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Register a new userImpact of Resonant Magnetic Perturbations on Zonal Modes, Drift-Wave Turbulence and the L-H Transition Threshold
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We study the effects of Resonant Magnetic Perturbations (RMPs) on turbulence, flows and confinement in the framework of resistive drift-wave turbulence. This work was motivated, in parts, by experiments reported at the IAEA 2010 conference [Y. Xu {it et al}, Nucl. Fusion textbf{51}, 062030] which showed a decrease of long-range correlations during the application of RMPs. We derive and apply a zero-dimensional predator-prey model coupling the Drift-Wave Zonal Mode system [M. Leconte and P.H. Diamond, Phys. Plasmas textbf{19}, 055903] to the evolution of mean quantities. This model has both density gradient drive and RMP amplitude as control parameters and predicts a novel type of transport bifurcation in the presence of RMPs. This model allows a description of the full L-H transition evolution with RMPs, including the mean sheared flow evolution. The key results are: i) The L-I and I-H power thresholds emph{both} increase with RMP amplitude $|bx|$, the relative increase of the L-I threshold scales as $Delta P_{rm LI} propto |bx|^2 u_*^{-2} gyro^{-2}$, where $ u_*$ is edge collisionality and $gyro$ is the sound gyroradius. ii) RMPs are predicted to emph{decrease} the hysteresis between the forward and back-transition. iii) Taking into account the mean density evolution, the density profile - sustained by the particle source - has an increased turbulent diffusion compared with the reference case without RMPs which provides one possible explanation for the emph{density pump-out} effect.
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The impact of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) on the power required to access H-mode is examined experimentally on MAST. Applying RMP in n=2,3,4 and 6 configurations causes significant delays to the timing of the L-H transition at low applied fields and prevents the transition at high fields. The experiment was primarily performed at RMP fields sufficient to cause moderate increases in ELM frequency, f mitigated/f natural~3. To obtain H-mode with RMPs at this field, an increase of injected beam power is required of at least 50% for n=3 and n=4 RMP and 100% for n=6 RMP. In terms of power threshold, this corresponds to increases of at least 20% for n=3 and n=4 RMPs and 60% for n=6 RMPs. This RMP affected power threshold is found to increase with RMP magnitude above a certain minimum perturbed field, below which there is no impact on the power threshold. Extrapolations from these results indicate large increases in the L-H power threshold will be required for discharges requiring large mitigated ELM frequency.
In plasma turbulence theory, due to the complexity of the system with many non-linearly interacting waves, the dynamics of the phases is often disregarded and the so-called random-phase approximation (RPA) is used assuming the existence of a Chirikov-like criterion for the onset of wave stochasticity. The dynamical amplitudes are represented as complex numbers, $psi = psi_r + ipsi_i = ae^{itheta}$, with the amplitudes slowly varying whereas the phases are rapidly varying and, in particular, distributed uniformly over the interval $[0;2pi)$. However, one could expect that the phase dynamics can play a role in the self-organisation and the formation of coherent structures. In the same manner it is also expected that the RPA falls short to take coherent interaction between phases into account. In this work therefore, we studied the role of phase dynamics and the coupling of phases between different modes on the characteristic time evolution of the turbulent. We assume a simple turbulent system where the so-called stochastic oscillator model can be employed. The idea of interpreting turbulence by stochastic oscillators. The stochastic oscillator models can be derived from radical simplifications of the nonlinear terms in the Navier-Stokes or Gyro-Kinetic equations. In this particular case we adopt the basic equation for the stochastic oscillator model with passive advection and random forcing from Ref.
The Dupree-Weinstock renormalization is used to prove that a reactive closure exists for drift wave turbulence in magnetized plasmas. The result is used to explain recent results in gyrokinetic simulations and is also related to the Mattor-Parker closure. The level of closure is found in terms of applied external sources.
Sustained ELM mitigation has been achieved using RMPs with a toroidal mode number of n=4 and n=6 in lower single null and with n=3 in connected double null plasmas on MAST. The ELM frequency increases by up to a factor of eight with a similar reduction in ELM energy loss. A threshold current for ELM mitigation is observed above which the ELM frequency increases approximately linearly with current in the coils. A comparison of the filament structures observed during the ELMs in the natural and mitigated stages shows that the mitigated ELMs have the characteristics of type I ELMs even though their frequency is higher, their energy loss is reduced and the pedestal pressure gradient is decreased. During the ELM mitigated stage clear lobe structures are observed in visible-light imaging of the X-point region. The size of these lobes is correlated with the increase in ELM frequency observed. The RMPs produce a clear 3D distortion to the plasma and it is likely that these distortions explain why ELMs are destabilised and hence why ELM mitigation occurs.
The application of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) produces splitting of the divertor strike point due to the interaction of the RMP field and the plasma field. The application of a rotating RMP field causes the strike point splitting to rotate, distributing the particle and heat flux evenly over the divertor. The RMP coils in MAST have been used to generate a rotating perturbation with a toroidal mode number n=3. The ELM frequency is doubled with the application of the RMP rotating field, whilst maintaining the H mode. During mitigation, the ELM peak heat flux is seen to be reduced by 50% for a halving in the ELM energy and motion of the strike point, consistent with the rotation of the applied RMP field, is seen using high spatial resolution (1.5mm at the target) heat flux profiles measured using infrared (IR) thermography.
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