Diagnosis of equilibrium magnetic profiles, current transport, and internal structures in a reversed-field pinch using electron temperature fluctuations

Due to long fast ion confinement times, neutral beam injection (NBI) on the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) yields large fast ion populations with substantial density gradients. Novel application of the unique high-rep-rate (>10 kHz) Thomson scattering diagnostic on MST has enabled characterization of a newly observed beam-driven instability, and detailed measurement of equilibrium changes caused by the fast ion population. While previous work has focused on high-frequency energetic particle modes (EPMs), recent observations indicate that fast ions drive a bursting instability near the plasma rotation frequency under appropriate conditions. The mode chirps strongly, with a frequency of approximately 7 kHz in the plasma reference frame at peak amplitude. Bursts are correlated with EPM activity and core neutral particle analyzer signals drop by 30% during a burst, suggesting that this mode participates in avalanches of the higher frequency EPMs and drives enhanced fast ion transport. Electron temperature fluctuations correlated with this low-frequency mode exhibit a core-peaked structure with a sensitive dependence on the safety factor q. Although this mode has not yet been positively identified, its characteristics and internal structure are suggestive of an internal kink (fishbone) or beta-induced Alfven eigenmode. In addition to driving EPMs, the large fast ion population also modifies the current profile. An increase in on-axis current density driven by NBI is offset by a reduction in the mid-radius, leading to net-zero current drive. This results in a slight flattening of the safety factor profile, observed by precise measurement of the rational surface locations of the dominant tearing modes; these are identified from the phase flip in correlated electron temperature fluctuations recorded by Thomson scattering. For the core n = 6 rational surface, an inward shift of 1.1 +/- 0.6 cm is observed, with an estimated reduction in q0 of 5%. This technique provides a powerful tool for measuring the equilibrium magnetic field in the RFP; the phase of the temperature fluctuations also enables an estimate of pressure-fluctuation contributions to the dynamo electric field. An examination of the effect of pressure on electron momentum balance indicates that anisotropy is crucial to the kinetic dynamo.