Improved Edge Confinement due to Ion Cyclotron Radio Frequency Boronization in the HT-7 Tokamak

The phenomena of improved edge confinement due to ion cyclotron radio frequency boronization were observed with a fast reciprocating Langmuir probe in the HT-7 tokamak. A strong shear layer of radial electric field was produced in the plasma edge region, which resulted in the formation of an edge transport barrier. As a consequence, the edge profiles of electron density were steepened, and both the absolute and relative fluctuation levels were suppressed by the shearing E x B flows. Concomitant reduction of the coherence between electron density and poloidal electric field fluctuations and the change of their cross-phase resulted in turbulent particle flux dropping by more than a half at the plasma edge. This demonstrates the de-correlation effect of turbulence and its contribution to edge transport. The results presented here suggest a link between wall conditions and boundary plasma physics, especially an interaction between atomic processes and turbulence through the formation of radial electric field shear at the plasma edge.