Density fluctuations in currentless high beta plasmas in Heliotron E

The stability properties of currentless high beta plasmas have been investigated over a wide range of density profiles n e (r), by varying the gas puffing conditions and by pellet injection. Line density fluctuations correlated with a pressure driven MHD instability were measured by a multi-channel far-infrared laser interferometer. When an increase in the plasma beta was accompanied by a peaking of n e (r), line density fluctuations with a frequency of 2–5 kHz periodically appeared. The repetition time of the fluctuations was typically 2–5 ms. The poloidal and toroidal mode numbers of the fluctuations were identified as m=l and n=l. For plasmas with an extremely peaked profile, density fluctuations corresponding to the m=3/n=2 mode were observed. With the growth of this mode, internal disruptions occurred. Because of these disruptions, the profile of n e (r) rapidly changed from a peaked one to a broader one. The normalized average radius, r/a, of the phase reversal in the density profile variation caused by the disruption is about 0.5, which roughly corresponds to the ι =2/3 surface, ι being the rationalized rotational transform. It is most likely that the large amplitude mode with m=3/n=2 triggers the internal disruptions. The onset regions for MHD instability have also been investigated for various density profiles and beta values.