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Disruption prediction is essential for the safe operation of a large scale tokamak. Existing disruption predictors based on machine learning techniques have good prediction performance, but all these methods need large training datasets including many disruptions to develop their successful prediction capability. Future machines are unlikely to provide enough disruption samples since these cause excessive machine damage and the prediction models used are difficult to extrapolate to a machines that the predictor was not trained on. In this paper, a disruption predictor based on a deep learning and anomaly detection technique has been developed. It regards the disruption as an anomaly, and can learn on non-disruptive shots only. The model is trained to extract the hidden features of various non-disruptive shots with a convolutional neural network and a long-shot term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network. It will predict the future trend of selected diagnostics, then using the predicted future trend and the measured signal to calculate an outlier factor to determine if a disruption is coming. It was tested with J-TEXT discharges in flat top phase and can demonstrate comparable performance to current machine learning disruption prediction techniques, without requiring a disruption data set. This could be applied to future tokamaks and reduce the dependency on disruptive experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The retarding field analyzer (RFA) is considered to be one of the most effective tools to measure ion temperature (Ti) in the plasma boundary. However, there are some inaccuracies in the measured Ti by RFA caused by impurities in the plasma. In this paper, the influence of impurities on the measured Ti by RFA have been analyzed in hydrogen isotope plasmas with both low-Z and high-Z impurities. The analytical results show that Ti is underestimated in H+ (also D+ and T+) plasma when the fuel ion charge is taken as the charge number and the analyzed Ti in H+ plasma are all larger than that in D+ and T+ plasmas, exhibiting the isotope effect. With the concentration of low-Z impurity (ηl) increasing, the analyzed Ti decreases and is underestimated by about 20% with ηl ~ 12%. Following a comparison of different charge numbers and masses of low-Z impurities, it is found that larger charge numbers and smaller masses of low-Z impurities lead to greater underestimation of the analyzed Ti. High-Z impurities make almost no impact on the Ti, due to their small current contribution. Moreover, the Ti is measured by RFA and edge rotational diagnostic (ERD) systems through experiments. The results show good agreement with the analytical evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutral beam injection is the main heating system on a variety of fusion devices, and will be the main heating system of ITER. Especially during high-power operation in long pulse devices, it is important that transmission losses and power deposition in the beamline are well quantified. This paper presents the analytical beamlet code (ABC)3D. ABC3D is based on analytical Gaussian beamlets, and includes shadowing effects. The code is able to calculate emission spectra in the beamline, duct transmission losses, and neutral beam power loads on 3D components. Examples of its application are shown that highlight key results in beam emission spectroscopy, beamline design, and geometry verification in experiments. Limitations to the computational approach are discussed on the basis of a comparison with more advanced calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper we investigate induced scattering of the pump microwave during electron Bernstein wave heating in the regimes with the high poloidal beta. It occurs in the upper hybrid resonance vicinity and leads to the nonlinear excitation of electron Bernstein waves confined within a finite 3D region limited in the radial direction by a potential well at the LFS and in the poloidal and toroidal directions by the dimensions of the spot on the magnetic flux surface illuminated by the pump beam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical-field ionization (OFI) is often used to produce plasmas for myriad laboratory applications. OFI of gases is known to generate electrons that have anisotropic distributions. In this paper we show that at the time of plasma formation the electron velocity distribution functions can be controlled by changing the wavelength and polarization of the pump laser and ionization state of the plasma. Thomson scattering is used to measure the distinct electron velocity distributions of helium plasmas produced by linearly and circularly polarized laser pulses within a few inverse plasma periods after the plasma formation. In both cases, nonthermal and highly anisotropic initial electron distributions are observed that are consistent with expectations from OFI of both He electrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable equilibrium reconstruction is indispensable for understanding and controlling hot magnetized plasmas to achieve fusion reactors. In axisymmetric systems, current and pressure profiles that satisfy the force balance conditions are given by the Grad–Shafranov (GS) equation. While many novel approaches have been developed to swiftly and robustly find an optimum solution of the GS equation, approaches based on a single solution search may not be adaptable if diagnostics fail to provide sufficient constraints. Here, we investigate the solution space of the GS equation when only basic edge magnetic measurements are available. By combining Gaussian process regression and Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling within the Bayesian framework, we treat each current element as an independent variable and evaluate the probability distribution that describes all possible solutions. We have applied this inference frame to the geometry of the PLATO tokamak and shown that the flux surface locations can be determined relatively well only from 16 pick-up coils, 4 flux loops and a diamagnetic loop. On the other hand, the toroidal current density is inferred with limited success, and the inferences of the safety factor and pressure profiles are difficult. The characterization of possible choices of equilibria realized by this inference framework will help optimize diagnostic setups for equilibrium reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous regulation of multiple properties in next-generation tokamaks like ITER and fusion pilot plant may require the integration of different plasma control algorithms. Such integration requires the conversion of individual controller commands into physical actuator requests while accounting for the coupling between different plasma properties. This work proposes a tokamak and scenario-agnostic actuator-sharing algorithm (ASA) to perform the above-mentioned command-request conversion and, hence, integrate multiple plasma controllers. The proposed algorithm implicitly solves a quadratic programming (QP) problem formulated to account for the saturation limits and the relation between the controller commands and physical actuator requests. Since the constraints arising in the QP program are linear, the proposed ASA is highly computationally efficient and can be implemented in the tokamak plasma control system in real time. