Poloidal divertor experiment with applied E vector x B vector/B/sup 2/ drift

Abstract

It has been proposed that the E vector x B vector/B/sup 2/ drift arising from an externally applied electric field could be used in a tokamak or other toroidal device to remove plasma and impurities from the region near the wall and to reduce the amount of plasma striking the wall, either assisting or replacing a conventional magnetic field divertor. A poloidal magnetic divertor (without pumping chamber) was added to the Wisconsin Levitated Toroidal Octupole, and the octupole was operated with a tokamak-like magnetic field configuration (q = 0.7). A radial electric field was applied in the scrape-off zone, causing an E vector x B vector/B/sup 2/ drift with a large poloidal component. This reduced plasma flux reaching the wall of the toroid by up to a factor of 5 beyond the effect of the magnetic divertor, for divertor configurations with both high and low magnetic mirror ratios, in good agreement with a simple theoretical model. Plasma density and density scale length were also reduced in the scrape-off zone, in qualitative agreement with the model. This was not accompanied by any new instabilities in the scrape-off zone, nor by any appreciable degradation of confinement of the central plasma.