| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Lorenzini, R., et al.
(author)
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Self-organized helical equilibria as a new paradigm for ohmically heated fusion plasmas
- 2009
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In: Nature Physics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1745-2473 .- 1745-2481. ; 5:8, s. 570-574
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the quest for new energy sources, the research on controlled thermonuclear fusion has been boosted by the start of the construction phase of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). ITER is based on the tokamak magnetic configuration, which is the best performing one in terms of energy confinement. Alternative concepts are however actively researched, which in the long term could be considered for a second generation of reactors. Here, we show results concerning one of these configurations, the reversed-field pinch (RFP). By increasing the plasma current, a spontaneous transition to a helical equilibrium occurs, with a change of magnetic topology. Partially conserved magnetic flux surfaces emerge within residual magnetic chaos, resulting in the onset of a transport barrier. This is a structural change and sheds new light on the potential of the RFP as the basis for a low-magnetic-field ohmic fusion reactor.
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| 3. |
- Martin, P., et al.
(author)
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Overview of RFX-mod results
- 2009
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In: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 49:10, s. 104019-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With the exploration of the MA plasma current regime in up to 0.5 s long discharges, RFX-mod has opened new and very promising perspectives for the reversed field pinch (RFP) magnetic configuration, and has made significant progress in understanding and improving confinement and in controlling plasma stability. A big leap with respect to previous knowledge and expectations on RFP physics and performance has been made by RFX-mod since the last 2006 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference. A new self-organized helical equilibrium has been experimentally achieved ( the Single Helical Axis-SHAx-state), which is the preferred state at high current. Strong core electron transport barriers characterize this regime, with electron temperature gradients comparable to those achieved in tokamaks, and by a factor of 4 improvement in confinement time with respect to the standard RFP. RFX-mod is also providing leading edge results on real-time feedback control of MHD instabilities, of general interest for the fusion community.
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| 4. |
- Martin, P., et al.
(author)
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Overview of the RFX-mod fusion science programme
- 2013
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In: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 53:10, s. 104018-
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper reports the highlights of the RFX-mod fusion science programme since the last 2010 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference. The RFX-mod fusion science programme focused on two main goals: exploring the fusion potential of the reversed field pinch (RFP) magnetic configuration and contributing to the solution of key science and technology problems in the roadmap to ITER. Active control of several plasma parameters has been a key tool in this endeavour. New upgrades on the system for active control of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability are underway and will be presented in this paper. Unique among the existing fusion devices, RFX-mod has been operated both as an RFP and as a tokamak. The latter operation has allowed the exploration of edge safety factor q edge < 2 with active control of MHD stability and studies concerning basic energy and flow transport mechanisms. Strong interaction has continued with the stellarator community in particular on the physics of helical states and on three-dimensional codes.
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| 5. |
- Martin, P., et al.
(author)
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Overview of the RFX fusion science program
- 2011
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In: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 51:9, s. 094023-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper summarizes the main achievements of the RFX fusion science program in the period between the 2008 and 2010 IAEA Fusion Energy Conferences. RFX-mod is the largest reversed field pinch in the world, equipped with a system of 192 coils for active control of MHD stability. The discovery and understanding of helical states with electron internal transport barriers and core electron temperature >1.5 keV significantly advances the perspectives of the configuration. Optimized experiments with plasma current up to 1.8 MA have been realized, confirming positive scaling. The first evidence of edge transport barriers is presented. Progress has been made also in the control of first-wall properties and of density profiles, with initial first-wall lithization experiments. Micro-turbulence mechanisms such as ion temperature gradient and micro-tearing are discussed in the framework of understanding gradient-driven transport in low magnetic chaos helical regimes. Both tearing mode and resistive wall mode active control have been optimized and experimental data have been used to benchmark numerical codes. The RFX programme also provides important results for the fusion community and in particular for tokamaks and stellarators on feedback control of MHD stability and on three-dimensional physics. On the latter topic, the result of the application of stellarator codes to describe three-dimensional reversed field pinch physics will be presented.
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| 6. |
- Zuin, M., et al.
