Enhancement of cross-field transport into the private region of detached-divertor in Large Helical Device

Abstract

The fluctuation of ion saturation currents in the attached- and detached-divertor plasmas of the Large Helical Device [Fujiwara, Nucl. Fusion 41, 1355 (2001)] has been measured using a Langmuir probe array embedded in a divertor plate. Analytical results indicate that these fluctuation properties differ considerably from each other; for instance, the mean value distribution expands to and positive spikes propagate toward a private region from the divertor leg in the detached-divertor. We investigated the magnetic field lines traced from probe electrodes by using the KMAG code [Nakamura, J. Plasma Fusion Res. 69, 41 (1993)], and it is then confirmed that the propagation direction of positive spikes corresponds to that predicted by the theory of blobby plasma transport. This phenomenon is expected to lead to the broadening of plasma particle and heat fluxes to the divertor plate. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.