Edge Localized Modes Research Articles

First access to ELM-free negative triangularity at low aspect ratio

Abstract A plasma scenario with negative triangularity (NT) shaping is achieved on MAST-U for the first time. While edge localized modes (ELMs) are eventually suppressed as the triangularity is decreased below δ ≲ − 0.06 , an extended period of H-mode operation with Type-III ELMs is sustained at less negative δ even through access to the second stability region for ideal ballooning modes is closed. This documents a qualitative difference from the ELM-free access conditions documented in NT scenarios on conventional aspect ratio machines. The electron temperature at the pedestal top drops across the transition to ELM-free operation, but a steady rise in core temperature as δ is decreased allows for similar normalized β in the ELM-free NT and H-mode positive triangularity shapes.

Observation of magnetic islands in tokamak plasmas during the suppression of edge-localized modes

AbstractIn tokamaks, a leading platform for fusion energy, periodic filamentary plasma eruptions known as edge-localized modes occur in plasmas with high-energy confinement and steep pressure profiles at the plasma edge. These edge-localized modes could damage the tokamak wall but can be suppressed using small three-dimensional magnetic perturbations. Here we demonstrate that these magnetic perturbations can change the magnetic topology just inside the steep gradient region of the plasma edge. We identify signatures of a magnetic island, and their observation is linked to the suppression of edge-localized modes. We compare high-resolution measurements of perturbed magnetic surfaces with predictions from ideal magnetohydrodynamic theory where the magnetic topology is preserved. Although ideal magnetohydrodynamics adequately describes the measurements in plasmas exhibiting edge-localized modes, it proves insufficient for plasmas where these modes are suppressed. Nonlinear resistive magnetohydrodynamic modelling supports this observation. Our study experimentally confirms the predicted role of magnetic islands in inhibiting the occurrence of edge-localized modes. This will be beneficial for physics-based predictions in future fusion devices to control these modes.

Disconnection of edge coherent modes between the outer midplane and divertor target in EAST H-mode plasma

Abstract The edge coherent mode (ECM) is considered a highly attractive pedestal mode as it prolongs the duration of edge-localized modes (ELMs), increases particle and impurity transport without significantly affecting energy transport, and operates compatibly with high-performance plasma discharges. The ECM can also be detected by Langmuir probes on the divertor target plate, indicating that it extends from the pedestal region into the SOL, resulting a connection to the divertor target plate through magnetic field line. In this work, the distribution of ECM on the divertor target plates are investigated through the analysis of 215 upper single null discharges on the EAST tokamak. The coherence analysis of plasma fluctuation between the ECE signal at pedestal region of outer midplane and the ion saturation current measured by Langmuir probes in the divertor region reveals that the ECM is hardly detected by the divertor probe close to the outer strike point (OSP) but can be observed at far SOL. This indicates that there exists an ECM quiescent region in the near SOL on divertor plate and the extent of the quiescent region in poloidal flux coordinate (Δ) has been statistically analyzed. A pronounced relation between Δ and triangularity (δ) has been observed, i.e. Δ increasing with δ. Further analysis shows that this relation could be related to averaged magnetic shear in the SOL. This result is consistent with the physical picture that the strong magnetic shear close to X-point significantly squeezes the cross-section of flux-tubes down to scales where collisions dominate.

Repair of heat load damaged plasma–facing material using the wire-based laser metal deposition process

