Formation of electron internal transport barrier and achievement of high ion temperature in Large Helical Device

Abstract

An internal transport barrier (ITB) was observed in the electron temperature profile in the Large Helical Device [O. Motojima et al., Phys. Plasmas 6, 1843 (1999)] with a centrally focused intense electron cyclotron resonance microwave heating. Inside the ITB the core electron transport was improved, and a high electron temperature, exceeding 10 keV in a low density, was achieved in a collisionless regime. The formation of the electron-ITB is correlated with the neoclassical electron root with a strong radial electric field determined by the neoclassical ambipolar flux. The direction of the tangentially injected beam-driven current has an influence on the electron-ITB formation. For the counter-injected target plasma, a steeper temperature gradient, than that for the co-injected one, was observed. As for the ion temperature, high-power NBI (neutral beam injection) heating of 9 MW has realized a central ion temperature of 5 keV with neon injection. By introducing neon gas, the NBI absorption power was increased in low-density plasmas and the direct ion heating power was much enhanced with a reduced number of ions, compared with hydrogen plasmas.