UCLA  Role in the DIII-D Research Program

UCLA has been a member of the DIII-D National fusion Facility research team since 1988 and has onsite staff comprised of both research scientists and graduate students.  UCLA has contributed to the very successful DIII-D program in a multitude of ways including the advancement of understanding of the role of ExB turbulence suppression in high performance H-mode, QH-mode and NCS discharges, the physics of ICRF plasma heating, measurement of edge and core density profiles, divertor studies, etc.

Strong links are maintained with the theoretical/simulation communities.  For example, interaction with the Center for Multiscale Plasma Dynamics headed by Professors Cowley (UCLA) and Dorland (Univ. Maryland) has grown significantly over recent years.

Close coupling between the theoretical, experimental and operational communities is one of the major reasons for the success of the UCLA-PDG participation in the DIII-D National Fusion Facility.

The overall role of UCLA within the DIII-D Research program is three-fold:

• UCLA develops, fully demonstrates and integrates advanced millimeter-wave/ far-infrared diagnostic systems into the DIII-D National Facility. Diagnostic systems developed for DIII-D have broad application and relevance to the overall fusion energy sciences program. 

• UCLA makes major scientific contributions to improving understanding of the relationship between transport and turbulence properties of advanced confinement operating regimes on DIII-D. Comparison of experimental measurement with theory/simulation predictions represents a major focus.

• UCLA plays a major role on DIII-D in the education of students in plasma physics, fusion science and millimeter/FIR technology.  A number of outstanding UCLA PhD Theses have been generated. Three of these have directly led to Invited Talks for the students (a rare occurrence) at the APS Plasma Physics Divisional Meetings.   

Presentations:

Preliminary Results: First simultaneous core measurement of radial profiles of Te/Te and ne/ne:

A. E. White
GA, San Diego, CA, Friday Science Meeting, June 8th 2007

First observation of low, intermediate & high k turbulence in DIII-D & initial comparisons with gyrokinetic predictions:

W.A. Peebles
Invited Talk, American Physical Society Conference
Savannah, Georgia, 2004

Progress Towards Increased Understanding and Control of Internal Transport Barriers on DIII-D:

E.J. Doyle
Presented at the 18th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference,
October 4-10, 2000, Sorrento, Italy

Publications:

SOL and pedestal density profile evolution during DIII-D, ELMy and ELM-suppressed H-mode operation:

L. Zeng, G. Wang , E.J. Doyle, T.L. Rhodes, W.A. Peebles, M.E. Fenstermacher, T.E. Evans, R.A. Moyer
Journal of Nuclear Materials 337-339 (2005) 742-746

Improved reflectometer electron density profile measurements on DIII-D:

G. Wang, L. Zeng, E. J. Doyle, T. L. Rhodes, and W. A. Peebles
Review of Scientific Instruments, Volume 74 #3 (2003), 1525-1529

Application of fast reflectometer density profile measurements to investigate plasma instabilities in DIII-D:

L. Zeng, E. J. Doyle, T. L. Rhodes, G. Wang, W. A. Peebles and K. H. Burrell
Review of Scientific Instruments, Volume 74 #3 (2003), 1530-1533

Comparison of turbulence measurements from DIII-D low-mode and high-performance plasmas to turbulence simulations and models:

T. L. Rhodes, J.-N. Leboeuf, R. D. Sydora, R. J. Groebner, E. J. Doyle, G. R. McKee, W. A. Peebles, C. L. Rettig, L. Zeng, and G. Wang
Physics of Plasmas, Volume 9 #5 (2002), 2141-2148

Progress towards increased understanding and control of internal transport barriers in DIII-D:

E.J. Doyle, C.M. Greenfield, M.E. Austin, L.R. Baylor, K.H. Burrell, T.A. Casper, J.C. DeBoo, D.R. Ernst, C. Fenzi, P. Gohil, R.J. Groebner, W.W. Heidbrink, G.L. Jackson, T.C. Jernigan, J.E. Kinsey, L.L. Lao, M. Makowski, G.R. McKee, M. Murakami, W.A. Peebles, M. Porkolab, R. Prater, C.L. Rettig, T.L. Rhodes, J.C. Rost, G.M. Staebler, B.W. Stallard, E.J. Strait, E.J. Synakowski, D.M. Thomas, M.R.Wade, R.E.Waltz, L. Zeng
Nucl. Fusion 42 (2002) 333-339 PII: S0029-5515(02)34650

The quiescent double barrier regime in the DIII-D tokamak:

E J Doyle, L R Baylor, K H Burrell, T A Casper, J C DeBoo, D R Ernst, A M Garofalo, P Gohil, C M Greenfield, R J Groebner, A W Hyatt, G L Jackson, T C Jernigan, J E Kinsey, L L Lao, C J Lasnier, J-N Leboeuf, M Makowski, G R McKee, R A Moyer, M Murakami, T H Osborne,WA Peebles, M Porkolab, G D Porter, T L Rhodes, J C Rost, D Rudakov, G M Staebler, B W Stallard, E J Strait, R D Sydora, E J Synakowski, M R Wade, G Wang, J G Watkins, W P West, and L Zeng
Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 43 (2001) A95-A112 PII: S0741-3335(01)29664-X

Internal electric field structure of launched fast magnetosonic waves in the DIII-D Tokamak:

J. H. Lee, W. A. Peebles, E. F. Jaeger, E. J. Doyle, N. C. Luhmann, Jr., C. C. Petty, R. I. Pinsker, R. Prater, and T. L. Rhodes
Physical Review Letters, Volume 80 #11 (1998), 2330-2333

Signal amplitude effects on reflectometer studies of density turbulence in tokamaks:

T L Rhodes, W A Peebles, E J Doyle, P Pribyl, M Gilmore, R A Moyer and R D Lehmer
Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 40 (1998) 493-510. Printed in the UK PII: S0741-3335(98)85278-0

Microturbulence reduction during internal transport barrier discharges in DIII-D:

C L Rettig, K H Burrell, C M Greenfield, G M Staebler, T L Rhodes and W A Peebles
Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 40 (1998) 811-815