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Recent results from MAST Upgrade are presented, emphasising understanding the capabilities of this new device and deepening understanding of key physics issues for the operation of ITER and the design of future fusion power plants. The impact of MHD instabilities on fast ion confinement have been studied, including the first observation of fast ion losses correlated with Compressional and Global Alfvén Eigenmodes. High-performance plasma scenarios have been developed by tailoring the early plasma current ramp phase to avoid internal reconnection events, resulting in a more monotonic q profile with low central shear. The impact of m/n = 3/2, 2/1 and 1/1 modes on thermal plasma confinement and rotation profiles has been quantified, and scenarios optimised to avoid them have transiently reached values of normalised beta approaching 4.2. In pedestal and ELM physics, a maximum pedestal top temperature of ∼350 eV has been achieved, exceeding the value achieved on MAST at similar heating power. Mitigation of type-I ELMs with n = 1 RMPs has been observed. Studies of plasma exhaust have concentrated on comparing conventional and Super-X divertor configurations, while X-point target, X-divertor and snowflake configurations have been developed and studied in parallel. In L-mode discharges, the separatrix density required to detach the outer divertors is approximately a factor 2 lower in the Super-X than the conventional configuration, in agreement with simulations. Detailed analysis of spectroscopy data from studies of the Super-X configuration reveal the importance of including plasma-molecule interactions and D2 Fulcher band emission to properly quantify the rates of ionisation, plasma-molecule interactions and volumetric recombination processes governing divertor detachment. In H-mode with conventional and Super-X configurations, the outer divertors are attached in the former and detached in the latter with no impact on core or pedestal confinement., QC 20240924

This paper is dealing with the physics basis used for the design of the Divertor Tokamak Test facility (DTT), under construction in Frascati (DTT 2019 DTT interim design report (2019)) Italy, and with the description of the main target plasma scenarios of the device. The main goal of the facility will be the study of the power exhaust, intended as a fully integrated core-edge problem, and eventually to propose an optimized divertor for the European DEMO plant. The approach used to design the facility is described and their main features are reported, by using simulations performed by state-of-the-art codes both for the bulk and edge studies. A detailed analysis of MHD, including also the possibility to study disruption events and Energetic Particles physics is also reported. Eventually, a description of the ongoing work to build-up a Research Plan written and shared by the full EUROfusion community is presented., QC 20240917

Within the 9th European Framework programme, since 2021 EUROfusion is operating five tokamaks under the auspices of a single Task Force called ‘Tokamak Exploitation’. The goal is to benefit from the complementary capabilities of each machine in a coordinated way and help in developing a scientific output scalable to future largre machines. The programme of this Task Force ensures that ASDEX Upgrade, MAST-U, TCV, WEST and JET (since 2022) work together to achieve the objectives of Missions 1 and 2 of the EUROfusion Roadmap: i) demonstrate plasma scenarios that increase the success margin of ITER and satisfy the requirements of DEMO and, ii) demonstrate an integrated approach that can handle the large power leaving ITER and DEMO plasmas. The Tokamak Exploitation task force has therefore organized experiments on these two missions with the goal to strengthen the physics and operational basis for the ITER baseline scenario and for exploiting the recent plasma exhaust enhancements in all four devices (PEX: Plasma EXhaust) for exploring the solution for handling heat and particle exhaust in ITER and develop the conceptual solutions for DEMO. The ITER Baseline scenario has been developed in a similar way in ASDEX Upgrade, TCV and JET. Key risks for ITER such as disruptions and run-aways have been also investigated in TCV, ASDEX Upgrade and JET. Experiments have explored successfully different divertor configurations (standard, super-X, snowflakes) in MAST-U and TCV and studied tungsten melting in WEST and ASDEX Upgrade. The input from the smaller devices to JET has also been proven successful to set-up novel control schemes on disruption avoidance and detachment., QC 20240926

A new H-mode regime at low density and low edge safety factor (q 95 = 3.2, with Ip = 3 MA) that combines high energy confinement, stationary conditions for density and radiation and small Edge Localized Modes (ELMs) have been found in JET with Be/W wall. Such a regime is achieved by operating without external gas puffing, leading to a decrease in the edge density and a substantial increase in rotation and ion temperature in both the pedestal and the core region. Transport modelling shows a reduction of the turbulence, which starts in the pedestal region and extends into the plasma core, and outward impurity convection, consistent with the improved energy confinement and the lack of W accumulation observed in those conditions. In addition, large type I ELMs, typically found in gas-fuelled plasmas, are replaced by smaller and more frequent ELMs, whose appearance is correlated with a substantial reduction of the pedestal density and its gradient. Pedestals in this operating regime are stable to peeling-ballooning modes, consistent with the lack of large ELMs. This is in contrast to results in unfuelled JET-C plasmas that typically operated at higher pedestal densities and developed low frequency, large type I ELMs, thus pointing to the low density as one of the critical parameters for accessing this small ELMs regime in JET. This small ELMs regime exhibits the same low pedestal collisionality ( nu e,ped & lowast;similar to 0.1 ) expected in ITER and operates at low q 95, thus making it different from other small ELMs regimes that are typically obtained at higher q 95 and higher pedestal collisionality. These features make this newly developed H-mode regime in JET with Be/W wall a valuable tool for exploring the underlying transport, the different mechanisms of turbulence stabilization, as well as the physics associated with the appearance of small ELMs in high-temperature plasmas at ITER relevant pedestal collisionality., QC 20240813

ITER is of key importance in the European fusion roadmap as it aims to prove the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion as a future energy source. The EUROfusion consortium of labs within Europe is contributing to the preparation of ITER scientific exploitation and operation and aspires to exploit ITER outcomes in view of DEMO. The paper provides an overview of the major progress obtained recently, carried out in the frame of the new (initiated in 2021) EUROfusion work-package called 'Preparation of ITER Operation' (PrIO). The overview paper is directly supported by the eleven EUROfusion PrIO contributions given at the 29th Fusion Energy Conference (16-21 October 2023) London, UK [www.iaea.org/events/fec2023]. The paper covers the following topics: (i) development and validation of tools in support to ITER operation (plasma breakdown/burn-through with evolving plasma volume, new infra-red synthetic diagnostic for off-line analysis and wall monitoring using Artificial Intelligence techniques, synthetic diagnostics development, development and exploitation of multi-machine databases); (ii) R&D for the radio-frequency ITER neutral beam sources leading to long duration of negative deuterium/hydrogen ions current extraction at ELISE and participation in the neutral beam test facility with progress on the ITER source SPIDER, and, the commissioning of the 1 MV high voltage accelerator (MITICA) with lessons learned for ITER; (iii) validation of neutronic tools for ITER nuclear operation following the second JET deuterium-tritium experimental campaigns carried out in 2021 and in 2023 (neutron streaming and shutdown dose rate calculation, water activation and activated corrosion products with advanced fluid dynamic simulation; irradiation of several materials under 14.1 MeV neutron flux etc)., QC 20240905

