G. Dodel

Confinement regime transitions in ASDEX

The authors give an overview of the different confinement regimes observed on ASDEX and compare the changes during the transition phases with qualitative tendencies suggested by theoretical models. The transitions discussed are those between purely Ohmic heating and additional heating in the L-regime between the L- and the H-regime and between discharges with flat and peaked electron density profiles.

The H-mode in the ASDEX tokamak

The L-H transition in the ASDEX tokamak was investigated. The level of fluctuations both in the scrape-off layer and in a narrow region inside the separatrix drops on a 100 mu s timescale. Density turbulence coming from the edge and magnetic turbulence, as measured with magnetic probes, show a similar behavior. Before and during the transition no frequency shift in the fluctuation spectra could be detected which would indicate the rapid appearance of a radial E-field in the region of the H-mode barrier. Within milliseconds after the L-H transition new fluctuations propagating in the electron diamagnetic direction are destabilized which however exhibit no marked influence on transport across the barrier. In the bulk of the plasma fluctuation spectra show a frequency shift which is dominated by toroidal plasma rotation due to neutral beam injection. The initial transport barrier is deduced to lie inside the separatrix with a width of <or=3 cm.

Combined application of neutral injection, lower hybrid, and ion cyclotron resonance heating in ASDEX and synergetic effects

Confinement properties of ASDEX discharges are studied when NI and ICRH or NI and LH were applied simultaneously. ICRH leads to a larger change in plasma energy content when applied together with NI. At high power the beta p-increases of NI and ICRH are additive corresponding to the total heating power. In the combination of NI and LH the beta p-increase is the same when NI is applied to inductively or non-inductively driven plasma current despite the different current profiles. The effect of sawteeth on central confinement is described in detail in ohmically and beam heated plasmas as is the suppression of sawteeth by LH. The suppression of sawteeth by LH in low qa beam heated plasmas leads to a substantial increase of beta p. The H-mode can be realized with NI under current drive conditions. ICRH can cause the H-transition in combination with NI. The H-mode, however, can also be realized with ICRH alone.