Enhanced localized energetic ion losses resulting from first-orbit linear and non-linear interactions with Alfvén eigenmodes in DIII-D
- University of California-Irvine, Irvine, California 92697 (United States)
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 (United States)
- General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, California 92186 (United States)
- University of California, Los Angeles 90095, California (United States)
- University of Texas-Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)
Two key insights into interactions between Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs) and energetic particles in the plasma core are gained from measurements and modeling of first-orbit beam-ion loss in DIII-D. First, the neutral beam-ion first-orbit losses are enhanced by AEs and a single AE can cause large fast-ion displacement. The coherent losses are from born trapped full energy beam-ions being non-resonantly scattered by AEs onto loss orbits within their first poloidal transit. The loss amplitudes scale linearly with the mode amplitude but the slope is different for different modes. The radial displacement of fast-ions by individual AEs can be directly inferred from the measurements. Second, oscillations in the beam-ion first-orbit losses are observed at the sum, difference, and harmonic frequencies of two independent AEs. These oscillations are not plasma modes and are absent in magnetic, density, and temperature fluctuations. The origin of the non-linearity as a wave-particle coupling is confirmed through bi-coherence analysis, which is clearly observed because the coherences are preserved by the first-orbit loss mechanism. An analytic model and full orbit simulations show that the non-linear features seen in the loss signal can be explained by a non-linear interaction between the fast ions and the two independent AEs.
- OSTI ID:
- 22303773
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 21, Issue 8; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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