While much about Alfv & eacute;n eigenmode (AE) stability has been explored in previous and current tokamaks, open questions remain for future burning plasma experiments, especially regarding exact stability threshold conditions and related isotope effects; the latter, of course, requiring good knowledge of the plasma ion composition. In the JET tokamak, eight in-vessel antennas actively excite stable AEs, from which their frequencies, toroidal mode numbers, and net damping rates are assessed. The effective ion mass can also be inferred using measurements of the plasma density and magnetic geometry. Thousands of AE stability measurements have been collected by the Alfv & eacute;n Eigenmode Active Diagnostic in hundreds of JET plasmas during the recent Hydrogen, Deuterium, Tritium, DT, and Helium-4 campaigns. In this novel AE stability database, spanning all four main ion species, damping is observed to decrease with increasing Hydrogenic mass, but increase for Helium, a trend consistent with radiative damping as the dominant damping mechanism. These data are important for confident predictions of AE stability in both non-nuclear (H/He) and nuclear (D/T) operations in future devices. In particular, if radiative damping plays a significant role in overall stability, some AEs could be more easily destabilized in D/T plasmas than their H/He reference pulses, even before considering fast ion and alpha particle drive. Active MHD spectroscopy is also employed on select HD, HT, and DT plasmas to infer the effective ion mass, thereby closing the loop on isotope analysis and demonstrating a complementary method to typical diagnosis of the isotope ratio., QC 20240820

A baseline scenario of deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasma with peripheral high-field-side fuelling pellets has been produced in JET in order to mimic the situation in ITER. The isotope mix ratio is controlled in order to target the value of 50%-50% by a combination of tritium gas puffing and deuterium pellet injection. Multiple factors controlling the fuelling efficiency of individual pellets are analysed, with the following findings: (1) prompt particle losses due to pellet-triggered edge-localised modes (ELMs) are detected, (2) the plasmoid drift velocity might be smaller than that predicted by simulation, (3) post-pellet particle loss is controlled by transient phases with ELMs.The overall pellet particle flux normalised to the heat flux is similar to that in previous pellet fuelling experiments in AUG and JET., QC 20240612

Variational autoencoder (VAE)-based representation learning algorithms are explored for their capability to disentangle tokamak size dependence from other dependencies in a dataset of thousands of observed pedestal electron density and temperature profiles from JET and ASDEX Upgrade tokamaks. Representation learning aims to establish a useful representation that characterizes the dataset. In the context of magnetic confinement fusion devices, a useful representation could be considered to map the high-dimensional observations to a manifold that represents the actual degrees of freedom of the plasma scenario. A desired property for these representations is organization of the information into disentangled variables, enabling interpretation of the latent variables as representations of semantically meaningful characteristics of the data. The representation learning algorithms in this work are based on VAE that encodes the pedestal profile information into a reduced dimensionality latent space and learns to reconstruct the full profile information given the latent representation. Attaching an auxiliary regression objective for the machine control parameter configuration, broadly following the architecture of the domain invariant variational autoencoder (DIVA), the model learns to associate device control parameters with the latent representation. With this multimachine dataset, the representation does encode density scaling with device size that is qualitatively consistent with Greenwald density limit scaling. However, if the major radius of the device is given through a common regression objective with the other machine control parameters, the latent state of the representation struggles to clearly disentangle the device size from changes of the other machine control parameters. When separating the device size as an independent latent variable with dedicated regression objectives, similar to separation of domain and class labels in the original DIVA publication, the l, QC 20240408

JET’s frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) reflectometers have been operating well with the current design since 2005, and density profiles have been automatically calculated intershot since then. However, the calculated profiles had long suffered from several shortcomings: poor agreement with other diagnostics, sometimes inappropriately moving radially by several centimeters, elevated levels of radial jitter, and persistent wriggles (strong unphysical oscillations). In this research, several techniques are applied to the reflectometry data analysis, and the shortcomings are significantly improved. Starting with improving the equilibrium reconstruction that estimates the background magnetic field, adding a ripple correction in the reconstructed magnetic field profile, and adding new inner-wall reflection positions estimated through ray-tracing, these changes not only improve the agreement of reconstructed profiles to other diagnostics but also solve density profile wriggles that were present during band transitions. Other smaller but also persistent wriggles were also suppressed by applying a localized correction to the measured beat frequency where persistent oscillations are present. Finally, the burst analysis method, as introduced by Varela et al. [Nucl. Fusion 46 S693 (2006)], has been implemented to extract the beat frequency from stacked spectrograms. Due to the strong suppression of spurious reflections, the radial jitter that sometimes would span several centimeters has been strongly reduced. The stacking of spectrograms has also been shown to be very useful for stacking recurring events, like small gas puff modulations, and extracting transport coefficients that would otherwise be below the noise level., QC 20240418

Predictive edge and core simulations of tungsten (W) erosion and transport in JET ITER-like wall plasmas are shown to be consistent with the experimentally inferred W density in the main plasma, within the uncertainty inherited from the measurements of the deuterium plasma conditions and from the W density measurements. The ERO2.0 code is applied to predicting the W erosion and edge transport, whereas JINTRAC predicts W transport from the pedestal top to the core plasma. The studied plasma scenarios range from L-mode to the highest-performance deuterium ELMy H-mode in JET., QC 20240402

