Evidence of a turbulent ExB mixing avalanche mechanism of gas breakdown in strongly magnetized systems

Min-Gu Yoo, Jeongwon Lee, Young-Gi Kim, Jayhyun Kim, Francesco Maviglia, Adrianus C. C. Sips, Hyun-Tae Kim, Taik Soo Hahm, Yong-Seok Hwang, Hae June Lee and Yong-Su Na ()
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Min-Gu Yoo: Seoul National University
Jeongwon Lee: National Fusion Research Institute
Young-Gi Kim: Seoul National University
Jayhyun Kim: National Fusion Research Institute
Francesco Maviglia: Consorzio CREATE, Univ. Napoli Federico II - DIETI
Adrianus C. C. Sips: JET-EFDA, Culham Science Centre
Hyun-Tae Kim: JET-EFDA, Culham Science Centre
Taik Soo Hahm: Seoul National University
Yong-Seok Hwang: Seoul National University
Hae June Lee: Pusan National University
Yong-Su Na: Seoul National University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Although gas breakdown phenomena have been intensively studied over 100 years, the breakdown mechanism in a strongly magnetized system, such as tokamak, has been still obscured due to complex electromagnetic topologies. There has been a widespread misconception that the conventional breakdown model of the unmagnetized system can be directly applied to the strongly magnetized system. However, we found clear evidence that existing theories cannot explain the experimental results. Here, we demonstrate the underlying mechanism of gas breakdown in tokamaks, a turbulent ExB mixing avalanche, which systematically considers multi-dimensional plasma dynamics in the complex electromagnetic topology. This mechanism clearly elucidates the experiments by identifying crucial roles of self-electric fields produced by space-charge that decrease the plasma density growth rate and cause a dominant transport via ExB drifts. A comprehensive understanding of plasma dynamics in complex electromagnetic topology provides general design strategy for robust breakdown scenarios in a tokamak fusion reactor.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05839-5

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