First experimental observation of zonal flows in the optimized stellarator Wendelstein 7-X

TL;DR

This paper reports the first direct experimental detection of zonal flows in the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator, confirming theoretical predictions and aiding model validation for fusion reactors.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental evidence of zonal flows in a large stellarator, aligning measurements with gyrokinetic simulations for the first time.

Findings

Detection of flux surface-uniform electrostatic flow oscillations

Measurements agree with gyrokinetic simulation predictions

First direct measurement of zonal flows in a large stellarator

Abstract

In this work, we present the first experimental evidence of the presence of zonal flow (ZF) structures in the optimized stellarator Wendelstein 7-X. Using an assortment of diagnostics, flux surface-uniform, electrostatic flow oscillations have been measured, showing a radial scale in the range of tens of ion gyroradii. Such measurements show remarkable agreement with the ZF predicted by local and global non-linear gyrokinetic simulations. These results represent the first direct measurement of ZF in a large stellarator, suitable for the validation of models in reactor relevant conditions.