Observation of filament-like structures in ELMy H-mode plasma with a VUV imaging system developed on the EAST tokamak

On the EAST tokamak, filament-like structures have been observed in ELMy H-mode discharges with a high-speed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) imaging system. The topos, chronos and their weight can be obtained simultaneously by performing the so-called singular value decomposition (SVD) analysis of raw VUV imaging data. The fluctuation amplitude is observed to be suppressed and enhanced gradually in the edge localized mode (ELM) crash and pedestal recovery phase in the chronos, respectively, while filament-like structures can only be found in the pedestal recovery phase on the topos. The mode structure, i.e. m/n=36/9 (m and n are the poloidal and toroidal mode number, respectively) with ρ₀=0.95, w₀=0.07 (ρ₀and w₀ denote the mode location and mode width, respectively) is derived by a comparison of the synthetic images and the experimental imaging data.     

The Research of EAST Pedestal Structure and Preliminary Application

The pedestal characteristic is an important basis for high confinement mode(Hmode) research. Because of the finite spatial resolution of Thomson scattering(TS) diagnostic on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST), it is necessary to characterize the pedestal with a suitable functional form. Based on simulated and experimental data of EAST,it is shown that the two-line method with a bilinear fitting has better reproducibility of pedestal parameters than hyperbolic tangent(tanh) and modified hyperbolic tangent(mtanh) methods.This method has been applied to EAST type I edge localized mode(ELM) discharges, and the electron pedestal density is found to be proportional to the line-averaged density and the edge pressure gradient is found to be proportional to the pedestal pressure. Furthermore, the ion poloidal gyro-radius has been identified as the suitable parameter to describe the pedestal pressure width.     

Physical design of a new set of high poloidal mode number coils in the EAST tokamak

An external resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) field, which is an effective method to mitigate or suppress the edge localized mode (ELM), has been planned to be applied on the ELM control issue in ITER. A new set of magnetic perturbation coils, named as high m coils, has been developed for the EAST tokamak. The magnetic perturbation field of the high m coils is localized in the midplane of the low field side, with the spectral characteristic of high m and wide n, where m and n are the poloidal and toroidal mode numbers, respectively. The high m coils generate a strong localized perturbation field. Edge magnetic topology under the application of high m coils should have either a small or no stochastic region. With the combination of the high m coils and the current RMP coils in the EAST, flexible working scenarios of the magnetic perturbation field are available, which is beneficial for ELM control exploration on EAST. Numerical simulations have been carried out to characterize the high m coil system, including the magnetic spectrum and magnetic topology, which shows a great flexibility of magnetic perturbation variation as a tool to investigate the interaction between ELM and external magnetic perturbation.     

Two-dimensional vacuum ultraviolet images in different MHD events on the EAST tokamak

A high-speed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) imaging telescope system has been developed to measure the edge plasma emission (including the pedestal region) in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST).The key optics of the high-speed VUV imaging system consists of three parts:an inverse Schwarzschild-type telescope,a micro-channel plate (MCP) and a visible imaging high-speed camera.The VUV imaging system has been operated routinely in the 2016 EAST experiment campaign.The dynamics of the two-dimensional (2D) images of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities,such as edge localized modes (ELMs),tearing-like modes and disruptions,have been observed using this system.The related VUV images are presented in this paper,and it indicates the VUV imaging system is a potential tool which can be applied successfully in various plasma conditions.     

A Tangentially Visible Fast Imaging System on EAST

A tangentially visible imaging system has been developed on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST) to record the full cross-section plasma visible radiation with speed up to 7500 frames per second at full resolution or much faster for a limited number of pixels.The edge localized mode(ELM) filaments during ELM eruptions in H-modes are captured.Using these pictures,the current in the filament is estimated.     

Development of vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy for measuring edge impurity emission in the EAST tokamak

The dominant wavelength range of edge impurity emissions moves from the visible range to the vacuum ultraviolet(VUV) range, as heating power increasing in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST). The measurement provided by the existing visible spectroscopies in EAST is not sufficient for impurity transport studies for high-parameters plasmas. Therefore, in this study, a VUV spectroscopy is newly developed to measure edge impurity emissions in EAST. One Seya-Namioka VUV spectrometer(McPherson 234/302) is used in the system, equipped with a concave-corrected holographic grating with groove density of 600 grooves mm~(–1). Impurity line emissions can be observed in the wavelength range ofλ=50–700 nm, covering VUV, near ultraviolet and visible ranges. The observed vertical range is Z=-350–350 mm. The minimum sampling time can be set to 5 ms under full vertical binning(FVB) mode. VUV spectroscopy has been used to measure the edge impurity emission for the 2019 EAST experimental campaign. Impurity spectra are identified for several impurity species, i.e., lithium(Li), carbon(C), oxygen(O), and iron(Fe). Several candidates for tungsten(W) lines are also measured but their clear identification is very difficult due to a strong overlap with Fe lines. Time evolutions of impurity carbon emissions of CII at 134.5 nm and CIII at97.7 nm are analyzed to prove the system capability of time-resolved measurement. The measurements of the VUV spectroscopy are very helpful for edge impurity transport study in the high-parameters plasma in EAST.     

