Measurement of poloidal flow, radial electric field and E × B shearing rates at ASDEX Upgrade

Abstract

The theoretical model of transport reduction by E × B shear decorrelation is tested experimentally for ASDEX Upgrade discharges. The radial force balance is used to determine the radial electric field from charge exchange recombination spectroscopy measurements. As the effective rate coefficient for photon emission of the charge exchange process depends on the collision energy, the alignment of the lines of sight with respect to the neutral beam gives rise to apparent velocities and temperatures. In addition, the gyro-motion of the observed species along with the finite lifetime of the observed excited state leads to lineshifts in spectra measured in the poloidal direction. Both effects require corrections, which will be discussed. The corrections are tested using the measurements of a discharge with a locked mode. From the profiles of an H mode discharge with improved confinement and a discharge with an internal transport barrier (ITB) the ion heat transport coefficients, E × B shearing rates and the maximum linear growth rates of the instabilities are calculated. Comparison of these results supports the assumption that turbulent transport due to the ion temperature gradient instability is suppressed inside the transport barrier in the ITB discharge. However, due to the dominant influence of the toroidal rotation velocity on the central E × B shear, they do not prove the shear decorrelation model, because Er naturally rises during the phases with improved confinement if unbalanced neutral beam heating is applied.