The JET hybrid scenario has been developed from low plasma current carbon wall discharges to the record-breaking Deuterium-Tritium plasmas obtained in 2021 with the ITER-like Be/W wall. The development started in pure Deuterium with refinement of the plasma current, and toroidal magnetic field choices and succeeded in solving the heat load challenges arising from 37 MW of injected power in the ITER like wall environment, keeping the radiation in the edge and core controlled, avoiding MHD instabilities and reaching high neutron rates. The Deuterium hybrid plasmas have been re-run in Tritium and methods have been found to keep the radiation controlled but not at high fusion performance probably due to time constraints. For the first time this scenario has been run in Deuterium-Tritium (50:50). These plasmas were re-optimised to have a radiation-stable H-mode entry phase, good impurity control through edge Ti gradient screening and optimised performance with fusion power exceeding 10 MW for longer than three alpha particle slow down times, 8.3 MW averaged over 5 s and fusion energy of 45.8 MJ., QC 20231114

Experimental studies of Deuterium and Tritium plasmas have been carried out at JET in the last years, yielding precious information for the next generation of fusion devices. Among the various approaches taken, JET's "Baseline"scenario experiments are pushing the machine towards its engineering limits by operating in a high-confinement H-mode at high toroidal field, plasma current and fuel density, as planned for ITER. The present paper provides a brief sketch of the Baseline scenario philosophy and discusses a number of RF-related results obtained in the preparation of the DT campaign as well as its preparations. Fusion powers of almost 9MW and energies of 12MJ have been reached in DT "Baseline"scenario plasmas. The differing role of radio frequency and beam heating is highlighted, the former allowing peaked core temperature profiles instrumental e.g. for core high-Z impurity chasing and the "landing"of high performance discharges while the latter is the main overall heating source in JET. Synergistic effects from the simultaneous use of wave and beam heating are responsible for a modest but noticeable increase in fusion power. One of the differences between D and DT plasmas is the plasma density, which impacts on the beam deposition as well as fast ion generation., QC 20231214

The work describes the pedestal structure, transport and stability in an effective mass (A eff) scan from pure deuterium to pure tritium plasmas using a type I ELMy H-mode dataset in which key parameters that affect the pedestal behaviour (normalized pressure, ratio of the separatrix density to the pedestal density, pedestal ion Larmor radius, pedestal collisionality and rotation) are kept as constant as possible. Experimental results show a significant increase of the density at the pedestal top with increasing A eff, a modest reduction in the temperature and an increase in the pressure. The variations in the pedestal heights are mainly due to a change in the pedestal gradients while only small differences are observed in the pedestal width. A clear increase in the pedestal density and pressure gradients are observed from deuterium to tritium. The experimental results suggest a reduction of the pedestal inter-edge localized mode (inter-ELM) transport from deuterium to tritium. The reduction is likely in the pedestal inter-ELM particle transport, as suggested by the clear increase of the pedestal density gradients. The experimental results suggest also a possible reduction of the pedestal inter-ELM heat transport, however, the large experimental uncertainties do not allow conclusive claims on the heat diffusivity. The clear experimental reduction of eta e (the ratio between density and temperature gradient lengths) in the middle/top of the pedestal with increasing A eff suggests that there may be a link between increasing A eff and the reduction of electron scale turbulent transport. From the modelling point of view, an initial characterization of the behaviour of pedestal microinstabilities shows that the tritium plasma is characterized by growth rates lower than the deuterium plasmas. The pedestal stability of peeling-ballooning modes is assessed with both ideal and resistive magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). No significant effect of the isotope mass on the pedestal sta, QC 20231115

The recent deuterium-tritium campaign in JET-ILW (DTE2) has provided a unique opportunity to study the isotope dependence of the L-H power threshold in an ITER-like wall environment (Be wall and W divertor). Here we present results from dedicated L-H transition experiments at JET-ILW, documenting the power threshold in tritium and deuterium-tritium plasmas, comparing them with the matching deuterium and hydrogen datasets. From earlier experiments in JET-ILW it is known that as plasma isotopic composition changes from deuterium, through varying deuterium/hydrogen concentrations, to pure hydrogen, the value of the line averaged density at which the threshold is minimum, n ˉ e , min , increases, leading us to expect that n ˉ e , min (T) < n ˉ e , min (DT) < n ˉ e , min (D) < n ˉ e , min (H). The new power threshold data confirms these expectations in most cases, with the corresponding ordering of the minimum power thresholds. We present a comparison of this data to power threshold scalings, used for extrapolation to future devices such as ITER and DEMO., QC 20231114

For more than a decade, an unprecedented predict-first activity has been carried in order to predict the fusion power and provide guidance to the second Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) campaign performed at JET in 2021 (DTE2). Such an activity has provided a framework for a broad model validation and development towards the D-T operation. It is shown that it is necessary to go beyond projections using scaling laws in order to obtain detailed physics based predictions. Furthermore, mixing different modelling complexity and promoting an extended interplay between modelling and experiment are essential towards reliable predictions of D-T plasmas. The fusion power obtained in this predict-first activity is in broad agreement with the one finally measured in DTE2. Implications for the prediction of fusion power in future devices, such as ITER, are discussed., QC 20231108

As part the DTE2 campaign in the JET tokamak, we conducted a parameter scan in T and D-T complementing existing pulses in H and D. For the different main ion masses, type-I ELMy H-modes at fixed plasma current and magnetic field can have the pedestal pressure varying by a factor of 4 and the total pressure changing from beta(N )= 1.0 to 3.0. We investigated the pedestal and core isotope mass dependencies using this extensive data set. The pedestal shows a strong mass dependence on the density, which influences the core due to the strong coupling between both plasma regions. To better understand the causes for the observed isotope mass dependence in the pedestal, we analysed the interplay between heat and particle transport and the edge localised mode (ELM) stability. For this purpose, we developed a dynamic ELM cycle model with basic transport assumptions and a realistic neutral penetration. The temporal evolution and resulting ELM frequency introduce an additional experimental constraint that conventional quasi-stationary transport analysis cannot provide. Our model shows that a mass dependence in the ELM stability or in the transport alone cannot explain the observations. One requires a mass dependence in the ELM stability as well as one in the particle sources. The core confinement time increases with pedestal pressure for all isotope masses due to profile stiffness and electromagnetic turbulence stabilisation. Interestingly, T and D-T plasmas show an improved core confinement time compared to H and D plasmas even for matched pedestal pressures. For T, this improvement is largely due to the unique pedestal composition of higher densities and lower temperatures than H and D. With a reduced gyroBohm factor at lower temperatures, more turbulent drive in the form of steeper gradients is required to transport the same amount of heat. This picture is supported by quasilinear flux-driven modelling using TGLF-SAT2 within Astra. With the experimental boundary condition TG, QC 20231108

