Energy confinement comparable with tokamak quality is achieved in the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) reversed field pinch (RFP) at a high beta and low toroidal magnetic field. Magnetic fluctuations normally present in the RFP are reduced via parallel current drive in the outer region of the plasma. In response, the electron temperature nearly triples and beta doubles. The confinement time increases tenfold (to ∼10 ms), which is comparable with Land H-mode scaling values for a tokamak with the same plasma current, density, heating power, size and shape. Runaway electron confinement is evidenced by a 100-fold increase in hard x-ray bremsstrahlung. Fokker-Planck modelling of the x-ray energy spectrum reveals that the high energy electron diffusion is independent of the parallel velocity, uncharacteristic of magnetic transport and more like that for electrostatic turbulence. The high core electron temperature correlates strongly with a broadband reduction of resonant modes at mid-radius where the stochasticity is normally most intense. To extend profile control and add auxiliary heating, rf current drive and neutral beam heating are in development. Low power lower-hybrid and electron Bernstein wave injection experiments are underway. Dc current sustainment via ac helicity injection (sinusoidal inductive loop voltages) is also being tested. Low power neutral beam injection shows that fast ions are well-confined, even in the presence of relatively large magnetic fluctuations.

A new second harmonic heterodyne electron cyclotron emission system with high spatial resolution (⩽15 mm) and a large number of channels (32) for dense profile coverage will be installed on Alcator C-Mod. The system will provide detailed radial electron temperature profiles and core temperature fluctuation measurements. The collection system is composed of elliptical and parabolic mirrors coupled to two overmoded waveguides to provide high poloidal spatial resolution necessary for T̃e measurements. Four radiometer sections cover the frequency range of 234–306 GHz, coupled to four optimized intermediate frequency modules with eight channels of detectors, amplifiers, dividers, and filters providing the profile information. A separate filter arrangement allows for temperature fluctuation measurements utilizing correlation techniques.

Oscillating-field current drive (OFCD) is a steady-state magnetic helicity injection method to drive net toroidal current in a plasma by applying oscillating poloidal and toroidal loop voltages. OFCD is added to standard toroidal induction to produce about 10% of the total current in the Madison symmetric torus. The dependence of the added current on the phase between the two applied voltages is measured. Maximum current does not occur at the phase of the maximum helicity injection rate. Effects of OFCD on magnetic fluctuations and dissipated power are shown.