Integration of full divertor detachment with improved core confinement for tokamak fusion plasmas.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33649306.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-021-21645-y and PMC identifier 7921092.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Divertor detachment offers a promising solution to the challenge of plasma-wall interactions for steady-state operation of fusion reactors. Here, we demonstrate the excellent compatibility of actively controlled full divertor detachment with a high-performance (β<sub>N</sub> ~ 3, H<sub>98</sub> ~ 1.5) core plasma, using high-β<sub>p</sub> (poloidal beta, β<sub>p</sub> > 2) scenario characterized by a sustained core internal transport barrier (ITB) and a modest edge transport barrier (ETB) in DIII-D tokamak. The high-β<sub>p</sub> high-confinement scenario facilitates divertor detachment which, in turn, promotes the development of an even stronger ITB at large radius with a weaker ETB. This self-organized synergy between ITB and ETB, leads to a net gain in energy confinement, in contrast to the net confinement loss caused by divertor detachment in standard H-modes. These results show the potential of integrating excellent core plasma performance with an efficient divertor solution, an essential step towards steady-state operation of reactor-grade plasmas.