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Title: Resonant-magnetic-perturbation-induced plasma transport in H-mode pedestals

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4767642· OSTI ID:22068893
;  [1];  [2]
  1. University of Wisconsin, 1500 Engineering Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1609 (United States)
  2. Columbia University, 201 S.W. Mudd, New York, New York 10027 (United States)

Plasma toroidal rotation reduces reconnection of externally applied resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) fields {delta}B on rational (q = m/n) magnetic flux surfaces. Hence, it causes radial perturbations {delta}B{sub {rho}m/n} to be small there, and thus inhibits magnetic island formation and stochasticity in the edge of high (H-) mode confinement tokamak plasmas. However, electron collisional damping combined with the spatial magnetic flutter {delta}B{sub {rho}m/n} induced by RMPs in the vicinity of rational surfaces causes a radial electron heat diffusivity in which {chi}{sub e Parallel-To }{sup eff}{approx}(v{sub Te}{sup 2}/{nu}{sub e})/(1+x{sup 2}/{delta}{sub Parallel-To }{sup 2}) is an effective parallel electron thermal diffusivity. These effects are reduced by magnetic shear effects at a distance x from rational surfaces for |x|>{delta}{sub Parallel-To} but amplified for {delta}B-caret{sub {rho}m/n}(x)>{delta}B-caret{sub {rho}m/n}(0). A kinetic, toroidal model of these RMP-flutter-induced plasma transport effects is developed and compared to a previously developed cylindrical model. The RMP-induced increases in plasma transport can be large enough to reduce plasma gradients in H-mode pedestals. Thus, they may contribute to suppressing edge localized modes in tokamak plasmas.

OSTI ID:
22068893
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 19, Issue 11; Other Information: (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English