Observation of energetic-ion losses induced by various MHD instabilities in the Large Helical Device (LHD)

Abstract

Energetic-ion losses induced by toroidicity-induced Alfvén eigenmodes (TAEs) and resistive interchange modes (RICs) were observed in neutral-beam heated plasmas of the Large Helical Device (LHD) at a relatively low toroidal magnetic field level (⩽0.75 T). The energy and pitch angle of the lost ions are detected using a scintillator-based lost-fast ion probe. Each instability increases the lost ions having a certain energy/pitch angle. TAE bursts preferentially induce energetic beam ions in co-passing orbits having energy from the injection energy E = 190 keV down to 130 keV, while RICs expel energetic ions of E = 190 keV down to ∼130 keV in passing–toroidally trapped boundary orbits. Loss fluxes induced by these instabilities increase with different dependences on the magnetic fluctuation amplitude: nonlinear and linear dependences for TAEs and RICs, respectively.