Temperature and density characteristics of the Helicity Injected Torus-II spherical tokamak indicating closed flux sustainment using coaxial helicity injection

摘要

The electron temperature and density profiles of plasmas in the Helicity Injected Torus [HIT-II: T. R. Jarboe et al., Phys. Plasmas 5, 1807 (1998)] experiment are measured by multipoint Thomson scattering (MPTS). The HIT-II device is a small low-aspect-ratio tokamak (major radius 0.3 m, minor radius 0.2 m, toroidal field of up to 0.5 T), capable of inductive ohmic (OH) current drive, Coaxial Helicity Injection (CHI) current drive, or combinations of both. The temperature and density characteristics have been characterized by a ruby laser MPTS diagnostic at up to six locations within the plasma for a single diagnostic time per discharge. Observed hollow temperature profiles of CHI discharges are inconsistent with open flux only predictions for CHI and indicate a closed flux region during CHI current drive. 0 2008 American Institute of Physics.