Trapped electron mode turbulence driven intrinsic rotation in Tokamak plasmas

Progress from global gyrokinetic simulations in understanding the origin of intrinsic rotation in toroidal plasmas is reported. The turbulence-driven intrinsic torque associated with nonlinear residual stress generation due to zonal flow shear induced asymmetry in the parallel wave number spectrum is shown to scale close to linearly with plasma gradients and the inverse of the plasma current, qualitatively reproducing experimental empirical scalings of intrinsic rotation. The origin of current scaling is found to be enhanced k(∥) symmetry breaking induced by the increased radial variation of the safety factor as the current decreases. The intrinsic torque is proportional to the pressure gradient because both turbulence intensity and zonal flow shear, which are two key ingredients for driving residual stress, increase with turbulence drive, which is R/L(T(e)) and R/L(n(e)) for the trapped electron mode.     

Global gyrokinetic stability of pressure-gradient-driven electromagnetic modes in tokamaks with regions of low shear

Tokamaks with large pressure gradients (alpha(max)) formed in regions of weak magnetic shear are shown to be susceptible to novel, low-n, global, kinetic, electromagnetic modes with a toroidal mode number n in the range 21 on the magnetic axis and alpha(max) near q(min), new, global kinetic infernal modes with a strong mode rotation omega(r) and a finite growth rate gamma<|omega(r)| are found. For equilibria with reverse shear where q(min) is off axis and alpha(max) near q(min), the existence of an unstable low-n global branch of Alfve n ion temperature gradient modes is revealed with an oscillatory gamma as a function of n. The addition of trapped electron dynamics is shown to be further destabilizing.     

Role of pressure gradient on intrinsic toroidal rotation in tokamak plasmas

The toroidal plasma rotation generated by the external momentum input and by the plasma itself (intrinsic rotation) has been separated through a novel momentum transport analysis in the JT-60U tokamak device. The toroidal rotation, which is not determined by the momentum transport coefficients and the external momentum input, has been observed. It is found that this intrinsic rotation is locally determined by the local pressure gradient and increases with increasing pressure gradient. This trend is almost the same for various plasmas: low and high confinement mode, co and counterrotating plasmas.     

Model for the transition to the radiatively improved mode in a tokamak

A model for the transition to the radiatively improved (RI) mode triggered in tokamaks by seeding of impurities is proposed. This model takes into account that with increasing plasma effective charge the growth rate of the toroidal ion temperature gradient (ITG) instability, considered nowadays as the dominant source of anomalous energy losses in low-confinement (L) mode, decreases. As a result the plasma density profile peaks due to an inward convection generated by trapped electron turbulence. This completely quenches ITG induced transport and a bifurcation to the RI mode occurs. Conditions necessary for the L-RI transition are investigated.     

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采用流体模型理论推导了等熵平衡条件下环向转动托卡马克等离子体中带状流的色散关系。从理论上分析了环向转动对测地声模、低频带状流和声波的频率、压力和密度扰动量的影响。结果表明,环向转动对低频带状流的频率没有影响,但会使测地声模的频率逐渐增大。此外,存在环向转动时,低频带状流会具有驻波形式的压力和密度扰动量,且测地声模和声波可以沿着极向传播。而且还发现,等熵平衡可以看成是等温平衡的一种特殊情况。     

托卡马克等熵平衡条件下等离子体环向转动对带状流的影响

采用流体模型理论推导了等熵平衡条件下环向转动托卡马克等离子体中带状流的色散关系。从理论上分析了环向转动对测地声模、低频带状流和声波的频率、压力和密度扰动量的影响。结果表明,环向转动对低频带状流的频率没有影响,但会使测地声模的频率逐渐增大。此外,存在环向转动时,低频带状流会具有驻波形式的压力和密度扰动量,且测地声模和声波可以沿着极向传播。而且还发现,等熵平衡可以看成是等温平衡的一种特殊情况。     

Rotation reversal bifurcation and energy confinement saturation in tokamak Ohmic L-mode plasmas

Direction reversals of intrinsic toroidal rotation have been observed in diverted Alcator C-Mod Ohmic L-mode plasmas following electron density ramps. For low density discharges, the core rotation is directed cocurrent, and reverses to countercurrent following an increase in the density above a certain threshold. Such reversals occur together with a decrease in density fluctuations with 2 cm(-1)≤k(θ)≤11 cm(-1) and frequencies above 70 kHz. There is a strong correlation between the reversal density and the density at which the Ohmic L-mode energy confinement changes from the linear to the saturated regime.     

