Core magnetic islands and plasma confinement in the H-1NF heliac
Date
2010
Authors
Kumar, Santhosh T. A.
Blackwell, Boyd D.
Howard, John
Harris, Jeffrey H.
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Volume Title
Publisher
American Institute of Physics (AIP)
Abstract
Plasma confinement in the vicinity of vacuum magnetic islands near the magnetic axis in the H-1NF heliac [S. M. Hamberger et al., Fusion Technol.17, 123 (1990)] has been experimentally studied in a low temperature argon plasma. Experimental results indicate that, under favorable conditions, these low order (m=2)islands near the core of the plasma serve as “pockets” of higher electron density. This results in significant profile modifications including enhancement of the core radial electric field to a large positive value, possibly through an electron-root ambipolar condition. The characteristics of islands are found to be dependent on the plasma collisionality and island width.
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Keywords: Ambipolar; Argon plasmas; Electron densities; Favorable conditions; Low order; Low temperatures; Magnetic axis; Magnetic island; Plasma collisionality; Positive value; Profile modification; Radial electric field; Argon; Electric fields; Plasma confinement
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Source
Physics of Plasmas
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Journal article
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