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm is designed to handle real-time changes in the control objectives and actuators' availability. Nonlinear simulations carried out using the Control Oriented Transport SIMulator illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in achieving multiple control objectives simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The density shoulder represents a universal physical phenomenon that is closely related to the particle and energy transports occurring within the scrape-off layer (SOL) region of tokamak devices. A novel method has been developed to identify the density shoulder through the analysis of the bump structure in the time delay spectra from monostatic microwave reflectometry in EAST tokamak, obviating the need for density profile reconstruction. The density shoulder in EAST is characterized by a number of distinctive features. The density shoulder is mostly situated at a distance of 0–3 cm from the last closed flux surface, with a width of a few centimeters. No significant correlation is observed between its occurrence and the auxiliary heating or the confinement state. In the case of H-mode with quasi-coherent mode (QCM), a significant and positive correlation is observed between the density shoulder amplitude and QCM intensity. In the case of grassy-edge localized mode (ELM)-like H-mode, a density shoulder is also observed during the inter-ELM stage. Furthermore, as supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI) deposits occur within the range of ρ = 0.9 ∼ 1, the density shoulder is also enhanced during the SMBI fueling process. Moreover, it appears that the neutral pressure has a more pronounced impact on the overall offset of the density profile than the strength of the density shoulder. These results collectively indicate that the outward particle transport from the pedestal to the SOL region plays a crucial role in the evolution of the density shoulder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of a deformed subcritical fast magnetosonic shock front is compared between two two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations with different orientations of the magnetic field relative to the simulation box. All other initial and simulation conditions are kept identical. Shock boundary oscillations are observed in the simulation where the magnetic field direction is resolved. This oscillation is caused by the reformation of the shock front. One part of the front acts as a shock, while the other functions as a magnetic piston, with both halves changing their states in antiphase. The oscillation period corresponds to the time required for one shock wave to grow as the other collapses. In contrast, the corrugated fast magnetosonic shock does not oscillate in the second simulation, where the magnetic field is oriented out of the simulation plane. This dependence on magnetic field orientation suggests that the shock oscillation is induced by magnetic tension, which is only effective in the first simulation. In both simulations, the shock perturbation does not grow over time, indicating that the shocks are stable. The potential relevance of these findings for the Alfvénic oscillations of the supercritical Earth's bow shock, detected by the MMS multi-spacecraft mission, is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-plasmon decay instabilities (TPDIs) are a class of parametric instabilities where a gyrotron beam, polarized in X-mode, decays nonlinearly into two upper hybrid waves at approximately half frequency. Here, we present the design of a simple radiometer that was installed at Tokamak á configuration variable to diagnose TPDIs as well as a novel technique that was used to calibrate the radiometer using thermal electron cyclotron emissions. We show examples of measured radiation from TPDIs that occur when the gyrotron beam intersects blob filaments in the scrape-off layer and demonstrate that the frequency separation of the TPDI daughter waves can be used to assess the densities of the blob filaments. This technique could be utilized to diagnose density fluctuations due to both blobs, ELMs, and rotating magnetic islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An understanding of the behaviour of the D or He fuel used in tokamak discharges is essential in analyses such as modelling edge and divertor transport and the erosion of the vessel walls. However, poor agreement is found between measurements made on the JET tokamak and collisional-radiative models used to predict the hydrogen-like D and He line intensities. The range of temperatures of the plasmas emitting the radiation is also limited, in contrast to that for many impurities for which a wide range is possible. This is particularly so for He II whose line intensities tend to have the same near-constant ratios in most pulses, suggesting that the emission originates in plasma regions with very similar electron temperatures. To gain understanding and to allow quantitative comparisons with theoretical models, extensive observations of the VUV Lyman series have been made, for all discharge scenarios run during three He campaigns. Those for He discharges in both JET ITER-like wall (JET-ILW) and JET C (JET-C) campaigns are presented here. He discharges have the advantage of fewer impurities resulting in less complex spectra than when D is used as the fuel. However, the characteristics of the observed discrepancies are similar in both species, allowing He to be used as a proxy for D in order to gain understanding of the discrepancy. In addition, the study of He avoids the complication of molecular species contributing to the level populations. Opacity effects are also expected to be less severe in He discharges. Nevertheless, so as to ensure that the measurements are not unduly affected by opacity, comparisons have also been made with emission from Balmer and Paschen series members. Measurements of both line intensities and their ratios are presented for all-pulse surveys and for individual pulses. In exceptional cases in which the He emission is intense a dependence on the He II line intensity is demonstrated. The discrepancy between these measurements and the theoretical models is illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the design of snowflake (SF) plasma configurations in tokamaks. The SF configuration represents a promising solution for the power exhaust and divertor design problem due to its ability to flare the scrape-off layer in the vicinity of the SF point. SF plasma configurations have been successfully achieved in tokamaks like Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV), DIII-D and National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), and are under investigation for future tokamaks such as DEMO. The first attempts to determine such new plasma configurations have picked out the inherent difficulties in obtaining them with low coil currents and in controlling the associated equilibria against external disturbances and modeling errors. This paper presents a novel procedure based on the linearized model of the plasma for the design of an SF divertor configuration. Moreover, a procedure for the optimization of the poloidial field coil system is proposed. The effectiveness of the techniques is demonstrated with an application to DEMO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we show that the commonly used cold plasma dispersion relation for plasma waves in the lower hybrid range of frequencies (LHRF) produces a wave trajectory that is notably different than when thermal corrections to the Hermitian part of the dielectric tensor are retained. This is in contrast to the common implementation in LH simulation codes in which thermal effects are retained only for the anti-Hermitian part of the dielectric tensor used for damping calculations. We show which term is the critical one to retain in the dielectric tensor and discuss implications for modeling of LHRF waves in present day and future devices. We conclude with some observations on the effects of diffraction that may be isolated once thermal effects are retained in both ray tracing and full-wave approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactor grade plasmas are likely to be fuelled by pellet injection. This technique transiently perturbs the profiles, driving the density profile hollow and flattening the edge temperature profile. After the pellet perturbation, the density and temperature profiles relax towards their quasi-steady-state shape. Microinstabilities influence plasma confinement and will play a role in determining the evolution of the profiles in pellet fuelled plasmas. In this paper we present the microstability analysis