Low Threshold Parametric Decay Instabilities in ECRH experiments at toroidal devices

The experimental conditions leading to substantial reduction of backscattering decay instability threshold in ECRH experiments in toroidal devices are analyzed. It is shown that drastic decrease of threshold is provided by non monotonic behaviour of plasma density, which is often observed due to so-called density-pump-out effect or presence of magnetic islands, and by poloidal magnetic field inhomogeniety making possible localization of ion Bernstein decay waves. The corresponding ion Bernstein wave gain and the parametric decay instability pump power threshold is calculated. The possible experimental consequences of easy backscattering decay instability excitation are discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Nuclear Fusio

The chaos control in parametric decay instability of stimulated backscattering by a pump frequency modulation

The chaotic behavior of nonlinear three-wave system in which the inhomogeneous plasma absolute parametric decay instability of stimulated backscattering l → l’ + s is excited is investigated. The possibility of transition threewave system from chaotic to regular behavior under influence of pump frequency modulation is demonstrated experimentally.Нелінійна трихвильова система, що приводить до абсолютної параметричної нестійкості змушеного розсіювання назад у неоднорідній замагніченій плазмі досліджується щодо стану динамічного хаосу. Експериментально продемонстровано перехід трихвольової системи зі стану хаотичного поводження в регулярне за допомогою гармонійної частотної модуляції хвилі накачування.Нелинейная трехволновая система, приводящая к абсолютной параметрической неустойчивости вынужденного рассеяния назад в неоднородной замагниченной плазме исследуется относительно состояния динамического хаоса. Экпериментально продемонстрирован переход трехволновой системы из состояния хаотического поведения в регулярное с помощью гармонической частотной модуляции волны накачки

Implementation of correlative enhanced scattering diagnostics of small scale plasma turbulence at the FT-2 tokamak

In this paper the first results of implementation of CES diagnostics at the FT-2 tokamak possessing much more developed set of standard tokamak diagnostics are presented

Plasma rotation diagnostics at the FT-2 tokamak based on the upper hybrid resonance backscattering enhanced doppler effect

Observations of enhanced Doppler frequency shift effect of the highly localized microwave backscattering in the upper hybrid resonance are reported. The experiment is performed at FT-2 tokamak, where a steerable focusing antenna set, allowing off equatorial plane plasma extraordinary wave probing from high magnetic field side, was installed. A separate line less than 1.5 MHz wide and shifted by up to 2 MHz is routinely observed in the backscattering spectrum under condition of accessible upper hybrid resonance. The enhanced frequency shift is explained by the growth of poloidal wave number of the probing wave in the resonance. Development of a new scheme for local diagnostics of fluctuations poloidal rotation based on this effect is started.У статті описуються спостереження посиленого ефекту Доплера в спектрі сигналу розсіяного назад у верхньому гібридному резонансі зондувальної хвилі. Експеримент виконаний на токамаці ФТ-2, на якому недавно були встановлені рухливі антени, що дозволяють здійснювати зондування плазми електромагнітними хвилями в незвичайній поляризації з боку сильного магнітного поля. За умови доступного верхнього гібридного резонансу в спектрі розсіювання спостерігалася лінія шириною менш 1.5 МГц, зрушена до 2 МГц. Ефект пояснений ростом полоідального хвильового числа зондувальної хвилі в резонансі. Почато розвиток нової схеми локальної діагностики обертання плазмових флуктуацій, заснованої на цьому ефекті.В статье описываются наблюдения усиленного эффекта Доплера в спектре сигнала рассеянного назад в верхнем гибридном резонансе зондирующей волны. Эксперимент выполнен на токамаке ФТ-2, на котором недавно были установлены подвижные антенны, позволяющие осуществлять зондирование плазмы электромагнитными волнами в необыкновенной поляризации со стороны сильного магнитного поля. При условии доступного верхнего гибридного резонанса в спектре рассеяния наблюдалась линия шириной менее 1.5 МГц, сдвинутая до 2 МГц. Эффект объяснён ростом полоидального волнового числа зондирующей волны в резонансе. Начато развитие новой схемы локальной диагностики вращения плазменных флуктуаций, основанной на этом эффекте

Kinetic simulations of X-B and O-X-B mode conversion and its deterioration at high input power

Spherical tokamak plasmas are typically overdense and thus inaccessible to externally-injected microwaves in the electron cyclotron range. The electrostatic electron Bernstein wave (EBW), however, provides a method to access the plasma core for heating and diagnostic purposes. Understanding the details of the coupling process to electromagnetic waves is thus important both for the interpretation of microwave diagnostic data and for assessing the feasibility of EBW heating and current drive. While the coupling is reasonably well-understood in the linear regime, nonlinear physics arising from high input power has not been previously quantified. To tackle this problem, we have performed one- and two-dimensional fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations of the two possible coupling mechanisms, namely X-B and O-X-B mode conversion. We find that the ion dynamics has a profound effect on the field structure in the nonlinear regime, as high amplitude short-scale oscillations of the longitudinal electric field are excited in the region below the high-density cut-off prior to the arrival of the EBW. We identify this effect as the instability of the X wave with respect to resonant scattering into an EBW and a lower-hybrid wave. We calculate the instability rate analytically and find this basic theory to be in reasonable agreement with our simulation results

Role of turbulence and electric fields in the establishment of improved confinement in tokamak plasmas

An extensive (INTAS) research programme started in 2002 to investigate the correlations between on the one hand the occurrence of transport barriers and improved confinement in the medium-size tokamaks TEXTOR and T-10 and on the smaller tokamaks FT-2, TUMAN-3M and CASTOR, and on the other hand electric fields, modified magnetic shear and electrostatic and magnetic turbulence using advanced diagnostics with high spatial and temporal resolution and of various active means to externally control plasma transport . This has been done in a strongly coordinated way and exploiting the complementarity of TEXTOR and T-10 and the backup potential of the three other tokamaks, which together have all the relevant experimental tools and theoretical expertise

Anomalous phenomena in ECRH experiments at toroidal devices and low-threshold parametric decay instabilities

In the paper the possibility of total 3D trapping of electron Bernstein (EB) waves in the tokamak equatorial plane in the vicinity of the local density maximum produced by electron pump-out-effect is demonstrated. Thresholds and growth rates of the associated absolute (temporally growing) parametric decay instability (PDI) leading to anomalous absorption is predicted in the range of less than 100 kW. Its possible role in explanation of ion acceleration observed in ECRH experiments as well as in redistribution of the deposited power is discussed

Anomalous phenomena in ECRH experiments at toroidal devices and low-threshold parametric decay instabilities

In the paper the possibility of total 3D trapping of electron Bernstein (EB) waves in the tokamak equatorial plane in the vicinity of the local density maximum produced by electron pump-out-effect is demonstrated. Thresholds and growth rates of the associated absolute (temporally growing) parametric decay instability (PDI) leading to anomalous absorption is predicted in the range of less than 100 kW. Its possible role in explanation of ion acceleration observed in ECRH experiments as well as in redistribution of the deposited power is discussed