Application of high frequency biasing and its effect in STOR-M tokamak

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that high frequency biasing in the STOR-M tokamak can enhance plasma confinement and density, with experimental and simulation results showing improved plasma parameters at specific frequency ranges.

Contribution

The paper introduces a high frequency biasing technique using a pulsed amplifier and validates its effectiveness through experiments and ASTRA simulations in the STOR-M tokamak.

Findings

Increased plasma density and soft x-ray intensity at specific frequency regimes.

Enhanced confinement times $ au_{p}$ and $ au_{E}$ observed.

Simulation confirms the role of GAM excitation and Ware-pinch in confinement improvement.

Abstract

A pulsed oscillating power amplifier has been developed to apply high frequency biasing voltage to an electrode at the edge of the STOR-M tokamak plasma. The power amplifier can deliver a peak-to-peak oscillating voltage up to 120V and current 30A within the frequency range of 1kHz-50kHz. The electrode is located in the equatorial plane at radius $\rho = 0.88$. The frequency of the applied voltage has been varied between discharges. It is observed that the plasma density and soft x-ray intensity from the plasma core region usually increase at lower frequency regime 1kHz-5kHz as well as relatively higher frequency regime 20kHz-25kHz but seldom increase in between them. Increment of $\tau_{p}$ \& $\tau_{E}$ have been observed from the derivations of experimental data in both frequency regimes. Transport simulation has been carried out using the ASTRA simulation code for STOR-M tokamak parameters to understand the physical process behind experimental observations at higher frequency branch. The model is based on GAM excitement at resonance frequency associated with Ware-pinch due to oscillating electric field produced by biasing voltage which can suppress anomalous transport. Simulation results reproduce the experiment quite well in terms of the density, particle confinement as well as energy confinement time evolution. All those results indicate high frequency biasing is capable of improving confinement efficiently.