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Updated: May 31, 2026

Non-equilibrium Microwave Plasma for Efficient High Temperature Chemistry
Published on: August 1, 2017
Edge temperature gradient as intrinsic rotation drive in Alcator C-Mod tokamak plasmas
J E Rice1, J W Hughes, P H Diamond
1PSFC, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Abstract:
Intrinsic rotation has been observed in I-mode plasmas from the C-Mod tokamak, and is found to be similar to that in H mode, both in its edge origin and in the scaling with global pressure. Since both plasmas have similar edge ∇T, but completely different edge ∇n, it may be concluded that the drive of the intrinsic rotation is the edge ∇T rather than ∇P. Evidence suggests that the connection between gradients and rotation is the residual stress, and a scaling for the rotation from conversion of free energy to macroscopic flow is calculated.
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