Nonlinear stabilization of tokamak microturbulence by fast ions.

Nonlinear electromagnetic stabilization by suprathermal pressure gradients found in specific regimes is shown to be a key factor in reducing tokamak microturbulence, augmenting significantly the thermal pressure electromagnetic stabilization. Based on nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations investigating a set of ion heat transport experiments on the JET tokamak, described by Mantica et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 135004 (2011)], this result explains the experimentally observed ion heat flux and stiffness reduction. These findings are expected to improve the extrapolation of advanced tokamak scenarios to reactor relevant regimes.

Convective velocity reversal caused by turbulence transition in tokamak plasma.

Particle transport has been studied in the Tore Supra tokamak by using modulated ion cyclotron resonance heating to generate perturbations of density and temperature. For the first time, a reversal of the particle convective velocity and a strong increase in the turbulent particle flux have been clearly observed. When the mixed critical gradient ζc=R/L(T)+4(R/L(n))=22 is exceeded, the particle flux increases sharply and the convective velocity reverses from inward to outward. These observations are in agreement with quasilinear, gyrokinetic calculations. The critical gradient corresponds to a transition from an instability driven by the ion temperature gradient to the onset of another instability caused by trapped electrons.

Experimental electron temperature gradient dependence of heavy impurity transport in fusion devices.

The turbulent impurity (nickel) transport dependence on the normalized electron temperature gradient has been analyzed in sawtooth-free electron cyclotron wave heated Tore Supra plasmas. In the core, our experimental analysis shows that the lower R/L((T)(e)), the lower the nickel diffusion coefficient. The latter decreases until the instability threshold is reached. The experimental threshold is in agreement with the one computed by a gyrokinetic model. Further out, R/L((T)(e)) plays no role in the impurity diffusion. This set of experimental results is consistent with a quasilinear gyrokinetic analysis.

Turbulence in the TORE SUPRA tokamak: measurements and validation of nonlinear simulations.

Turbulence measurements in TORE SUPRA tokamak plasmas have been quantitatively compared to predictions by nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations. For the first time, numerical results simultaneously match within experimental uncertainty (a) the magnitude of effective heat diffusivity, (b) rms values of density fluctuations, and (c) wave-number spectra in both the directions perpendicular to the magnetic field. Moreover, the nonlinear simulations help to revise as an instrumental effect the apparent experimental evidence of strong turbulence anisotropy at spatial scales of the order of ion-sound Larmor radius.

Parametric dependence of turbulent particle transport in tore supra plasmas.

Steady state full noninductive current tore supra plasmas offer a unique opportunity to study the local parametric dependence of particle pinch velocity, in order to discriminate among different theories. Magnetic field shear is found to generate an inward pinch which is dominant in the gradient region (normalized radius 0.3

Particle pinch with fully noninductive lower hybrid current drive in Tore Supra.

Recently, plasmas exceeding 4 min have been obtained with lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) in Tore Supra. These LHCD plasmas extend for over 80 times the resistive current diffusion time with zero loop voltage. Under such unique conditions the neoclassical particle pinch driven by the toroidal electric field vanishes. Nevertheless, the density profile remains peaked for more than 4 min. For the first time, the existence of an inward particle pinch in steady-state plasma without toroidal electric field, much larger than the value predicted by the collisional neoclassical theory, is experimentally demonstrated.

Experimental determination of critical threshold in electron transport on Tore Supra.

In Tore Supra plasmas with fast wave electron heating, a critical threshold in the electron temperature gradient (inverted DeltaT(e)) is clearly observed, i.e., a finite value of inverted DeltaT(e) for which the turbulent heat diffusivity vanishes. The radial profile of this critical gradient is experimentally determined from a set of discharges characterized by similar plasma parameters with fast wave powers ranging from 0.75 to 7.4 MW. The dependence of the electron heat flux on the gradient length is found to be offset linearly. The offset term increases linearly with the ratio of the local magnetic shear to the safety factor.

Internal transport barrier with ion-cyclotron-resonance minority heating on tore supra

Recently, reversed magnetic shear operation was performed using only ion-cyclotron-resonance frequency minority heating (ICRH) during current ramp-up. A wide region of reversed magnetic shear has been obtained. For the first time, an electron internal transport barrier sustained by ICRH is observed, with a dramatical drop of density fluctuations. This barrier was maintained, on the current flat top, for about 2 s.