The investigation of quasi coherent mode on EAST using Doppler reflectometry

An electrostatic Quasi coherent mode has been observed in density fluctuations and perpendicular velocity fluctuations with the frequency range of 3–80 k Hz on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak using multi-channel Doppler reflectometry. It appears in the edge localized mode(ELM)-free period after L-H transition or in the inter-ELM period. The mode rotates almost together with the plasma with the poloidal wave number around 0.6cm~(-1) and its frequency chirps with plasma poloidal velocity. The mode can exist in a large radial coverage(ρ?=?0.75–0.98), and peaks near the top of pedestal, suggesting that it might be excited in the steep gradient pedestal region, and spread into the core area.     

Comparison of natural grassy ELM behavior in favorable/unfavorable B_t in EAST

The properties of grassy edge-localized modes (ELMs) in EAST in the favorable and unfavorable B_tare statistically studied.Statistical analysis indicates that there is no systematical difference in the frequencies of grassy ELMs under the two different magnetic configurations in the similar parameter spaces.The high-frequency grassy ELM (f_(ELM)??1 k Hz) in unfavorable B_(t )is dependent on the high poloidal beta β_pand high triangularity δ_u,while the high-frequency grassy ELM (f_(ELM)1k Hz) in favorable B_tappears to rely on the high plasma density.A frequently occurring phenomenon in favorable B_tdefined as‘clustered ELM’seems to be the most evident difference in ELM behavior between favorable and unfavorable B_t.Statistical analysis shows that larger plasma-wall outer gap,longer plasma elongation,lower low-hybrid wave heating power and electron cyclotron resonance heating power favor the occurrence of clustered grassy ELMs.Further studies indicate that the generation of clustered grassy ELMs could be correlated with the lower electron temperature in the bulk plasma.     

Analysis of electron temperature,impurity transport and MHD activity with multi-energy soft x-ray diagnostic in EAST tokamak

A new edge tangential multi-energy soft x-ray(ME-SXR) diagnostic with high temporal(≤ 0.1 ms) and spatial(~1 cm) resolution has been developed for a variety of physics topics studies in the EAST tokamak plasma. The fast edge electron temperature profile(approximately from r a~ 0.6 to the scrape-off layer) is investigated using ME-SXR diagnostic system. The data process was performed by the ideal ‘multi-foil' technique, with no priori assumptions of plasma profiles. Reconstructed ME-SXR emissivity profiles for a variety of EAST experimental scenarios are presented here for the first time. The applications of the ME-SXR for study of the effects of resonant magnetic perturbation on edge localized modes and the first time neon radiating divertor experiment in EAST are also presented in this work. It has been found that neon impurity can suppress the 2/1 tearing mode and trigger a 3/1 MHD mode.     

Plasma edge density fluctuation measurements via lithium beam emission spectroscopy on EAST

Accurate and stable measurements of edge density fluctuation with high spatio-temporal resolution have been achieved by the lithium beam emission spectroscopy (Li-BES) diagnostic on experimental and advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST). The new narrower band interference filter exhibits good ability to suppress background emission signal even under strong lithium coating of the tokamak. The raw data measured by channels at different spatial locations in avalanche photo diode camera with high chopping frequency show good consistency. Based on the detected experimental data, detailed information of density profile and fluctuation structures is obtained. A clear edge coherent mode in the auto-power spectrum is observed in pedestal region, which is regarded as the dominant factor for the strong pedestal density fluctuation amplitude. The cross-power spectrum analysis further excludes the additional effects of common-mode noises and non-local perturbation, demonstrating that the detected fluctuation is only caused by local density fluctuation. The normalized radial and poloidal wave-number spectra can specify the quantitative changes of radial wavenumber (kr) and poloidal wavenumber (kθ) during the pedestal density fluctuation phase. This new Li-BES system, which can provide more accurate experimental data, allows further studies of edge density fluctuation and complex transport process on EAST.     