A predictive model for the electron temperature profile of the H-mode pedestal is described, and its results are compared with the pedestal structure of JET-ILW plasmas. The model is based on a scaling for the gyro-Bohm normalized, turbulent electron heat flux qe/qe,gB resulting from electron temperature gradient (ETG) turbulence, derived from results of nonlinear gyrokinetic (GK) calculations for the steep gradient region. By using the local temperature gradient scale length L-Te in the normalization, the dependence of q(e)/q(e,g)B on the normalized gradients R/L-Te and R/(Lne) can be represented by a unified scaling with the parameter eta(e) = L-ne/L-Te, to which the linear stability of ETG turbulence is sensitive when the density gradient is sufficiently steep. For a prescribed density profile, the value of R/L-Te determined from this scaling, required to maintain a constant electron heat flux qe across the pedestal, is used to calculate the temperature profile. Reasonable agreement with measurements is found for different cases, the model providing an explanation of the relative widths and shifts of the T-e and n(e) profiles, as well as highlighting the importance of the separatrix boundary conditions. Other cases showing disagreement indicate conditions where other branches of turbulence might dominate.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue "H-mode transition and pedestal studies in fusion plasmas'., QC 20230127

Experimentally, it has been observed in high-confinement (H-Mode) plasmas with Edge Localised Modes (ELMs) on JET that the pressure pedestal (p(e,ped)) is degraded by approximately a factor of two when there is a change in electron separatrix density, n(e,sep), from 1 - 4 x 10(19) m(-3). Previous work using the pedestal stability code EUROPED, has been able to predict the degradation of p(e,ped) but only for n(e,sep) = 1.5 x 10(19) m(-3). In this work, we apply a coupled code JETTO-MISHKA-FRANTIC, to self-consistently predict the transport in the pedestal region and neutral source with varying separatrix conditions. The code feeds back on the transport in the pedestal region to achieve profiles that are marginally stable to ideal MHD modes (continuous ELM model in JETTO). When accounting for the change in electron separatrix temperature (T-e,T-sep), ion separatrix temperature (T-e,T-sep) and the poloidally integrated neutral flux crossing the separatrix (Gamma(sep,neui)) as it changes with n(e,sep) (according to a scan in n(e,sep) in the edge code EDGE2D-EIRENE), no degradation in p(e,ped) was observed in JETTO-MISHKA-FRANTIC in contrast to experiment. Instead, an increase in p(e,ped) with n(e,sep) was observed which is driven by an increasing density pedestal (n(e,ped)). Within the presented JETTO-MISHKA-FRANTIC simulations, changing the pedestal width by a factor of two and a half in normalised poloidal flux (psi(n)) resulted in an approximately 40% degradation in p(e,ped) for n(e,sep) = 1 - 3 x 10(19) m(-3). This change in pedestal width was not supported by experimental data. A scan in the ratio of particle and energy transport in the pedestal (D/chi) was found to have a negligible effect on p(e,ped). Qualitative agreement between JETTO-MISHKA-FRANTIC with EUROPED was found when the input density profiles are identical., QC 20230613

Predictive and real-time inference capability for the upstream separatrix electron density, ne, sep, is essential for design and control of core-edge integrated plasma scenarios. In this study, both supervised and semi -supervised machine learning algorithms are explored to establish direct mapping as well as indirect compressed representation of the pedestal profiles for predictions and inference of ne, sep. Based on the EUROfusion pedestal database for JET (Frassinetti et al., 2021), a tabular dataset was created, consisting of machine parameters, fraction of ELM cycle, high resolution Thomson scattering profiles of electron density and temperature, and ne, sep for 608 JET shots. Using the tabular dataset, the direct mapping approach provides a mapping of machine parameters and ELM percentage to ne, sep. Through representation learning, a compressed representation of the experimental pedestal electron density and temperature profiles is established. By conditioning the representation with machine control parameters, a probabilistic generative predictive model is established. For prediction, the machine parameters can be used to establish a conditional distribution of the compressed pedestal profiles, and the decoder that is trained as part of the algorithm can be used to decode the compressed representation back to full pedestal profiles. Although, in this work, a proof-of-principle for predicting and inferring ne, sep is given, such a representation learning can be used also for many other applications as the full pedestal profile is predicted. An implementation of this work can be found at https://github.com/ fusionby2030/psi_2022., QC 20230613

The main goal of the Divertor Tokamak Test facility (DTT) is to operate with a high value of power-exhaust-relevant parameter Psoz/R in plasma scenarios similar to those foreseen for the Demonstration Fusion Power Plant (DEMO) in terms of low collisionality and neutral opacity. For these unique characteristics, accurate modelling of the principal scenario is necessary for machine designing. In edge numerical codes, cross-field transport profiles have a high impact on modelling results. This work aims at providing a coherent set of transport parameters for DTT full-power (FP) single-null (SN) scenario edge modelling. To evaluate such parameters for DTT, a transport analysis on the current machine has been performed using SOLEDGE2D-EIRENE and SOLPS-ITER. The transport parameters to be used in the simulations of the DTT single-null scenario were selected using two complementary methods. The first is the modelling of JET and Alcator C-Mod (C-Mod) with SOLEDGE2D-EIRENE and SOLPS-ITER, validating transport parameters by comparing modelling results to experimental data from pulses which are considered DTT-relevant. JET pulses were selected with the highest auxiliary input power (from 29 to 33 MW), plasma current and toroidal field to better match DTT parameters; nitrogen and neon seeded pulses were selected to check possible seeding material dependencies. The considered C-Mod pulse better matches DTT plasma density and neutral opacity. Transport parameters are then scaled to DTT according to scaling laws. The second method derives the transport parameters by tuning their values inside the DTT separatrix to reproduce the pedestal profiles predicted by the EPED model via the Europed code and applied in DTT. The derived set of DTT transport parameters is consistent with the results obtained by modelling present machines, reproduces the expected heat flux decay length in detached conditions and, inside the separatrix, reproduces the predicted pedestal using transport parameter, QC 20230607

