Zhongyong Chen

Recent research work on the J-TEXT tokamak

An overview of the recent research work on the J-TEXT tokamak over the last two years is presented. A series of experiments and simulations of the interaction between resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) and plasma were carried out on the J-TEXT tokamak. The results show that the m/n = 2/1 (m and n are the poloidal and toroidal mode numbers, respectively) mode locking is obtained with sufficiently large RMPs. And suppression of the m/n = 2/1 tearing mode by moderate magnetic perturbation amplitude is also observed. With experimental parameters as input, both mode locking and mode suppression by RMPs are simulated by nonlinear numerical modelling based on reduced magnetohydrodynamic equations. The simulations are in good agreement with the experimental observations. Density modulation using gas puffing is carried out on J-TEXT to evaluate the particle transport parameters in a typical J-TEXT discharge, including diffusion coefficient and convective velocity. Inverse sawtooth-like activity caused by neon gas injection is observed. The inverse sawtooth-like activity occurs only when the amount of neon impurity exceeds a threshold. Nevertheless, other impurities such as helium and argon cannot trigger such events. With the aid of a soft x-ray detector array, the runaway electron beam following disruptions is visible directly. A high-resolution far infrared polarimeter/interferometer, based on a three-wave technique, was developed and it observes the perturbations associated with sawtooth and tearing mode activities; the first result of the current density profile reconstruction is provided. An x-ray imaging crystal spectrometer is designed to receive the Kα line of Ar XVII and its satellites. The electron temperature obtained from line ratios of the W line to its satellites is 750 eV, and the ion temperature deduced from the Doppler broadening of the W line is 330 eV.

Overview of the recent research on the J-TEXT tokamak

The experimental research over last two years on the J-TEXT tokamak is summarized and presented in the paper. The high-performance polarimeter-interferometer developed on J-TEXT, aiming to measure electron density and Faraday angle simultaneously, has time response up to 1 µs, phase resolution <0.1° and spatial resolution ~3 cm. Such high resolution permits investigations of fast equilibrium dynamics as well as magnetic and density perturbations associated with magnetohydrodynamic instabilities. Particle transport due to the sawtooth crashes is analysed. The sawteeth only partially flatten the core density profile and recovery between crashes implies an inward pinch velocity extending to the centre. The resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) system on J-TEXT can generate a rotating helical field perturbation with a maximum rotation frequency up to 6 kHz, and dominant resonant modes of m/n = 2/1, 3/1 or 1/1. It is found that tearing modes can be easily locked and then rotate together with a rotating RMP. The effects of RMPs on plasma flows and fluctuations are studied with Langmuir probe arrays at the plasma edge. The toroidal velocity increases and the radial electric field decreases with RMP coil current when the RMP current is no more than 5 kA. When the RMP current reaches 6 kA, the toroidal velocity profile becomes flattened near the last closed flux surface. The geodesic acoustic mode is damped in most of the edge region, while the low frequency zonal flow is damped inside the islands, but increases at its boundary.

Transport of fast electrons in lower hybrid current drive plasmas in the HT-7 tokamak

The transport of fast electrons in lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) plasmas in the HT-7 tokamak was investigated in this work. The evolution of fast electron bremsstrahlung emission profiles after switching off the lower hybrid power was analyzed. We found that the dynamics of the fast electrons is governed by the slowing-down process, and the current density profile can be controlled by LHCD in the HT-7 tokamak.

Co-current toroidal rotation-driven and turbulent stresses with resonant magnetic perturbations in the edge plasmas of the J-TEXT tokamak

Author(s): Zhao, KJ; Shi, Y; Liu, H; Diamond, PH; Li, FM; Cheng, J; Chen, ZP; Nie, L; Ding, YH; Wu, YF; Chen, ZY; Rao, B; Cheng, ZF; Gao, L; Zhang, XQ; Yang, ZJ; Wang, NC; Wang, L; Jin, W; Xu, JQ; Yan, LW; Dong, JQ; Zhuang, G | Abstract:

Experimental study of the cold front propagation in the plasma shut-down experiment in the J-TEXT tokamak

Mitigation of major disruptions is essential in achieving fusion energy as a commercial energy source. Many tokamaks are using massive gas injection (MGI) as the disruption mitigation method since it is the most prospective potential disruption mitigation technique at present. However, mitigation efficiency by gas jet is limited by the shallow penetration of the gas jet which results in low gas mixing efficiency. In order to improve the mixture efficiency, the propagation of the cold front induced by supersonic molecular beam injection and the interaction between the cold front and the q = 2 surface have been studied in the J-TEXT tokamak.

Anomalous Doppler resonant interaction of runaway electrons with lower hybrid waves in the HT-7 tokamak

Due to the decrease of the relativistic cyclotron frequency and increase of the Larmor radius with an increase in runaway electron energy, cyclotron harmonic interaction between runaway electrons and lower hybrid waves (LHWs) may occur. In this paper, the anomalous Doppler resonance interaction between runaway electrons and launched LHWs has been investigated in the HT-7 tokamak.