Magnetic fields are ubiquitous in the Universe. The energy density of these fields is typically comparable to the energy density of the fluid motions of the plasma in which they are embedded, making magnetic fields essential players in the dynamics of the luminous matter. The standard theoretical model for the origin of these strong magnetic fields is through the amplification of tiny seed fields via turbulent dynamo to the level consistent with current observations. However, experimental demonstration of the turbulent dynamo mechanism has remained elusive, since it requires plasma conditions that are extremely hard to re-create in terrestrial laboratories. Here we demonstrate, using laser-produced colliding plasma flows, that turbulence is indeed capable of rapidly amplifying seed fields to near equipartition with the turbulent fluid motions. These results support the notion that turbulent dynamo is a viable mechanism responsible for the observed present-day magnetization.

Beyond a certain heating power, measured and predicted distributions of NBI driven currents deviate from each other even in the absence of MHD instabilities. The most reasonable explanation is a redistribution of fast NBI ions on a time scale smaller than the current redistribution time. The hypothesis of a redistribution of fast ions by background turbulence is discussed. Direct numerical simulation of fast test particles in a given field of electrostatic turbulence indicates that for reasonable parameters fast and thermal particle diffusion can indeed be similar. -High quality plasma edge density profiles on ASDEX Upgrade and the recent extension of the reflectometry system allow for a direct comparison of observed TAE eigenfunctions with theoretical ones as obtained with the linear, gyrokinetic, global stability code LIGKA. These comparisons support the hypothesis of TAE-frequency crossing the continuum at the plasma edge in ASDEX Upgrade H-mode discharges. -A new fast ion loss detector with 1 MHz time resolution allows frequency and phase resolved correlation between the observed losses and low frequency magnetic perturbations such as TAE modes and rotating magnetic islands.Whereas losses caused by TAE modes are known to be due to resonances in velocity space, by modelling of the particle drift orbits we were able to explain losses caused by magnetic islands as due to island formation and stochasticity in the drift orbits.

New profile measurements have allowed the electron thermal diffusivity profile to be estimated from power balance in the Madison Symmetric Torus where magnetic islands overlap and field lines are stochastic. The measurements show that (1) the electron energy transport is conductive not convective, (2) the measured thermal diffusivities are in good agreement with numerical simulations of stochastic transport, and (3) transport is greatly reduced near the reversal surface where magnetic diffusion is small.

Large coherent MHD modes are observed to reduce the neutral beam current drive efficiency and 2.5 MeV neutron emission in DIII-D by as much as ∼65%. These modes result in large (width w 20 cm for minor radius a ≈ 60 cm), stationary, single helicity magnetic islands, which might cause anomalous deuterium beam ion losses through orbit stochasticity. An analytic estimate predicts that co-going, passing deuterons with E 40 keV become stochastic at island widths comparable to those in the experiment. A Hamiltonian guiding centre code is used to follow energetic particle trajectories with the tearing mode modelled as a radially extended, single helicity perturbation. In the simulations, the lost neutral beam current drive and neutron emission are 35% and 40%, respectively, which is consistent with the measured reductions of 40 ± 14% and 40 ± 10%. Several features of the lost particle distribution indicate that orbit stochasticity is the loss mechanism in the simulations and strongly suggest that the same mechanism is responsible for the losses observed in the experiment.

The role of turbulence in current generation and self-excitation of magnetic fields has been studied in the geometry of a mechanically driven, spherical dynamo experiment, using a three-dimensional numerical computation. A simple impeller model drives a flow that can generate a growing magnetic field, depending on the magnetic Reynolds number Rm=micro0sigmaVa and the fluid Reynolds number Re=Vanu of the flow. For Re<420, the flow is laminar and the dynamo transition is governed by a threshold of Rmcrit=100, above which a growing magnetic eigenmode is observed that is primarily a dipole field transverse to the axis of symmetry of the flow. In saturation, the Lorentz force slows the flow such that the magnetic eigenmode becomes marginally stable. For Re>420 and Rm approximately 100 the flow becomes turbulent and the dynamo eigenmode is suppressed. The mechanism of suppression is a combination of a time varying large-scale field and the presence of fluctuation driven currents (such as those predicted by the mean-field theory), which effectively enhance the magnetic diffusivity. For higher Rm, a dynamo reappears; however, the structure of the magnetic field is often different from the laminar dynamo. It is dominated by a dipolar magnetic field aligned with the axis of symmetry of the mean-flow, which is apparently generated by fluctuation-driven currents. The magnitude and structure of the fluctuation-driven currents have been studied by applying a weak, axisymmetric seed magnetic field to laminar and turbulent flows. An Ohm's law analysis of the axisymmetric currents allows the fluctuation-driven currents to be identified. The magnetic fields generated by the fluctuations are significant: a dipole moment aligned with the symmetry axis of the mean-flow is generated similar to those observed in the experiment, and both toroidal and poloidal flux expulsion are observed.