The Alignment and Assembly for EAST Tokamak Device

EAST （HT-7U） is a large fusion experimental device. It is a full superconducting tokamak with 1 MA of plasma current, 1000 s of plasma duration, high elongation and triangularity. It mainly consists of superconducting magnets of poloidal and toroidal field （PF ＆ TF）, vacuum vessel （VV）, thermal radiation shield （TRS） and cryostat vessel （CV）. The significant difficulty for assembly of EAST is tight installation tolerances, which are in the order of several tenth of a millimeter. In particular, the alignment of plasma facing components to the magnetic axis of the device is less than ±0.5 mm. At present, a reasonable assembly process of EAST has been defined, and based on it, the alignment method for EAST, including the survey control network, the location of the main components in different directions, the magnetic axis determination and the accurate positioning of the plasma facing components inside of the vacuum vessel and so on, has been defined by using the sophisticated optical metrology system （SOMS）. This paper describes the assembly procedure of EAST and the installation tolerances associated with the main components. Meanwhile, how to establish the assembly survey control network, magnetic axis determination methods, are introduced in detail.     

Q-Band X-Mode Reflectometry and Density Profile Reconstruction

By installing an X-mode polarized Q-band(32-56 GHz) reflectometry at the low field side on EAST,the zero density cutoff layer was determined and the edge density profile was measured in normally operating plasmas.A Monte Carlo procedure has been developed to analyze the density profiles by considering the error of time delay measured by reflectometry.By combining this Q-band and previously developed V- and W-band reflectometries,the density profiles from edge to core can be measured in most EAST experiments.The line integrated densities deduced from density profiles measured by reflectometry are consistent with those directly measured by a horizontal interferometer.The density pedestal measured by reflectometry shows a clear crash during an ELM(edge localized mode) event,after which the pedestal gradually increases and recovers in 10 ms and then remains little changed up to the next ELM.     

Time-dependent simulations of feedback stabilization of neoclassical tearing modes in KSTAR plasmas

A simulation is performed for feedback stabilization of neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) by electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) for KSTAR in preparation for experiments. An integrated numerical system is constructed by coupling plasma transport, NTM stability, and heating and current drive modules and applied to a KSTAR plasma by assuming similar experimental conditions as ASDEX Upgrade to predict NTM behaviors in KSTAR. System identification is made with database produced by predictive simulations with this integrated numerical system so that three plasma response models are extracted which describe the relation between the EC poloidal launcher angle and the island width in KSTAR. Among them, the P1DI model exhibiting the highest fit accuracy is selected for designing a feedback controller based on the classical Proportional–Integral–Derivative (PID) concept. The controller is coupled with the integrated numerical system and applied to a simulation of NTM stabilization. It is observed that the controller can search and fully stabilize the mode even though the poloidal launch angle is misaligned with the island initially.     

Achieving temporary divertor plasma detachment with MARFE events by pellet injection in the EAST superconducting tokamak

A new pellet injection system has been equipped on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak(EAST) in the 2012 campaign,with a pellet size of Ф 2 mm?×?2 mm,a frequency of1 Hz–10 Hz and velocity of 150 m s~(-1)–300 m s~(-1).The deuterium pellet is well-known for plasma fuelling as well as for? triggering the edge localized mode(ELM).In the 2012 campaign,pellet injection experiments were successfully carried out on EAST.Temporary plasma detachment achieved by deuterium pellets has been observed in a double null(DN) divertor configuration,with multi-pellet injections at a repetition frequency of 2 Hz.The partial detachment of the outer divertors and complete detachment of the inner divertors was achieved after 35 ms of each pellet injection,which have a duration of 30–60 ms with the maximum degree of detachment(DOD) reaching 3.5 and 37,respectively.Meanwhile,the multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge(MARFE) phenomena was also observed at the high field side(HFS) near both the lower and upper X-points with radiation loss suddenly increased to about 15%–70%,which may be the main cause of divertor plasma detachment.The temporary detachment induced by pellet injection may act as a new way to study divertor detachment behaviors.     

Space-resolved vacuum-ultraviolet spectroscopy for measuring impurity emission from divertor region of EAST tokamak

The measurement of impurity distribution in the divertor region of tokamaks is key to studying edge impurity transport. Therefore, a space-resolved vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) spectrometer is designed to measure impurity emission in the divertor region on EAST. For good spectral resolution, an eagle-type VUV spectrometer with 1 m long focal length with spherical holograph grating is used in the system. For light collection, a collimating mirror is installed between the EAST plasma and the VUV spectrometer to extend the observing range to cover the upper divertor region. Two types of detectors, i.e. a back-illuminated charge-coupled device detector and a photomultiplier-tube detector, are adopted for the spectral measurement and high-frequency intensity measurement for feedback control, respectively. The angle between the entrance and exit optical axis is fixed at 15°. The detector can be moved along the exit axis to maintain a good focusing position when the wavelength is scanned by rotating the grating. The profile of impurity emissions is projected through the space-resolved slit, which is set horizontally. The spectrometer is equipped with two gratings with 2400 grooves/mm and 2160 grooves/mm, respectively. The overall aberration of the system is reduced by accurate detector positioning. As a result, the total spectral broadening can be reduced to about 0.013 nm. The simulated performance of the system is found to satisfy the requirement of measurement of impurity emissions from the divertor area of the EAST tokamak.     

