Physical Origin of H-Mode

TL;DR

This paper investigates the physical mechanisms behind the H-mode transition in nuclear fusion plasmas, revealing how turbulence suppression via ion-neutral interactions and the Reynolds number predict the power threshold and transition features.

Contribution

It introduces a new understanding of the L-H transition mechanism based on plasma-neutral interactions and the Reynolds number, supported by experimental correlation.

Findings

Pth is proportional to B / (mi ni nn^2)

Re predicts the onset of laminar to turbulent flow

Re explains 15 characteristics of L-H transition

Abstract

The high confinement mode (H-mode), the most important operation mode for the nuclear fusion reactor, has been studied for 42 years, but the transition mechanism has not been unanimously agreed so far. Four decades of H-mode experiments revealed many features of heating power threshold (Pth) for the low to high confinement (L-H) transition, where Pth is proportional to the toroidal magnetic field (B), inversely proportional to the ion mass (mi), and Pth has U-shaped dependence on the plasma density. It is found for the first time that this U-shaped rollover dependence came from Pth is inversely proportional to the multiplication of plasma density (ni) and the squire of neutral density (nn). The reason for the neutral density involved in the L-H transition is that the turbulence suppression takes place by the viscous force of the ion-neutral friction. When the plasma is in the equilibrium by the compensation of turbulence-induced return current to the gyro-center shift current generated by the ion-neutral charge exchanges, the Reynolds number (Re), the ratio of inertial force to the viscous force, can predict the onset of laminar to turbulent flow. Re for the plasma-neutral interaction is proportional to B / (mi nin^2n) which is well agreed with the experimental results of Pth. Re is also proportional to the second gradient of the radial electric field which is agreed with experiments. 15 characteristics of L-H transition are explained by Re including the feature of Pth having favorable dependence on the ion grad B drift toward the x-point.