presents the discovery of macroscale electron temperature fluctuations with a long radial correlation length comparable to the plasma minor radius in a toroidal plasma. Their spatiotemporal structure is characterized by a low frequency of ～1-3 kHz, ballistic radial propagation, a poloidal or toroidal mode number of m/n=1/1 (or 2/1), and an amplitude of ～2% at maximum. Nonlinear coupling between the long-range fluctuations and the microscopic fluctuations is identified. A change of the amplitude of the long-range fluctuation is transmitted across the plasma radius at the velocity which is of the order of the drift velocity.     

The structure of chaotic magnetic field lines in a tokamak withexternal nonsymmetric magnetic perturbations

We consider the effects of external nonsymmetric magnetostatic perturbations caused by resonant helical windings and a chaotic magnetic limiter on the plasma confined in a tokamak. The main purpose of both types of perturbation is to create a region in which field lines are chaotic in the Lagrangian sense: two initially nearby field lines diverge exponentially through many turns around the tokamak. The equilibrium field is obtained from the equations of magneto-hydrodynamic equilibrium written down in a polar toroidal coordinate system. The magnetic fields generated by the resonant helical windings and the chaotic magnetic limiter are obtained through an analytical solution of Laplace equation. The magnetic field line equations are integrated to give a Hamiltonian mapping of field lines that we use to characterize the structure of chaotic field lines. In the case of resonant windings, we obtained the map by both numerical integration and a Hamiltonian formulation. For a chaotic limiter, we analytically derived a symplectic map by using a Hamiltonian formulation     

Plasma Response to Resonant Perturbations at Tokamak Edge

In certain circumstances, plasma response suppresses magnetic islands expected at perturbed resonant magnetic surfaces. We investigate the plasma response to the resonant magnetic perturbations in a large aspect ratio tokamak perturbed by external resonant helical windings, considering polar toroidal coordinates for which analytical toroidal equilibrium solutions and perturbing fields are available. We apply an empirical approach to mimic the plasma screening effects by introducing presumed plasma current sheets on the resonance surfaces to cancel the RMP effects. Numerical examples show the effect of plasma response reducing magnetic islands at the plasma edge and also regularizing field lines around the resonant surface. The distribution of connection lengths along the plasma cross section indicates that the plasma response increases the connection lengths since more toroidal turns are performed until a field line reaches the tokamak wall.     

Theoretical Optimization of Stellarators

Net current free toroidal ("stellarator") confinement is studied with a combination of several methods: a complete set of analytical vacuum fields for finding favorable vacuum field configurations; three-dimensional MHD codes for finite-?, equilibrium computations; the expansion of a general toroidal equilibrium around its magnetic axis as guideline for the computational search in configurational space and for finite-?, MHD stability; Monte Carlo simulations for particle containment; continuous modular coil systems generating the configurations considered. Results are: vacuum field configurations with sizeable Q = 0, 1, 2, 3 helical fields, substantial twist number (? 1/2), significant reduction of the parallel current density, and vacuum magnetic well exist for a toroidal aspect ratio of 15-20 and can be generated by modular coils whose excursions from meridional planes are small compared to the toroidal period length. In these configurations, the finite-? toroidal shift is strongly reduced, so that a larger ? value (factor 2-4) than in the equivalent Q = 2 stellarator can be achieved. Stability calculations do not exclude the possibility of stable equilibria of this kind with (?) ? 0.05-0.1; transport calculations without electrical field show improvement-as compared to the Q = 2 stellarator-in the collisional and plateau regimes.