As the power available in the initial phase of the ITER operation will be limited, accessing the high confinement mode (H-mode) with low heating power will be a critical issue. In the recent experiment on EAST, the H-mode was obtained for the first time with lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) wave only. Reciprocating Langmuir probe measurements at the outer midplane showed that the electron density ne and electron temperature Te in the scrape-off layer (SOL) were significantly reduced in the ELM-free phase, resulting in the increase of lower-hybrid wave (LHW) reflection. It was found that the power loss P loss was comparable during the L-H transition, by comparing the adjacent L-mode and H-mode discharge. The Dα emission, Te and ne decreased rapidly in the time scale of about 1 ms, and the radial electric field Er turned positive in this process near the last closed flux surface. Multiple L-H-L transitions were observed during a single shot when the applied LHW power was marginal to the threshold. The floating potential (V f) had negative spikes corresponding with the Dα signal, and Er oscillation evolved into several intermittent negative spikes just before the L-H transition. In some shots, dithering was observed just before the L-H transition.

Here we report the experimental analysis on the low-n (mostly n  =  1, sometimes n  =  2) magnetic coherent mode (MCM) at a characteristic frequency 20–, which has been frequently observed in various H-mode discharges on EAST. This mode can be easily identified in the magnetic fluctuations measured by the fast Mirnov coils mounted on the vacuum vessel wall, but is detected by the local measurements of edge electrostatic fluctuations only when the mode is sufficiently strong. The apperance of the MCM is summarized covering broad ranges of discharge parameters, in particular, the different heating schemes including pure neutral beams injected in either co- or counter-current direction as well as pure ratio-frequency waves. This may rule out the possibility of fast particle driven modes. Radial distribution and poloidal propagation of the MCM are investigated using the Doppler backscattering system and Langmuir probes inserted at the outer midplane, respectively. Temporal evolution of MCM amplitude during large ELM crashes is evaluated in detail, may suggesting the mode is closely correlated with pedestal buildup. Dedicated experiments reveal the possible correlations of MCM’s frequencies with edge line-averaged density and edge safety factor q95. We also present the observation of multi MCMs at relatively high q95, which are speculated locating at different rational surfaces in the pedestal via analyzing their mode structures and nonlinear interactions. Finally, effect of the MCM on edge particle transport is explored via surveying the correlation between the intermittent events of the mode and the particle fluxes deposited on the divertor target plates, utilizing the conditional analysis method. Corresponding results suggest that the MCM seems to primarily result in a notable poloidal redistribution of the divertor particle flux, rather than a considerable net increase of the total flux.

The exhaust of excessively high heat and particle fluxes on the divertor target is crucial for EAST long-pulse operation. In the recent EAST experiments, stable partial energy detachment around the upper outer strike point with H 98,y2 ∼ 1 was achieved with either Ne or Ar seeding from the upper outer divetor target in the upper single null configuration with ITER-like tungsten divertor. With either Ar or Ne seeding, the electron temperature around the upper outer strike point (T et,UOSP) was maintained at around 5 eV, the peak temperature of divertor target surface around the upper outer strike point (T div,UO) decreased significantly, and material sputtering was well suppressed. It was observed that there was less Ar seeding needed for partial energy detachment onset than Ne seeding, which shows that Ar is more efficient in the cooling of T et on the upper outer divertor than Ne. However, there was no detachment on the upper inner divertor with T et around strike point (T et,UISP) remaining >10 eV with either Ar or Ne seeding from the upper outer divertor. Accompanied with the disappearance of double peak phenomenon of ion flux density on the upper inner divertor target (j s,UI), the peak T div,UI around the strike point increased to around 300 °C. Although the heat flux on the upper inner divertor target (q t,UI) is still in the acceptable level, either Ar or Ne seeding only from the upper outer divertor target is not enough to protect the upper inner divertor target from sputtering under current EAST conditions. On the other hand, Ar seeding always causes confinement degradation in the partial energy detachment state. It was observed that there is a slight confinement improvement (∼10%) with Ne seeding, which may be due to density peaking, dilution effects and stabilization of the ion temperature gradient mode.

