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In this study, the structural and magnetic properties of Nd-doped BiFeO$_3$ materials with the formula Bi$_{1-x}$Nd$_x$FeO$_3$ $(x = 0 - 0.2)$ were investigated. Samples were prepared using the sol-gel method and annealed at 823 K for 4 hours. Microstructural studies indicated that nanomaterials with an average grain size of less than 100 nm were produced, with the smallest grain size observed for the solid solution with $x = 0.15$. Rietveld analysis of diffraction patterns revealed a composition-driven transformation from the rhombohedral $(R3c)$ lattice to the orthorhombic $(Pbam)$ structure. The above finding is correlated to M\"ossbauer spectroscopy data, which demonstrated the gradual destruction of the spin cycloid due to the structural transformation to the $Pbam$ structure. The spectra were analyzed using a complex hyperfine magnetic field distribution model reflecting cycloidal spin ordering. Scanning differential calorimetry revealed that for the investigated materials the magnetic ordering temperatures are close to 640 K, independently from the Nd concentration. Magnetic measurements showed the emergence of weak ferromagnetic properties with increasing Nd ions concentration, consistently with M\"ossbauer spectroscopy data.

This work presents the first analysis of the disruptive locked mode (LM) triggered by the dynamics of a confinement change. It shows that, under certain conditions, the LM threshold during the transient is significantly lower than expected from steady states. We investigate the sensitivity to a controlled $n = 1$ error field (EF) activated prior to the L-H transition in the COMPASS tokamak, at $q_{95} \approx 3$, $\beta_N \approx 1$, and using EF coils on the high-field side of the vessel. A threshold for EF penetration subsequent to the L-H transition is identified, which shows no significant trend with density or applied torque, and is an apparent consequence of the reduced intrinsic rotation of the 2/1 mode during this transient phase. This finding challenges the assumption made in theoretical and empirical works that natural mode rotation can be predicted by global plasma parameters and urges against using any parametric EF penetration scaling derived from steady-state experiments to define the error field correction strategy in the entire discharge. Furthermore, even at EFs below the identified penetration threshold, disruptive locking of sawtooth-seeded 2/1 tearing modes is observed after about 30% of L-H transitions without external torque., Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Nuclear Fusion

The understanding of the halo current properties during disruptions is key to design and operate large scale tokamaks in view of the large thermal and electromagnetic loads that they entail. For the first time, we present a fully self-consistent model for halo current simulations including neutral particles and sheath boundary conditions. The model is used to simulate Vertical Displacement Events (VDEs) occurring in the COMPASS tokamak. Recent COMPASS experiments have shown that the parallel halo current density at the plasma-wall interface is limited by the ion saturation current during VDE-induced disruptions. We show that usual MHD boundary conditions can lead to the violation of this physical limit and we implement this current density limitation through a boundary condition for the electrostatic potential. Sheath boundary conditions for the density, the heat flux, the parallel velocity and a realistic parameter choice (e.g. Spitzer $\eta$ and Spitzer-H\"arm $\chi_\parallel$ values) extend present VDE simulations beyond the state of the art. Experimental measurements of the current density, temperature and heat flux profiles at the COMPASS divertor are compared with the results obtained from axisymmetric simulations. Since the ion saturation current density ($J_{sat}$) is shown to be essential to determine the halo current profile, parametric scans are performed to study its dependence on different quantities such as the plasma resistivity and the particle and heat diffusion coefficients. In this respect, the plasma resistivity in the halo region broadens significantly the $J_{sat}$ profile, increasing the halo width at a similar total halo current., Comment: Submitted to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion via the special issue of the Joint Varenna-Lausanne international workshop (October 12-16, 2020)

Ion temperature in the scrape-off layer is an important quantity but rarely measured at high temporal resolution. In order to achieve fast measurements during intermittent events such as blobs, a novel ExB analyzer has been designed. The measurement with the E$\times$B analyzer does not require voltage sweeping but records ion current on DC biased collectors, meaning that the temporal resolution is only limited by the sampling frequency of the data acquisition system and electronics of the amplifiers, which exceeds the typical timescale of events of interest (~10 microseconds). The analyzer is equipped with entrance slit of optimized knife-edge shape, which reduces selective ion losses and improves overall ion transmission. The design of the analyzer is presented together with first acquired signals and reconstructed temperatures.

Divertor strike point splitting induced by resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) has been observed on MAST for a variety of RMP configurations in a plasma scenario with Ip=750kA where those configurations all have similar resonant components. Complementary measurements have been obtained with divertor Langmuir probes and an infrared camera. Clear splitting consistently appears in this scenario only in the even configuration of the perturbation coils, similarly to the density pump-out. These results present a challenge for models of plasma response to RMPs., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, submitted to the proceedings of the 20th Conference on Plasma Surface Interactions, to be published in the Journal of Nuclear Materials

Understanding of the scrape-off layer (SOL) physics in tokamaks requires diagnostics with sufficient temporal and spatial resolution. This contribution describes results of experiments performed in the SOL of the CASTOR tokamak (R=40 cm, a = 6 cm) by means of a ring of 124 Langmuir probes surrounding the whole poloidal cross section. The individual probes measure either the ion saturation current of the floating potential with the spatial resolution up to 3 mm. Experiments are performed in a particular magnetic configuration, characterized by a long parallel connection length in the SOL, L_par ~q2piR. We report on measurements in discharges, where the edge electric field is modified by inserting a biased electrode into the edge plasma. In particular, a complex picture is observed, if the biased electrode is located inside the SOL. The poloidal distribution of the floating potential appears to be strongly non-uniform at biasing. The peaks of potential are observed at particular poloidal angles. This is interpreted as formation of a biased flux tube, which emanates from the electrode along the magnetic field lines and snakes q times around the torus. The resulting electric field in the SOL is 2-dimensional, having the radial as well as the poloidal component. It is demonstrated that the poloidal electric field E_pol convects the edge plasma radially due to the E_pol x B_T drift either inward or outward depending on its sign. The convective particle flux is by two orders of magnitude larger than the fluctuation-induced one and consequently dominates., Comment: 12th International Congress on Plasma Physics, 25-29 October 2004, Nice (France)