Tore Supra tokamak: Experimental and Theorical work
IPFN researcher Joao Bernardo is the lead author of a paper featured in the Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (PPCF) journal highlights of 2015, representing the excellence and breadth of the work published during the year. The paper, “Density impact on toroidal rotation in Tore Supra: experimental observations and theoretical investigation”, which can be found here, reports on the intrinsic rotation of the plasma being correlated to changes on the nature of linear micro-instabilities, indicating a change on the turbulence driven contribution which explains the deviation from theoretical predictions. The subject is of pivotal relevance for fusion and ITER considering rotation's role in enhancing discharge performance by stabilizing plasma instabilities. In ITER, where the externally provided torque will be low, understanding the underlying mechanisms of the so-called 'intrinsic' rotation is of crucial importance.
The work has been carried out on the Tore Supra tokamak (Cadarache - France) and stems from a collaboration between IPFN and CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives). Joao Bernardo, from the Theory and Modelling Group of IPFN, is finishing his PhD at IST under the supervision of Professors Joao P.S. Bizarro (IST) and Santiago Cortes (UBI). João currently holds a position in the JET Exploitation Unit (JEU) at JET, the largest operating tokamak in the world and located in Oxfordshire UK.
Find the pubication here
