Advances in RMP ELM Suppression through Establishment of Record Pressure and Temperature Pedestals

.Recent experiments dedicated to the control of edge localized modes (ELMs) using resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) on DIII-D have achieved significant advances towards ITER and future fusion power plants, achieving record pedestal pressures. For the first time, ELMs were suppressed at maximum toroidal field B_T=2.17 T and plasma current I_P=2.0 MA in the ITER similar shape (ISS). Moreover, the experiment followed a successful Predict First Approach: Pedestal pressure and behavior was predicted using the EPED model, ELM suppression windows in q₉₅ were targeted based on previous GPEC simulations. Discharges started from a peeling-limited Super H-mode high performance phase, and then transitioned into ELM suppression. Typically, RMP experiments start with lower density/performance by early RMP coil activation. Combining high field and current allows exploration of lower collisionality pedestals at high density (here ν_e,ped~0.2), the expected environment for future fusion reactors. The suppression lasted for multiple energy confinement times. ELM suppression in the ISS plasma was achieved for both q₉₅ = 3.3 and q₉₅ = 3.6, the former achieving record stationary pedestal pressures of p_ped=14 kPa (p_e,ped=6.5 kPa, p_av=52 kPa), exceeding previous RMP suppression records by 30 %. These experimental results and the EPED codes are used to extrapolate to ITER, resulting in a pedestal height of 60 kPa with RMPs and show a peeling limited pedestal. Using TGLF and TGYRO to predict the core plasma, this results in 300 MW of fusion power, and Q=6 for ITER’s active phase. These results are based on a viable core-edge-solution and more realistic than the 500 MW/Q=10, since those assumes fully stationary type I ELM pedestals. Our work raises confidence in combining high pedestals and ELM control for developing the updated ITER research plan.