Scaling and transport analyses based on an international edge turbulence database

• Published in: Plasma physics and controlled fusion 2014-09, Vol.56 (9), p.95015-8
• Main Authors: Simon, P, Ramisch, M, Beletskii, A A, Dinklage, A, Endler, M, Marsen, S, Nold, B, Stroth, U, Tamain, P, Wilcox, R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Density; Devices; Drift; drift-wave turbulence; Fluid dynamics; Fluid flow; magnetically confined plasmas; plasma physics; plasma turbulence; Transport; Turbulence; Turbulent flow
• ISSN: 0741-3335; 1361-6587
• DOI: 10.1088/0741-3335/56/9/095015

Microscopic turbulence properties in the edge of toroidally confined fusion plasmas are studied by comparative analysis of experimental data from seven devices, collected in an international edge turbulence database. The database contains Langmuir probe measurements of fluctuations in the floating potential and ion saturation current across the last closed flux surface. They are used to address statistical properties and particle transport. Universal features of plasma edge turbulence such as an increase in skewness across the scrape-off layer (SOL) as footprints of density blobs are recovered in all devices. Analysis of the correlation lengths and times reveals power law scaling relations with macroscopic drift-wave parameters, albeit weaker than would be expected for drift-wave turbulence. As a result, the turbulent diffusivity scales with the inverse of the magnetic field strength, which is closer to Bohm-like scaling than to gyro-Bohm scaling. Nearly identical scaling relations are determined in the confined plasma edge and the SOL, pointing to a strong connection between drift-wave turbulence in the edge and blobs in the SOL. The contributions of blobs and holes (negative density spikes) to the radial particle transport are analyzed qualitatively with a conditional averaging approach. Blobs are connected to outward transport in the SOL of all devices whereas holes exhibit no uniform propagation pattern.