From current-driven to neoclassically driven tearing modes

In the TCV tokamak, the m/n = 2/1 island is observed in low-density discharges with central electron-cyclotron current drive. The evolution of its width has two distinct growth phases, one of which can be linked to a "conventional" tearing mode driven unstable by the current profile and the other to a neoclassical tearing mode driven by a perturbation of the bootstrap current. The TCV results provide the first clear observation of such a destabilization mechanism and reconcile the theory of conventional and neoclassical tearing modes, which differ only in the dominant driving term.     

导体壳对电阻磁流体不稳定性的影响

结合HL-1装置的条件,采用撕裂模的准线性理论,研究了托克马克中导体壁对m=2/n=1扰动模的稳定作用。着重研究了导体壁位置,等离子体电流分布,等离子体位形对这种稳定效应的影响。结果表明,共振面的位置与壁的稳定作用有密切关系,存q_a接近于2的位形中,m=2的撕裂模扰动可以被靠近等离子体的导体壁完全抑制。导体壁的稳定效应与等离子体电流分布相联系,在一些现实的电流分布中,只要适当地压低等离子体边界区的电流密度,壁的稳定效应会更加显现出来。     

Generic structure of externally driven tearing modes instabilities

A major limit to steady state and advanced high operation of tokamaks of reactor class is due to the onset of tearing modes that develop magnetic and may cause loss of energy confinement or a major disruption. Here the structure of a classical problem about the effects of external control helical fields is analysed and it is shown to offer a general paradigm of response of low order classical and neoclassical tearing modes to a wide class of external perturbations. New results of principle on the structural stability of the response model are obtained, leading to a clear interpretation of the role of “seed islands" in the onset of neo-classical tearing modes and the role of finite ion larmor radius corrections to Ohm's law. Received 12 November 2001 and Received in final form 4 January 2002     

Influence of energetic ions on tearing modes

In contrast with the stability effects of trapped energetic ions on tearing modes, the effects of circulating energetic ions (CEI) on tearing modes depend on the toroidal circulating direction, and are closely related to the momentum of energetic ions. CEI provide an additional source or sink of momentum to affect tearing modes. For co-CEI, tearing modes can be stabilized if the momentum of energetic ions is large enough. On the other hand, the growth of tearing modes can be enhanced by counter-CEI. Further, a possibility to suppress the island growth of neoclassical tearing modes by co-CEI is pointed out.     

Density Fluctuation Measurements Using FIR Interferometer on HL-2A Tokamak

Density fluctuations were first measured in the core region of HL-2A tokamak plasma using a newly developed multi-channel FIR interferometer system. In divertor ohmic discharges, we measured the radial density fluctuation levels of 5%, which increase to 10-20% during the appearance of MHD activity. Most of the power density in the density fluctuation spectrum is directly associated with m = 2 tearing modes. The fluctuation levels reduce to 1/3 and plasma confinement is improved during off-axis electron-cyclotron-resonance heating （ECRH）.     

撕裂模实时主动控制系统

在HL-2A装置上发展了一套撕裂模实时主动控制系统。该系统在放电期间用电子回旋发射/软X射线诊断实时确定撕裂模的几何位置,结合实时剖面重建和电子回旋波沉积计算,得到电子回旋波反射镜的控制角度值。通过电机实时驱动电子回旋波反射镜到达指定角度,使得电子回旋波功率沉积在撕裂模的有理磁面附近,改变当地局部的电流剖面,从而控制撕裂模,改善等离子体约束。该系统已经在2015年以后的实验中投入使用,并取得了良好的控制效果。它不仅能够实时发现并控制经典撕裂模,并且具有控制新经典撕裂模的潜力。     

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Tearing mode real-time active control system has been developed on HL-2A tokamak. During the plasma discharge, electron cyclotron emission and soft X-ray diagnostic signals are used to get the geometric location where tearing modes emerge, combined with the real time profile reconstruction and electron cyclotron wave (ECW) deposition algorithm, the target angle of ECW steering mirror can be obtained. Then the mirror angle is set by the motor so that the ECW power deposit at the position of tearing modes finally. Consequently the tearing modes can be controlled, owing to the change of local current profile, and the plasma confinement is improved. This system has been deployed in HL-2A campaigns after 2015, and the good control effect is obtained. It has been proved that the system can discover and control not only the classical tearing modes in real time, but also has the potential to control the neoclassical tearing mode in the future.     