Analysis of the divertor edge localized mode (ELM) electron temperature at a uniquely high temporal resolution (10(-5) s) was reported at the JET tokamak (Guillemaut et al 2018 Nucl. Fusion 58 066006). By collecting divertor probe data obtained during many dozens of ELMs, the conditional-average (CAV) technique yields surprisingly low peak electron temperatures, far below the pedestal ones (70%-99% reduction!) which we, however, question. This result was interpreted through the collisional free-streaming kinetic model of ELMs, by a transfer of most of the electron energy to ions, implying a high tungsten sputtering for unmitigated ELMs in future fusion devices like ITER. Recently, direct microsecond temperature measurements on the COMPASS tokamak, however, showed that the electron temperature peak of ELM filaments measured in the divertor is reduced by less than a third with respect to the pedestal one. This was further confirmed by a dedicated 1D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation and tends to prove that the pedestal electrons can transfer only their parallel energy to ions (due to low collisionality), thus less than a third, as is predicted by the collisionless free-streaming model. This finding strongly contradicts the JET observations. We have therefore compared the CAV to the direct (microsecond) ball-pen and Langmuir probes measurements in COMPASS and found very good agreement between them. Revisiting the aforementioned JET CAV analysis indeed shows that the electron temperatures are much higher than previously reported, close to those predicted by the PIC simulation, and thus the ion energy seems to not significantly increase in the scrape-off layer., QC 20230425

JET-ILW type I ELMy H-modes at 2.5 MA/2.8 T with constant NBI heating (23 MW) and gas fuelling rate were performed, utilising edge localised mode (ELM) pacing by vertical kicks and plasma shaping (triangularity, delta) as tools to disentangle the effects of ELMs, inter-ELM transport and edge stability on the pedestal particle balance. In agreement with previous studies, the pedestal confinement improves with increasing delta, mostly due to a significant increase in pedestal density while the ELM frequency (fELM) is decreased. Improved pedestal confinement with increasing delta was observed even when the pedestal MHD stability was degraded artificially by vertical kicks, implying that increased triangularity may favourably affect the inter-ELM pedestal recovery. The workflow developed to quantify the pedestal particle balance uses high time-resolution profile reflectometry to characterise the inter-ELM evolution of the plasma particle content (dN/dt), the NEO drift-kinetic solver to evaluate the neoclassical fluxes and interpretative EDGE2D-EIRENE simulations to estimate the edge particle source. The edge particle source is then constrained by deuterium Balmer-alpha line intensity measurements in the main chamber, which are, however, strongly affected by reflections from the metal walls. The reflections are accounted for by the CHERAB code taking the divertor emission (the brightest light source in the torus) distribution from imaging spectroscopy measurements as input. Our analysis shows that in the second half of the ELM cycle, the volume-integrated particle source is larger than dN/dt, indicating that transport plays a key role in the inter-ELM pedestal recovery., QC 20230404

The neutral ionisation model proposed by Groebner et al (2002 Phys. Plasmas 9 2134) to determine the plasma density profile in the H-mode pedestal, is extended to include charge exchange processes in the pedestal stimulated by the ideas of Mahdavi et al (2003 Phys. Plasmas 10 3984). The model is then tested against JET H-mode pedestal data, both in a 'standalone' version using experimental temperature profiles and also by incorporating it in the Europed version of EPED. The model is able to predict the density pedestal over a wide range of conditions with good accuracy. It is also able to predict the experimentally observed isotope effect on the density pedestal that eludes simpler neutral ionization models., QC 20230425

Deuterium plasma discharges of the Divertor Tokamak Test facility (DTT) in different operational scenarios have been predicted by a comprehensive first-principle based integrated modelling activity using state-of-art quasi-linear transport models. The results of this work refer to the updated DTT configuration, which includes a device size optimisation (enlargement to R-0=2.19 a = 0.70 m) and upgrades in the heating systems. The focus of this paper is on the core modelling, but special attention was paid to the consistency with the scrape-off layer parameters required to achieve divertor plasma detachment. The compatibility of these physics-based predicted scenarios with the electromagnetic coil system capabilities was then verified. In addition, first estimates of DTT sawteeth and of DTT edge localised modes were achieved., QC 20230321

Pedestals are the key to conventional high performance plasma scenarios in tokamaks. However, high fidelity simulations of pedestal plasmas are extremely challenging due to the multiple physical processes and scales that are encompassed by tokamak pedestals. The leading paradigm for predicting the pedestal top pressure is encompassed by EPED-like models. However, EPED does not predict the pedestal top density, n(e,ped), but requires it as an input. EUROPED (Saarelma et al 2019 Phys. Plasmas 26 072501) employs simplified models, such as log-linear regression, to constrain n(e,ped) with tokamak machine control parameters in an EPED-like model. However, these simplified models for n(e,ped) often show disagreements with experimental observations and do not use all of the available numerical and categorical machine control information. In this work it is observed that using the same input parameters, decision tree ensembles and deep learning models improves the predictive quality of n(e,ped) by about 23% relative to that obtained with log-linear scaling laws, measured by root mean square error. Including all of the available tokamak machine control parameters, both numerical and categorical, leads to further improvement of about 13%. Finally, predictive quality was tested when including global normalized plasma pressure and effective charge state as inputs, as these parameters are known to impact pedestals. Surprisingly, these parameters lead to only a few percent further improvement of the predictive quality. The corresponding code for this analysis can be found at github.com/fusionby2030/supervised_learning_jetpdb., QC 20230320

The recently developed integrated model based on engineering parameters (IMEP) (Luda et al 2020 Nucl. Fusion 61 126048; Luda et al 2021 Nucl. Fusion 60 036023), so far validated on ASDEX Upgrade, has been tested on a database of 3 Alcator C-Mod and 55 JET-ILW ELMy (type I) H-mode stationary phases. The empirical pedestal transport model included in IMEP, consisting now of imposing a fixed value of R < & nabla;T-e > /T-e,T-top = -82.5, allows an accurate prediction of the pedestal top temperature (when the pedestal top density is fixed to the experimental measurements) across these three machines with different sizes, when the pedestal is peeling-ballooning (PB) limited. Cases far from the ideal PB boundary, corresponding to high edge Spitzer resistivity, are instead strongly overpredicted by IMEP. A comparison between the predictions of Europed and IMEP for a subset of JET-ILW cases shows that IMEP can more accurately reproduce the experimental pedestal width. This allows IMEP to better capture profile effects on the pedestal stability, and therefore to correctly describe the negative effect of fueling on the pedestal pressure for PB limited cases. A strong correlation between the separatrix density and the fueling rate has been identified for a subset of JET-ILW cases, when taking into account different divertor configurations. Overall, these promising results encourage further developments of integrated models to obtain reliable predictions of pedestal and global confinement using only engineering parameters for present and future machines., QC 20230315

