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.     

Propagation and Absorption of ECR Waves in a Low Temperature Toroidal Plasma of Small Size and Magnetic Field

The propagation and absorption of ECR waves in a tokamak plasma with small size and low values of the electron temperature and the toroidal magnetic field is studied numerically. The cold plasma dispersion equation is solved and ray tracing calculations are performed to find the accessibility conditions and the optimal angle of wave launching for maximal ECR absorption. Absorption coefficients are computed in the high density approximation.     

STUDY OF ANOMALOUS TRANSPORT BY AC MODULATION ON CT-6B TOKAMAK

The inward propagation equation of heat wave driven by a weak alternating modulation of the toroidal plasma curent in a tokamak plasma has been exactly solved. Based on this solution, an ac-tive method to determine the electron thermal conduction in a tokamak plasma has been proposed. The thermal conductivity is calculated as a function of minor radius From the soil X-ray data obtained in experiments on thc CT-6B Tokamak. Thc results indicate the anornalous feature of the electron thermal conduction.     

Pulsed axisymmetric ejection of a dense plasma into a gas. 2. Conditions for the formation and stability of a plasma toroidal vortex

This work continues our previous investigations on pulsed ejection of a dense plasma into a gas. The conditions for the formation of high-temperature (plasma) and low-temperature gaseous toroidal vortices during pulsed axisymmetric ejection of a dense plasma/gas into air are investigated experimentally at different parameters of the ambient medium and jet generator. Quantitative criteria for the formation and stable propagation of such vortices are established using experimental data.     

Azimuthal surface waves at the plasma-metal boundary in a nonuniform toroidal magnetic field

The propagation of electromagnetic surface waves with extraordinary polarization across the circular axis of a metal ring in a magnetized plasma is studied using perturbation theory. The amplitude of the fundamental mode of these waves is determined to within second-order terms, and the amplitudes of the nearest satellite modes are found correct to first-order terms. The correction to the eigenfrequency that comes from the nonuniformity of a constant toroidal magnetic field is shown be a second-order quantity.     

Nondiffusive transport in tokamaks: three-dimensional structure of bursts and the role of zonal flows

Large scale transport events are studied in simulations of resistive ballooning turbulence in a tokamak plasma. The spatial structure of the turbulent flux is analyzed, indicating radially elongated structures (streamers) at the low field side which are distorted by magnetic shear at different toroidal positions. The interplay between self-generated zonal flows and transport events is investigated, resulting in significant modifications of the frequency and the amplitude of bursts. The propagation of bursts is studied in the presence of a transport barrier generated by a strong shear flow.     

Neoclassical toroidal plasma viscosity torque in collisionless regimes in tokamaks

Bumpiness in a magnetic field enhances the magnitude of the plasma viscosity and increases the rate of the plasma flow damping. A general solution of the neoclassical toroidal plasma viscosity (NTV) torque induced by nonaxisymmetric magnetic perturbation (NAMP) in the collisionless regimes in tokamaks is obtained in this Letter. The plasma angular momentum can be strongly changed, when there is a small deviation of the toroidal symmetry caused by a NAMP of the order of 0.1% of the toroidal field strength.     

Three-dimensional relativistic electromagnetic subcycle solitons

Three-dimensional (3D) relativistic electromagnetic subcycle solitons were observed in 3D particle-in-cell simulations of an intense short-laser-pulse propagation in an underdense plasma. Their structure resembles that of an oscillating electric dipole with a poloidal electric field and a toroidal magnetic field that oscillate in phase with the electron density with frequency below the Langmuir frequency. On the ion time scale, the soliton undergoes a Coulomb explosion of its core, resulting in ion acceleration, and then evolves into a slowly expanding quasineutral cavity.     

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。     

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.     

Predicting high harmonic ion cyclotron heating efficiency in Tokamak plasmas

Observations of improved radio frequency (rf) heating efficiency in ITER relevant high-confinement (H-)mode plasmas on the National Spherical Tokamak Experiment are investigated by whole-device linear simulation. The steady-state rf electric field is calculated for various antenna spectra and the results examined for characteristics that correlate with observations of improved or reduced rf heating efficiency. We find that launching toroidal wave numbers that give fast-wave propagation in the scrape-off plasma excites large amplitude (～kV?m(-1)) coaxial standing modes between the confined plasma density pedestal and conducting vessel wall. Qualitative comparison with measurements of the stored plasma energy suggests that these modes are a probable cause of degraded heating efficiency.     

