Edge radial electric field studies via charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak

It is commonly accepted that ExB velocity shear is responsible for the suppression of edge turbulence, which reduces the losses of both energy and particles across magnetic field lines and results in the formation of edge transport barriers and high-confinement mode (H-mode) in tokamak plasmas. However, the self consistent evolution of the radial electric field profile (Er), pedestal shape and improvement in plasma confinement is not well understood. A better understanding of pedestal physics and the interplay between Er, turbulence suppression and pedestal formation should enable better control of edge transport and improve core confinement. A new, high-resolution, charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CXRS) diagnostic has been installed on Alcator C-Mod to provide measurements of the B5+ population in the pedestal region. This diagnostic is capable of measuring the boron temperature, density, and poloidal and toroidal velocity with 3mm radial resolution and 5ms temporal resolution. These profiles, coupled with knowledge of the toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields, enable the determination of the edge radial electric field through the radial force balance equation. The new CXRS diagnostic has provided the first spatially resolved calculations of the radial electric field in the C-Mod edge and has made possible significant contributions to the study of pedestal physics. Detailed measurements of the boron population have been made in a variety of plasma regimes. The measured rotation profiles connect the SOL and core measurements and are consistent with both. The CXRS boron temperature profiles are observed to agree well with the Thomson Scattering electron temperature profiles in bothl shape and magnitude over a wide range of collisionalities. In H-mode plasmas both the boron temperature and density profiles form clear pedestals, similar to what is observed in the electron channel. The edge toroidal rotation increases in the concurrent direction at the onset of H-mode confinement and the poloidal rotation in the pedestal region increases in the electron diamagnetic direction forming a narrow

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• McDermott, R. M.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Bruce Lipschultz and Ian H. Hutchinson.

• Nuclear Science and Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/54462

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/54462