The localization of low order rational surfaces based on the intermittence parameter in the TJ-II stellarator

Abstract

This work intends to show that the multifractal concept of intermittence can be fruitfully applied to the identification of the radial location of low order rational surfaces inside a magnetically confined plasma. To do so, we make use of Langmuir probe data from a set of experiments in which the rotational transform was scanned dynamically in the TJ-II stellarator. It is shown that up to five rational surfaces can be identified from the data, which is a first in plasma physics, to the best of our knowledge. The effect of the radial electric field on intermittence was also studied using a specific subset of experiments in which the electron density was raised on a shot by shot basis. The observations are contrasted with results from numerical calculations using a resistive magneto-hydrodynamic model to facilitate interpretation.