of pellet fuelled H-mode MAST plasmas. Taking advantage of the unique capabilities of the MAST Thomson scattering system and the possibility of synchronizing the eight lasers with the pellet injection, we were able to measure the evolution of the post-pellet electron density and temperature profiles with high temporal and spatial resolution. These profiles, together with ion temperature profiles measured using a charge exchange diagnostic, were used to produce equilibria suitable for microstability analysis of the equilibrium changes induced by pellet injection. This analysis, carried out using the local gyrokinetic code GS2, reveals that the microstability properties are extremely sensitive to the rapid and large transient excursions of the density and temperature profiles, which also change collisionality and βe significantly in the region most strongly affected by the pellet ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turbulence radial correlation length measurements by making use of Doppler reflectometry are analysed in this paper assuming the linear (in density perturbation amplitude) regime of the probing wave scattering. Based on the Born approximation applicable in this case, we get a general integral representation of the scattering signal amplitude, which is then analysed in detail both analytically and numerically. Asymptotic analytical evaluation of the scattering signal amplitude gives a criterion on the incidence angle, exceeding which leads to suppression of the poor localized forward scattering contribution to the Doppler reflectometry signal. In the latter case, fast decay of correlation in the two frequency channels appears to be similar to that expected from the turbulence correlation function. The analytical estimations and predictions are confirmed by numerical evaluation of the scattering signal amplitude. The analysis performed proves the feasibility of the radial correlation Doppler reflectometry technique for measurements of the correlation length of a modest level turbulence at oblique launching of the probing wave beam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetospheres at ion kinetic scales, or mini-magnetospheres, possess unusual features as predicted by numerical simulations. However, there are practically no data on the subject from space observations and the data which are available are far too incomplete. In this paper we describe the results of a laboratory experiment on the interaction of plasma flow with a magnetic dipole with parameters such that the ion inertial length is larger than the size of an observed magnetosphere. A detailed structure of the non-coplanar or out-of-plane component of the magnetic field has been obtained in the meridian plane. The independence of this component on dipole moment reversal, as was reported in a previous work, has been verified. In the tail distinct lobes and a central current sheet have been observed. It was found that lobe regions adjacent to boundary layer are dominated by a non-coplanar component of magnetic field. Tail-ward oriented electric current in the plasma associated with that component appears to be equal to the ion current in the upstream part of magnetosphere and in the tail current sheet implying that electrons are stationary in those regions while the ions flow by. The data obtained strongly support the proposed model of mini-magnetosphere based on two-fluid effects as described by the Hall term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Stellarator de Costa Rica 1 (SCR-1) is a small modular stellarator that serves as a valuable research and training tool for plasma magnetic confinement. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of SCR-1, including its peripheral systems, technical plasma discharge processes, and advancements in plasma characterization. In addition, this study explored a new heating mechanism and the factors that influence it. The current state of the device and plasma discharge are initially presented. Subsequently, the measurement process was utilized to determine the electronic density and plasma temperature using a single Langmuir probe and the results were compared with theoretical predictions based on the particle and energy balance. Additionally, the VMEC code was employed to calculate magnetic flux surfaces with characteristics such as a low aspect ratio, low beta parameter, negative magnetic shear, and decreasing rotational transform along magnetic flux surfaces. The Mercier criterion was employed to conduct a linear stability analysis, which identified a magnetic well that played a crucial role in the linear stability of the majority of magnetic flux surfaces. Feasibility studies of electron Bernstein waves (EBW) were conducted using the IPF-FMDC full-wave code. The results obtained from the IPF-FMDC full-wave code revealed that the O-X conversion percentage reached a maximum of 63% when considering radiation reflection in the vacuum vessel. Significant effects of plasma curvature on the O-X wave conversion and normalized electron density scale length were observed, while the change in the SCR-1 heating position did not produce a significant impact. Three damping mechanisms affecting O-X conversion were studied, and one of the principal effects was the SX-FX conversion due to steep electron density gradient. Additionally, stochastic electron heating showed a low electron field amplitude, which is important for limiting the EBW propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, the fluid plasma transport code SOLPS-ITER is applied and validated against experimental data from the plasma interaction surface component experimental station (PISCES)-RF linear plasma device to establish a physics basis for plasma and neutral transport in its two magnetic field (B-field) geometry setups-(1)the cusp and (2) non-cusp or linear B-field. The main focus of this study is to understand (1) radial plasma transport (2) heat and particle loads on the upstream dump and downstream target plate, and (3) the physics of plasma-neutral interactions in PISCES-RF. The simulation setup adheres to typical PISCES-RF experimental conditions, with a 2D helicon power deposition profile as an input heating source. SOLPS-ITER simulations reproduce experimental conditions with the Bohm diffusion model for both B-field configurations of the PISCES-RF experiment. Major energy loss channels include neutral radiation and power deposited on the wall and dump plate, with only 1 % of the input power reaching the target. The ionization front is well confined near the dump plate due to the heating and puffing regions. Additionally, SOLPS-ITER simulation results are also found to be in very good agreement with the particle-in-cell calculations using the code-PICOS++ which supports the validity of SOLPS in low collisionality regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A time-resolved deuterium–deuterium (D–D) fusion-born triton confinement study, aimed at understanding alpha particle confinement ability, was performed in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) deuterium plasmas for the first time. A scintillating fiber detector was developed for measuring the secondary deuterium–tritium (D–T) neutrons, which provide evidence of triton slowdown, in EAST. The D–D fusion-born triton confinement experiment was performed by measuring secondary D–T neutrons in D-beam-heated D plasma with a plasma current of 400 kA. The secondary D–T neutron signal and its time evolution were obtained using pulse height discrimination analysis. The D–T neutron rate was calculated using the classical energetic ion confinement model to clarify the D–T neutron measurements. The secondary D–T neutron emission rate obtained from the numerical simulation closely agrees with the experimentally obtained results when considering the prompt loss of the tritons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that 'transient surface currents' caused by multi-MeV fast electrons can be responsible for the emission of low frequency radiation (e.g. in THz range) from