A stochastic model is presented for intermittent fluctuations in the scrape-off layer of magnetically confined plasmas. The fluctuations in the plasma density are modeled by a super-position of uncorrelated pulses with fixed shape and duration, describing radial motion of blob-like structures. In the case of an exponential pulse shape and exponentially distributed pulse amplitudes, predictions are given for the lowest order moments, probability density function, auto-correlation function, level crossings, and average times for periods spent above and below a given threshold level. Also, the mean squared errors on estimators of sample mean and variance for realizations of the process by finite time series are obtained. These results are discussed in the context of single-point measurements of fluctuations in the scrape-off layer, broad density profiles, and implications for plasma--wall interactions due to the transient transport events in fusion grade plasmas. The results may also have wide applications for modelling fluctuations in other magnetized plasmas such as basic laboratory experiments and ionospheric irregularities. Published by AIP Publishing.
Abstract. Intermittent fluctuations in the TCV scrape-off layer have been investigated by analysing long Langmuir probe data time series under stationary conditions, allowing calculation of fluctuation statistics with high accuracy. The ion saturation current signal is dominated by the frequent occurrence of large-amplitude bursts attributed to filament structures moving through the scrape-off layer. The average burst shape is well described by a double-exponential wave-form with constant duration, while the waiting times and peak amplitudes of the bursts both have an exponential distribution. Associated with bursts in the ion saturation current is a dipole shaped floating potential structure and radially outwards directed electric drift velocity and particle flux, with average peak values increasing with the saturation current burst amplitude. The floating potential fluctuations have a normal probability density function while the distributions for the ion saturation current and estimated radial velocity have exponential tails for large fluctuations. These findings are discussed in the light of prevailing theories for filament motion and a stochastic model for intermittent scrape-off layer plasma fluctuations.
We study long time series of the ion saturation current and floating potential, sampled by Langmuir probes dwelled in the outboard mid-plane scrape off layer and embedded in the lower divertor baffle of Alcator C-Mod. A series of ohmically heated L-mode plasma discharges is investigated with line-averaged plasma density ranging from n e /n G = 0.15 to 0.42, where n G is the Greenwald density. All ion saturation current time series that are sampled in the far scrape-off layer are characterized by large-amplitude burst events. Coefficients of skewness and excess kurtosis of the time series obey a quadratic relationship and their histograms coincide partially upon proper normalization. Histograms of the ion saturation current time series are found to agree well with a prediction of a stochastic model for the particle density fluctuations in scrape-off layer plasmas.The distribution of the waiting times between successive large-amplitude burst events and of the burst amplitudes are approximately described by exponential distributions. The average waiting time and burst amplitude are found to vary weakly with the line-averaged plasma density.Conditional averaging reveals that the radial blob velocity, estimated from floating potential measurements, increases with the normalized burst amplitude in the outboard mid-plane scrape-off layer. For low density discharges, the conditionally averaged waveform of the floating potential associated with large amplitude bursts at the divertor probes has a dipolar shape. In detached divertor conditions the average waveform is random, indicating electrical disconnection of blobs from the sheaths at the divertor targets.
Radial profiles of the ion saturation current and its fluctuation statistics are presented from probe measurements in L-mode, neutral beam heated plasmas at the outboard mid-plane region of KSTAR. The familiar two-layer structure, seen elsewhere in tokamak L-mode discharges, with a steep near-SOL profile and a broad far-SOL profile, is observed. The profile scale length in the far-SOL increases drastically with lineaveraged density, thereby enhancing plasma interactions with the main chamber walls. Time series from the far-SOL region are characterised by large-amplitude bursts attributed to the radial motion of blob-like plasma filaments. Analysis of a data time series of several seconds duration under stationary plasma conditions reveals the statistical properties of these fluctuations, including the rate of level crossings and the average duration of periods spent above a given threshold level. This is shown to be in excellent agreement with predictions of a stochastic model, giving novel predictions of plasma-wall interactions due to transient transport events. * odd.erik.garcia@uit.no
Based on a stochastic model for intermittent fluctuations in the boundary region of magnetically confined plasmas, an expression for the level crossing rate is derived from the joint distribution of the process and its derivative. From this the average time spent by the process above a certain threshold level is obtained. This provides novel predictions of plasma-wall interactions due to transient transport events associated with radial motion of blob-like structures in the scrape-off layer.
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