The midplane electron separatrix density, n(e,sep), in JET-ILW L-mode and H-mode low triangularity deuterium fuelled plasmas exhibits a strong explicit dependence on the averaged outer divertor target electron temperature, n(e,sep) similar to T-e,ot(-1/2). This dependence is reproduced by analytic reversed two point model (rev-2PM), and arises from parallel pressure balance, as well as the ratio of the power and momentum volumetric loss factors, (1 - f(cooling))/(1- f(mom-loss)). Quantifying the influence of the (1 - f(cooling)) and (1 -f(mom-loss)) loss factors on ne,sep has been enabled by measurement estimates of these quantities from L-mode density (fueling) ramps in the outer horizontal, VH, QC 20230316

We present a comparative transport analysis of the isotope mass dependence in the pedestal of two pairs of deuterium/hydrogen type I ELMy H-mode discharges in JET with ITER-like wall, one characterized by the same input power, the other one by the same stored energy. The investigation, carried out using the gyrokinetic code GENE, focuses on the steep profile region of the pedestal. While large wavenumber modes mainly contribute to the electron heat flux and are scarcely influenced by the main gas isotope, an effect of the ion mass in agreement with the experimental (so called anti-gyro-Bohm) scaling is revealed in the low wavenumber range. In this context, the major role played by the E x B shear in regulating the ion-temperature-gradient turbulence is analyzed in some detail. The competing level of turbulent and neoclassical transport is quantified to shed light on the experimental features of the pedestal profiles at different ion mass, with the particle transport found to be consistent with a higher pedestal top density for increasing isotope masses, and the heat transport shown to match the roughly unaltered observed temperature profiles., QC 20230310

Transport processes in the edge plasma are crucial for the design of future fusion reactors, but especially particle transport has not yet been sufficiently understood. To extend the knowledge about these processes, modulation experiments were conducted at the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. The characteristics of transport in these experiments were characterized and it was understood how its interplay with the particle source results in the density profiles., Transportprozesse im Randplasma sind für die Entwicklung zukünftiger Fusionsreaktoren von entscheidender Bedeutung, aber insbesondere der Teilchentransport ist noch nicht ausreichend verstanden. Um das Wissen über diese Prozesse zu erweitern, wurden am ASDEX Upgrade Tokamak Modulationsexperimente durchgeführt. Die Eigenschaften des Transports in diesen Experimenten wurden charakterisiert und es wurde verstanden, wie sein Zusammenspiel mit der Teilchenquelle in den Dichteprofilen resultiert.

The tokamak a configuration variable (TCV) continues to leverage its unique shaping capabilities, flexible heating systems and modern control system to address critical issues in preparation for ITER and a fusion power plant. For the 2019-20 campaign its configurational flexibility has been enhanced with the installation of removable divertor gas baffles, its diagnostic capabilities with an extensive set of upgrades and its heating systems with new dual frequency gyrotrons. The gas baffles reduce coupling between the divertor and the main chamber and allow for detailed investigations on the role of fuelling in general and, together with upgraded boundary diagnostics, test divertor and edge models in particular. The increased heating capabilities broaden the operational regime to include T (e)/T (i) similar to 1 and have stimulated refocussing studies from L-mode to H-mode across a range of research topics. ITER baseline parameters were reached in type-I ELMy H-modes and alternative regimes with 'small' (or no) ELMs explored. Most prominently, negative triangularity was investigated in detail and confirmed as an attractive scenario with H-mode level core confinement but an L-mode edge. Emphasis was also placed on control, where an increased number of observers, actuators and control solutions became available and are now integrated into a generic control framework as will be needed in future devices. The quantity and quality of results of the 2019-20 TCV campaign are a testament to its successful integration within the European research effort alongside a vibrant domestic programme and international collaborations., QC 20220318

Experiments in ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) and JET with the ITER-like wall (JET-ILW) are performed to separate the pedestal and core contributions to confinement in H-modes with different main ion masses. A strong isotope mass dependence in the pedestal is found which is enhanced at high gas puffing. This is because the ELM type changes when going from D to H for matched engineering parameters, which is likely due to differences in the inter ELM transport with isotope mass. The pedestal can be matched in H and D plasmas by varying only the triangularity and keeping the engineering parameters relevant for core transport the same. With matched pedestals Astra/TGLF (Sat1geo) core transport simulations predict the experimental profiles equally well for H and D. These core transport simulations show a negligible mass dependence and no gyro-Bohm scaling is observed. However, to match the experimental observations at medium beta it is required to take the fast-ion dilution and rotation into account. This is not enough for high beta plasmas where for the first time a profile match between H and D plasmas was achieved experimentally. Under these conditions quasilinear modelling with TGLF over predicts the transport in the core of H and D plasmas alike., QC 20220110

DIII-D physics research addresses critical challenges for the operation of ITER and the next generation of fusion energy devices. This is done through a focus on innovations to provide solutions for high performance long pulse operation, coupled with fundamental plasma physics understanding and model validation, to drive scenario development by integrating high performance core and boundary plasmas. Substantial increases in off-axis current drive efficiency from an innovative top launch system for EC power, and in pressure broadening for Alfven eigenmode control from a co-/counter-Ip steerable off-axis neutral beam, all improve the prospects for optimization of future long pulse/steady state high performance tokamak operation. Fundamental studies into the modes that drive the evolution of the pedestal pressure profile and electron vs ion heat flux validate predictive models of pedestal recovery after ELMs. Understanding the physics mechanisms of ELM control and density pumpout by 3D magnetic perturbation fields leads to confident predictions for ITER and future devices. Validated modeling of high-Z shattered pellet injection for disruption mitigation, runaway electron dissipation, and techniques for disruption prediction and avoidance including machine learning, give confidence in handling disruptivity for future devices. For the non-nuclear phase of ITER, two actuators are identified to lower the L–H threshold power in hydrogen plasmas. With this physics understanding and suite of capabilities, a high poloidal beta optimized-core scenario with an internal transport barrier that projects nearly to Q = 10 in ITER at ∼8 MA was coupled to a detached divertor, and a near super H-mode optimized-pedestal scenario with co-Ip beam injection was coupled to a radiative divertor. The hybrid core scenario was achieved directly, without the need for anomalous current diffusion, using off-axis current drive actuators. Also, a controller to assess proximity to stability limits and, QC 20230207