ultra-intense laser–solid interactions. This mechanism has been analyzed, and analytic upper bounds on the intensity, electric field amplitude, and normalized vector potential have been developed and tested against 1D EM Particle-in-Cell simulations. The 'transient surface current' mechanism is effective and sufficiently efficient to fully account for all radiation that has been emitted in experiments so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ITER, disruption-born runaway electrons (REs), unless mitigated, are expected to form a several Mega-Ampere beam that ultimately intercepts the first wall leading to melting of the plasma facing components. Developing a successful mitigation strategy therefore requires modeling that takes into account the coupling between REs and the MHD during the formation and termination of the beam, along with estimates for the wall loads that can be compared to design values. Using the JOREK code, this work aims to provide the latter by presenting a novel model for collisions between REs and the wall and applying it to a beam termination scenario in ITER. To this end, the transport of REs is modeled by tracing particles in the fields calculated by preceding simulations of the disruption event where REs were treated in the fluid picture and self-consistently coupled to the MHD. The resulting heat loads are found to be highly localized in both the poloidal and toroidal directions, with 3D features also playing an important role in the appearance of hot spots. Peak loads were on the order of 10 7 − 10 8 J m 2 . The load distribution was found to only be weakly sensitive to the initial phase space distribution of the REs when decoupled from the fields, while modifying properties of the underlying MHD yielded notable differences in wetted area and peak loads, in particular for cases with higher resistivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The linear and nonlinear effects of hydrogen isotope species on ion temperature gradient (ITG) instability in the Large Helical Device (LHD) stellarator are studied using radially global gyrokinetic simulation. We found that the coupling range of linear toroidal harmonics depends on the ion mass of the hydrogen isotope. The growth rates of ITG mode are almost the same for H, D, and T plasmas, indicating a gyro-Bohm scaling of ion-mass dependence. The nonlinear electrostatic simulations show that the zonal flow breaks the radially elongated eigenmode structures and reduces the size of the turbulence eddies, which suppresses the turbulence and the ion heat transport in the LHD. The turbulence amplitude without the zonal flow is almost the same for H, D, and T plasmas, while it decreases with increasing ion mass of the hydrogen isotope when the zonal flow is present. The reduction of the turbulent transport with larger ion mass is mostly due to the enhancement of zonal flows by larger ion mass. The ion heat conductivity deviates from the gyro-Bohm scaling for both cases with and without the zonal flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will discuss simulations of the full ionization process (i.e. plasma burn-through), fundamental to creating high temperature plasma. By means of an applied electric field, the gas is partially ionized by the electron avalanche process. In order for the electron temperature to increase, the remaining neutrals need to be fully ionized in the plasma burn-through phase, as radiation is the main contribution to the electron power loss. The radiated power loss can be significantly affected by impurities resulting from interaction with the plasma facing components. The DYON code is a plasma burn-through simulator developed at Joint European Torus (JET) (Kim et al and EFDA-JET Contributors 2012 Nucl. Fusion52 103016, Kim, Sips and EFDA-JET Contributors 2013 Nucl. Fusion53 083024). The dynamic evolution of the plasma temperature and plasma densities including the impurity content is calculated in a self-consistent way using plasma wall interaction models. The recent installation of a beryllium wall at JET enabled validation of the plasma burn-through model in the presence of new, metallic plasma facing components. The simulation results of the plasma burn-through phase show a consistent good agreement against experiments at JET, and explain differences observed during plasma initiation with the old carbon plasma facing components. In the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the allowable toroidal electric field is restricted to 0.35 (V m−1), which is significantly lower compared to the typical value (∼1 (V m−1)) used in the present devices. The limitation on toroidal electric field also reduces the range of other operation parameters during plasma formation in ITER. Thus, predictive simulations of plasma burn-through in ITER using validated model is of crucial importance. This paper provides an overview of the DYON code and the validation, together with new predictive simulations for ITER using the DYON code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work on the interaction of high power lasers with high density targets have identified that emission is primarily from interaction within the skin layer at the target front (e.g. Ridgers et al 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett.108 165006). This mechanism is inefficient when compared to Reinjected Electron Synchrotron Emission (RESE) for laser interaction with low density solids (Brady et al 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett.109 245006). However, these detailed analyses of the emission mechanisms were mainly based on 1D simulations and so did not incorporate some important 2D effects. In this paper these 1D emission mechanisms are confirmed to still exist in 2D with comparable properties and a new, intrinsically 2D, emission mechanism, termed edgeglow, is described which can convert 4–5% of the laser energy into gamma-ray energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent numerical calculations have shown that while strong toroidal rotation can increase the external kink limit of tokamak plasmas, the associated rotation shear can drive a Kelvin-Helmholtz like global instability in the plasma, if the rotation frequency exceeds a threshold value (Chapman et al 2011 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 53 125002; Chapman et al 2012 Nucl. Fusion 52 042005). On the basis of a large aspect ratio toroidal expansion of the magnetohydrodynamic stability equations, the present paper investigates analytically various properties of this instability in tokamak plasmas with sonic toroidal flows and low magnetic shear in the core region. We also compare the analytical results with numerical code calculations. Many characteristic features and parameter dependences of the instability can be understood from the analytical theory, such as an eigenmode structure peaking at the position of largest rotation shear, and insensitivity of the growth rate to the plasma beta and to the precise value of the safety factor in the region of low magnetic shear. From an algebraic expression for the growth rate, valid asymptotically at large rotation frequencies, the drop in the dynamic pressure associated with the flow in the plasma can be identified as a major driving mechanism of the instability. For modes with (dominant) poloidal mode number m > 1, and rotating equilibria with isothermal magnetic surfaces, another driving mechanism of the instability is related to the centrifugally induced density variation along the magnetic field lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The onset of collisionless magnetic reconnection is considered to be controlled by electron dynamics in the electron diffusion region, where the reconnection electric field is balanced mainly by the off-diagonal electron pressure tensor term. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are employed in this paper to investigate the self-reinforcing process of the reconnection electric field in the electron diffusion region, which is found to grow exponentially. A theoretical model is proposed to demonstrate such a process in the electron diffusion region. In addition the reconnection electric field in the pileup region, which is balanced mainly by the electromotive force term, is also found to grow exponentially and its growth rate is twice that in the electron diffusion region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The numerical simulation of the dynamics of fast ions coming from neutral beam injection (NBI) heating is an important task in fusion devices, since these particles are used as sources to heat and fuel the plasma and their uncontrolled losses can damage the walls of the reactor. This paper shows a new application that simulates these dynamics on the grid: FastDEP. FastDEP plugs together two Monte Carlo codes used in fusion science, namely FAFNER2 and ISDEP, and add new functionalities. Physically, FAFNER2 provides the fast ion initial state in the device while ISDEP calculates their evolution in time; as a result, the fast ion distribution function in TJ-II stellerator has been estimated, but the code can be used on any other device. In this paper a comparison between the physics of the two NBI injectors in TJ-II is presented, together with the differences between fast ion confinement and the driven momentum in the two cases. The simulations have been obtained using Montera, a framework developed for achieving grid efficient executions of Monte Carlo applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radial neoclassical fluxes of electrons in the 1/?-regime are calculated with relativistic effects taken into account and compared with those in the non-relativistic approach. The treatment is based on the relativistic drift-kinetic equation with the thermodynamic equilibrium given by the relativistic Maxwell-Juttner distribution function. It is found that for the range of fusion temperatures, Te 100 keV, the relativistic effects produce a reduction of the radial fluxes which does not exceed 10%. This rather small effect is a consequence of the non-monotonic temperature dependence of the relativistic correction caused by two counteracting factors: a reduction of the contribution from the bulk and a significant broadening with the temperature growth of the energy range of electrons contributing to transport. The relativistic formulation for the radial fluxes given in this paper is expressed in terms of a set of relativistic thermodynamic forces which is not identical to the canonical set since it contains an additional relativistic correction term dependent on the temperature. At the same time, this formulation allows application of the non-relativistic solvers currently used for calculation of mono-energetic transport coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helical self-organized reversed-field pinch (RFP) regimes emerge both numerically--in 3D visco-resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations--and experimentally, as in the RFX-mod device at high current (IP above 1 MA). These states, called quasi-single helicity (QSH) states, are characterized by the action of a MHD mode that impresses a quasi-helical symmetry to the system, thus allowing a high degree of magnetic chaos healing. This is in contrast with the multiple helicity (MH) states, where magnetic fluctuations create a chaotic magnetic field degrading the confinement properties of the RFP. This paper reports an extensive numerical study performed in the frame of 3D visco-resistive MHD which considers the effect of helical magnetic boundary conditions, i.e. of a finite value of the radial magnetic field at the edge (magnetic perturbation, MP). We show that the system can be driven to a selected QSH state starting from both spontaneous QSH and MH regimes. In particular, a high enough MP can force a QSH helical self-organization with a helicity different from the spontaneous one. Moreover, MH states can be turned into QSH states with a selected helicity. A threshold in the amplitude of MP is observed above which is able to influence the system. Analysis of the magnetic topology of these simulations indicates that the dominant helical mode is able to temporarily sustain conserved magnetic structures in the core of the plasma. The region occupied by conserved magnetic surfaces increases reducing secondary modes' amplitude to experimental-like values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheaths tend to form when immersing metallic objects in plasmas. As it avoids the need to capture the sheath details, which occur on the Debye length scale while antennas are typically various orders of magnitude larger, the sheath boundary condition due to D'Ippolito and Myra (2006 Phys. Plasmas 13 102508, 2008 Phys. Plasmas 15 102501) offers antenna designers a major reduction in the numerical problem size they face. The sheath boundary condition was derived by making a number of simplifying assumptions to enable finding an analytical approximation of the conditions rapidly oscillating waves have to satisfy beyond the sheath that forms close to such objects. This paper discusses the solution of the cold plasma wave equation for sheath relevant density profiles, e.g. highlighting the role of the orientation of the static magnetic field and of oblique incidence, and underlining the impact the density profile has on the wave physics. It illustrates that the cross-talk between the waves impinging on and those excited at the wall and in the sheath sensitively depends on a number of parameters. The 2 × 2 connection coefficient matrix that is numerically obtained captures the sheath region fast time scale wave physics for a given density profile. When supplemented with a satisfactory model for the slow time scale variation it is a numerical tool that permits upgrading the realism of the fast time scale wave physics contained in the sheath boundary condition and that can help delimiting the range of applicability of simplified models, and assessing if a sufficiently general set of boundary conditions to describe the effect of the sheath can at all be constructed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful design of an ion cyclotron antenna mainly relies on the capability of accurately predicting its behavior both in terms of input parameters, and therefore power coupled to plasma, and radiated fields. All these features essentially depend on the antenna itself (its geometry, the matching and tuning systems) and, obviously, on the faced loading. In this paper a number of plasma profiles is analysed with the help of the TOPICA code, a predictive tool for the design and optimization of radio frequency (RF) launchers in front of a plasma, in order to understand which plasma parameters have the most significant influence on the coupling performances of a typical IC antenna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When analysing data from fast ion measurements it is normally assumed that the gyro-phase distribution of the ions is isotropic within the field of view of the measuring instrument. This assumption is not valid if the Larmor radii of the fast ions are comparable to--or larger than--the gradient scale length in the spatial distribution of the ions, and if this scale length is comparable to--or smaller than--the width of the field of view of the measuring instrument. In this paper the effect of such an anisotropy is demonstrated by analysing neutron emission spectrometry data from a JET experiment with deuterium neutral beams together with radiofrequency heating at the third harmonic of the deuterium cyclotron frequency. In the experiment, the neutron time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR was used to measure the neutrons from the d(d,n)3 He-reaction. Comparison of the experimental data with Monte Carlo calculations shows that the finite Larmor radii of the fast ions need to be included in the modelling to get a good description of the data. Similar effects are likely to be important for other fast ion diagnostics, such as γ-ray spectroscopy and neutral particle