Due to its unique properties tungsten is a promising candidate as plasma-facing-material (PFM) in future nuclear fusion reactors. Tungsten features an exceptionally high melting point, high thermal conductivity, low tritium inventory and comparatively low erosion rate under plasma loading [1]. But given the extreme loads on the PFM during operation of a fusion reactor, the lifetime of plasma-facing components (PFC)s is limited. Currently, it is planned to replace damaged PFCs when they reach the end of their service life. However, the lifetime of PFCs could be increased by in situ repair using additive manufacturing technology (AM) in the form of direct-energy-deposition (DED). The wire–based laser metal deposition process (LMD-w) meets several necessary conditions for operation in the vessel and could be used for performing such in situ repairs.It was investigated if the LMD-w process is able to heal thermal induced surface cracks and roughening by remelting the substrate during deposition of tungsten. For this purpose, tungsten samples of 12 × 12 × 5mm3, which later served as substrate plates for the LMD-w experiments, were treated with combined steady-state and transient thermal loads in the electron beam facility JUDITH 2. These samples were brazed to a copper cooling structure and exposed to 105 thermal shocks of 0.5 ms duration and an intensity of Labs = 0.55 GW m−2 (FHF = 12 MW s0,5 m−2) at a base temperature of Tbase = 700 °C. This way, edge localized mode (ELM) like thermal load damage was induced on the tungsten samples. On these samples, different LMD-w and laser remelting process strategies were performed. Subsequently, these samples were analyzed, and it was examined that the healing of the pre-damaged substrate material was successful. In parallel, the laser remelting process was modeled in a thermal transient finite element method(FEM) simulation in order to gain an insight into the temperatures prevailing in the material during the process.

Access to an ELM-suppressed X-point radiator regime in TCV snowflake minus configurations

TCV’s operating regime with an X-point radiator (XPR) has been broadened by changing the magnetic geometry. XPRs have properties that could make them an attractive power exhaust solution for fusion reactors. These include the conversion of a high fraction of exhaust power into radiation. TCV had previously accessed the XPR regime only with difficulties, as predicted for plasmas where radiative losses are dominated by carbon impurities, that are ubiquitous in TCV. Guided by this theoretical model of the XPR, recent experiments employed TCV’s configurational versatility to demonstrate that XPR access can be facilitated by introducing a second X-point in the vicinity of the separatrix. This configuration, which has a snowflake-minus topology, features a particularly long magnetic connection length from the region just above the X-point to the outer midplane together with a wide geometrical interface with the private flux region that reaches high neutral pressure. Transitioning to this configuration in a high-power H-mode leads to a shift in the radiating region across the separatrix from the divertor to a volume above the X-point, i.e. within the last closed flux surface (LCFS). This displacement of the radiating region is co-incident with the disappearance of edge localised modes (ELMs), while retaining H-mode confinement, a behaviour only, to date, observed in devices with metallic walls. In contrast to observations in these other devices, on TCV, the primary strike points in these configurations remain attached. Detailed measurements of the plasma kinetic parameters inside and outside of the separatrix now challenge the models for access and stability of the XPR and ELMs alike.

Helical resonant magnetic perturbation coils for controlling edge localized modes: a robustness study

Abstract Plasma response to helical resonant magnetic perturbation coil current is numerically computed for tokamak plasmas, with optimization results compared with that for conventional window-frame coils. The key aspect of study is the robustness of the proposed new concept against variation of plasma equilibrium parameters including (i) the plasma resistivity, (ii) the toroidal rotation and (iii) the plasma shaping (both elongation and triangularity). Toroidal modeling results yield several important conclusions. First, assuming the same coil current, the optimal helical coils robustly outperform the optimal window-frame coils against variation of the aforementioned plasma equilibrium parameters. Secondly, for a chosen toroidal spectrum, the optimal helical coil geometry including the poloidal location, poloidal coverage and the overall shape, is robust against variation of plasma parameters except the safety factor. Finally, in all cases, optimization based on the plasma response naturally yields a single row of helical coils located near the outboard mid-plane of the torus, ensuring a relatively simple design of the coil geometry.

