In order to gain reliable predictions on turbulent fluxes in tokamak plasmas, physics based transport models are required. Nonlinear gyrokinetic electromagnetic simulations for all species are still too costly in terms of computing time. On the other hand, interestingly, the quasi-linear approximation seems to retain the relevant physics for fairly reproducing both experimental results and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations. Quasi-linear fluxes are made of two parts: (1) the quasi-linear response of the transported quantities and (2) the saturated fluctuating electrostatic potential. The first one is shown to follow well nonlinear numerical predictions; the second one is based on both nonlinear simulations and turbulence measurements. The resulting quasi-linear fluxes computed by QuaLiKiz (Bourdelle et al 2007 Phys. Plasmas 14 112501) are shown to agree with the nonlinear predictions when varying various dimensionless parameters, such as the temperature gradients, the ion to electron temperature ratio, the dimensionless collisionality, the effective charge and ranging from ion temperature gradient to trapped electron modes turbulence.

This letter reports on quasi-coherent (QC) modes observed in fluctuation spectra from Tore Supra and TEXTOR reflectometers. QC modes have characteristics in between coherent and broad-band fluctuations as they oscillate around a given frequency but have a wide spectrum. They are ballooned at the LFS midplane and appear usually on a frequency ranging from 30 to 120 kHz. In ohmic plasmas from both tokamaks, QC modes are detected only in linear ohmic confinement (LOC) regime and disappear in saturated ohmic confinement (SOC) regime. Linear simulations from Tore Supra predict that the LOC and SOC regimes are dominated by electron and ion modes respectively. Measurements of the perpendicular velocity of density fluctuations have been made from the top of TEXTOR by poloidal correlation reflectometry. They suggest that QC modes have a phase velocity ∼400 m s−1 higher in the electron diamagnetic direction than lower frequency fluctuations. Additionally, the onset of QC modes during electron cyclotron resonance heating has been observed in a Tore Supra region where turbulence is suspected to be driven by electron modes. These experimental results and instability calculations show a correlation between onsets of QC modes and predictions of trapped electron modes.

A simple model for the evolution of turbulence fluctuation spectra, which includes neighboring interactions leading to the usual dual cascade as well as disparate scale interactions corresponding to refraction by large scale structures, is derived. The model recovers the usual Kraichnan-Kolmogorov picture in the case of exclusively local interactions and midrange drive. On the other hand, when disparate scale interactions are dominant, a simple spectrum for the density fluctuations of the form |nk|2 proportional to k(-3)/(1+k2)2 is obtained. This simple prediction is then compared to, and found to be in fair agreement with, Tore Supra CO2 laser scattering data.

A cross-comparison and verification of state-of-the-art European codes describing gradient-driven plasma turbulence in the core and edge regions of tokamaks, carried out within the EFDA Task Force on Integrated Tokamak Modelling, is presented. In the case of core ion temperature gradient (ITG) driven turbulence with adiabatic electrons (neglecting trapped particles), good/reasonable agreement is found between various gyrokinetic/gyrofluid codes. The main physical reasons for some deviations observed in nonlocal simulations are discussed.The edge simulations agree very well on collisionality scaling and acceptably well on beta scaling (below the MHD boundary) for cold-ion cases, also in terms of the non-linear mode structure.

Abstract.A selection of achievements and first physics results are presented of the European Integrated Tokamak Modelling Task Force (EFDA ITM-TF) simulation framework, which aims to provide a standardized platform and an integrated modelling suite of validated numerical codes for the simulation and prediction of a complete plasma discharge of an arbitrary tokamak. The framework developed by the ITM-TF, based on a generic data structure including both simulated and experimental data, allows for the development of sophisticated integrated simulations (workflows) for physics application. The equilibrium reconstruction and linear MHD stability simulation chain was applied, in particular, to the analysis of the edge MHD stability of ASDEX Upgrade type-I ELMy Hmode discharges and ITER hybrid scenario, demonstrating the stabilizing effect of an increased Shafranov shift on edge modes. Interpretive simulations of a JET hybrid discharge were performed with two electromagnetic turbulence codes within ITM infrastructure showing the signature of trapped-electron assisted ITG turbulence. A successful benchmark among five EC beam/ray-tracing codes was performed in the ITM framework for an ITER inductive scenario for different launching conditions from the Equatorial and Upper Launcher, showing good agreement of the computed * See the Appendix.

Over the last years, owing to hardware progress and the development of new methods, reflectometry has become a common diagnostic on plasma fusion devices. This paper presents some results obtained with reflectometry on transport, turbulence and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD). The emphasis is put on some new results from Tore-Supra. Combining the density profile and fluctuation measurement, it was shown on Tore-Supra that the particle pinch inside the q = 1 surface is close to the neoclassical value in ohmic plasma, while the observed small diffusion is in agreement with a very low level of density fluctuations inside the q = 1 surface. In β scaling experiments, no change in the fluctuation levels was found on Tore-Supra, in agreement with the observation of weak confinement degradation with increasing β. Zonal flows have been detected by Doppler reflectometry in ASDEX-U and with correlation reflectometry in T-10. On Tore-Supra, a fast decrease in the density fluctuation level at high poloidal wavenumbers was measured with Doppler reflectometry, suggesting a minor role of electron temperature gradient driven modes. Various forms of Alfvén eigenmodes (toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes, Alfvén cascades and possibly beta Alfvén eigenmodes) have been detected with reflectometry in TFTR, JET and Tore-Supra. The density fluctuations induced by the mode were found to be higher on the high-field side.

Two-dimensional fluid simulations of scrape-off layer (SOL) turbulence with non-constrained energy content (flux driven) are characterized by profile relaxation and strong outward bursts of density. The ballistic propagation extends well beyond the e-folding length of the SOL with a Mach number of M⊥ ∼ 0.04. Turbulence stabilization is achieved by biasing part of the limiter surface. The critical radial extent to achieve this stabilization is derived. This effect governs the size of the biased ring required to insulate the wall from long range bursts of matter. The same characteristic scale also governs the critical size of Langmuir probe tips. For probe tips in excess of this size, the flux tube to the probe is found to be decoupled from the background plasma.

The aim of this paper is to report on recent advances made in global gyrokinetic simulations of ion temperature gradient (ITG) modes and other microinstabilities. The nonlinear development and saturation of ITG modes and the role of E × B zonal flows are studied with a global nonlinear δf formulation that retains parallel nonlinearity and thus allows for a check of the energy conservation property as a means of verifying the quality of the numerical simulation. Due to an optimized loading technique, the conservation property is satisfied with an unprecedented quality well into the nonlinear stage. The zonal component of the perturbation evolves to a quasi-steady state with regions of ITG suppression, strongly reduced radial energy flux and steepened effective temperature profiles alternating with regions of higher ITG mode amplitudes, larger radial energy flux and flattened effective temperature profiles. A semi-Lagrangian approach free of statistical noise is proposed as an alternative to the nonlinear δf formulation. An ASDEX-Upgrade experiment with an internal transport barrier is analysed with a global gyrokinetic code that includes trapped electron dynamics. The weakly destabilizing effect of trapped electron dynamics on ITG modes in an axisymmetric bumpy configuration modelling W7-X is shown in global linear simulations that retain the full electron dynamics. Finite β effects on microinstabilities are investigated with a linear global spectral electromagnetic gyrokinetic formulation. The radial global structure of electromagnetic modes shows a resonant behaviour with rational q values.