analysis, as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The premise of investigating basic plasma phenomena relevant to space is that an alliance exists between both basic plasma physicists, using theory, computer modelling and laboratory experiments, and space science experimenters, using different instruments, either flown on different spacecraft in various orbits or stationed on the ground. The intent of this special issue on interrelated phenomena in laboratory and space plasmas is to promote the interpretation of scientific results in a broader context by sharing data, methods, knowledge, perspectives, and reasoning within this alliance. The desired outcomes are practical theories, predictive models, and credible interpretations based on the findings and expertise available. Laboratory-experiment papers that explicitly address a specific space mission or a specific manifestation of a space-plasma phenomenon, space-observation papers that explicitly address a specific laboratory experiment or a specific laboratory result, and theory or modelling papers that explicitly address a connection between both laboratory and space investigations were encouraged. Attention was given to the utility of the references for readers who seek further background, examples, and details. With the advent of instrumented spacecraft, the observation of waves (fluctuations), wind (flows), and weather (dynamics) in space plasmas was approached within the framework provided by theory with intuition provided by the laboratory experiments. Ideas on parallel electric field, magnetic topology, inhomogeneity, and anisotropy have been refined substantially by laboratory experiments. Satellite and rocket observations, theory and simulations, and laboratory experiments have contributed to the revelation of a complex set of processes affecting the accelerations of electrons and ions in the geospace plasma. The processes range from meso-scale of several thousands of kilometers to micro-scale of a few meters to kilometers. Papers included in this special issue serve to synthesise our current understanding of processes related to the coupling and feedback at disparate scales. Categories of topics included here are (1) ionospheric physics and (2) Alfvén-wave physics, both of which are related to the particle acceleration responsible for auroral displays, (3) whistler-mode triggering mechanism, which is relevant to radiation-belt dynamics, (4) plasmoid encountering a barrier, which has applications throughout the realm of space and astrophysical plasmas, and (5) laboratory investigations of the entire magnetosphere or the plasma surrounding the magnetosphere. The papers are ordered from processes that take place nearest the Earth to processes that take place at increasing distances from Earth. Many advances in understanding space plasma phenomena have been linked to insight derived from theoretical modeling and/or laboratory experiments. Observations from space-borne instruments are typically interpreted using theoretical models developed to predict the properties and dynamics of space and astrophysical plasmas. The usefulness of customized laboratory experiments for providing confirmation of theory by identifying, isolating, and studying physical phenomena efficiently, quickly, and economically has been demonstrated in the past. The benefits of laboratory experiments to investigating space-plasma physics are their reproducibility, controllability, diagnosability, reconfigurability, and affordability compared to a satellite mission or rocket campaign. Certainly, the plasma being investigated in a laboratory device is quite different from that being measured by a spaceborne instrument; nevertheless, laboratory experiments discover unexpected phenomena, benchmark theoretical models, develop physical insight, establish observational signatures, and pioneer diagnostic techniques. Explicit reference to such beneficial laboratory contributions is occasionally left out of the citations in the space-physics literature in favor of theory-paper counterparts and, thus, the scientific support that laboratory results can provide to the development of space-relevant theoretical models is often under-recognized. It is unrealistic to expect the dimensional parameters corresponding to space plasma to be matchable in the laboratory. However, a laboratory experiment is considered well designed if the subset of parameters relevant to a specific process shares the same phenomenological regime as the subset of analogous space parameters, even if less important parameters are mismatched. Regime boundaries are assigned by normalizing a dimensional parameter to an appropriate reference or scale value to make it dimensionless and noting the values at which transitions occur in the physical behavior or approximations. An example of matching regimes for cold-plasma waves is finding a 45° diagonal line on the log--log CMA diagram along which lie both a laboratory-observed wave and a space-observed wave. In such a circumstance, a space plasma and a lab plasma will support the same kind of modes if the dimensionless parameters are scaled properly (Bellan 2006 Fundamentals of Plasma Physics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p 227). The plasma source, configuration geometry, and boundary conditions associated with a specific laboratory experiment are characteristic elements that affect the plasma and plasma processes that are being investigated. Space plasma is not exempt from an analogous set of constraining factors that likewise influence the phenomena that occur. Typically, each morphologically distinct region of space has associated with it plasma that is unique by virtue of the various mechanisms responsible for the plasma''s presence there, as if the plasma were produced by a unique source. Boundary effects that typically constrain the possible parameter values to lie within one or more restricted ranges are inescapable in laboratory plasma. The goal of a laboratory experiment is to examine the relevant physics within these ranges and extrapolate the results to space conditions that may or may not be subject to any restrictions on the values of the plasma parameters. The interrelationship between laboratory and space plasma experiments has been cultivated at a low level and the potential scientific benefit in this area has yet to be realized. The few but excellent examples of joint papers, joint experiments, and directly relevant cross-disciplinary citations are a direct result of the emphasis placed on this interrelationship two decades ago. Building on this special issue Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion plans to create a dedicated webpage to highlight papers directly relevant to this field published either in the recent past or in the future. It is hoped that this resource will appeal to the readership in the laboratory-experiment and space-plasma communities and improve the cross-fertilization between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the axisymmetric vertical instability of elongated configurations, including the effect of volumetric three-dimensional conducting structures surrounding the plasma. In order to deal with the huge computational models arising from the realistic geometrical description, a GPU-based (graphics processing units) acceleration is pursued. The method is applied to some ITER configurations, for which the open-loop growth rates, the input-output transfer functions and the gain and phase margins are computed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ITER as a superconducting fusion machine needs efficient wall conditioning techniques for application in the presence of the permanent high toroidal magnetic field for (i) reducing the in-vessel impurity content, (ii) controlling the surface hydrogen isotopic ratio and (iii) mitigating the in-vessel long-term tritium inventory build-up. Encouraging results recently obtained with ion-cyclotron wall conditioning (ICWC) in the present-day tokamaks and stellarators have raised ICWC to the status of one of the most promising