The role of zonal flows and predator–prey oscillations in triggering the formation of edge and core transport barriers
- Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
- EURATOM/CCFE Fusion Assoc., Oxon (United Kingdom)
- General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
- Univ. of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)
- Univ. of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); WCI Center for Fusion Theory, Daejeon (Korea)
- Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
- Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)
Here, we present direct evidence of low frequency, radially sheared, turbulence-driven flows (zonal flows (ZFs)) triggering edge transport barrier formation preceding the L- to H-mode transition via periodic turbulence suppression in limit-cycle oscillations (LCOs), consistent with predator–prey dynamics. The final transition to edge-localized mode-free H-mode occurs after the equilibrium E × B flow shear increases due to ion pressure profile evolution. ZFs are also observed to initiate formation of an electron internal transport barrier (ITB) at the q = 2 rational surface via local suppression of electron-scale turbulence. Multi-channel Doppler backscattering (DBS) has revealed the radial structure of the ZF-induced shear layer and the E × B shearing rate, ωE×B, in both barrier types. During edge barrier formation, the shearing rate lags the turbulence envelope during the LCO by 90°, transitioning to anti-correlation (180°) when the equilibrium shear dominates the turbulence-driven flow shear due to the increasing edge pressure gradient. The time-dependent flow shear and the turbulence envelope are anti-correlated (180° out of phase) in the electron ITB. LCOs with time-reversed evolution dynamics (transitioning from an equilibrium-flow dominated to a ZF-dominated state) have also been observed during the H–L back-transition and are potentially of interest for controlled ramp-down of the plasma stored energy and pressure (normalized to the poloidal magnetic field) $$\beta_{\theta} =2\mu_{0} n{( {T_{{\rm e}} +T_{{\rm i}}})}/{B_{\theta}^{2}}$$ in ITER.
- Research Organization:
- General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- FC02-04ER54698
- OSTI ID:
- 1352935
- Journal Information:
- Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 54, Issue 7; ISSN 0029-5515
- Publisher:
- IOP ScienceCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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