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

ASDEX Upgrade Team

doi:10.1038/s41567-024-02666-y

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

ASDEX Upgrade Team

BA4511 Fusion energy

Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik (IPP)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
Columbia University
ITER Organization
Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre for Energy Research (mtaEK)
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM/IFPILM)
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Culham Science Centre
University of Seville
Universidade de Lisboa
National Research Council (CNR)
Aalto University
General Atomics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In 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.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1980-1988
Number of pages	9
Journal	Nature Physics
Volume	20
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-024-02666-y
Publication status	Published - Dec 2024
MoE publication type	A1 Journal article-refereed

Funding

We are grateful to C. Paz-Soldan, E. Poli, Q. Yu and H. Zohm for fruitful discussions. This material is based upon work supported by the US Department of Energy under award DE-SC0021968. This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium, funded by the European Union via the Euratom Research and Training Programme (grant agreement no. 101052200-EUROfusion). Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

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10.1038/s41567-024-02666-yLicence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{5bf4bacc16ad483fa969e130768f48aa,

title = "Observation of magnetic islands in tokamak plasmas during the suppression of edge-localized modes",

abstract = "In 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.",

author = "Matthias Willensdorfer and Verena Mitterauer and Matthias Hoelzl and Wolfgang Suttrop and Mark Cianciosa and Mike Dunne and Rainer Fischer and Nils Leuthold and Jonas Puchmayr and Oleg Samoylov and \{Su{\'a}rez L{\'o}pez\}, Guillermo and Daniel Wendler and S. Zoletnik and H. Zohm and A. Zito and B. Zimmermann and M. Zilker and W. Zholobenko and W. Zhang and T. Zehetbauer and I. Zammuto and R. Zagorski and Q. Yu and C. Yoo and Q. Yang and E. Wolfrum and R. Wolf and M. Wischmeier and B. Wiringer and M. Willensdorfer and White, \{A. E.\} and D. Wendler and M. Weiland and X. Wang and D. Wagner and \{von Toussaint\}, U. and I. Voitsekhovitch and G. Vogel and E. Viezzer and T. Vierle and J. Vicente and N. Vianello and T. Tala and A. Snicker and A. Salmi and Y. Liu and J. Likonen and A. Lahtinen and J. Karhunen and Hakola, \{A. H.\} and \{ASDEX Upgrade Team\}",

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doi = "10.1038/s41567-024-02666-y",

language = "English",

volume = "20",

pages = "1980--1988",

journal = "Nature Physics",

issn = "1745-2473",

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T1 - Observation of magnetic islands in tokamak plasmas during the suppression of edge-localized modes

AU - Willensdorfer, Matthias

AU - Mitterauer, Verena

AU - Hoelzl, Matthias

AU - Suttrop, Wolfgang

AU - Cianciosa, Mark

AU - Dunne, Mike

AU - Fischer, Rainer

AU - Leuthold, Nils

AU - Puchmayr, Jonas

AU - Samoylov, Oleg

AU - Suárez López, Guillermo

AU - Wendler, Daniel

AU - Zoletnik, S.

AU - Zohm, H.

AU - Zito, A.

AU - Zimmermann, B.

AU - Zilker, M.

AU - Zholobenko, W.

AU - Zhang, W.

AU - Zehetbauer, T.

AU - Zammuto, I.

AU - Zagorski, R.

AU - Yu, Q.

AU - Yoo, C.

AU - Yang, Q.

AU - Wolfrum, E.

AU - Wolf, R.

AU - Wischmeier, M.

AU - Wiringer, B.

AU - Willensdorfer, M.

AU - White, A. E.

AU - Wendler, D.

AU - Weiland, M.

AU - Wang, X.

AU - Wagner, D.

AU - von Toussaint, U.

AU - Voitsekhovitch, I.

AU - Vogel, G.

AU - Viezzer, E.

AU - Vierle, T.

AU - Vicente, J.

AU - Vianello, N.

AU - Tala, T.

AU - Snicker, A.

AU - Salmi, A.

AU - Liu, Y.

AU - Likonen, J.

AU - Lahtinen, A.

AU - Karhunen, J.

AU - Hakola, A. H.

AU - ASDEX Upgrade Team

PY - 2024/12

Y1 - 2024/12

N2 - In 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.

AB - In 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.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85207382514

U2 - 10.1038/s41567-024-02666-y

DO - 10.1038/s41567-024-02666-y

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85207382514

SN - 1745-2473

VL - 20

SP - 1980

EP - 1988

JO - Nature Physics

JF - Nature Physics

ER -

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

Abstract

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