VUV imaging of type-I ELM filamentary structures and their temporal characteristics on EAST

In the H-mode experiments conducted on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), fluctuations induced by the so-called edge localized modes (ELMs) are captured by a high-speed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) imaging system. Clear field line-aligned filamentary structures are analyzed in this work. Ion transport induced by ELM filaments in the scrape-off layer (SOL) under different discharge conditions is analyzed by comparing the VUV signals with the divertor probe signals. It is found that convective transport along open field lines towards the divertor target dominates the parallel ion particle transport mechanism during ELMs. The toroidal mode number of the filamentary structure derived from the VUV images increases with the electron density pedestal height. The analysis of the toroidal distribution characteristics during ELM bursts reveals toroidal asymmetry. The influence of resonance magnetic perturbation (RMP) on the ELM size is also analyzed using VUV imaging data. When the phase difference of the coil changes periodically, the widths of the filaments change as well. Additionally, the temporal evolution of the ELMs on the VUV signals provides rise time and decay time for each single ELM event, and the results indicate a negative correlation trend between these two times.

Pedestal properties of negative triangularity discharges in ASDEX Upgrade

Abstract In this work, we explore the pedestal properties of negative triangularity discharges with upper triangularity of δ u ≈ − 0.35 and with both ion ∇ B drift directions. In all cases, the discharges undergo a transition to H-mode with accompanying edge-localized modes (ELMs) that are not explained by the peeling-ballooning stability analysis alone. A variation in the ion ∇ B drift direction is observed. A lower pressure gradient, shallower radial electric field well and increased temperature fluctuations are measured in the favorable case. In addition, irregular ELMs are present. This difference is more pronounced in electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) plasmas compared to plasmas with combined neutral beam injection and ECRH. A comparative analysis between two discharges, featuring similar plasma parameters but varied shaping, suggests that an interplay between other parameters, such as magnetic shear, the timing of the auxiliary heating and shaping, might play a strong role in low- to high-confinement transitions. While the low shaping discharge maintained L-mode, the high shaping discharge entered H-mode with ELMs, contrary to expectations.

Impact of repetitive ELM transients on ITER divertor tungsten monoblock top surfaces

Abstract Owing to the high stored energy of ITER plasmas, the heat pulses due to uncontrolled Type I edge localized modes (ELMs) can be sufficient to melt the top surface of several poloidal rows of tungsten monoblocks in the divertor strike point regions. Coupled with the melt motion associated with tungsten in the strong tokamak magnetic fields, the resulting surface damage after even a comparatively small number of such repetitive transients may have a significant impact on long-term stationary power handling capability. The permissible numbers set important boundaries on operation and on the performance required from the plasma control system. Modelling is carried out with the recently updated MEMENTO melt dynamics code, which is tailored to tackle melt motion problems characterized by a vast spatio-temporal scale separation. The crucial role of coupling between surface deformation and shallow angle heat loading in aggravating melt damage is highlighted. As a consequence, the allowable operational space in terms of ELM-induced transient heat loads is history-dependent and once deformation has occurred, weaker heat loads, incapable of melting a pristine surface, can further extend the damage.

Impurity behaviour in JET high-current baseline scenario for Deuterium, Tritium and Deuterium-Tritium plasmas

To support future ITER operation, experimental campaigns at the Joint European Torus (JET) with an ITER-like wall (tungsten divertor and beryllium main chamber) in pure deuterium (D), tritium (T) and Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) were performed. One of the most important challenges in recent years was the development of two main scenarios that investigated different approaches to achieve the high fusion power as well as good plasma confinement (Garzotti et al., 2023). The first one, so-called baseline scenario is relying on high plasma current (Ip≈3.5 MA), normalized beta βN < 2 and safety factor q95 ≈ 3 (Garzotti et al., 2023). On the other hand, the second one, so-called Hybrid scenario is operating at lower plasma current (flat-top Ip ≤ 2.6 MA) and density with respect to the baseline, higher normalized beta βN > 2 and safety factor q95 ≈ 4.8 (Hobirk et al., 2023).In this paper we focus on the impurity behaviour analysis for the baseline discharges at Ip = 3.5 MA and BT = 3.3 T with D, T and DT plasmas, in which the gas and power waveform were optimized to achieve the best possible performance. In particular, we study the impact of total heating power (Ptot + Palpha), flat-top gas flow and ELM (edge localized modes) frequency on mid-Z (Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu)) and high-Z (Tungsten (W)) impurities. In addition, we compared the two best performing pulses of the baseline scenario (Ip = 3.5MA, BT = 3.3 T and Pin ≈ 35 MW) in D and DT in order to identify the causes responsible for the increase in radiation during the DT pulse, which led to an early plasma termination. All presented results rely on the data collected by the VUV as well as the bolometry system. Detailed analysis indicates that in the baseline scenario, higher radiation, which is most likely due to the tungsten (W), is observed for T and DT plasmas in comparison to D. Moreover, for the two best performing baseline pulses, tomographic reconstructions show that the radiated power density is mainly emitted from the low field side (LFS) of the plasma and W does not accumulate in the plasma center (Telesca et al., 2024).

