A second electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) system has been installed on the KSTAR tokamak, toroidally separated by 1/16th of the torus from the first ECEI system. For the first time, the dynamical evolutions of MHD instabilities from the plasma core to the edge have been visualized in quasi-3D for a wide range of the KSTAR operation (B0 = 1.7∼3.5 T). This flexible diagnostic capability has been realized by substantial improvements in large-aperture quasi-optical microwave components including the development of broad-band polarization rotators for imaging of the fundamental ordinary ECE as well as the usual 2nd harmonic extraordinary ECE.

Rapid transitions of the toroidal mode number (

Minor and major disruptions by explosive MHD instabilities were observed with the novel quasi 3D electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) system in the KSTAR plasma. The fine electron temperature (T e) fluctuation images revealed two types of minor disruptions: a small minor disruption is a q ∼ 2 localized fast transport event due to a single m/n  =  2/1 magnetic island growth, while a large minor disruption is partial collapse of the q ⩽ 2 region with two successive fast heat transport events by the correlated m/n  =  2/1 and m/n  =  1/1 instabilities. The m/n  =  2/1 magnetic island growth during the minor disruption is normally limited below the saturation width. However, as the additional interchange-like perturbation grows near the inner separatrix of the 2/1 island, the 2/1 island can expand beyond the limit through coupling with the cold bubble formed by the interchange-like perturbation.

Multiple (two or more) flux tubes are commonly observed inside and/or near the q = 1 flux surface in KSTAR tokamak plasmas with localized electron cyclotron resonance heating and current drive (ECH/CD). Detailed 2D and quasi-3D images of the flux tubes obtained by an advanced imaging diagnostic system showed that the flux tubes are m/n = 1/1 field-aligned structures co-rotating around the magnetic axis. The flux tubes typically merge together and become like the internal kink mode of the usual sawtooth, which then collapses like a usual sawtooth crash. A systematic scan of ECH/CD beam position showed a strong correlation with the number of flux tubes. In the presence of multiple flux tubes close to the q = 1 surface, the radially outward heat transport was enhanced, which explains naturally temporal changes of electron temperature. We emphasize that the multiple flux tubes are a universal feature distinct from the internal kink instability and play a critical role in the control of sawteeth using ECH/CD.

Articles you may be interested inA method for direct assessment of the equilibrium E Â B flow velocity (E Â B flow shear is responsible for the turbulence suppression and transport reduction in tokamak plasmas) is investigated based on two facts. The first one is that the apparent poloidal rotation speed of density fluctuation patterns is close to the turbulence rotation speed in the direction perpendicular to the local magnetic field line within the flux surface. And the second "well-known" fact is that the turbulence rotation velocity consists of the equilibrium E Â B flow velocity and intrinsic phase velocity of turbulence in the E Â B flow frame. In the core region of the low confinement (L-mode) discharges where a strong toroidal rotation is induced by neutral beam injection, the apparent poloidal velocities (and turbulence rotation velocities) are good approximations of the E Â B flow velocities since linear gyrokinetic simulations suggest that the intrinsic phase velocity of the dominant turbulence is significantly lower than the apparent poloidal velocity. In the neutral beam injected L-mode plasmas, temporal and spatial scales of the measured turbulence are studied by comparing with the local equilibrium parameters relevant to the ion-scale turbulence. Published by AIP Publishing. [http://dx