Control of Transport-barrier relaxations by Resonant Magnetic Perturbations

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates through simulations that resonant magnetic perturbations can stabilize transport-barrier relaxation oscillations in tokamak edges by altering pressure profiles and magnetic structures.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed simulation-based analysis of how resonant magnetic perturbations influence relaxation oscillations at the tokamak edge.

Findings

Resonant magnetic perturbations stabilize relaxation oscillations.

Magnetic islands and stochastic layers modify pressure profiles.

Stabilization is linked to changes in magnetic topology.

Abstract

Transport-barrier relaxation oscillations in the presence of resonant magnetic perturbations are investigated using three-dimensional global fluid turbulence simulations from first principles at the edge of a tokamak. It is shown that resonant magnetic perturbations have a stabilizing effect on these relaxation oscillations and that this effect is due mainly to a modification of the pressure profile linked to the presence of both residual residual magnetic island chains and a stochastic layer.