Summary of the 11th Conference on Magnetic Confined Fusion Theory and Simulation

This conference report summarizes recent progress in plasma theory and simulation that was presented in contributed papers and discussions at the 11th Conference on Magnetic Confined Fusion Theory and Simulation (CMCFTS) held in Chengdu, China, 27–30 October, 2023. Progress in various fields has been achieved. For example, results on zonal flow generation by mode coupling, simulations of the key physics of divertor detachment, energetic particle effects on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes in addition to ion- and electron-scale turbulence, physics of edge coherent modes and edge-localized modes, and the optimization of ion heating schemes as well as confinement scenarios using advanced integrated modeling are presented at the conference. In this conference, the scientific research groups were organized into six categories: (a) edge and divertor physics; (b) impurity, heating, and current drive; (c) energetic particle physics; (d) turbulent transport; (e) MHD instability; and (f) integrated modeling and code development. A summary of the highlighted progress in these working groups is presented.

Investigation of pedestal parameters and divertor heat fluxes in small ELM regimes in DIII-D

Abstract Divertor heat flux and its correlation with pedestal parameters within various small edge localized mode (ELM) regimes, including high beta poloidal, type-II and ELMs with negative triangularity H-modes were investigated in DIII-D. The parallel energy fluences of type-II and high beta poloidal small ELM regimes fall below the linear scaling with pedestal electron pressure for type-I ELMs put forward in Eich et al 2017 (Nucl. Mater. Energy 12 84–90). The negative triangularity of H-mode ELMs follow the Eich scaling for type-I ELMs. The parallel heat flux and total heat loads to the divertor were determined using high-time resolution infrared thermography, while pedestal parameters were obtained through self-consistent kinetic equilibrium reconstructions. Linear regressions for the type-II and high beta poloidal regimes demonstrate that an equivalent 7.5 MA small ELM scenario in ITER would fall below the ~5 MJ m − 2 leading edge melting limit for tungsten (Gunn et al 2017 Nucl. Fusion 57 046025). Utilizing fast thermography, the scrape-off layer power fall-off length for both inter-ELM and intra-ELM was determined and compared to the Eich scaling with poloidal magnetic field in Eich et al (ASDEX Upgrade Team and JET EFDA Contributors 2013 Nucl. Fusion 53 093031). Except for the high beta poloidal scenario, all the small ELM regimes during both inter- and intra-ELM periods had power fall-off lengths ( λ q ) larger then would be expected from the B pol , MP − 1 scaling associated with type-I ELMs, signifying their potential in managing heat loads and offering a solution for core–edge integration.

