The I-mode confinement regime at ASDEX Upgrade: global propert ies and characterization of strongly intermittent density fluctuations

Properties of the I­mode confinement regime on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak are summarized. A weak dependence of the power threshold for the L­I transition on the toroidal magnetic field strength is found. During improved confinement, the edge radial electric field well deepens. Stability calculations show that the I­mode pedestal is peeling­ballooning stable. Turbulence investigations reveal strongly intermittent density fluctuations linked to the weakly coherent mode in the confined plasma, which become stronger as the confinement quality increases. Across all investigated structure sizes ( ≈ ⊥ k 5 – 12 cm − 1 , with ⊥ k the perpendicular wavenumber of turbulent density fluctuations), the intermittent turbulence bursts are observed. Comparison with bolometry data shows that they move poloidally toward the X­point and finally end up in the divertor. This might be indicative that they play a role in inhibiting the density profile growth, such that no pedestal is formed in the edge density profile.European Union (EUROfusion 633053)European Union (EUROfusion AWP15­ENR­09/IPP­02

Observation of exponential spectra and Lorentzian pulses in the TJ-K stellarator

An experimental investigation of the low-frequency density fluctuations in the plasma edge region of the TJ-K stellarator [N. Krause et al., Rev. Sci. Inst. 73, 3474 (2002)] finds that the ensemble- averaged frequency spectra exhibit a near exponential frequency dependence whose origin can be traced to individual pulses having a Lorentzian temporal shape. Similar features have been previously observed [D. C. Pace et al., Phys. Plasmas 15, 122304 (2008)] in a linear magnetized device under conditions in which cross-field pressure gradients are present. The reported observation of such features within the turbulent environment of a toroidal confinement device provides support for the conjecture that the underlying processes are a general feature of pressure gradients. Also presented is the magnetic field strength dependence of the pulse widths and the waiting time distribution between pulses