First Results of Pellet Injection Experiments on EAST

A new pellet injection system was installed on the EAST tokamak and preliminary experiments were performed during the 2012 run campaign. Typical phenomena associated with deuterium pellet injection into a plasma discharge have been observed including sudden increases of the electron density and H α /D α emission intensity as well as a significant decrease in plasma electron temperature. Profiles have been studied in order to understand the influence of pellet fuelling on EAST discharges. Even though the injector was specifically designed for plasma fu- elling, ELM triggering using the pellet injection has also been tested. In order to find appropriate parameters for triggering ELMs in H-mode plasmas, scanning of the pellet injection speed was employed for pellets injected from both the high field side and low field side of the plasma column. It has been observed that low-speed pellets injected into H-mode plasma from the low-field side could trigger an ELM followed by a number of smaller induced ELMs at about 300 Hz.     

Assessment of Flow Drive by Use of Ion Bernstein Wave on Heliotron J and EAST Devices

The possibility of driving poloidal flows by use of ion Bernstein wave is assessed for Heliotron J and EAST devices by means of ray tracing analysis. Sheared poloidal flow is expected to suppress plasma turbulences due to the decorrelation of the waves. In Heliotron J and EAST plasma, the rays of Ion Bernstein Wave travel into the central region with oscillations along the magnetic lines of force and their power is absorbed by ions at the cyclotron resonance layers. The momentum input has been estimated by calculating the momentum change of rays and the poloidal flow has been estimated using neoclassical viscosities. The wave momentum changes its sign as it propagates inward, depositing sheared momentum to the plasma, and therefore causes sheared poloidal flows.     

Experimental study of core and edge fluctuations by reflectometry on EAST tokamak

An eight-channel poloidal correlation reflectometer(PCR) with O-mode polarization has been installed in the EAST tokamak to measure the fluctuations from core to edge. The PCR launches eight different frequency microwaves(20.4, 24.8, 33, 40, 42.4, 48, 52.6, 57.2 GHz) into the plasma from the low field side and two poloidally separated antennae are used to receive the reflected waves. As a result, the diagnostic can measure fluctuations in eight(radial)× two(poloidal) spatial positions. The diagnostic has been applied to study the core and edge pedestal fluctuations during an inter-ELM phase in H-mode plasma. This inter-ELM phase can be divided into two stages. In the first stage, a low frequency(50 k Hz) broadband fluctuation dominates in the pedestal gradient region. In the second stage, this fluctuation is strongly suppressed and quasi-coherent fluctuations(QCFs) appear. The QCF's amplitude increases with the pedestal density gradient, implying density gradient driven instabilities. But the core fluctuations inside the pedestal show no evident changes during the inter-ELM phase.     

Measurement of Magnetic Island Width by Multi-Channel ECE Radiometer on HT-7 Tokamak

A 16-channel electron cyclotron emission (ECE) radiometer has been employed to observe the (m; n) = (2; 1) magnetic island structure on HT-7 tokamak, where m and n represent the poloidal and toroidal mode number respectively. The results indicate that the island width is about 7 cm when the magnetic island is saturated during the m=n = 2=1 mode. The location of resonance surface can be determined by plotting the contour of ECE relative fluctuation.This method could be applied to the HT-7 and EAST campaigns in the future for the research of neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs).     

Modeling of divertor power footprint widths on EAST by SOLPS5.0/B2.5-Eirene

The edge plasma code package SOLPS5.0 is employed to simulate the divertor power footprint widths of the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak(EAST)L-mode and ELM-free H-mode plasmas.The divertor power footprint widths,which consist of the scrape-off layer(SOL)widthλ_q and heat spreading 5,are important physical parameters for edge plasmas.In this work,a plasma current scan is implemented in the simulation to obtain the dependence of the divertor power footprint width on the plasma current I_p.Strong inverse scaling of the SOL width with I_p has been achieved for both L-mode and H-mode plasmas in the forms ofλ_(q,L-mode)=4.98×I_p~(-0.68)andλ_(q,H-mode)=1.86×I_p~(-1.08).Similar trends have also been demonstrated in the study of heat spreading with S_(L-mode)=1.95×I_p~(-0.542)and S_(H-mode)=0.756×I_p~(-0.872).In addition,studies on divertor peak heat load and the magnetic flux expansion factor show that both of them are proportional to plasma current.The simulation work here can act as a way to explore the power footprint widths of future tokamak fusion devices such as ITER and the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor(CFETR).