techniques available to ITER for routine inter-pulse and overnight conditioning with the ITER main ICRF heating system in the presence of the permanent high toroidal magnetic field. This paper is dedicated to a milestone experiment in ICWC research: the first simulation of ICWC operation in an equivalent ITER full-field scenario and the assessment of the wall conditioning effect on the carbon wall in the largest present-day tokamak JET. In addition, we address in this paper the following topics: (i) an analysis of the radio frequency (RF) physics of ICWC discharges, (ii) the optimization of the operation of ICRF antennas for plasma startup and (iii) an outlook for the performance of ICWC in ITER using the ICRF heating system. Important operational aspects of the conventional ICRF heating system in JET (the so-called A2 antenna system) for use in the ICWC mode are highlighted: (i) the ability of the antenna to ignite the cleaning discharge safely and reliably in different gases, (ii) the capacity of the antennas to couple a large fraction of the RF generator power (>50%) to low-density (1016-1018 m-3) plasmas and (iii) the ICRF absorption schemes aimed at improved RF plasma homogeneity and enhanced conditioning effect. Successful optimization of the JET-ICWC discharge parameters (BT = 3.3T, f = 25 MHz) resulted in a reliable operation of the JET A2 antennas and a high conditioning efficiency in a scenario imitating closely ITER full-field operation (BT = 5.3T, f = 40 MHz) with the fundamental ion-cyclotron resonance for deuterium (ω = ΩD+ ) located on-axis. Numerical modelling with the 3D electromagnetic code Micro Wave Studio, a 1D RF full wave code and a 0D plasma code allows extrapolating the results obtained on JET and other present-day tokamaks to ITER and provides good prospects for the use of the ITER ICRF antennas for ICWC purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

cRadio frequency (RF) heating experiments have recently been conducted in JET (3He)-H plasmas. This type of plasmas will be used in ITER's non-activated operation phase. Whereas a companion paper in this same PPCF issue will discuss the RF heating scenario's at half the nominal magnetic field, this paper documents the heating performance in (3He)-H plasmas at full field, with fundamental cyclotron heating of 3He as the only possible ion heating scheme in view of the foreseen ITER antenna frequency bandwidth. Dominant electron heating with global heating efficiencies between 30% and 70% depending on the 3He concentration were observed and mode conversion (MC) heating proved to be as efficient as 3He minority heating. The unwanted presence of both 4He and D in the discharges gave rise to 2 MC layers rather than a single one. This together with the fact that the location of the high-field side fast wave (FW) cutoff is a sensitive function of the parallel wave number and that one of the locations of the wave confluences critically depends on the 3He concentration made the interpretation of the results, although more complex, very interesting: three regimes could be distinguished as a function of X[3He]: (i) a regime at low concentration (X[3He] < 1.8%) at which ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating is efficient, (ii) a regime at intermediate concentrations (1.8 < X[3He] < 5%) in which the RF performance is degrading and ultimately becoming very poor, and finally (iii) a good heating regime at 3He concentrations beyond 6%. In this latter regime, the heating efficiency did not critically depend on the actual concentration while at lower concentrations (X[3He] < 4%) a bigger excursion in heating efficiency is observed and the estimates differ somewhat from shot to shot, also depending on whether local or global signals are chosen for the analysis. The different dynamics at the various concentrations can be traced back to the presence of 2 MC layers and their associated FW cutoffs residing inside the plasma at low 3He concentration. One of these layers is approaching and crossing the low-field side plasma edge when 1.8 < X[3He] < 5%. Adopting a minimization procedure to correlate the MC positions with the plasma composition reveals that the different behaviors observed are due to contamination of the plasma. Wave modeling not only supports this interpretation but also shows that moderate concentrations of D-like species significantly alter the overall wave behavior in 3He-H plasmas. Whereas numerical modeling yields quantitative information on the heating efficiency, analytical work gives a good description of the dominant underlying wave interaction physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present in this paper modelling of the JET scrape-off layer (SOL) including direct SOL ionization by launched lower hybrid (LH) waves. For that purpose, the two-dimensional fluid code EDGE2D-NIMBUS was modified in order to account for possible enhanced ionization in the SOL, due to the LH power absorbed by the electrons in a layer extending in the radial direction from the launcher. By taking the direct LH SOL ionization into account, the observed modification of the density in front of the LH antenna during a LH power and gas injection, can be explained. The JET grill private SOL limiters, acting as sinks for the particles, are also included in the model. We compare the efficiency of gas puffing from the top and the outer mid-plane for SOL density enhancement and improvement in LH coupling. The observed reduction of the temporal variation of the LH wave reflection coefficient and of measured saturated currents in the SOL during ELMs, is explained. The density depletion, by ponderomotive forces in front of the grill, is estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transmission grating-based imaging spectrometer has recently been installed and operated on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) at PPPL. This paper describes the spectral and spatial characteristics of impurity emission under different operating conditions of the experiment--neutral beam heated, ohmic heated and RF heated plasma. A typical spectrum from each scenario is analyzed to provide quantitative estimates of impurity fractions in the plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Completely automatic techniques to estimate and validate L/H transition times can be essential in L/H transition analyses. The generation of databases with hundreds of transition times and without human intervention is an important step to accomplish (a) L/H transition physics analysis, (b) validation of L/H theoretical models and (c) creation of L/H scaling laws. An entirely unattended methodology is presented in this paper to build large databases of transition times in JET using time series. The proposed technique has been applied to a dataset of 551 JET discharges between campaigns C21 and C26. A prediction with discharges that show a clear signature in time series is made through the locating properties of the wavelet transform. It is an accurate prediction and the uncertainty interval is ±3.2 ms. The discharges with a non-clear pattern in the time series use an L/H mode classifier based on discharges with a clear signature. In this case, the estimation error shows a distribution with mean and standard deviation of 27.9 ms and 37.62 ms, respectively. Two different regression methods have been applied to the measurements acquired at the transition times identified by the automatic system. The obtained scaling laws for the threshold power are not significantly different from those obtained using the data at the transition times determined manually by the experts. The automatic methods allow performing physical studies with a large number of discharges, showing, for example, that there are statistically different types of transitions characterized by different scaling laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a pair of recent papers (Ziebell et al 2008 Phys. Plasmas 15 032303, 2008 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 50 085011) it was shown, within the context of