(author)
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Overview of the RFX-mod fusion science activity
- 2017
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In: Nuclear Fusion. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 57:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper reports the main recent results of the RFX-mod fusion science activity. The RFX-mod device is characterized by a unique flexibility in terms of accessible magnetic configurations. Axisymmetric and helically shaped reversed-field pinch equilibria have been studied, along with tokamak plasmas in a wide range of q(a) regimes (spanning from 4 down to 1.2 values). The full range of magnetic configurations in between the two, the so-called ultra-low q ones, has been explored, with the aim of studying specific physical issues common to all equilibria, such as, for example, the density limit phenomenon. The powerful RFX-mod feedback control system has been exploited for MHD control, which allowed us to extend the range of experimental parameters, as well as to induce specific magnetic perturbations for the study of 3D effects. In particular, transport, edge and isotope effects in 3D equilibria have been investigated, along with runaway mitigations through induced magnetic perturbations. The first transitions to an improved confinement scenario in circular and D-shaped tokamak plasmas have been obtained thanks to an active modification of the edge electric field through a polarized electrode. The experiments are supported by intense modeling with 3D MHD, gyrokinetic, guiding center and transport codes. Proposed modifications to the RFX-mod device, which will enable further contributions to the solution of key issues in the roadmap to ITER and DEMO, are also briefly presented.
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| 7. |
- Puiatti, M. E., et al.
(author)
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Helical equilibria and magnetic structures in the reversed field pinch and analogies to the tokamak and stellarator
- 2009
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In: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0741-3335 .- 1361-6587. ; 51:12, s. 124031-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The reversed field pinch configuration is characterized by the presence of magnetic structures both in the core and at the edge: in the core, at high plasma current the spontaneous development of a helical structure is accompanied by the appearance of internal electron transport barriers; at the edge strong pressure gradients, identifying an edge transport barrier, are observed too, related to the position of the field reversal surface. The aim of this paper is the experimental characterization of both the internal and edge transport barriers in relation to the magnetic topology, discussing possible analogies and differences with other confinement schemes.
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| 8. |
- Terranova, D., et al.
(author)
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A 3D approach to equilibrium, stability and transport studies in RFX-mod improved regimes
- 2010
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In: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0741-3335 .- 1361-6587. ; 52:12, s. 124023-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The full three-dimensional (3D) approach is now becoming an important issue for all magnetic confinement configurations. It is a necessary condition for the stellarator but also the tokamak and the reversed field pinch (RFP) now cannot be completely described in an axisymmetric framework. For the RFP the observation of self-sustained helical configurations with improved plasma performances require a better description in order to assess a new view on this configuration. In this new framework plasma configuration studies for RFX-mod have been considered both with tools developed for the RFP as well as considering codes originally developed for the stellarator and adapted to the RFP. These helical states are reached through a transition to a very low/reversed shear configuration leading to internal electron transport barriers. These states are interrupted by MHD reconnection events and the large Te gradients at the barriers indicate that both current and pressure driven modes are to be considered. Furthermore the typically flat Te profiles in the helical core have raised the issue of the role of electrostatic and electromagnetic turbulence in these reduced chaos regions, so that a stability analysis in the correct 3D geometry is required to address an optimization of the plasma setup. In this viewtheVMECcode proved to be an effectiveway to obtain helical equilibria to be studied in terms of stability and transport with a suite of well tested codes. In this work, the equilibrium reconstruction technique as well as the experimental evidence of 3D effects and their first interpretation in terms of stability and transport are presented using both RFP and stellarator tools.
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| 9. |
- Puiatti, M. E., et al.
(author)
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Internal and external electron transport barriers in the RFX-mod reversed field pinch
- 2011
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In: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 51:7, s. 073038-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- An interesting result of magnetic chaos reduction in RFX-mod high current discharges is the development of strong electron transport barriers. An internal heat and particle transport barrier is formed when a bifurcation process changes the magnetic configuration into a helical equilibrium and chaos reduction follows, together with the formation of a null in the q shear. Strong temperature gradients develop, corresponding to a decreased thermal and particle transport. Turbulence analysis shows that the large electron temperature gradients are limited by the onset of micro-tearing modes, in addition to residual magnetic chaos. A new type of electron transport barrier with strong temperature gradients develops more externally (r/a = 0.8) accompanied by a 30% improvement of the global confinement time. The mechanism responsible for the formation of such a barrier is still unknown but it is likely associated with a local reduction of magnetic chaos. These external barriers develop primarily in situations of well-conditioned walls so that they might be regarded as attempts towards an L-H transition. Both types of barriers occur in high-current low-collisionality regimes. Analogies with tokamak and stellarators are discussed.
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Antoni, V., et al.
