Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Brower, D. L. (ORCID:0000000291536702)

Publications and source records attributed to Brower, D. L. (ORCID:0000000291536702).

Internal measurements of electromagnetic geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) in EAST plasmas

Velocity, density, and magnetic fluctuations of the geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) have been measured using the Doppler backscattering system, Faraday-effect polarimeter-interferometer, and external pick-up coils in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. Simultaneous measurements of density and velocity fluctuations at the midplane and top of plasmas demonstrate that m = 1 density fluctuations are quantitatively balanced by the compression of perpendicular flow fluctuations. Furthermore, internal magnetic fluctuations associated with GAM have now been directly measured by laser-based Faraday-effect polarimetry for the first time. Line-averaged magnetic fluctuations (up to 16 Gauss, B̃¯R,GAMBT∼0.066%) are significantly larger than those extrapolated from edge coils (a few Gauss) and that magnetic fluctuations increase with β. The observed discrepancy between finite β theory and experimental data indicates the need for further theoretical investigations.

Physics↗

Early internal detection of magnetic tearing and implications for tokamak magnetohydrodynamic stability

Internal fluctuation measurements with Faraday-effect polarimetry in the DIII-D tokamak reveal the onset of a tearing mode with toroidal mode number n = 3 well before it is detected by the sensing coils external to the plasma. This mode appears before the n = 2, 1 modes and is first detected with internal measurements at a lower value of the ideal-wall kink beta limit than is indicated at the time of first detection by the sensing coils. When the mode is first detected, the linear resistive stability parameter, Δ′, indicates marginal stability and continues to do so until later when the mode amplitude begins increasing linearly with time—together suggesting a neoclassical origin for this mode.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