Experimental Evidence of Intermittent Convection in the Edge of Magnetic Confinement Devices

G. Y. Antar; S. I. Krasheninnikov; P. Devynck; R. P. Doerner; E. M. Hollmann; J. A. Boedo; S. C. Luckhardt; R. W. Conn

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.065001

Experimental Evidence of Intermittent Convection in the Edge of Magnetic Confinement Devices

G. Y. Antar, S. I. Krasheninnikov, P. Devynck, R. P. Doerner, E. M. Hollmann, J. A. Boedo, S. C. Luckhardt, and R. W. Conn

Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 065001 – Published 23 July 2001

Abstract

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.

Received 25 January 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.065001

Authors & Affiliations

G. Y. Antar¹, S. I. Krasheninnikov¹, P. Devynck², R. P. Doerner¹, E. M. Hollmann¹, J. A. Boedo¹, S. C. Luckhardt¹, and R. W. Conn¹

¹Fusion Energy Research Program, University of California–San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0417
²DRFC Association CEA-Euratom, CEA-Cadarache, 13108 St-Paul-lez-Durance, France