(author)
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Coherent structures and anomalous transport in reversed field pinch plasmas
- 2006
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In: Physica Scripta. - 0031-8949 .- 1402-4896. ; T122, s. 1-7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The results leading to the identification of coherent structures emerging from the background turbulence in the edge region of the reversed field pinch experiments EXTRAP-T2R and RFX are reviewed. These structures have traits of vortices in velocity field and blobs in density, and the reconstruction of their spatial structure and of their time evolution is discussed focusing on the analysis tools applied. The role of these structures in the particle anomalous transport is addressed, showing that their collisions can contribute up to 50% the total particle losses. This process is shown to be responsible for bursts in particle flux and it is found to set a characteristic collision time, which is in agreement with the statistical properties of laminar times for particle flux bursts.
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| 12. |
- Antoni, V., et al.
(author)
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Turbulence and anomalous transport in magnetized plasmas : Hints from the reversed field pinch configuration
- 2004
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In: Contributions to Plasma Physics. - : Wiley. - 0863-1042 .- 1521-3986. ; 44:06-maj, s. 458-464
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The properties of plasma turbulence in the outer region of the Reversed Field Pinch experiments RFX and EXTRAP-T2R are reviewed. The statistical properties of fluctuations in the range of scales relevant for transport are presented. The observation of coherent structures emerging from the background turbulence and their interpretation in terms of vortices is reported. The interplay between these structures and the mean ExB flow of the plasma is demonstrated with emphasis to the action on the preferential rotation direction. The effect on the particle transport induced by the background turbulence and by the structures is discussed. Finally the methods tested to control turbulence and to mitigate the related transport are illustrated and discussed.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Carbone, V, et al.
(author)
-
To what extent can dynamical models describe statistical features of turbulent flows?
- 2002
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In: Europhysics letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 0295-5075 .- 1286-4854. ; 58:3, s. 349-355
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Statistical features of "bursty" behaviour in charged and neutral fluid turbulence are compared to statistics of intermittent events in a GOY shell model, and avalanches in different models of Self-Organized Criticality (SOC). It is found that inter-burst times show a power law distribution for turbulent samples and for the shell model, a property which is shared only in a particular case of the running sandpile model. The breakdown of self-similarity generated by isolated events observed in the turbulent samples is well reproduced by the shell model, while it is absent in all SOC models considered. On this base, we conclude that SOC models are not adequate to mimic fluid turbulence, while the GOY shell model constitutes a better candidate to describe the gross features of turbulence.
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| 15. |
- Regnoli, G., et al.
(author)
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Observations of toroidicity-induced Alfven eigenmodes in a reversed field pinch plasma
- 2005
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In: Physics of Plasmas. - : AIP Publishing. - 1070-664X .- 1089-7674. ; 12:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- High frequency peaks in the spectra of magnetic field signals have been detected at the edge of Extrap-T2R [P. R. Brunsell, H. Bergshker, M. Cecconello, J. R. Drake, R. M. Gravestijn, A. Hedqvist, and J-A. Malmberg, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion, 43, 1457 (2001)]. The measured fluctuation is found to be mainly polarized along the toroidal direction, with high toroidal periodicity n and Alfvenic scaling (f proportional to B / root m(i)n(i)). Calculations for, a reversed field pinch plasma predict the existence of an edge resonant, high frequency, high-n number toroidicity-induced Alfven eigenmode with the,observed frequency scaling. In addition, gas puffing experiments show that edge density fluctuations are responsible for the rapid. changes of mode frequency. Finally a coupling with the electron drift turbulence is proposed as drive mechanism for the eigenmode.
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| 16. |
- Spolaore, M., et al.
(author)
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Vortex-induced diffusivity in reversed field pinch plasmas
- 2004
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In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 93:21
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Coherent structures identified in two reversed field pinch experiments are interpreted as a dynamic balance of dipolar and monopolar vortices growing and evolving under the effect of the ExB flow shear. For the first time their contribution to the anomalous transport has been estimated in fusion related plasmas, showing that they can account for up to 50% of the total plasma diffusivity. The experimental findings indicate that the diffusion coefficient associated with the coherent structures depends on the relative population of the two types of vortices and is minimum when the two populations are equal. An interpretative model is proposed to explain this feature.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Carbone, V, et al.