The divertor asymmetry in particle and power fluxes has been investigated on the EAST superconducting tokamak [S. Wu and EAST Team, Fusion Eng. Des. 82, 463 (2007)] for both single null (SN) and double null (DN) divertor configurations. D2 and Ar puffing at various divertor locations has also been explored as an active means to reduce peak target heat load and control divertor asymmetry. For SN, peak heat load on the outer divertor target is 2–3 times that on the inner divertor target under typical ohmic plasma conditions. DN operation leads to a stronger in-out asymmetry favoring the outer divertor. D2 and Ar puffing promotes partial detachment near the strike points, greatly reducing peak target heat load (over 50%), while the far-SOL divertor plasma remains attached. What is remarkable is that the particle flux is even increased away from the strike points when the B×∇B drift is directed toward the divertor target, thus facilitating particle removal.

Introducing strong radiative impurities into divertor plasmas has been considered as an important way to mitigate the peak heat load at the divertor target plate for ITER, and will be employed in EAST for high power long pulse operations. To this end, radiative divertor experiments were explored under both low (L) and high (H)-mode confinement regimes, for the first time in EAST, with the injection of argon and its mixture (25% Ar in D2). The Ar injection greatly reduced particle and heat fluxes to the divertor in L-mode discharges, achieving nearly complete detached divertor plasma regimes for both single null (SN) and double null (DN) configurations, without increasing the core impurity content. In particular, the peak heat flux was reduced by a factor of ∼6, significantly reducing the intrinsic in-out divertor asymmetry for DN, as seen by both the new infra-red camera and the Langmuir probes at the divertor target. Promising results have also been obtained in the H-modes with argon seeding, demonstrating a significant increase in the frequency and decrease in the amplitude of the edge localized modes (ELMs), thus reducing both particle and heat loads caused by the ELMs. This will be further explored in the next experimental campaign with increasing heating power for long pulse operations.

The role of the E  ×  B electric drift on background plasma and carbon impurity in–out divertor asymmetry was estimated under L-mode and H-mode conditions in the high recycling regime and partial detachment regime by using the edge plasma code SOLPS5.1. It was found that the poloidal electric drift Er  ×  B also may play a dominant role during H-mode discharge in high recycling regime, instead of the radial electric drift Eθ  ×  B. Moreover, it also was found that during H-mode with partial detachment both components can play simultaneously a crucial role in inducing the in–out asymmetry. Their synergistic effect can make the asymmetry much more obvious than that with either of them separately. However, Eθ  ×  B in partial detachment during L-mode can play a main role in inducing in–out asymmetry, rather than Er  ×  B. Besides, the role of E  ×  B components on carbon (C) impurity in–out asymmetry was also addressed. Simulation results reveal that Er  ×  B or Eθ  ×  B individually have a very small effect on C impurity ions in–out asymmetry, especially Eθ  ×  B, while their synergistic effect makes the impurity ions exhibit a much more remarkable in–out asymmetry. Moreover, it was found that the Er  ×  B and Eθ  ×  B drift flows in the private flux region could play a crucial role in inducing C impurity in–out asymmetry, rather than the parallel flow or electric drift flow in the upstream SOL region when only considering E  ×  B.

Ion's toroidal velocity, vt, in both the outermost 4 cm of the confined region and the scrap-off layer of Ohmic L-mode plasmas in EAST was measured using Mach probes. At about 1 cm inside the separatrix a local minimum in vt was observed, from which a cocurrent rotation increased both inwards and outwards. The radial width of the vt dip was 1 cm to 2 cm, and both the density and electron temperature profiles exhibited steep gradients at this dip position. It was observed in both divertor and limiter configurations. To find out its origin, the toroidal torques induced by neutral friction, neoclassical viscosity, collisional perpendicular shear viscosity, ion orbit loss and turbulent Reynolds stress were estimated using the measured parameters. Our results indicate that in this particular parameter regime the neutral friction was the dominant damping force. The calculated cocurrent toroidal torque by the neoclassical viscosity dominates over those from the collisional perpendicular shear viscosity, ion orbit loss and turbulent Reynolds stress. These results are potentially important for the understanding of boundary conditions for the intrinsic toroidal momentum in tokamak plasmas.

Intermittent convective transport at the edge and in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of EAST was investigated by using fast reciprocating Langmuir probe. Holes, as part of plasma structures, were detected for the first time inside the shear layer. The amplitude probability distribution function of the turbulence is strongly skewed, with positive skewed events ("blobs") prevailing in the SOL region and negative skewed events ("holes") dominant inside the shear layer. The statistical properties coincide with previous observations from JET. The generation mechanism of blobs and holes is also discussed. In addition burst structure and dynamics character of them are also presented.