Nonlinear evolution of q=1 triple tearing modes in a tokamak plasma

In magnetic configurations with two or three q=1 (with q being the safety factor) resonant surfaces in a tokamak plasma, resistive magnetohydrodynamic modes with poloidal mode numbers m much larger than 1 are found to be linearly unstable. It is found that these high-m double or triple tearing modes significantly enhance through nonlinear interactions the growth of the m=1 mode. This may account for the sudden onset of the internal resistive kink, i.e., the fast sawtooth trigger. Based on the subsequent reconnection dynamics that can proceed without formation of the m=1 islands, it is proposed that high-m triple tearing modes are a possible mechanism for precursor-free partial collapses during sawtooth oscillations.     

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.     

HL-1M装置撕裂模不稳定性的相位比对法研究

采用相位比对法模拟分析了HL-1M装置的磁扰动模式,模拟结果同预期的一致。在具有撕裂模不稳定性的典型放电中,探测到独立模m=2、3、4,耦合模m=2、3,并与用空间傅立叶分析方法得到的扰动模式的分析结果进行了比较。讨论了这些方法在实验分析中的可行性和有效性。     

托卡马克中宏观束-等离子体扭曲模不稳定性研究

本文主要研究了具有单一高能离子分量的托卡马克等离子体扭曲模宏观不稳定性。它基本上模拟了中性束平行注入经过电离和电荷交换后在本底等离子体中维持一个稳恒等离子体流的物理过程。高能和本底都用无碰撞的Vlasov等离子体,并取了低频、小拉莫尔半径极限。由于主要考虑束-等离子体无耗散宏观不稳定性,故可用能量原理来分析。结果表明,高能离子束对本底等离子体的外部模没有影响,只影响内部扭曲模的增长率和扰动振幅。对适当选择的速度剖面,束能够完全稳定体系n≥2,m=1模,与Dunlap线性理论结果相反而与目前实验观测一致。m/n=1/1内部扭曲模增长率在所取得模型下随注入能量β_b,注入功率P_bw,轴上安全因子q(0)和束速度的径向剖面分布参数S的不同而出现增稳、减稳及完全稳定的行为。适当选择S,在q(0)<0.924时,高能束能够稳定m/n=1/1模。 关键词：     

托卡马克中撕裂模的抑制

本文分析与计算了共振螺旋场对自发撕裂模的抑制作用。通过解电阻MHD方程证实了螺旋场能使m=2的撕裂模增长速度减慢一倍左右。同时也讨论和计算了边界控制场对撕裂模的抑制作用。 关键词：     

Complete stabilization of neoclassical tearing modes with lower hybrid current drive on COMPASS-D. RF teams

Lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) with modest powers ( approximately 10% of the total power input) has been used for the first time to completely stabilize performance limiting neoclassical tearing modes in many COMPASS-D tokamak discharges. The stabilizing effect in these experiments is consistent with a reduction in the free energy available in the current profile to drive tearing modes (i.e., the stability index, delta(')) resulting from favorable current gradients (from the LHCD driven current) around the rational surface.     

