Gyrokinetic study of collisional resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP)-driven plasma density and heat transport in tokamak edge plasma using a magnetohydrodynamic screened RMP field

Journal Article · 23 September 2019 · Nuclear Fusion

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ab3be2 · OSTI ID:1564081

Hager, Robert ^[1]; Chang, C. S. ^[1]; Ferraro, N. M. ^[1]; Nazikian, R. ^[1]

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1. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)

The total-f gyrokinetic particle-in-cell code XGC is applied to study various aspects of collisional transport in the tokamak edge pedestal in the presence of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) calculated with M3D-C1. Simulations including the separatrix and scrape-off layer are exercised for a model DIII-D H-mode plasma. Neutral particle recycling is modeled by means of ionization and charge exchange with the plasma. A fully nonlinear Fokker–Planck collision operator is utilized to account for non-Maxwellian edge plasma. Here, the study yields kinetic evidence that (i) neglecting the non-axisymmetric component of the RMP-generated electrostatic potential perturbation could yield a fictitiously high particle pump-out rate in the edge pedestal; that (ii) the experimental level of particle pump-out from the pedestal cannot be provided by collisional transport across Kolmogorov–Arnold–Moser surfaces except across the magnetic separatrix where stochastic magnetic field lines exist; that (iii) the H-mode type electron heat barrier is retained in the steep slope area under the M3D-C1 calculated RMPs; and that (iv) the stochastic electron heat-transport rate around the magnetic separatrix surface is much lower than the prediction by Rechester–Rosenbluth (1978 Phys. Rev. Lett. 40 38–41) and is qualitatively consistent with the experimentally observed rate. Detailed kinetic physics analysis on how the transport fluxes, electrostatic potential perturbation, and -well structure respond to onset of RMPs is also reported.

• Research Organization: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-09CH11466; FC02-04ER54698; AC02-06CH11357; AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 1564081
• Journal Information: Nuclear Fusion, Journal Name: Nuclear Fusion Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 59; ISSN 0029-5515
• Publisher: IOP ScienceCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English