Large Type-I Edge Localized Modes (ELMs) are completely eliminated with small n = 3 resonant magnetic perturbations (RMP) in low average triangularity, " = 0.26, plasmas and in ITER Similar Shaped (ISS) plasmas, " = 0.53, with ITER relevant collisionalities v e " # 0.2. Significant differences in the RMP requirements and in the properties of the ELM suppressed plasmas are found when comparing the two triangularities. In ISS plasmas, the current required to suppress ELMs is approximately 25% higher than in low average triangularity plasmas. It is also found that the width of the resonant q 95 window required for ELM suppression is smaller in ISS plasmas than in low average triangularity plasmas. An analysis of the positions and widths of resonant magnetic islands across the pedestal region, in the absence of resonant field screening or a self-consistent plasma response, indicates that differences in the shape of the q profile may explain the need for higher RMP coil currents during ELM suppression in ISS plasmas. Changes in the pedestal profiles are compared for each plasma shape as well as with changes in the injected neutral beam power and the RMP amplitude. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of requirements for optimal ELM control coil designs and for establishing the physics basis needed in order to scale this approach to future burning plasma devices such as ITER.

The 2-D radial vs. poloidal structure and motion of edge turbulence in NSTX were measured by using high-speed imaging of the visible light emission from a localized neutral gas puff. Edge turbulence images are shown and analyzed for Ohmic, L-mode and H-mode plasma conditions. Typical edge turbulence poloidal correlation lengths as measured using this technique are ≈ 4±1 cm and autocorrelation times are 40±20 µsec in all three regimes. The relative fluctuation level is typically smaller in H-mode than in Lmode, and transitions from H-to L-mode and can occur remarkably quickly (≈ 30 µsec). The 2-D images often show localized regions of strong light emission which move both poloidally and radially through the observed region at a typical speed of ≈ 10 5 cm/sec, and sometimes show spatially coherent modes.2

Probe measurements in the PISCES linear device indicate the presence of plasma radially far from where it is produced. We show that this is mainly caused by large-scale structures of plasma with high radial velocity. Data from the Tore Supra tokamak show striking similarities in the shape of these intermittent events as well as the fluctuation density probability distribution and frequency spectrum. The fact that intermittent, large-scale events are so similar in linear devices and tokamaks indicates the universality of convective transport in magnetically confined plasmas.

Reduced model simulations of turbulence in the edge and scrape-off-layer ͑SOL͒ region of a spherical torus or tokamak plasma are employed to address the physics of the scrape-off-layer heat-flux width. The simulation model is an electrostatic two-dimensional fluid turbulence model, applied in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field at the outboard midplane of the torus. The model contains curvature-driven-interchange modes, sheath losses, and both perpendicular turbulent diffusive and convective ͑blob͒ transport. These transport processes compete with classical parallel transport to set the SOL width. Midplane SOL profiles of density, temperature, and parallel heat flux are obtained from the simulation and compared with experimental results from the National Spherical Torus Experiment ͓S. M. Kaye et al., Phys. Plasmas 8, 1977 to study the scaling of the heat-flux width with power and plasma current. It is concluded that midplane turbulence is the main contributor to the SOL heat-flux width for the low power H-mode discharges studied, while additional physics is required to fully explain the plasma current scaling of the SOL heat-flux width observed experimentally in higher power discharges. Intermittent separatrix-spanning convective cells are found to be the main mechanism that sets the near-SOL width in the simulations. The roles of sheared flows and blob trapping versus emission are discussed.

DIII-D experiments on rapid shutdown runaway electron (RE) beams have improved the understanding of the processes involved in RE beam control and dissipation. Improvements in RE beam feedback control have enabled stable confinement of RE beams out to the volt-second limit of the ohmic coil, as well as enabling a ramp down to zero current. Spectroscopic studies of the RE beam have shown that neutrals tend to be excluded from the RE beam centre. Measurements of the RE energy distribution function indicate a broad distribution with mean energy of order several MeV and peak energies of order 30–40 MeV. The distribution function appears more skewed towards low energies than expected from avalanche theory. The RE pitch angle appears fairly directed (θ ∼ 0.2) at high energies and more isotropic at lower energies (ε < 100 keV). Collisional dissipation of RE beam current has been studied by massive gas injection of different impurities into RE beams; the equilibrium assimilation of these injected impurities appears to be reasonably well described by radial pressure balance between neutrals and ions. RE current dissipation following massive impurity injection is shown to be more rapid than expected from avalanche theory—this anomalous dissipation may be linked to enhanced radial diffusion caused by the significant quantity of high-Z impurities (typically argon) in the plasma. The final loss of RE beams to the wall has been studied: it was found that conversion of magnetic to kinetic energy is small for RE loss times smaller than the background plasma ohmic decay time of order 1–2 ms.