Scrape-off layer features of the QH-mode

Abstract

The quiescent high confinement (QH-mode) and quiescent double barrier (QDB) modes in DIII-D have long-duration H-mode confinement without ELMs, possibly an alternative operating mode in future tokamaks for avoiding damage by ELMs. Instead of ELMs, there is an edge harmonic oscillation (EHO), which is a continuous electromagnetic mode with associated density fluctuations. The edge pedestal is similar to ELMing H-mode, but at very low density to date. We see C 6+ ion temperatures of 3–7 keV in scrape-off layer (SOL), 100 kV/m radial electric fields just inside the separatrix, and a hot area on the divertor baffle whose heating correlates with the presence of the EHO. We attribute the baffle heating to perturbation of trapped ion orbits by the EHO, allowing particles to strike the baffle. The outboard SOL is wider than the inboard, probably for lack of trapped ions on the inside.