The ELM triggering mechanism in tokamaks is not yet fully understood. For example, in the JET tokamak with ITER-like wall (commonly called JET-ILW), the ELMs are sometimes triggered before the ideal peeling-ballooning (PB) boundary is reached. This typically occurs for shots with high input power and high gas rate. The discrepancy between model and experiment has in previous works been clearly correlated with the relative shift between the electron temperature and density pedestals. The discrepancy has also been correlated with the resistivity in the middle-bottom of the pedestal. The present work shows that resistive MHD can have a significant impact on the PB stability of JET pedestals. The inclusion of resistivity removes the correlation between the discrepancy from the PB stability and the relative shift (the difference between the position of the electron temperature and density pedestals) and significantly improves the agreement between PB model and experimental results. The work also shows that the key parameter is the resistivity at the pedestal bottom, near the separatrix, while the resistivity near the middle/top of the pedestal has a negligible effect on the PB stability of JET plasmas., QC 20221123

Simulations of JET ITER-like wall high-confinement mode plasmas, including type-I edge-localised modes (ELMs), using JINTRAC for the background plasmas and ERO2.0 for tungsten erosion and transport, predict virtually perfect screening of the primary W erosion sources at the divertor targets during both the ELM and inter-ELM phases. The largest source of W influx to the main plasma is predicted to be the outer vertical divertor due to sputtering by energetic fuel (D, T) atoms from charge-exchange reactions. ERO2.0 predictions accurately reproduce the measured W I emission in the low-field side divertor, but underpredict the W II emission by a factor of 10. Potential reasons for the W II discrepancy include uncertainties in the atomic data, assumptions on the sheath properties and the sputtering angle distribution, and the impact of metastable states., QC 20221109

The JET 2019-2020 scientific and technological programme exploited the results of years of concerted scientific and engineering work, including the ITER-like wall (ILW: Be wall and W divertor) installed in 2010, improved diagnostic capabilities now fully available, a major neutral beam injection upgrade providing record power in 2019-2020, and tested the technical and procedural preparation for safe operation with tritium. Research along three complementary axes yielded a wealth of new results. Firstly, the JET plasma programme delivered scenarios suitable for high fusion power and alpha particle (alpha) physics in the coming D-T campaign (DTE2), with record sustained neutron rates, as well as plasmas for clarifying the impact of isotope mass on plasma core, edge and plasma-wall interactions, and for ITER pre-fusion power operation. The efficacy of the newly installed shattered pellet injector for mitigating disruption forces and runaway electrons was demonstrated. Secondly, research on the consequences of long-term exposure to JET-ILW plasma was completed, with emphasis on wall damage and fuel retention, and with analyses of wall materials and dust particles that will help validate assumptions and codes for design and operation of ITER and DEMO. Thirdly, the nuclear technology programme aiming to deliver maximum technological return from operations in D, T and D-T benefited from the highest D-D neutron yield in years, securing results for validating radiation transport and activation codes, and nuclear data for ITER., QC 20230920

The scenario integrated modelling is a top priority work during the design of a new tokamak, as the Divertor Tokamak Test facility (DTT) under construction at the ENEA Research Center in Frascati. The first simulations of the main baseline scenarios contributed to the optimization of the DTT project, particularly with regard to the machine size and heating systems, besides serving as reference for diagnostics design. In this paper we report the first simulations of the full power baseline scenario in the final configuration of the machine and heating mix., QC 20220830

We present PEdestal Neural Network (PENN) as a machine learning model for tokamak pedestal predictions. Here, the model is trained using the EUROfusion JET pedestal database to predict the electron pedestal temperature and density from a set of global engineering and plasma parameters. Results show that PENN makes accurate predictions on the test set of the database, with R (2) = 0.93 for the temperature, and R (2) = 0.91 for the density. To demonstrate the applicability of the model, PENN is employed in the European transport simulator (ETS) to provide boundary conditions for the core of the plasma. In a case example in the ETS with varied neutral beam injection (NBI) power, results show that the model is consistent with previous studies regarding NBI power dependency on the pedestal. Additionally, we show how an uncertainty estimation method can be used to interpret the reliability of the predictions. Future work includes further analysis of how pedestal models, such as PENN, or other advanced deep learning models, can be more efficiently implemented in integrating modeling frameworks, and also how similar models may be generalized with respect to other tokamaks and future device scenarios., QC 20220728

We present the results of GENE gyrokinetic calculations based on a series of JET-ITER-like-wall (ILW) type I ELMy H-mode discharges operating with similar experimental inputs but at different levels of power and gas fuelling. We show that turbulence due to electron-temperature-gradient (ETGs) modes produces a significant amount of heat flux in four JET-ILW discharges, and, when combined with neoclassical simulations, is able to reproduce the experimental heat flux for the two low gas pulses. The simulations plausibly reproduce the high-gas heat fluxes as well, although power balance analysis is complicated by short ELM cycles. By independently varying the normalised temperature gradients (omega(T)(e)) and normalised density gradients (omega(ne )) around their experimental values, we demonstrate that it is the ratio of these two quantities eta(e) = omega(Te)/omega(ne) that determines the location of the peak in the ETG growth rate and heat flux spectra. The heat flux increases rapidly as eta(e) increases above the experimental point, suggesting that ETGs limit the temperature gradient in these pulses. When quantities are normalised using the minor radius, only increases in omega(Te) produce appreciable increases in the ETG growth rates, as well as the largest increases in turbulent heat flux which follow scalings similar to that of critical balance theory. However, when the heat flux is normalised to the electron gyro-Bohm heat flux using the temperature gradient scale length L-Te, it follows a linear trend in correspondence with previous work by different authors., QC 20230404

