Study of the discrete-to-continuum transition in a Balmer spectrum from Alcator C-Mod divertor plasmas

Under detached plasma conditions in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, the measured spectra show pronounced merging of the Balmer series lines and a photo-recombination continuum edge which is not a sharp step. This phenomenon, known as a smooth discrete-to-continuum (D-C) transition, is typical only for high-density (≥1021m-3), low-temperature (Te approx. eV), and recombining plasma. As we will discuss, this type of transition emphasizes the degree of plasma non-ideality. A theoretical model capable of treating spectra from a detached divertor plasma, and those with a smooth D-C transition in particular, has been developed. It is comprised of three parts: (i) a collisional-radiative model for the population densities of the excited states, (ii) atomic structure and collision rates for an atom affected by statistical plasma microfields, and (iii) a model for calculating the line profiles and the extended photo-recombination continuum. The effects of statistical plasma microfields on the population densities of excited states, on the profiles of Balmer series lines, and on the photo-recombination continuum edge are discussed. The changes in spectrum characteristics with plasma parameter variation, leading to the smooth D-C transition, are analysed. The relevance of volumetric plasma recombination to the spectra observed from a detached divertor plasma is discussed. A comparison of the calculated and measured spectra is used to determine the plasma parameters in the recombining plasma region. Along with other properties of measured spectrum, the smooth D-C transition provides evidence in support of the recombining state of the plasma attained under detached divertor conditions. (author)