Error field amplification and rotation damping in tokamak plasmas

Toroidal rotation is normally very weakly damped in plasmas that are magnetically confined in the nominally toroidally symmetric tokamak. However, a strong damping of toroidal rotation is observed as such plasmas approach marginal stability for perturbations that produce a kinklike distortion of the plasma. It is shown that the damping of toroidal rotation by very small departures of the magnetic field from toroidal symmetry is greatly enhanced as marginal stability is approached. The response of a plasma to perturbations is studied using a set of electrical circuit elements, which provide an equation for the rotational damping that requires minimal information about the plasma.     

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.     

Simulation on effect of poloidal power spectrum on lower hybrid wave propagation

The coupling of lower hybrid wave to the plasma is a crucial issue for efficient current drive in tokamaks. This paper establishes a new coupling model which assumes the antenna to be a curved face and the plasma to be a cylinder. Power spectrum considering the coupling between wave-guides in both poloidal and toroidal direction is simply estimated and discussed. The effect of the poloidal wave vector on wave propagation, power deposition and driven current is also investigated with the help of lower hybrid current drive code. Results show that the poloidal wave vector affects the ray tracing, and also has effect on power deposition and driven current. The effect of the poloidal wave vector on power deposition and driven current profile depends on plasma parameters. Preliminary studies suggest that it seems possible to control the current profile by adjusting the poloidal phase difference between the waveguide in poloidal direction.     

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.     

Effect of subsonic toroidal flows on plasma poloidal rotation and ion heat conductivity. In collisional plasmas of elongated tokamaks

The ion poloidal rotation and heat conductivity in collisional plasmas of axially-symmetric tokamaks with elongated cross-sections and with subsonic toroidal plasma flows are considered. It is shown that subsonic toroidal plasma flows, induced by neutral beam injection or radio frequency waves, can strongly affect the poloidal plasma velocity and ion heat conductivity in collisional plasmas of tokamaks. The transport coefficients also depend on the tokamak ellipticity parameter which, in combination with the Mach number, allows to operate transport processes at smaller values of the toroidal Mach number. The importance of taking into account the ion-electron heat exchange and electron temperature toroidal perturbations to find ion temperature toroidal perturbations is demonstrated. This work was partially supported by the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) and the Rio de Janeiro Research Foundation (FAPERJ).     

Effect of radio frequency field on toroidal plasma parameters

Low temperature plasma parameters in a toroidal magnetic field are measured. The effect of an externally applied perpendicular electric field on the plasma parameters is studied. The lifetime of the plasma is measured in the presence and absence of the RF electric field. Decrease in the plasma lifetime in the presence of RF field is attributed to detrapping of the primary electrons to a larger volume. Plasma lifetime increases when a small vertical magnetic field is added to the toroidal magnetic field.     

Theory for toroidal momentum pinch and flow reversal in tokamaks

It is demonstrated that besides the well-known toroidal momentum diffusion flux there is a pinchlike flux in the fluctuation-induced toroidal stress. A toroidal flow profile is determined up to a constant, e.g., the value of the flow at the magnetic axis, by balancing these two fluxes. The remaining residual toroidal stress determines the value of the flow at the axis. It is illustrated that the direction of the flow at the axis can change after plasma confinement is improved. The theory is applied to explain the toroidal flow reversal in tokamak experiments.     

New approaches on application of multipole moments for determination of toroidal plasma shift

An application of multipole moments for the determination of toroidal plasma column shift is presented. First, we present analytical details for using this technique. Then, the principle of different models based on this technique for design and fabrication of a six coils will be presented: four modified Rogowski coils (two cosine coils and two sine coils) and two saddle coils (saddle sine coil and saddle cosine coil). As continuous measurements of magnetic field distribution around the toroidal plasma can be made using these coils, this technique is a good method for the determination of toroidal plasma column shift.     

托卡马克高场侧低杂波电流驱动模拟研究

利用GENRAY/CQL3D程序研究了EAST装置双零位形下高场侧和低场侧发射低杂波的电流驱动情况.模拟发现,电子密度较小时,高场侧低杂波电流驱动效果不如低场侧.随着电子密度的增加,高场侧低杂波电流驱动的优势逐渐显现,从高场侧发射的低杂波可以将能量沉积在更加靠近等离子体中心的位置.提高环向磁场强度有利于低杂波在高密度条...