Collisionless Trapped Ion Temperature Gradient Instabilities

Under the fluid limit, the collisionless electrostatic trapped ion temperature gradient instabilities are investigated by retaining the trapped ion parallel compressibility in the long wavelength limit. The two-scale analysis should be employed in view of the fact that the eigenfunctions vary over the connection width scale with an envelope varying over a secular scale. The results show that the slab branch of trapped ion modes, corresponding to the aperiodic trapped ion instability discovered by Kadomtzev, propagates along ion diamagnetic direction. The toroidd branch is also obtained in low-frequency and long wavelength limit. In this case, besides the unstable one propagating in ion diamagnetic direction, there exists a marginally stable toroidal odd mode propagating in electron diamagnetic direction. The eigenfrequencies and perturbative structures of these unstable modes are given analytically and numerically. The numerical results are in good agreement with the analytical ones.     

Numerical study of physical properties of resistive wall modes in tokamaks

The effect of plasma with toroidal rotation on the resistive wall modes in tokamaks is studied numerically. An eigenvalue method is adopted to calculate the growth rate of the modes for changing plasma resistivity and plasma density distribution, as well as the diffusion time of magnetic field through the resistive wall. It is found that the resistive wall mode can be suppressed by the toroidal rotation of the plasma. Also, the growth rate of the resistive wall mode decreases when the edge plasma density is the same as the core plasma density, but it only changes slightly with the plasma resistivity.     

Geodesic acoustic modes and zonal flows in toroidally rotating tokamak plasmas

The effect of equilibrium toroidal rotation on the rotational eigen-modes in large aspect ratio tokamak is studied. The case of equilibrium with uniform plasma density on magnetic surfaces is considered. It is shown that the toroidal rotation results in a frequency up-shift of ordinary Geodesic Acoustic Modes. A new unstable low frequency branch of the continuum modes is found. This mode appears as a consequence of the non-uniform plasma pressure created by the centrifugal force on the magnetic surfaces. This mode represents a linear eigen-mode counterpart of Zonal Flow modes. It is shown that the growth rate of such a mode increases with the increase of the angular velocity of toroidal rotation.     

Scale separation between electron and ion thermal transport

Nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of microturbulence simultaneously driven by electron temperature gradient modes, trapped electron modes, and ion temperature gradient modes are presented, covering both electron and ion spatiotemporal scales self-consistently. It is found that, for realistic ion heat (and particle) flux levels and in the presence of unstable electron temperature gradient modes, there tends to be a scale separation between electron and ion thermal transport. In contrast to the latter, the former may exhibit substantial or even dominant high-wave-number contributions.     

Toroidal momentum pinch velocity due to the coriolis drift effect on small scale instabilities in a toroidal plasma

In this Letter, the influence of the "Coriolis drift" on small scale instabilities in toroidal plasmas is shown to generate a toroidal momentum pinch velocity. Such a pinch results because the Coriolis drift generates a coupling between the density and temperature perturbations on the one hand and the perturbed parallel flow velocity on the other. A simple fluid model is used to highlight the physics mechanism and gyro-kinetic calculations are performed to accurately assess the magnitude of the pinch. The derived pinch velocity leads to a radial gradient of the toroidal velocity profile even in the absence of a torque on the plasma and is predicted to generate a peaking of the toroidal velocity profile similar to the peaking of the density profile. Finally, the pinch also affects the interpretation of current experiments.     

Neoclassical radial electric field and transport with finite orbits

Neoclassical transport in a toroidal plasma with finite ion orbits is studied, including for the first time the self-consistent radial electric field. Using a low-noise deltaf particle simulation, we demonstrate that a deep electric-field well develops in a region with a steep density gradient, because of the self-collision-driven ion flux. We find that the electric field agrees with the standard neoclassical expression, when the toroidal rotation is zero, even for a steep density gradient. Ion thermal transport is modified by the electric-field well in a way which is consistent with the orbit squeezing effect, but smoothed by the finite orbits.     

