Experimental application and numerical study of reflectometry in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak

Abstract

The amplitude modulated ordinary-mode reflectometer in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak is used to study the quasi-coherent (QC) continuous edge fluctuations in enhanced Da (EDA) H-modes. Reflectometer data show that the QC fluctuations are localized near the center of the density pedestal. The radial width (FWHM) is usually in the range of 0.1 - 0.3 cm. The width increases with the increase of resistivity rl. The line-integrated fluctuation level approximately scales with (v*q95).56. This result indicates that higher q95, higher density, and lower temperature are favored for the QC fluctuations. Neither the location nor the width changes significantly in an EDA H-mode period, while the frequency and level vary. A 2-D full-wave code has been developed to simulate and quantitatively interpret reflectometry signals. The code uses the finite-difference time-domain method to solve Maxwell's equations in two dimensions. Perfectly-matched layers are used as the boundary. The Huygens source technique is used to generate Gaussian beams and separate the reflected waves from the total field. Simulations based on realistic 2-D geometry of the Alcator C-Mod reflectometer provide a calibration curve by which we can relate the QC fluctuations in reflectometry signals to plasma density fluctuations. Results indicate that the line-integrated fluctuation level derived from reflectometry is similar to that measured by the phase contrast imaging system. Simulations also indicate that plasma curvature extends the reflectometry response to fluctuations of high poloidal wavenumber. A preliminary study indicates that reflectometry can be used to estimate the correlation length of the turbulence in Alcator C-Mod provided that the fluctuation level is small.