weak turbulence theory, that the Langmuir turbulence generated by the bump-in-tail instability does not lead to Langmuir condensation (or accumulation of wave energy and momentum in the long-wavelength regime) in two dimensions. The present analysis finds that it is important to include the spontaneous scattering off Langmuir turbulence of the electrons, which is ignored in the customary literature when compared with a similar process involving ions, in order to recover the condensation of Langmuir waves in two dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detachment is achieved in Magnum-PSI by increasing the neutral background pressure in the target chamber using gas puffing. The plasma is studied using the B2.5 multi fluid plasma code B2.5 coupled with Eunomia, a Monte Carlo solver for neutral species. This study focuses on the effect of increasing neutral background pressure to the plasma volumetric loss of particle, momentum and energy. The plasma particle and energy loss almost linearly scale with the increase of neutral background pressure, while the momentum loss does not scale as strongly. Plasma recombination processes include molecular activated recombination (MAR), dissociative attachment, and atomic recombination. Atomic recombination, which includes radiative and three-body recombination, is the most relevant plasma process in reducing the particle flux and, consequently, the heat flux to the target. The low temperature where atomic recombination becomes dominant is achieved by plasma cooling via elastic H+âˆ'H2 collisions. The transport of vibrationally excited H2 molecules out of the plasma serves as an additional electron cooling channel with relatively small contribution. Additionally, the transport of highly vibrational H2 has a significant impact in reducing the effective MAR and dissociative attachment collision rates and should be considered properly. The relevancy of MAR and atomic recombination occupy separate electron temperature regimes, respectively, at T e = 1.5 eV and T e = 0.3 eV, with dissociative attachment being relevant in the intermediary. Plasma cooling via elastic H+âˆ'H2 collisions is effective at T e ≤ 1 eV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model, the geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) in tokamaks derived by Winsor et al (1968 Phys. Fluids11 2448) belong to the continuous spectrum, characterised by unbounded non-square integrable eigenfunctions (delta functions) at the singular surfaces (Goedbloed 1975 Phys. Fluids18 1258). The eigenfunctions of the MHD continua in cylindrical as well as toroidal plasmas include, in addition, components that exist outside the singular surfaces and have singularities of type or where is a flux function that labels the magnetic surfaces, and defines the singular surface (Pao 1975 Nucl. Fusion15 631). Using a large aspect ratio approximation of tokamak plasmas it is shown in this paper that the GAMs indeed include such singular components. Hence, in addition to the non-square integrable and components of the plasma flow and of the density and pressure perturbations at the GAM surface, the GAM continua also include accompanying and singular components varying as This gives the and components of each GAM in the continuum radially extended profiles and a global character also within ideal theory. To the same order in the expansion, effects of a finite aspect ratio and a non-circular plasma cross section on the GAM frequency are also calculated, and we recover the dependence on inverse aspect ratio and Shafranov shift of the real GAM frequency previously calculated within gyrokinetic theory by Gao (2010 Phys. Plasmas17 092503). Furthermore, while the dominating shaping effect on the GAM frequency comes from plasma elongation, as shown previously, it is shown in this paper that there is a higher-order triangularity effect that can also be significant. The calculated triangularity effect predicts a nearly linearly increasing GAM frequency with increasing triangularity, a phenomenon observed also in the TCV tokamak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development of a physics-based multiple-input-multiple-output algorithm for real-time feedback control of snowflake divertor (SFD) configurations on the National Spherical Torus eXperiment Upgrade (NSTX–U). A model of the SFD configuration response to applied voltages on the divertor control coils is first derived and then used, in conjunction with multivariable control synthesis techniques, to design an optimal state feedback controller for the configuration. To demonstrate the capabilities of the controller, a nonlinear simulator for axisymmetric shape control was developed for NSTX–U which simultaneously evolves the currents in poloidal field coils based upon a set of feedback-computed voltage commands, calculates the induced currents in passive conducting structures, and updates the plasma equilibrium by solving the free-boundary Grad–Shafranov problem. Closed-loop simulations demonstrate that the algorithm enables controlled operations in a variety of SFD configurations and provides capabilities for accurate tracking of time-dependent target trajectories for the divertor geometry. In particular, simulation results suggest that a time-varying controller which can properly account for the evolving SFD dynamical response is not only desirable but necessary for achieving acceptable control performance. The algorithm presented in this paper has been implemented in the NSTX–U Plasma Control System in preparation for future control and divertor physics experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detachment experiments have been carried out in the linear plasma device Magnum-PSI by increasing the gas pressure near the target. In order to have a proper detailed analysis of the mechanism behind momentum and power loss in detachment, a quantitative match is pursued between B2.5-Eunomia solutions and experimental data. B2.5 is a multi fluid plasma code and Eunomia is a Monte Carlo solver for neutral particles, and they are coupled together to provide steady-state solution of the plasma and neutral distribution in space. B2.5-Eunomia input parameters are adjusted to produce a close replication of the plasma beam measured in the experiments without any gas puffing in the target chamber. Using this replication as an initial condition, the neutral pressure near the plasma beam target is exclusively increased during simulation, matching the pressures measured in the experiments. Reasonable agreement is found between the electron temperature of the simulation results with experimental measurements using laser Thomson scattering near the target. The simulations also reveal the effect of increased gas pressure on the plasma current, effectively reducing the current penetration from the plasma source. B2.5-Eunomia is capable of reproducing detachment characteristics, namely the loss of plasma pressure along the magnetic field and the reduction of particle and heat flux to the target. The simulation results for plasma and neutrals will allow future studies of the exact contribution of individual plasma-neutral collisions to momentum and energy loss in detachment in Magnum-PSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic turbulence is addressed in tokamak and stellarator plasmas with the global gyrokinetic particle-in-cell codes ORB5 (E Lanti et al, Comp. Phys. Comm., 251 , 107072 (2020)) and EUTERPE (V Kornilov et al, Phys. Plasmas, 11 , 3196 (2004)). The large-aspect-ratio tokamak, down-scaled ITER, and Wendelstein 7-X geometries are considered. The main goal is to increase the plasma beta, the machine size, the ion-to-electron mass ratio, as well as to include realistic-geometry features in such simulations. The associated numerical requirements and the computational cost for the cases on computer systems with massive GPU deployments are investigated. These are necessary steps to enable electromagnetic turbulence simulations in future reactor plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]