Modeling of a lower-hybrid current drive by including spectral broadening induced by parametric instability in tokamak plasmas

By incorporating parametric instabilities of lower hybrid (LH) waves into a ray-tracing Fokker-Planck code, accurate simulations of the LH deposition profiles are provided, which are useful for interpreting the long-lasting internal transport barriers (ITBs) sustained by lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) on JET (Joint European Torus). Utilizing the new model, the simulation of the q-profile evolution results in agreement with that provided by the motional Stark effect reconstructed equilibria. Low magnetic shear (s approximately equal to 0) is produced by LHCD in a layer close to the ITB radial foot.     

Analysis of electron cyclotron emission by lower-hybrid current drive plasmas

Summary Electron cyclotron emission may be used for diagnosing non-thermal electron distribution functions generated by radio-frequency current drive. Our attention is concentrated in theX-mode-downshifted second-harmonic range of frequencies, by inspecting at the radiation collected in the horizontal low-magnetic-field side of a tokamak. The cut-off presence eliminates the thermal first-harmonic emission and the non-thermal one may be observed without other inference. The electron distribution function is modelled by a suitable sum of drifting Maxwellians for reproducing the flat tails usually obtained in the presence of lower-hybrid power injection. This model is time saving as far as the computer simulations are concerned and permits a lot of runs in order to accomplish a wide parameters exploitation. A sensitivity analysis of ECE intensity is performed with respect to the main moments of the suprathermal electrons distribution function. The analysis shown that the radiation spectra are very sensitive to the perpendicular energy and to the number of fast electrons, while only a weak dependence on the parallel energy is found.     

Complete suppression of neoclassical tearing modes with current drive at the electron-cyclotron-resonance frequency in ASDEX upgrade tokamak

Noninductive current drive has been performed in the tokamak ASDEX upgrade by injection of radiofrequency waves at the second harmonic of the electron-cyclotron frequency in order to suppress unwanted disturbances of the magnetic-field configuration. The current has been driven parallel [co-electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD)] and antiparallel (counter-ECCD) to the plasma current to compare the effect of heating with direct current drive in the magnetic island. For the first time it has been shown experimentally that total stabilization of neoclassical tearing modes is possible with co-ECCD. The experiments verify the role of direct current drive as opposed to local heating.     

Enhancement of the stabilization efficiency of a neoclassical magnetic island by modulated electron cyclotron current drive in the ASDEX upgrade tokamak

The efficiency of generating a helical current in magnetic islands for the purpose of suppression of neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) by electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) is studied experimentally in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. It is found that the efficiency of generating helical current by continuous current drive in a rotating island drops drastically as the width 2d of the co-ECCD driven current becomes larger than the island width W. However, by modulating the co-ECCD in phase with the rotating islands O point, the efficiency can be recovered. The results are in good agreement with theoretical calculations taking into account the equilibration of the externally driven current on the island flux surfaces. The result is especially important for large next-step fusion devices, such as ITER, where 2d>W is expected to be unavoidable during NTM suppression, suggesting that modulation capability should be foreseen.     

Synergy of electron-cyclotron and lower-hybrid current drive in steady-state plasmas

Improvement (up to a factor of approximately 4) of the electron-cyclotron (EC) current drive efficiency in plasmas sustained by lower-hybrid (LH) current drive has been demonstrated in stationary conditions on the Tore Supra tokamak. This was made possible by feedback controlled discharges at zero loop voltage, constant plasma current, and constant density. This effect, predicted by kinetic theory, results from a favorable interplay of the velocity space diffusions induced by the two waves: the EC wave pulling low-energy electrons out of the Maxwellian bulk, and the LH wave driving them to high parallel velocities.     

Direct observation of current in type-I edge-localized-mode filaments on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

Magnetically confined plasmas in the high confinement regime are regularly subjected to relaxation oscillations, termed edge localized modes (ELMs), leading to large transport events. Present ELM theories rely on a combined effect of edge current and the edge pressure gradients which result in intermediate mode number (n?10-15) structures (filaments) localized in the perpendicular plane and extended along the field lines. By detailed localized measurements of the magnetic field perturbation associated to type-I ELM filaments, it is shown that these filaments carry a substantial current.     

托卡马克等离子体中的电子回旋波电流驱动

通过将波迹方程与相对论情况下的完全Fokker-Planck方程联合进行求解,研究了寻常波基频电子回旋波从托卡马克等离子体中平面弱场侧发射时的电流驱动。数值结果表明:随着等离子体电子密度、温度的提高, 功率沉积和电流分布的位置将向等离子体的边缘方向偏移,并且产生的总的驱动电流随之减小;入射波极向发射角和环向发射角度的改变对功率沉积、电流分布及其大小产生明显的影响。     

托卡马克中电子回旋波与低杂波协同驱动的物理研究

揭示了电子回旋波与低杂波协同驱动等离子体并获得协同电流的机理. 从物理上阐述了双波协同驱动在相空间上和在电流剖面上所需满足的匹配关系. 通过计算机模拟研究展示了协同驱动的净增电流与波功率之间存在的非线性关系, 并对其给出了物理上的解释.本文工作将为相关实验的设计和分析提供物理上的支撑.     

The HCN-laser-interferometer of the divertor tokamak ASDEX

A multi-channel HCN-laser-interferometer for the measurement of electron density in the ASDEX tokamak plasma is described. Performance of the instrument is shown and examples of measurements are given.     

Destabilization of fast-ion-induced long sawteeth by localized current drive in the JET tokamak

In a tokamak fusion reactor the energetic alpha particles will transiently stabilize the magnetohydrodynamic activity causing sawtooth oscillations. The crash events terminating long sawtooth free periods can provide seed islands for neoclassical tearing modes [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 105001 (2002)]]. To shorten the sawtooth periods localized current drive near the q=1 surface is a possibility. This Letter provides the first experimental evidence for the effectiveness of this method in the different physics regime associated with fast-ion-induced long sawteeth on the JET tokamak.     

Sawtooth-like electron density oscillations under laser blow-off and lower hybrid current drive in HL-1M tokamak

By using of a six-channel HCN laser interferometer, the sawtooth-like density oscillations without being exhibited in the ohmic phase plasma have been observed during lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) discharges in the HL-1M device. There are often accompanied by injected impurity with laser blow-off. Analyses show that this kind of density sawtooth-like oscillation comes from the mutual effect of LHCD and impurity. An available mechanism is the loss of superthermal electrons by the magnetic perturbation, which is caused by the crash of the central accumulated impurities.     

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The synergy current drive by combining electron cyclotron wave (ECW) with lower hybrid wave (LHW) can be used to either increase the noninductive current drive efficiency or shape the plasma current profile. In this paper, the synergy current drive by ECW and LHW is studied with numerical simulation. The nonlinear relationship between the wave powers and the synergy current of ECW and LHW is revealed. When the LHW power is small, the synergy current reduces as the ECW power increases, and the synergy current is even reduced to lower than zero, which is referred as negative synergy in the this context. Research shows that the mechanism of the negative synergy is the peaking effect of LHW power profile and the trapped electrons effect. The present research is helpful for understanding the physics of synergy between electron cyclotron current drive and lower hybrid current drive, it can also instruct the design of experiments.