This paper reports results on the progress in steady-state high-βp ELMy H-mode discharges in JT-60U. A fusion triple product, nD(0)τETi(0), of 3.1 × 1020 m−3 s keV under full non-inductive current drive has been achieved at Ip = 1.8 MA, which extends the record value of the fusion triple product under full non-inductive current drive by 50%. A high-beta plasma with βN ∼ 2.7 has been sustained for 7.4 s (∼60τE), with the duration determined only by the facility limits, such as the capability of the poloidal field coils and the upper limit on the duration of injection of neutral beams. Destabilization of neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) has been avoided with good reproducibility by tailoring the current and pressure profiles. On the other hand, a real-time NTM stabilization system has been developed where detection of the centre of the magnetic island and optimization of the injection angle of the electron cyclotron wave are done in real time. By applying this system, a 3/2 NTM has been completely stabilized in a high-beta region (βp ∼ 1.2, βN ∼ 1.5), and the beta value and confinement enhancement factor have been improved by the stabilization.

In the Large Helical Device (LHD), the highest operational averaged beta value has been expanded from 3.2% to 4% in the last 2 years by increasing the heating capability and exploring a new magnetic configuration with a high aspect ratio. Although the magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) stability properties are considered to be unfavourable in the new high aspect configuration, the heating efficiency due to neutral beams and the transport properties are expected to be favourable in a high-beta range. In order to clarify the effect of the global ideal MHD unstable mode on the operational regimes in helical systems, especially the beta gradients in the peripheral region and the beta value, the MHD analysis and the transport analysis are performed in a high-beta range of up to 4% in LHD. In a high-beta range of more than 3%, the maxima of the observed thermal pressure gradients at a low order rational magnetic surface in the peripheral region are marginally unstable to the low-mode-number ideal MHD instability. Though a gradual degradation of the local transport in the region has been observed as beta increases, a disruptive degradation of the local transport does not appear in the beta range up to 4%.

OVERVIEW OF THE LARGE HELICAL DEVICE PROJECT. The Large Helical Device (LHD) has successfully started running plasma confinement experiments after a long construction period of eight years. During the construction and machine commissioning phases, a variety of milestones were attained in fusion engineering which successfully led to the first operation, and the first plasma was ignited on 31 March 1998. Two experimental campaigns are planned in 1998. In the first campaign, the magnetic flux mapping clearly demonstrated a nested structure of magnetic surfaces. The first plasma experiments were conducted with second harmonic 84 and 82.6 GHz ECH at a heating power input of 0.35 MW. The magnetic field was set at 1.5 T in these campaigns so as to accumulate operational experience with the superconducting coils. In the second campaign, auxiliary heating with NBI at 3 MW has been carried out. Averaged electron densities of up to 6 × 10 19 m-3 , central temperatures ranging from 1.4 IAEA-F1-CN-69/OV1/4 2 to 1.5 keV and stored energies of up to 0.22 MJ have been attained despite the fact that the impurity level has not yet been minimized. The obtained scarling of energy confinement time has been found to be consistent with the ISS95 scaling law with some enhancement.

Clump and hole creations are observed with TAE bursts in energetic neutral spectra at low-magnetic field configurations of the LHD. Energy slowing down of the clump and the hole are also observed, experimentally. From the slowing down time analysis of the clump and/or hole, the location of each orbit is identified. The drift surface of each orbit has its maximum or second maximum close to the gap location of the TAE burst. The simultaneous observations of clump and hole creations in the energetic spectra reveal the enhanced radial transport of energetic particles by TAE bursts on the LHD.

This Letter presents the discovery of macroscale electron temperature fluctuations with a long radial correlation length comparable to the plasma minor radius in a toroidal plasma. Their spatiotemporal structure is characterized by a low frequency of ∼1-3  kHz, ballistic radial propagation, a poloidal or toroidal mode number of m/n=1/1 (or 2/1), and an amplitude of ∼2% at maximum. Nonlinear coupling between the long-range fluctuations and the microscopic fluctuations is identified. A change of the amplitude of the long-range fluctuation is transmitted across the plasma radius at the velocity which is of the order of the drift velocity.

Abstract. In the Large Helical Device (LHD), the volume averaged beta value <β dia > of 5 %, which is the highest value in all of heliotron/stellarators and relevant to the reactor requirement, was achieved by optimizing the magnetic configuration from the viewpoint of magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) characteristics, transport and heating efficiency of the neutral beam. This beta value was instantaneously obtained by pellet injection and maintained for more than 10τ E , whereas the steady state plasma with a maximum <β dia > of 4.8 % was sustained for 85τ E by the gas-puff fueling. While it is predicted theoretically that stochastization of the peripheral magnetic field structure develops with an increment of <β dia >, no serious degradation of the global confinement has been observed in the present <β dia > range. The several low-order MHD activities located in the periphery were enhanced with the beta value and sometimes affect the local profiles. The amplitude of the mode in the periphery strongly depends on the magnetic Reynolds number, which is close to that of the growth rate and/or the radial mode width of the resistive interchange instability.

In low density discharges of a Large Helical Device (LHD), anisotropic pressure is expected because the LHD has powerful tangential neutral beam injection systems. We study the behaviour of the ratio of the observed saddle loop flux to the diamagnetic flux, and the results are compared with the predicted beam pressure anisotropy by a Monte Carlo technique and the steady state Fokker–Planck solution. We show the possibility of the degree of pressure anisotropy being estimated by magnetic measurements in the LHD.

The dynamics of the magnetic island structure in the plasma are investigated in plasmas with a wide range of beta and collisionality. The perturbed magnetic field is diagnosed by a toroidal array of flux loops installed in the vacuum vessel on the Large Helical Device (LHD). It is found that the magnetic island grows with beta at relatively low beta values. In contrast, when the beta exceeds a critical value, the sign of the perturbed magnetic field suddenly reverses and its strength saturates to the magnetic field perturbation required to cancel the external perturbation. This suggests spontaneous healing of the magnetic island.