Non-linear MHD modelling of transients in tokamaks: a review of recent advances with the JOREK code

Abstract Transient MHD events like edge localized modes (ELMs) or disruptions are a concern for magnetic confinement fusion power plants. Research with the MHD code JOREK towards understanding control of such instabilities is reviewed here. Experimental validation for unmitigated vertical displacement events (VDEs) progressed. The mechanism of vertical force mitigation by impurity injection was identified. Two-way eddy current coupling to CARIDDI was completed. Shattered pellet injection (SPI) was simulated in JET, KSTAR and ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) and ITER. Benign runaway electron (RE) beam termination in JET and ITER was studied. Coupling of kinetic REs to the MHD is ongoing and a virtual RE synchrotron radiation diagnostic was developed. Regarding pedestal physics, regimes devoid of large ELMs in AUG were simulated and predictive JT60-SA simulations are ongoing. For ELM suppression by resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs), AUG, ITER and EAST simulations were performed. A free boundary RMP model was validated against experiments. Evidence for penetrated magnetic islands at the pedestal top based on AUG experiments and simulations was found. Simulations of the naturally ELM-free quiescent H-mode (QH) in AUG and HL-3 show external kink mode formation prevents pedestal build-up towards an ELM within windows of the edge safety factor. With kinetic neutral particles, high field side high density (HFSHD) formation in ITER was simulated and with kinetic impurities, tungsten transport in AUG RMP plasmas was studied. To capture turbulent transport, electro-static full-f PiC models for ion temperature gradient (ITG) and trapped electron modes (TEM) were established and benchmarked. Application to RMP plasmas shows enhanced turbulence in comparison to unperturbed states. Energetic particle (EP) interactions with MHD were studied. Flux-pumping that prevents the safety factor on axis from dropping below unity was simulated. First non-linear stellarator applications include current relaxation in l=2 stellarators, while verification for advanced stellarators progresses.

Overview of results from the 2023 DIII-D negative triangularity campaign

Abstract Negative triangularity (NT) is a potentially transformative configuration for tokamak-based fusion energy with its high-performance core, edge localized mode (ELM)-free edge, and low-field-side divertors that could readily scale to an integrated reactor solution. Previous NT work on the TCV and DIII-D tokamaks motivated the installation of graphite-tile armor on the low-field-side lower outer wall of DIII-D. A dedicated multiple-week experimental campaign was conducted to qualify the NT scenario for future reactors. During the DIII-D NT campaign, high confinement ( H 98 y , 2 ≳ 1), high current ( q 95 &lt; 3), and high normalized pressure plasmas ( β N &gt; 2.5) were simultaneously attained in strongly NT-shaped discharges with average triangularity δ avg = −0.5 that were stably controlled. Experiments covered a wide range of DIII-D operational space (plasma current, toroidal field, electron density and pressure) and did not trigger an ELM in a single discharge as long as sufficiently strong NT was maintained; in contrast, to other high-performance ELM-suppression scenarios that have narrower operating windows. These strong NT plasmas had a lower outer divertor X-point shape and maintained a non-ELMing edge with an electron temperature pedestal, exceeding that of typical L-mode plasmas. Also, the following was achieved during the campaign: high normalized density ( n e / n GW of at least 1.7), particle confinement comparable to energy confinement with Z eff ∼ 2 , a detached divertor without impurity seeding, and a mantle radiation scenario using extrinsic impurities. These results are promising for a NT fusion pilot plant but further questions on confinement extrapolation and core-edge integration remain, which motivate future NT studies on DIII-D and beyond.

Anisotropic regularization for inversion of fast-ion loss detector measurements

Abstract We introduce an anisotropic regularization framework for the reconstruction of distribution functions from measurements, utilizing an approach that applies distinct regularization techniques such as non-negative constrained Tikhonov, total variation, and Besov-space priors, either penalizing the one-norm or the two-norm, in each dimension to reflect the anisotropic characteristics of the multidimensional data. This method, applied to fast-ion loss detector (FILD) measurements, demonstrates a significant improvement over conventional nonnegative-constrained zeroth-order Tikhonov regularization because the prior information of the form of the distribution allows better reconstructions. The validity of the approach is corroborated through FILD measurements of prompt fast-ion losses in an ASDEX Upgrade discharge, where the reconstructed distribution function agrees well with the prompt-loss distribution predicted by ASCOT simulations. Moreover, we develop a composite quality metric, Q, that combines the mean squared error and the Jaccard index for a comprehensive evaluation of reconstruction accuracy and spatial fidelity. Finally, anisotropic regularization is applied to FILD measurements at ASDEX Upgrade to study fast-ion acceleration by edge-localized modes. The refined analysis resolves fine structure in the pitch of the accelerated ions and clearly shows that some ions are accelerated to over twice the injection energy.

