First Observation of Neoclassical Tearing Modes in the HL-2A Tokamak

The m/n=2/1 neoclassical tearing modes are first observed in HL-2A low density, low beta plasma with central electron cyclotron resonance heating. The neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) are triggered by a sawtooth crash with m/n=1/1 precursors, which are toroidal coupled with a small scale m/n=2/1 mode. The time history of the island width is compared with the prediction of the NTM theory, showing a good agreement between theory and experiment.