Local test of parallel electrical resistivity in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor

Local, time-resolved measurements have been made of the response of the internal magnetic-field distribution to large changes in the total plasma current. Measurements were made by the motional Stark effect (MSE) polarimeter on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). [R. J. Hawryluk et al., Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1987) Vol. I, p. 51.] A direct test of the classical and neoclassical resistivity models was made by comparing the predicted field evolution using either model to that measured. It was found that the neoclassical resistivity model was a better predictor of the local magnetic-field temporal evolution than was the classical model.