Overview of the Alcator C-MOD Research Program

Abstract

Recent research on the high-field, high-density diverted Alcator C-MOD tokamak has focussed on the plasma physics and plasma engineering required for ITER and for attractive fusion reactors. Experimental campaigns over the past two years have focused on understanding the physical mechanisms that affect the plasma performance realized with all-molybdenum walls versus walls with low-Z coatings. RF sheath rectification along flux tubes that intersect the RF antenna is found to be a major cause of localized boron erosion and impurity generation. Initial lower-hybrid current drive (LHCD) experiments (PLH < 900 kW) have demonstrated fully noninductive current drive at Ιρ ~ 1.0 MA with good efficiency, Ιdrive = 0.4PLH/neoR (MA,MW,1020m−3,m). Disruption mitigation via massive gas-jet impurity puffing has proven successful at high plasma pressure, indicating this technique has promise for implementation on ITER. Pressure gradients in the near SOL of Ohmic L-mode plasmas are observed to scale consistently as Ι 2(over)ρ, and show a significant dependence on X-point topology. Modeling of H-mode edge fueling indicates high self-screening to neutrals in the pedestal and scrape-off layer (SOL), and reproduces experimental density pedestal response to changes in neutral source. Detailed measurements of the temperature and density profiles in the near sol and fast framing movies of the turbulent structures provide improved understanding of the mechanisms that control transport in the edge region