C. K. Phillips , M. G. Bell , R. E. Bell ,
S. Bernabei , M. Bettenhausen 1, C. E. Bush 2,
D. Clark , D. Darrow , E. Fredrickson ,
G. R. Hanson 2, J. Hosea , B. LeBlanc ,
R. Majeski , S. S. Medley , R. Nazikian , M. Ono ,
H. Park , M. P. Petrov 3, J. H. Rogers ,
G. Schilling , C. Skinner , D. N. Smithe 1,
E. J. Synakowski , G. Taylor and J. R. Wilson
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ 08543, USA
1 Mission Research Corporation, Newington, VA 22122, USA
2 Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
3 A.F. Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, St. Petersburg, Russian
Federation
Abstract
In fast wave to ion Bernstein wave mode conversion experiments in DT
supershot plasmas, localized efficient ion heating rather than electron
heating was observed, due to Doppler-broadened tritium cyclotron resonance
overlap into the mode conversion region. The ion temperature heat pulse
associated with RF power modulation in this regime could provide a diagnostic
tool for measuring the local ion thermal conductivity in various confinement
regimes. In direct-launch ion Bernstein wave heating experiments, core power
coupling was limited by the excitation of parasitic edge modes. However, a
sheared poloidal flow was observed that is consistent in both magnitude and
direction with theoretical models based on RF-driven Reynolds stress. With the
modest power coupled to the core ( 360 kW), the magnitude of the
observed flow was estimated to be a factor of 3-4 too low to trigger
transport barrier formation through localized shear suppression of
turbulence.
IAEA 1999