The structure and poloidal dynamics of blob filaments in TJ-K

Relatively dense, field-aligned, filament-like structures (blobs) have been observed to propagate radially and poloidally through the scrape-off layer (SOL) in magnetically confined fusion plasmas, and contribute significantly to SOL transport. A detailed understanding of blob structure and dynamics, and their dependence on magnetic field geometry, is important in magnetic confinement physics for the prediction of heat loads on reactor wall facing components, as well as for understanding plasma confinement and neutral particle recycling. Experimentally deduced centre of mass poloidal blob velocity components, obtained using the conditional averaging technique, have been compared to an analytical blob model which has been simplified to express blob velocity in terms of the magnetic field curvature vector. Background flows are not incorporated into the analytical model, and must be added in to obtain good agreement with the experimental data. In addition, the 3D structure of blobs in TJ-K has been investigated using the conditional average of density fluctuations in two toroidally separated poloidal planes. Blobs are observed to be aligned to a flux tube near to the last closed flux surface, in the blob birth region. However at positions further along the blob trajectory, the structures do not deform according to the magnetic shear, rather they remain rigid, and retain their original form. (paper)