Electron thermal transport within magnetic islands in the reversed-field pinch

Abstract

Tearing mode induced magnetic islands have a significant impact on the thermal characteristics of magnetically confined plasmas such as those in the reversed-field pinch (RFP). New Thomson scattering diagnostic capability on the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) RFP has enabled measurement of the thermal transport characteristics of islands. Electron temperature (Te) profiles can now be acquired at 25 kHz, sufficient to measure the effect of an island on the profile as the island rotates by the measurement point. In standard MST plasmas with a spectrum of unstable tearing modes, remnant islands are present in the core between sawtoothlike reconnection events. Associated with these island remnants is flattening of the Te profile inside the island separatricies. This flattening is characteristic of rapid parallel heat conduction along helical magnetic field lines. In striking contrast, a temperature gradient within an m=1, n=5 island is observed in these same plasmas just after a sawtooth event when the m=1, n=5 mode may briefly come into resonance near the magnetic axis. This suggests local heating and relatively good confinement within the island. Local power balance calculations suggest reduced thermal transport within this island relative to the confinement properties of standard MST discharges between reconnection events. The magnetic field and island structure is modeled with three-dimensional nonlinear resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations (DEBS code) with Lundquist numbers matching those in MST during standard discharges. During improved confinement plasmas with reduced tearing mode activity, temperature fluctuations correlated with magnetic signals are small with characteristic fluctuation amplitudes of order T̃e/Te∼2%.