Dependence of ELM instability on separatrix density in EAST long-pulse H-mode plasmas

Abstract The transition from small edge-localized modes (ELMs) to large ELMs has been repetitively observed in minute-scale long-pulse high-confinement mode (H-mode) discharges in 2017 EAST campaign. The appearance of large ELMs is found to be strongly correlated with the decrease in separatrix density due to the gradual decrease in fuel recycling during the long-pulse H-mode operations (LPHOs). By numerical scan of separatrix density with a fixed temperature profile, it has been found that the dependence of ELM instability on separatrix density is related to the competition between the ion diamagnetic stabilizing effect and destabilizing effect of pressure gradient and current density in the pedestal region, shedding light on a comprehensive understanding of different roles of separatrix density in ELM instability observed in EAST experiments. With a high separatrix density, the ideal ballooning mode could be destabilized near the separatrix, which is thought to help achieve small ELMs in EAST LPHOs. In 2021 EAST campaign, the experiment of large ELMs control has been performed through actively changing fuel recycling by moving strike point location (SPL) on the lower tungsten divertor target plate. It has been demonstrated that the mitigation of large ELMs is strongly correlated with the significant increase in separatrix density, which is thought to be attributed to a higher ionization source in the scrape-off layer (SOL) region by SOLPS-ITER simulation. The high ionization source in the SOL region is believed to provide a strong fueling effect near the separatrix and thus raise the local density, which is considered as an important reason for triggering ballooning instabilities near the separatrix and achieving small ELMs.

A long-pulse small edge-localized-mode high-confinement plasma with detachment feedback control by floating potential in an experimental advanced superconducting tokamak in a metal wall environment

Abstract One of the key challenges facing the magnetic fusion research is to demonstrate the compatibility between high confinement and radiative divertor in long-pulse discharges with a metal wall environment. A small edge localized mode (ELM) high confinement plasma is obtained in the upgraded lower divertor of Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) with an energy confinement factor H98~1.1 and a Greenwald density fraction fGW ~ 0.65 maintained for 26 s, and periodical detachment is achieved through active control of neon impurity seeding in this long-pulse discharge. For the divertor region, partial detachment is achieved periodically on the outer divertor target plates with the plasma temperature near the outer strike point decreased to below 5 eV and peak surface temperature on the outer divertor target plates maintained below 350C. The peak heat flux of the lower outer divertor decreases significantly and its profile along the target becomes very flat in the detached state. Two low-frequency (&lt;10 kHz) fluctuations that are related to rippling mode caused by a resistive instability appear in the detached state. For the pedestal region, the electron pressure profile is flatter and ELM amplitude is smaller in the detached state than that in the attached state. Edge coherent mode (ECM) appears in the attached state and disappears in the detached state. To achieve this experimentally, a new impurity seeding feedback control scheme is applied, where the floating potential measured by divertor Langmuir probes is used as the feedback sensor, which is more reliable in the long-pulse discharges with high heat fluxes, thus more suitable for application in future devices. This work provides a new approach for the actively controlled radiative divertor as a solution to the divertor heat loads of the future fusion reactors.