New H-mode regimes with high confinement, low core impurity accumulation, and small edge-localized mode perturbations have been obtained in magnetically confined plasmas at the Joint European Torus tokamak. Such regimes are achieved by means of optimized particle fueling conditions at high input power, current, and magnetic field, which lead to a self-organized state with a strong increase in rotation and ion temperature and a decrease in the edge density. An interplay between core and edge plasma regions leads to reduced turbulence levels and outward impurity convection. These results pave the way to an attractive alternative to the standard plasmas considered for fusion energy generation in a tokamak with a metallic wall environment such as the ones expected in ITER., QC 20220429

Changes in global and edge plasma parameters (H (98(y,2)), dimensionless collisionality nu *, core density peaking, separatrix density n (e,sep)) with variations in the D-2 fueling rate and divertor configuration are unified into a single trend when mapped to &LeftAngleBracket;T (e,ot)&RightAngleBracket;, the spatially averaged spectroscopically derived outer target electron temperature. Dedicated JET with the ITER-like wall (JET-ILW) experiments in combination with an extended JET-ILW database of unseeded low-triangularity H-mode plasmas spanning a wide range of D-2 fueling rates, I (p), B (t) and heating power have demonstrated the importance of &LeftAngleBracket;T (e,ot)&RightAngleBracket; as a key physics parameter linking the recycling particle source and detachment with plasma performance. The remarkably robust H (98(y,2)) trend with &LeftAngleBracket;T (e,ot)&RightAngleBracket; is connected to a strong inverse correlation between &LeftAngleBracket;T (e,ot)&RightAngleBracket;, n (e,sep) and nu *, thus directly linking changes in the divertor recycling moderated by &LeftAngleBracket;T (e,ot)&RightAngleBracket; with the previously established relationship between nu *, core density peaking and core pressure resulting in a degradation in core plasma performance with decreasing &LeftAngleBracket;T (e,ot)&RightAngleBracket; (increasing nu *). A strong inverse correlation between the separatrix to pedestal density ratio, n (e,sep)/n (e,ped), and &LeftAngleBracket;T (e,ot)&RightAngleBracket; is also established, with the rise in n (e,sep)/n (e,ped) saturating at &LeftAngleBracket;T (e,ot)&RightAngleBracket; > 10 eV. A strong reduction in H (98(y,2)) is observed as &LeftAngleBracket;T (e,ot)&RightAngleBracket; is driven from 30 to 10 eV via additional D-2 gas fueling, while the divertor remains attached. Consequently, the pronounced performance degradation in attached divertor conditions has im, QC 20220505

This article presents a global reduced model for slab-like microtearing modes (MTMs) in the H-mode pedestal, which reproduces distinctive features of experimentally observed magnetic fluctuations, such as chirping and discrete frequency bands at noncontiguous mode numbers. Our model, importantly, includes the global variation of the diamagnetic frequencies, which is necessary to reproduce the experimental observations. The key insight underlying this model is that MTM instability is enabled by the alignment of a rational surface with the peak in the profile of the diamagnetic frequency. Conversely, MTMs are strongly stabilized for toroidal mode numbers for which these quantities are misaligned. This property explains the discrete fluctuation bands in several DIII-D and JET discharges, which we survey using our reduced model in conjunction with global gyrokinetic simulations. A fast yet accurate reduced model for MTMs enables rapid interpretation of magnetic fluctuation data from a wide range of experimental conditions to help assess the role of MTM in the pedestal., QC 20220524

We present an overview of results from a series of L-II transition experiments undertaken at JET since the installation of the ITER-like-wall (JET-ILW), with beryllium wall tiles and a tungsten divertor. Tritium, helium and deuterium plasmas have been investigated. Initial results in tritium show ohmic L-H transitions at low density and the power threshold for the L-H transition (P-LH) is lower in tritium plasmas than in deuterium ones at low densities, while we still lack contrasted data to provide a scaling at high densities. In helium plasmas there is a notable shift of the density at which the power threshold is minimum ((n) over bar (e,min)) to higher values relative to deuterium and hydrogen references. Above (n) over bar (e,min) (He) the L-H power threshold at high densities is similar for D and He plasmas. Transport modelling in slab geometry shows that in helium neoclassical transport competes with interchange-driven transport, unlike in hydrogen isotopes. Measurements of the radial electric field in deuterium plasmas show that E-r shear is not a good indicator of proximity to the L-H transition. Transport analysis of ion heat flux in deuterium plasmas show a non-linearity as density is decreased below (n) over bar (e,min). Lastly, a regression of the JET-ILW deuterium data is compared to the 2008 ITPA scaling law., QC 20220531

In nuclear fusion reactors, plasmas are heated to very high temperatures of more than 100 million kelvin and, in so-called tokamaks, they are confined by magnetic fields in the shape of a torus. Light nuclei, such as deuterium and tritium, undergo a fusion reaction that releases energy, making fusion a promising option for a sustainable and clean energy source. Tokamak plasmas, however, are prone to disruptions as a result of a sudden collapse of the system terminating the fusion reactions. As disruptions lead to an abrupt loss of confinement, they can cause irreversible damage to present-day fusion devices and are expected to have a more devastating effect in future devices. Disruptions expected in the next-generation tokamak, ITER, for example, could cause electromagnetic forces larger than the weight of an Airbus A380. Furthermore, the thermal loads in such an event could exceed the melting threshold of the most resistant state-of-the-art materials by more than an order of magnitude. To prevent disruptions or at least mitigate their detrimental effects, empirical models obtained with artificial intelligence methods, of which an overview is given here, are commonly employed to predict their occurrence—and ideally give enough time to introduce counteracting measures., QC 20230908

Alpha particles with energies on the order of megaelectronvolts will be the main source of plasma heating in future magnetic confinement fusion reactors. Instead of heating fuel ions, most of the energy of alpha particles is transferred to electrons in the plasma. Furthermore, alpha particles can also excite Alfvénic instabilities, which were previously considered to be detrimental to the performance of the fusion device. Here we report improved thermal ion confinement in the presence of megaelectronvolts ions and strong fast ion-driven Alfvénic instabilities in recent experiments on the Joint European Torus. Detailed transport analysis of these experiments reveals turbulence suppression through a complex multi-scale mechanism that generates large-scale zonal flows. This holds promise for more economical operation of fusion reactors with dominant alpha particle heating and ultimately cheaper fusion electricity., QC 20230907