Effect of the radial electric field on the fluctuation-produced transport in the H-1 heliac

Abstract

Highly coherent low-frequency fluctuations are studied experimentally in the low electron temperature plasma in the H-1 toroidal heliac. The fluctuations, presumably pressure-gradient-driven resistive MHD modes, produce considerable radial particle transport. A build-up of strong sheared radial electric field leads to dramatic modifications in the fluctuation-driven transport. These modifications correlate with sudden changes in the plasma confinement, resembling low-to-high transitions in other machines. Strong negative shear in the radial electric field eventually leads to the suppression of the fluctuations, while the onset of the strong positive shear correlates with the reversal of the fluctuation-driven particle flux, leading to the inward-directed pinch. It is concluded that the radial electric field modifies radial profiles of the fluctuation propagation velocity due to the Doppler shift, and it is this velocity shear which is important for the transport modifications.