Characterization of the ELM-free negative triangularity edge on DIII-D

Abstract Tokamak plasmas with strong negative triangularity (NT) shaping typically exhibit fundamentally different edge behavior than conventional L-mode or H-mode plasmas. On DIII-D, every plasma with sufficiently negative triangularity ( δ &lt; δ crit ≃ − 0.12 ) is found to be inherently free of edge localized modes (ELMs), even at injected powers well above the predicted L-H power threshold. It is also possible to access an ELM-free state at weaker average triangularities, provided that at least one of the two x-points is still sufficiently negative. Access to the ELM-free NT scenario is found to coincide with the closure of the second stability region for infinite-n ballooning modes, suggesting that ballooning stability may play a role in limiting the accessible pressure gradient in NT plasmas. Despite this, NT plasmas are able to support small pedestals and are typically characterized by an enhancement of edge pressure gradients beyond those found in traditional L-mode plasmas. Furthermore, the pressure gradient inside of this small pedestal is unusually steep, allowing access to high core performance that is competitive with other ELM-free regimes previously achieved on DIII-D. Since ELM-free operation in NT is linked directly to the magnetic geometry, NT fusion pilot plants are predicted to maintain advantageous edge conditions even in burning plasma regimes, potentially eliminating reactor core-integration issues caused by ELMs.

Electron transport barrier and high confinement in configurations with internal islands close to the plasma edge of W7-X

Abstract The low magnetic shear in the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator makes it feasible to shape the separatrix by the large islands constituting an island-divertor, and this can be exploited to access various magnetic configurations, including samples of different internal island sizes and locations. To investigate the configuration effects on the plasma confinement, a configuration scan was performed by changing the coil currents to vary the rotational transform between values 5 / 4 and 5 / 6 at the plasma boundary with different power levels (2, 4, 6 MW) of electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) at a maximum plasma density of 8 × 10 19 m − 2 . neutral beam injection (NBI) heating was also applied during some configurations of the scan to create a density ramp and access high densities beyond the X2 ECRH cutoff. For the magnetic configurations, where the 5 / 5 and 5 / 6 island chains were moved closer to separatrix but remaining inside the last closed flux surface, the electron cyclotron emission shows that an electron temperature, T e , pedestal develops already during ECRH heated plasma buildup phase indicating a transport barrier, and the barrier sustains irrespective of changed plasma heating conditions such as NBI in the later part of discharge. The transport barrier is broken by subsequent fast crashes, observed with multiple plasma diagnostics with characteristics such as tokamak edge localized modes, and the corresponding crash amplitude and frequency vary with plasma pressure. The impact of the transport barrier on plasma confinement can be seen through the increased core T e profile, which could be responsible for the overall increase in the stored diamagnetic energy by approximately 10% for these configurations. After the plasma heating is terminated, a backwards transition to a degraded confinement state is also observed. These observations indicate a configuration triggered high confinement mode in low shear W7-X. This work focuses on the occurrence of this transport barrier for different magnetic configurations and its relation to internal magnetic islands.

Measurement of Stark-split beam and carbon charge exchange emissions for simultaneous B-field and temperature/rotation analysis at DIII-D.

A set of two newly designed, single-channel Czerny-Turner spectrometers has been deployed at the DIII-D tokamak for measurements of the motional Stark effect (MSE) split beam emission and the C6+ (CVI) carbon charge exchange recombination (CER) emission at high spectral (δλ = 0.13nm) and temporal (1-5kHz) resolution. High throughput optics (f/# = 2.8) allow for good signal-to-noise at high time resolution using fast EMCCD detectors. The MSE emission allows for spectral fitting of the magnitude and direction of the local B-field, while the carbon emission yields local ion temperature and toroidal rotation information. To reduce so-called Doppler broadening of the MSE emission, a new channel-specific variable lens-masking approach has been developed. Experimental data collected from the 2023 DIII-D experimental campaign demonstrate the signal quality and instrument fidelity for both diagnostic measurements. Moreover, initial CER data analysis shows a clear evolution of the toroidal rotation during edge localized modes. Initial progress on the advanced MSE model, including a new validated ray-trace model of the DIII-D collection optics, is shown via sensitivity analysis.