Characterization of scrape-off layer transport in JET limiter plasmas

Abstract

The JET scrape-off layer (SOL) has been characterized with a reciprocating probe in inner wall (IW), and outer wall (OW), limited plasmas. Experiments revealed that SOL profiles are substantially broader (by a factor of ∼5–7.5 in the power e-folding length) for IW limited than in OW limited plasmas. Results are consistent with the larger radial turbulent transport found for IW limited plasmas. Major differences are observed between IW and OW limited plasmas on the density and electron temperature e-folding lengths, parallel flow, radial turbulent transport as well as on the temporal and spatial characteristics of the fluctuations. Experimental findings on JET suggest that the differences in the SOL characteristics for both configurations are due to a combination of a poloidal asymmetry in radial transport with a reduced cross-field transport across the last closed flux surface associated with the confinement improvement observed for OW limited plasmas.The dependence of the SOL power e-folding length on the main plasma parameters was also investigated for IW limited plasmas and a modest negative dependence on both the plasma current and the line-averaged density found. Finally, it is shown that the SOL radial transport and the amplitude of the fluctuations increase with plasma current and decrease with line-averaged density for IW limited plasmas.