Fast Imaging of Filaments in the X-Point Region of Alcator C-MOD

ORAL

Abstract

A rich variety of field-aligned fluctuations has been revealed using fast imaging of D$_{\mathrm{\alpha }}$ emission from Alcator C-Mod's lower X-point region. Field-aligned filamentary fluctuations are observed along the inner divertor leg, within the Private-Flux-Zone (PFZ), in the Scrape-Off Layer outside the outer divertor leg, and, under some conditions, at or above the X-point. The locations and dynamics of the filaments in these regions are strikingly complex in C-Mod. Changes in the filaments' generation appear to be ordered by plasma density and magnetic configuration. In a Lower Single Null with 0.12 \textless $n/n_{Greenwald}$ \textless 0.45 and Bx$\nabla $B directed down, filaments typically move up the inner divertor leg toward the X-point. Reversing the field direction results in the appearance of filaments outside of the outer divertor leg. With the divertor targets ``detached'', filaments inside the LCFS are seen. These studies were motivated by observations of filaments in the X-point and PFZ regions in MAST, and comparisons with those observations will be made.

*Supported by USDoE awards DE-FC02-99ER54512 and DE-AC02-09CH11466 .

Authors

  • J. Terry

    • MIT PSFC
    • MIT-PSFC
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center
  • S. Ballinger

    • Columbia University
  • D. Brunner

    • MIT-PSFC
    • MIT PSFC
  • B. LaBombard

    • MIT-PSFC
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • MIT PSFC
    • MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center
  • Anne White

    • MIT-PSFC
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • MIT
    • Massachusetts Inst of Tech-MIT
  • Stewart Zweben

    • PPPL
    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory