ISSN:
1089-7623
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
,
Electrical Engineering, Measurement and Control Technology
Notes:
Advanced tokamak research seeks to find the ultimate potential of the tokamak as a magnetic confinement system. Achieving this potential involves optimizing the plasma cross-sectional shape, current density, and pressure profiles for stability to magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes while simultaneously controlling the current density, pressure, and radial electric field profiles to minimize the cross field transport of plasma energy. In its ultimate, steady-state incarnation, the advanced tokamak also requires pressure profiles that have been adjusted to achieve the maximum possible bootstrap current, subject to the constraints of MHD stability. This simultaneous, nonlinear optimization of shape, current, pressure, and electric field profiles to meet multiple goals is a grand challenge to plasma physics. To keep the plasma at peak performance, active feedback control will almost certainly be required. Diagnostic measurements play a crucial role in advanced tokamak research both for developing the scientific understanding underlying the optimization and for serving as sensors for real time feedback control. One outstanding example of this is the way motional Stark effect (MSE) measurements of the internal magnetic field revolutionized work on current profile shaping. Improved diagnostic measurements are essential in testing theories which must be validated in order to apply advanced tokamak results to next step devices. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1321006
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