H-mode transition in the TJ-II stellarator plasmas

TL;DR

This paper reviews the experimental understanding of the L-H transition in TJ-II stellarator plasmas, emphasizing the role of fluctuating flows and turbulence suppression mechanisms in confinement improvements.

Contribution

It provides the first evidence of a predator-prey relationship between turbulence and flows in TJ-II and highlights the significance of zonal flows in triggering the transition.

Findings

Transition correlates with fluctuating $E\times B$ flows, not steady $E_r$.

First evidence of predator-prey turbulence-flow dynamics in TJ-II.

Turbulence reduction occurs over a wide radial range, beyond local shear effects.

Abstract

Since the first H-mode transitions were observed in TJ-II plasmas in 2008, an extensive experimental effort has been done aiming a better physics understanding of confinement transitions. In this paper, an overview of the main findings related to the L-H transition in TJ-II is presented including how the radial electric field is driven, which are the possible mechanisms for turbulence suppression, and what are the related temporal and spatial scales which can impact the transition. The trigger of the L-H transition in TJ-II plasmas is found to be more correlated with the development of fluctuating $E\times B$ flows than with steady-state $E_r$ effects, pointing to the role played by zonal flows in mediating the transition. Experimental evidence supporting the predator-prey relationship between turbulence and flows as the basis for the L-H transition, found for the first time in TJ-II, reinforces this conclusion. Besides, the reduction in the turbulent transport at the transition is detected at the barrier region but also in a wider radial range with weak or even zero $E\times B$ flow shear, what points to other mechanisms beyond the turbulence suppression by local sheared flows.