Observation of helical m/n = 1/1 saturated steady mode in EAST pure electron heating scenario with q0 ≼ 1

Abstract

We observed for the first time a helical m/n = 1/1 (m is the poloidal mode number and n is the toroidal mode number) saturated steady mode (SSM) in the center of the EAST electron heating dominant plasma where the core safety factor was close to but slightly below unity and the profile had an extreme peak at the plasma center ( is the electron temperature). An internal crash can be caused by the dynamics of the SSM, and its influence on the electron temperature profile is as large as that of a typical sawtooth crash (SC) in magnitude. Due to the weak magnetic shear in the core, the SSM regularly exhibits an m/n = 2/2 harmonic component. For low shear auxiliary heated plasma, the SSM cannot cause the degradation of plasma confinement ( or ), but an SC is indeed a harmful factor. Three-dimensional resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations with a realistic EAST strong elongated magnetic configuration, a high Lundquist number () and a strong central peaked pressure profile, have been made to demonstrate the formation of the SSM in the case of and the destabilization of the SC in another case with . These nonlinear simulation results agree well with the observations of both the SSM and SC in EAST electron heating dominant discharges with an extreme central peaked . An M3D simulation found that the SC is caused by additional newly developed harmonics of the m/n = 1/1 helical instability. Nonlinear simulation also predicted a modulation of the SSM on current in the plasma core, which is favorable for maintaining in the plasma core. Furthermore, nonlinear simulation also showed that a small toroidal plasma flow can be generated by the SC.