A review of experiments and theory on stochastic scrape-off-layers

The basic theoretical results regarding stochastic edge layers are reviewed and compared to the experimental data. A lowering and flattening of the edge temperature profile is found. The increase of the electron transport leads to both a change in the electric field and to a shrinking of the current channel and hence to a stabilizing effect on the (2,1) MHD mode. The screening of the particles influx leads to a decontamination of the plasma core allowing high purity plasmas, n D /n e >0.99.