(author)
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Intermittency and turbulence in a magnetically confined fusion plasma
- 2000
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In: Physical Review E. Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics. - : American Physical Society (APS). - 1539-3755 .- 1550-2376. ; 62:1, s. R49-R52
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The intermittency of the magnetic turbulence in reversed field pinch plasmas was measured. The probability distribution functions of magnetic field differences were not scale invariant because the wings of these functions were more important as the scales become smaller. This phenomena was identified as a classical signature of intermittency. The scaling laws also appeared very close to the external wall of the confinement device.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Simancas, J. F., et al.
(author)
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Crustal structure of the transpressional Variscan orogen of SW Iberia : SW Iberia deep seismic reflection profile (IBERSEIS)
- 2003
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In: Tectonics. - : AGU. - 0278-7407 .- 1944-9194. ; 22, s. 1062-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- IBERSEIS, a 303 km long (20 s) deep seismic reflection profile, was acquired across the Variscan belt in SW Iberian Peninsula. The acquisition parameters were designed to obtain a high-resolution crustal-scale image of this orogen. The seismic profile samples three major tectonic terranes: the South Portuguese Zone, the Ossa-Morena Zone, and the Central Iberian Zone, which were accreted in Late Paleozoic times. These terranes show a distinctive seismic signature, as do the sutures separating them. Late strike-slip movements through crustal wedges are apparent in the seismic image and have strongly modified the geometry of sutures. The upper crust appears to be decoupled from the lower crust all along the seismic line, but some deformation has been accommodated at deeper levels. A sill-like structure is imaged in the middle crust as a 1–2 s thick and 175 km long high-amplitude conspicuous reflective band. It is interpreted as a great intrusion of mafic magma in a midcrustal decollement. Taking into account surface geological data and the revealed crustal architecture, a tectonic evolution is proposed for SW Iberia which includes transpressional collision interacting during Early Carboniferous with a mantle plume. The Moho can be identified along the entire transect as subhorizontal and located at 10 to 11 s, indicating a 30–35 km average crustal thickness. Its seismic signature changes laterally, being very reflective beneath the South Portuguese Zone and the Central Iberian Zone, but discontinuous and diffuse below the Ossa Morena Zone.
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| 23. |
- Sorriso-Valvo, Luca, et al.
(author)
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Intermittency in plasma turbulence
- 2001
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In: Planetary and Space Science. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 49:12, s. 1193-1200
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 24. |
- Van Oost, G., et al.
(author)
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Turbulent transport reduction by E x B velocity shear during edge plasma biasing : recent experimental results
- 2003
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In: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. - 0741-3335 .- 1361-6587. ; 45:5, s. 621-643
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Experiments in the tokamaks TEXTOR, CASTOR, T-10 and ISTTOK, as well as in the reversed field pinch RFX have provided new and complementary evidence on the physics of the universal mechanism of E x B velocity shear stabilization of turbulence, concomitant transport barrier formation and radial conductivity by using various edge biasing techniques. In TEXTOR the causality between transport reduction and induced electric fields in the edge has been for the first time clearly demonstrated. The high electric field gradients have been identified as the cause for the quenching of turbulent cells. A quantitative analysis of the measured transport reduction is in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The scaling of plasma turbulence suppression with velocity shear has been established, revealing the density-potential cross-phase as a key element. Reduction in poloidal electric field, temperature, and density fluctuations across the shear layer lead to a reduction of the anomalous conducted and convected heat fluxes resulting in an energy transport barrier that is measured directly. In CASTOR the biasing electrode is placed at the separatrix in a non-intrusive configuration which has demonstrated strongly sheared electric fields and consequent improvement of the global particle confinement, as predicted by theory. The impact of sheared E x B flow on edge turbulent structures has been measured directly using a comprehensive set of electrostatic probe arrays as well as emissive probes. Measurements with a full poloidal Langmuir probe array have revealed quasi-coherent electrostatic waves in the SOL with a dominant mode number equal to the edge safety factor. In T-10 edge biasing is clearly improving the global performance of ECR heated discharges. Reflectometry and heavy ion beam probe measurements show the existence of a narrow plasma layer with strong suppression of turbulence. On ISTTOK, the influence of alternating positive and negative electrode and (non-intrusive) limiter biasing has been compared. Electrode biasing is found to be more efficient in modifying the radial electric field E, and confinement, limiter biasing acting mainly on the SOL. In the RFX reversed field pinch it has been demonstrated that also in RFPs biasing can increase the local E x B velocity shear in the edge region, and hence substantially reduce the local turbulence driven particle flux mainly due to a change in the relative phase between potential and density fluctuations.
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