Interchange-Ballooning Mode in l = 2 Helical Systems

A high shear toroidal helical system such as Heliotron E gives a limiting beta comparable to tokamaks, by examining stability against interchange-ballooning modes with a low toroidal mode number. The limiting beta depends on equilibrium pressure profiles and a high beta value is found for the pressure having a flat profile in the central region and a large pressure gradient at the high shear peripheral region of the plasma column.     

Electron density in the oxygen discharge plasma

The electron density in two forms of the oxygen plasma positive column is determined. These two forms differ in the gradient of the potential of the axial electrical field. The electron density is measured by means of a microwave toroidal resonator. In the form with higher gradient (so-called “H” form), a lower electron density than in the form with lower gradient (so-called “T” form) is found. The electron density in the two types of oxygen discharge plasma, which differ in cathode fall, is measured too.     

东方超环上低杂波驱动等离子体环向旋转实验研究

旋转和旋转剪切能抑制磁流体不稳定性和增强等离子体约束.低杂波电流驱动作为未来聚变堆上可能的旋转驱动手段,探索低杂波在现有托卡马克装置上驱动等离子体旋转的驱动机制,可以为未来的聚变堆上旋转预测提供重要参考.在东方超环托卡马克装置上,早期发现了2.45 GHz的低杂波能有效驱动等离子体旋转的现象,认为是边界旋转的改变导致芯部旋转的同电流方向的增加造成的.更高频率下4.6 GHz低杂波电流驱动可以更有效地驱动同电流方向的等离子体旋转.本论文分析在欧姆背景等离子体下,不同功率的低杂波对等离子体环向旋转的影响,研究安全因子剖面变化对环向旋转的关系,利用功率调制获得了低杂波驱动旋转实验中的环向动量输运系数变化情况,发现环向动量扩散系数(χφ)、环向动量箍缩系数(Vpinch)的数值大小趋势是从芯部向靠外的区域逐渐变大.这与低杂波驱动环向旋转时,环向旋转速度由靠外的区域向芯部传递的特性吻合.     

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采用回旋动理学方程推导得到了环向转动托卡马克等离子体中测地声模的色散关系,分析了环向转动对测地声模、低频模和声波分支的频率以及无碰撞阻尼率的影响.结果表明,测地声模的频率会随着环向转动马赫数而逐渐增大,而其无碰撞阻尼率则会随着环向转动马赫数而迅速减小.此外,低频模和声波分支的频率以及无碰撞阻尼率都会随着环向转动马赫数而逐渐减小,其中环向转动对声波分支的频率以及无碰撞阻尼率的影响非常小,基本上可以忽略.     

托卡马克等离子体环向转动对测地声模的影响

采用回旋动理学方程推导得到了环向转动托卡马克等离子体中测地声模的色散关系,分析了环向转动对测地声模、低频模和声波分支的频率以及无碰撞阻尼率的影响。结果表明,测地声模的频率会随着环向转动马赫数而逐渐增大,而其无碰撞阻尼率则会随着环向转动马赫数而迅速减小。此外,低频模和声波分支的频率以及无碰撞阻尼率都会随着环向转动马赫数而逐渐减小,其中环向转动对声波分支的频率以及无碰撞阻尼率的影响非常小,基本上可以忽略。     

Collisional damping of ETG-mode-driven zonal flows

We study collisional damping of electron zonal flows in toroidal electron temperature gradient (ETG) turbulence due to the friction between trapped and untrapped electrons. With the assumption of adiabatic ions, the collisional damping is shown to occur on fast time scales approximately 0.24epsilon(1/2)tau(e). The comparison with the growth rate of electron zonal flows indicates that the shearing by electron zonal flows is unlikely to be a robust mechanism for regulating ETG turbulence. This finding vitiates the claims of several simulation studies that have ignored the effects of collisional damping of electron zonal flows and offers a possible partial explanation of the high levels of electron thermal transport observed in the National Spherical Torus Experiment.     

Observation of plasma toroidal-momentum dissipation by neoclassical toroidal viscosity

Dissipation of plasma toroidal angular momentum is observed in the National Spherical Torus Experiment due to applied nonaxisymmetric magnetic fields and their plasma-induced increase by resonant field amplification and resistive wall mode destabilization. The measured decrease of the plasma toroidal angular momentum profile is compared to calculations of nonresonant drag torque based on the theory of neoclassical toroidal viscosity. Quantitative agreement between experiment and theory is found when the effect of toroidally trapped particles is included.