Universality of the ion flux to the JET outer wall

Abstract

Universality in the ion flux to the JET outer-wall is observed in outerwall limiter mounted Langmuir probe (OLP) time-series across a large range of plasma current and line-averaged density during Ohmically heated horizontal target L-mode plasmas. The mean, M, and the standard deviation, sigma, of the ion-saturation current measured by the OLP show systematic variation with plasma current and density. Both increase as either plasma current decreases and/or density increases. Upon renormalization, achieved by subtraction of M and rescaling by sigma, the probability distribution functions (PDFs) of each signal collapse approximately onto a single curve. The shape of the curve deviates from a distribution in the tail of the PDF and is better described by a log-normal distribution. The collapse occurs over 4 decades of the ordinate which, given the wide parameter space over which the data spans, is a strong indication of universality.

10 pages, 6 figures. This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article submitted for publication in Nuclear Fusion Letter. IoP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it