Characterization of ELM Pacing via Vertical Jogs on DIII-D

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yasoda, Kei, Panici, Dario, Nelson, Andrew Oak, Laggner, Florian M., Kim, Sangkyeun, Kolemen, Egemen
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866913079651991552
author Yasoda, Kei
Panici, Dario
Nelson, Andrew Oak
Laggner, Florian M.
Kim, Sangkyeun
Kolemen, Egemen
author_facet Yasoda, Kei
Panici, Dario
Nelson, Andrew Oak
Laggner, Florian M.
Kim, Sangkyeun
Kolemen, Egemen
contents Edge localized mode (ELM) pacing via vertical plasma oscillations or jogging has been successfully demonstrated on DIII-D. Rapid vertical movement of the plasma toward the X-point has been shown to effectively trigger ELMs. By vertically oscillating the plasma at a rate of 20 Hz, the ELM frequency increased from $\sim$5~Hz, the natural ELM frequency in similar DIII-D discharges, to 20~Hz. Downward jogs have been observed to trigger multiple ELMs in one cycle. ELMs triggered at higher than natural frequencies lead to smaller decreases in stored energy, from ~10\% to as little as below 1\%. As a consequence, the peak heat flux to the divertor has been observed to be reduced by a factor of $\sim$2. In addition, a reduction in the carbon impurity concentration has been observed. During downward jogs in the lower single null (LSN) configuration, the X-point movement is slower and smaller than the top of the plasma. As a result, a reduction in the plasma cross section and hence volume has been observed. To understand the mechanism of ELM triggering by jogging, a toy model of the edge toroidal current has been built and tested with DIII-D experiment data. The experimental data and model suggest that when the plasma moves down towards the X-point, a net positive toroidal current is locally induced in the edge region. ELITE stability analysis suggests that this current pushes the plasma state across the peeling side of the peeling-ballooning stability boundary into the unstable region triggering ELMs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_00165
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Characterization of ELM Pacing via Vertical Jogs on DIII-D
Yasoda, Kei
Panici, Dario
Nelson, Andrew Oak
Laggner, Florian M.
Kim, Sangkyeun
Kolemen, Egemen
Plasma Physics
Edge localized mode (ELM) pacing via vertical plasma oscillations or jogging has been successfully demonstrated on DIII-D. Rapid vertical movement of the plasma toward the X-point has been shown to effectively trigger ELMs. By vertically oscillating the plasma at a rate of 20 Hz, the ELM frequency increased from $\sim$5~Hz, the natural ELM frequency in similar DIII-D discharges, to 20~Hz. Downward jogs have been observed to trigger multiple ELMs in one cycle. ELMs triggered at higher than natural frequencies lead to smaller decreases in stored energy, from ~10\% to as little as below 1\%. As a consequence, the peak heat flux to the divertor has been observed to be reduced by a factor of $\sim$2. In addition, a reduction in the carbon impurity concentration has been observed. During downward jogs in the lower single null (LSN) configuration, the X-point movement is slower and smaller than the top of the plasma. As a result, a reduction in the plasma cross section and hence volume has been observed. To understand the mechanism of ELM triggering by jogging, a toy model of the edge toroidal current has been built and tested with DIII-D experiment data. The experimental data and model suggest that when the plasma moves down towards the X-point, a net positive toroidal current is locally induced in the edge region. ELITE stability analysis suggests that this current pushes the plasma state across the peeling side of the peeling-ballooning stability boundary into the unstable region triggering ELMs.
title Characterization of ELM Pacing via Vertical Jogs on DIII-D
topic Plasma Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.00165