Title: Equilibrium drives of the low and high field side n = 2 plasma response and impact on global confinement

Abstract

Abstract. The nature of the multi-modal n=2 plasma response and its impact on global confinement is studied as a function of the axisymmetric equilibrium pressure, edge safety factor, collisionality, and L vs. H-mode conditions. Varying the relative phase (Δφ_UL) between upper and lower in-vessel coils demonstrates that different n=2 poloidal spectra preferentially excite different plasma responses. These different plasma response modes are preferentially detected on the tokamak high-field side (HFS) or low-field side (LFS) midplanes, have different radial extents, couple differently to the resonant surfaces, and have variable impacts on edge stability and global confinement. In all equilibrium conditions studied, the observed confinement degradation shares the same Δφ_UL dependence as the coupling to the resonant surfaces given by both ideal (IPEC) and resistive (MARS-F) MHD computation. Varying the edge safety factor shifts the equilibrium field-line pitch and thus the ΔφUL dependence of both the global confinement and the n=2 magnetic response. As edge safety factor is varied, modeling finds that the HFS response (but not the LFS response), the resonant surface coupling, and the edge displacements near the X-point all share the same Δφ_UL dependence. The LFS response magnitude is strongly sensitive to the core pressure and is insensitive tomore » the collisionality and edge safety factor. This indicates that the LFS measurements are primarily sensitive to a pressure-driven kink-ballooning mode that couples to the core plasma. MHD modeling accurately reproduces these (and indeed all) LFS experimental trends and supports this interpretation. In contrast to the LFS, the HFS magnetic response and correlated global confinement impact is unchanged with plasma pressure, but is strongly reduced in high collisionality conditions in both H and L-mode. This experimentally suggests the bootstrap current drives the HFS response through the kink-peeling mode drive, though surprisingly weak or no dependence on the bootstrap current is seen in modeling. Instead, modeling is revealed to be very sensitive to the details of the edge current profile and equilibrium truncation. Holding truncation fixed, most HFS experimental trends are not captured, thus demonstrating a stark contrast between the robustness of the HFS experimental results and the sensitivity of its computation.« less

Authors:

Paz-Soldan, C. ^[1]; Logan, N. C. ^[2]; Haskey, S. R. ^[2]; Nazikian, R. ^[2]; Strait, E. J. ^[1]; Chen, X. ^[1]; Ferraro, N. M. ^[3]; King, J. D. ^[1]; Lyons, B. C. ^[4]; Park, J. -K. ^[2]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)
2. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
3. General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
4. General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States); Oak Ridge Associated Univ., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Publication Date:

Thu Mar 31 00:00:00 EDT 2016

Research Org.:

Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE

Contributing Org.:

Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, USA

OSTI Identifier:

1254901

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1245030; OSTI ID: 1369217

Report Number(s):

DOE-GA-54698
Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5515

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-09CH11466; AC05-06OR23100; FC02-04ER54698

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Nuclear Fusion

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 56; Journal Issue: 5; Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5515

Publisher:

IOP Science

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY