Radio-frequency measurements of energetic-electron-driven emissions using high-frequency magnetic probe on XuanLong-50 spherical torus

A high-frequency magnetic probe is designed and developed on the XuanL ong-50(EXL-50)spherical torus to measure high-frequency magnetic field fluctuation.The magnetic loop,radio filters,radio-frequency limiter,and data acquisition system of the probe are comprehensively examined.The fluctuation data from the EXL-50 plasma are analyzed in the time–frequency domain using fast Fourier transforms.Moreover,distinct high-frequency instabilities are detected using this diagnostic system.In particular,significant frequency chirping is observed,which is consistent with the bumpon-tail drive instability predicted using the Berk–Breizman model.

Effects of vacuum magnetic field region on the compact torus trajectory in a tokamak plasma

The trajectory of the compact torus(CT)within a tokamak discharge is crucial to fueling.In this study,we developed a penetration model with a vacuum magnetic field region to accurately determine CT trajectories in tokamak discharges.This model was used to calculate the trajectory and penetration parameters of CT injections by applying both perpendicular and tangential injection schemes in both HL-2A and ITER tokamaks.For perpendicular injection along the tokamak's major radius direction from the outboard,CTs with the same injection parameters exhibited a 0.08 reduction in relative penetration depth when injected into HL-2A and a 0.13reduction when injected into ITER geometry when considering the vacuum magnetic field region compared with cases where this region was not considered.In addition,we proposed an optimization method for determining the CT's initial injection velocity to accurately calculate the initial injection velocity of CTs for central fueling in tokamaks.Furthermore,this paper discusses schemes for the tangential injection of CT into tokamak discharges.The optimal injection angle and CT magnetic moment direction for injection into both HL-2A and ITER were determined through numerical simulations.Finally,the kinetic energy loss occurring when the CT penetrated the vacuum magnetic field region in ITER was reduced byΔEk=975.08 J by optimizing the injection angle for the CT injected into ITER.These results provide valuable insights for optimizing injection angles in fusion experiments.Our model closely represents actual experimental scenarios and can assist the design of CT parameters.

Polarimeter–interferometer diagnostic using terahertz solid-state sources for fluctuation measurements on Keda Torus e Xperiment(KTX)

A multi-channel polarimeter-interferometer has been developed on the Keda Torus eXperiment(KTX)for the study of equilibrium dynamics and internal magnetic fluctuations.A three-wave technique based on terahertz solid-state sources(-650 GHz)is applied for simultaneous measurements of electron density and Faraday rotation angle.The output power of the microwave source is 2 mW.Faraday rotation effect using a rotating wave plate is tested with phase noise less than 0.8°,and the density phase noise is less than 0.9°.Measurement of Faraday rotation angle and density for discharges on KTX have demonstrated high sensitivity to internal MHD activities.

Comparison of transport coefficients before and after density pump-out induced by resonant magnetic perturbation using a BOUT++ six-field model on the EAST tokamak

Many experiments have demonstrated that resonant magnetic perturbation(RMP) can affect the turbulent transport at the edge of the tokamak. Through the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST) density modulation experiment, the particle transport coefficients were calculated using the experimental data, and the result shows that the particle transport coefficients increase with RMP. In this study, the six-field two-fluid model in BOUT++ is used to simulate the transport before and after density pump-out induced by RMP,respectively referred as the case without RMP and the case with RMP. In the linear simulations,the instabilities generally decreases for cases with RMP. In the nonlinear simulation, ELM only appears in the case without RMP. Additionally, the particle transport coefficient was analyzed,and the result shows that the particle transport coefficient becomes larger for the case with RMP,which is consistent with the experimental conclusion. Moreover, its magnitude is comparable to the results calculated from experimental data.

Blob properties in I-mode and ELM-free H-mode compared to L-mode on EAST

The blob properties in I-mode and ELM-free H-mode plasmas compared to L-mode have been investigated on the EAST tokamak,including the blob detection rate Nb,sizeδb,lifetimeτb and radial velocity vr,b.The blob properties in L-mode and I-mode are similar,and those in ELM-free H-mode are different to them.The blob Nbis smaller whileτbis larger in H-mode.The experimental blob sizeδband velocity scalings vr,b-δb show a good agreement with the theoretical models.The variation in blob properties during the L-I and H-L transitions,and their relations to the scrape-off layer(SOL)density,edge and SOL turbulence,and SOL collisionality are discussed.The suppression of the edge(inside the last closed flux surface)turbulence is not reflected in the blob behavior,while the blob detection rate shows a correlation with the SOL density and its low-frequency(3–50 kH z)fluctuations.In addition,the blob detection rate is found to increase with the divertor collisionalityΛdiv,indicating a dependence of blob behavior onΛdiv.The differences in blob detection rates among the three operating regimes might be due to their different SOL densities and collisionalities.The investigation contributes to understanding the influences of edge and SOL plasma parameters on the blob behavior.

Investigation of phase modulation and propagation-route effect from unmatched large-scale structures for Doppler reflectometry measurement through 2D full-wave modeling

To interpret the common symmetric peaks caused by the large-scale structure in the complex S(f)spectrum from the heterodyne Doppler reflectometry(DR)measurement in EAST,a 2D circular-shaped O-mode full-wave model based on the finite-difference time-domain method is built.The scattering characteristics and the influences on the DR signal from various scales are investigated.When the structure is located around the cutoff layer,a moving radial or poloidal large-scale structure k_(θ)k_(θ),match(k_(θ),match is the theoretic wavenumber of Bragg scattering)could both generate an oscillation phase term called‘phase modulation’,and symmetrical peaks in the complex S(f)spectrum.It was found that the image-rejection ratio A_(−1)/A_(+1)(A_(±1)represents the amplitudes of±1 order modulation peaks)could be a feasible indicator for experiment comparison.In the case when the structure is near the cutoff layer with the same arrangement as the experiment for the edge DR channel,the curve of A_(−1)/A_(+1)versus kθcan be divided into three regions,weak asymmetrical range with k_(θ)/k_(0)0.15(k_(0)is the vacuum wavenumber),harmonics range with 0.15k_(θ)/k_(0)0.4,and Bragg scattering range of 0.4k_(θ)/k_(0)0.7.In the case when the structure is located away from the cutoff layer,the final complex S(f)spectrum is the simple superimposing of modulation and Bragg scattering,and the modulation peaks have an amplitude response nearly proportional to the local density fluctuation,called the‘propagationroute effect’.Under the H-mode experiment arrangement for the core DR,a critical fluctuation amplitude Amp(n_(e,Mod.@route))/Amp(n_(e,Tur.@MSA)∼1.3–4.1(Amp(n_(e,Mod.@route))refers to the pedestal large-scale structure amplitude and Amp(ne,Tur.@MSA)refers to turbulence amplitude at the main scattering area)is needed for the structure in the pedestal to be observed by the core DR measurement.The simulations are well consistent with the experimental results.These effects need to be carefully considered during the DR signal analyses as the injecting beam passes through the plasma region with large-scale structures.

Comparison of methods for turbulence Doppler frequency shift calculation in Doppler reflectometer

The Doppler reflectometer(DR),a powerful diagnostic for the plasma perpendicular velocity(u⊥)and turbulence measurement,has been widely used in various fusion devices.Many efforts have been put into extracting the Doppler shift from the DR signal.There are several commonly used methods for Doppler shift extraction,such as the phase derivative,the center of gravity,and symmetric fitting(SFIT).However,the strong zero-order reflection component around 0 kHz may interfere with the calculation of the Doppler shift.To avoid the influence of the zerofrequency peak,the asymmetric fitting(AFIT)method was designed to calculate the Doppler shift.Nevertheless,the AFIT method may lead to an unacceptable error when the Doppler shift is relatively small compared to the half width at half maximum(HWHM).Therefore,an improved method,which can remove the zero-frequency peak and fit the remaining Doppler peak with a Gaussian function,is devised to extract the Doppler shift.This method can still work reliably whether the HWHM is larger than the Doppler shift or not.

Design of the poloidal field system for KTX

The design of the poloidal field （PF） system includes the ohmic heating field system and the equilibrium （EQ） field system, and is the basis for the design of a magnetic confinement fusion device. A coupling between the poloidal and plasma currents, especially the eddy current in the stabilizing shell, yields design difficulties. The effects of the eddy current in the stabilizing shell on the poloidal magnetic field also cannot be ignored. A new PF system design is thus proposed. By using a low-μ material （μ = 0.001, ε = 1） instead of a conductive shell, an electromagnetic model is established that can provide a continuous eddy current distribution on the conductive shell. In this model, a 3D time-domain problem with shells translates into a 2D magnetostatic problem, and the accuracy of the calculation is improved. Based on these current distributions, we design the PF system and analyze how the EQ coils and conductive shell affect the plasma EQ when the plasma ramps up. To meet the mainframe design requirements and achieve an efficient power-supply design, the position and connection of the poloidal coils are optimized further.

The theoretical study on intermittency and propagation of geodesic acoustic mode in L-mode discharge near tokamak edge

Through a systematically developed theory,we demonstrate that the motion of Instanton identified in Zhang et al(2017 Phys.Plasmas 24122304)is highly correlated to the intermittent excitation and propagation of geodesic acoustic mode(GAM)that is observed in tokamaks.While many numerical simulations have observed the phenomena,it is the first theory that reveals the physical mechanism behind GAM intermittent excitation and propagation.The preceding work is based on the micro-turbulence associated with toroidal ion temperature gradient mode,and slab-based phenomenological model of zonal flow.When full toroidal effect is introduced into the system,two branches of zonal flow emerge:the torus-modified low frequency zonal flow(TLFZF),and GAM,necessitating a unified exploration of GAM and TLFZF.Indeed,we observe that the transition from the Caviton to Instanton is triggered by a rapid zero-crossing of radial group velocity of drift wave and is found to be strongly correlated with the GAM onset.Many features peculiar to intermittent GAMs,observed in real machines,are thus identified in the numerical experiment.The results will be displayed in figures and in a movie;first for single central rational surface,and then with coupled multiple central rational surfaces.The periodic bursting first shown disappears as being replaced by irregular one,more similar to the intermittent characteristics observed in GAM experiments.

The investigation of quasi coherent mode on EAST using Doppler reflectometry

An electrostatic Quasi coherent mode has been observed in density fluctuations and perpendicular velocity fluctuations with the frequency range of 3–80 k Hz on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak using multi-channel Doppler reflectometry.It appears in the edge localized mode(ELM)-free period after L-H transition or in the inter-ELM period.The mode rotates almost together with the plasma with the poloidal wave number around 0.6cm-1 and its frequency chirps with plasma poloidal velocity.The mode can exist in a large radial coverage(ρ=0.75–0.98),and peaks near the top of pedestal,suggesting that it might be excited in the steep gradient pedestal region,and spread into the core area.

Zonal flow energy ratio evolution during L-H and H-L transitions in EAST plasmas

The essential role of zonal flow in the L-H transition and the suppression of turbulence have been studied with a long range correlation technique using Langmuir probe arrays in EAST tokamak.Two toroidally localized probe arrays are used to measure the zonal flow during L-H transition and H-L back transition.The energy ratio of the low frequency zonal flow to the total drift wave turbulence is calculated.During ELM-free H mode,the energy ratio is higher than that in L mode,which reveals the important role of zonal flows in regulating turbulence amplitude in L-H transition.

Edge localized modes suppression via edge E × B velocity shear induced by RF sheath of ion cyclotron resonance heating in EAST

The control of large edge localized modes(ELMs) is a critical issue for the successful operation of future burning plasma devices,such as the international thermonuclear experimental reactor(ITER) and China fusion engineering test reactor(CFETR). In this paper, we present a new active and effective means of ELM suppression using ion cyclotron resonant heating(ICRH) on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak(EAST). We obtained the key role of the external E × B velocity shear near the pedestal top and the scrape-off-layer(SOL) induced by the RF sheath potential of ICRH in ELM suppression. The experimental results showed a positive correlation between the RF sheath and the E × B shear rate in SOL. BOUT++ simulations indicate that increased E × B velocity shear rates in the pedestal and SOL regions promote ELM suppression;thereby, supporting the experimental observations on EAST. These findings suggest a new simple approach to access the ELM suppressed regimes in plasma with low torque input as ITER baseline discharges.