Simulations tackle abrupt massive migrations of energetic beam ions in a tokamak plasma

Andreas Bierwage (), Kouji Shinohara (), Yasushi Todo, Nobuyuki Aiba, Masao Ishikawa, Go Matsunaga, Manabu Takechi and Masatoshi Yagi
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Andreas Bierwage: National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology
Kouji Shinohara: National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology
Yasushi Todo: National Institutes of Natural Sciences
Nobuyuki Aiba: National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology
Masao Ishikawa: National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology
Go Matsunaga: National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology
Manabu Takechi: National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology
Masatoshi Yagi: National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract In the late 1990s, fusion scientists at the Japanese tokamak JT-60U discovered abrupt large-amplitude events during beam-driven deuterium plasma experiments. A large spike in the magnetic fluctuation signal followed by a drop in the neutron emission rate indicates that energetic ions abruptly migrate out of the plasma core during an intense burst of Alfvén waves that lasts only 0.3 ms. With continued beam injection, the energetic ion population recovers until the next event occurs 40–60 ms later. Here we present results from simulations that successfully reproduce multiple migration cycles and report numerical and experimental evidence for the multi-mode nature of these intermittent phenomena. Moreover, we elucidate the role of collisional slow-down and show that the large-amplitude Alfvénic fluctuations can drive magnetic reconnection and induce macroscopic magnetic islands. In this way, our simulations allow us to gradually unravel the underlying physical processes and develop predictive capabilities.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05779-0

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