The three-dimensional plasma boundary displacement induced by long-lasting core magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities has been measured in JET, MAST and NSTX. Only saturated instabilities are considered here since transient rapidly growing modes which degrade confinement and act as potential triggers for disruptions bring more fundamental concerns than boundary displacements. The measured displacements are usually small, although in extreme cases in MAST when the rotation braking is strong, a significant global displacement can be observed. The instability most likely to saturate and exist for many energy confinement times whilst distorting the boundary of ITER is the saturated internal kink, or helical core, which can be found in plasmas with a wide region of low magnetic shear such as the hybrid scenario. This mode can lead to non-negligible boundary displacements. Nonetheless, the boundary displacement resultant from core MHD instabilities in ITER is predicted to be less than ±1.5% of the minor radius, well within tolerable limits for heat loads to plasma-facing components.

The Mega Ampère Spherical Tokamak (MAST) programme is strongly focused on addressing key physics issues in preparation for operation of ITER as well as providing solutions for DEMO design choices. In this regard, MAST has provided key results in understanding and optimizing H-mode confinement, operating with smaller edge localized modes (ELMs), predicting and handling plasma exhaust and tailoring auxiliary current drive. In all cases, the high-resolution diagnostic capability on MAST is complemented by sophisticated numerical modelling to facilitate a deeper understanding. Mitigation of ELMs with resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) with toroidal mode number n RMP = 2, 3, 4, 6 has been demonstrated: at high and low collisionality; for the first ELM following the transition to high confinement operation; during the current ramp-up; and with rotating n RMP = 3 RMPs. n RMP = 4, 6 fields cause less rotation braking whilst the power to access H-mode is less with n RMP = 4 than n RMP = 3, 6. Refuelling with gas or pellets gives plasmas with mitigated ELMs and reduced peak heat flux at the same time as achieving good confinement. A synergy exists between pellet fuelling and RMPs, since mitigated ELMs remove fewer particles. Inter-ELM instabilities observed with Doppler backscattering are consistent with gyrokinetic simulations of micro-tearing modes in the pedestal. Meanwhile, ELM precursors have been strikingly observed with beam emission spectroscopy (BES) measurements. A scan in beta at the L–H transition shows that pedestal height scales strongly with core pressure. Gyro-Bohm normalized turbulent ion heat flux (as estimated from the BES data) is observed to decrease with increasing tilt of the turbulent eddies. Fast ion redistribution by energetic particle modes depends on density, and access to a quiescent domain with ‘classical’ fast ion transport is found above a critical density. Highly efficient electron Bernstein wave current drive (1 A W−1) has been achieved in solenoid-free start-up. A new proton detector has characterized escaping fusion products. Langmuir probes and a high-speed camera suggest filaments play a role in particle transport in the private flux region whilst coherence imaging has measured scrape-off layer (SOL) flows. BOUT++ simulations show that fluxes due to filaments are strongly dependent on resistivity and magnetic geometry of the SOL, with higher radial fluxes at higher resistivity. Finally, MAST Upgrade is due to begin operation in 2016 to support ITER preparation and importantly to operate with a Super-X divertor to test extended leg concepts for particle and power exhaust.

Many plasma applications involve the plasma coming into contact with a liquid surface. Previous analyses of the stability of such liquid surfaces have neglected the presence of the sheath region between the bulk plasma and the liquid. Large electric fields, typically in excess of several MV m−1, and strong ion flows are present in this region. This paper considers a linear perturbation analysis of a liquid-sheath interface in order to find the marginal condition for instability. This condition shows that molten metal surfaces in tokamak edge plasmas are stable against the electric field, if a normal sheath is formed, due to the impact of ions on the surface. The stabilization of the liquid surface by ion bombardment is encouraging for the ongoing development of plasma-liquid technologies.

The effect of the plasma position control system on the three-dimensional distortion of the plasma boundary when magnetic perturbations are applied in MAST