阈值附近撕裂模的非线性行为

电阻率型m≥2的撕裂模在线性不稳定性阈值附近的非线性演化方程可以表示为 ?-Q²A+K²/2A²à-Q²(δ△_1e)/(△_1e)A³=0。这里A为模的幅值,Q为线性增长率,K为模的波矢,△_e为线性模匹配计算中的外区解的对数微分差,δ△_1e为非线性效应对于对数微分差的贡献。本文除在拟线性近似下推导出该方程外,还仔细讨论了该模的非线性行为。在对称电流分布sheet pinch模型的特例下,可以证明δ△_1e=0,不存在新的平衡点。 关键词：     

Effect of heating on the suppression of tearing modes in tokamaks

The suppression of (neoclassical) tearing modes is of great importance for the success of future fusion reactors like ITER. Electron cyclotron waves can suppress islands, both by driving noninductive current in the island region and by heating the island, causing a perturbation to the Ohmic plasma current. This Letter reports on experiments on the TEXTOR tokamak, investigating the effect of heating, which is usually neglected. The unique set of tools available on TEXTOR, notably the dynamic ergodic divertor to create islands with a fully known driving term, and the electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostic to provide detailed 2D electron temperature information, enables a detailed study of the suppression process and a comparison with theory.     

小磁岛转动引起的沿磁力线电流对撕裂模的影响

利用离子香蕉轨道中心坐标和香蕉轨道平均算符,讨论了磁岛转动引起的沿磁力线电流分布及其对新经典撕裂模演进的影响。结果显示,考虑此电流的影响,当磁岛旋转频率ω=ω_*i 时,被离子香蕉轨道宽度效应削弱的自举电流驱动项基本恢复;当ω=ω_*e时,离子香蕉轨道宽度效应对自举电流驱动项的削弱则加剧。这意味着磁岛转动方向不同时,此沿力线电流能显著增大或减弱离子香蕉轨道宽度效应对自举电流驱动项的削弱作用。     

Mode switching in a gyrotron with azimuthally corrugated resonator

The operation of a gyrotron having a cylindrical resonator with an azimuthally corrugated wall is analyzed. In such a device, wall corrugation cancels the degeneracy of the modes with azimuthally standing patterns. The coupling between these modes depends on the radius of electron beam. It is shown that such a gyrotron can be easily switched from one mode to another. When the switching is done with the repetition frequency equal to the rotational frequency of magnetic islands, this sort of operation can be used for suppression of neoclassical tearing modes in large-scale tokamaks and stellarators.     

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利用离子香蕉轨道中心坐标和香蕉轨道平均算符,讨论了磁岛转动引起的沿磁力线电流分布及其对新经典撕裂模演进的影响.结果显示,考虑此电流的影响,当磁岛旋转频率ω=ω*i时,被离子香蕉轨道宽度效应削弱的自举电流驱动项基本恢复;当ω=ω*e时,离子香蕉轨道宽度效应对自举电流驱动项的削弱则加剧.这意味着磁岛转动方向不同时,此沿力线电流能显著增大或减弱离子香蕉轨道宽度效应对自举电流驱动项的削弱作用.     

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.     

Experiment and simulation of tearing mode evolution with electron cyclotron current drive in KSTAR

The tearing mode (TM) plasma instability was observed in low confinement (L-mode) plasmas when non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbation (MP) was applied using external coils during 2011 campaign of KSTAR. Based on the collected information of the magnetic island location in a plasma, a discharge was designed for suppression of a (2,1) TM mode by adjusting electron cyclotron (EC) launcher angles to the estimated island position. Here, the (m,n) notation describes the poloidal mode number and the toroidal mode number of the TM, respectively. The discharge is analysed with experimental observations and numerical simulations. Mirnov coil (MC) arrays and electron cyclotron emission (ECE) are used for analysis of the island width and the location as well as the mode number. The EC deposition and its alignment with the island are estimated by X-ray imaging crystal spectroscopy (XICS) and ECE measurements. An integrated numerical system is employed for modelling of this discharge to analyse a temporal evolution of the mode activity by integrating plasma equilibrium, transport, heating and current drive, and the magnetic island evolution, in a self-consistent way. The effect of EC current drive is discussed by comparing with another TM discharge but without ECCD. Some possibilities for classifying this mode to neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) and stabilisation effect of ECCD are suggested based on the experimental observation and the simulation results.