Scientists unlock new physics in fusion reactors to boost power output
Researchers at Britain's MAST-U tokamak have identified previously unobserved wave patterns that could help engineers better control and stabilize fusion reactions. The discovery maps how these waves behave under different conditions, offering a roadmap for designing more efficient fusion power plants—critical as governments and utilities race to commercialize fusion energy.
Originaltitel: Observation of bi-directional global Alfvén eigenmodes in the MAST-U tokamak
<p>The first observations and classification of deuterium beam-driven sub-cyclotron frequency range Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs) are presented for the MAST-Upgrade tokamak. Sets of observed eigenmodes are separated in frequency by approximately 200 kHz. We observe a lower frequency separation of ∼10 kHz within each set, and the toroidal mode number <em>n</em> increases with frequency sequentially. The ∼200 kHz step between the sets coincides with the interval between successive curves of the Shear Alfvén continuum according to linear ideal MHD modeling. The sub-cyclotron frequency AEs can be identified as the global AEs (GAEs) localized at the continuum extrema regions. Each set contains the same range of <em>n</em>. These observations are consistent with our GAE modeling. In low plasma current (<em>I</em><sub>p</sub>) discharges, we observe only GAEs propagating counter to the plasma current and the beam direction. These GAEs are located near the magnetic axis. We observe counter and co-propagating GAEs simultaneously in higher <em>I</em><sub>p</sub> discharges. The co-propagating GAEs occur because of the formation of second continuum minima. Very flat safety factor profiles in higher <em>I</em><sub>p</sub> MAST-U discharges give rise to these minima. They are located at around half of the plasma radius. The GAEs have properties that are very different to those of compressional AEs previously reported for the MAST tokamak with low magnetic fields (Sharapov <em>et al</em> 2014 <em>Phys. Plasmas</em> <strong>21</strong> 082501) before the upgrade.</p>