Core magnetic islands and plasma confinement in the H-1NF heliac

Plasma confinement in the vicinity of vacuum magnetic islands near the magnetic axis in the H-1NF heliac [S. M. Hamberger, Fusion Technol. 17, 123 (1990)] has been experimentally studied in a low temperature argon plasma. Experimental results indicate that, under favorable conditions, these low order (m=2) islands near the core of the plasma serve as "pockets" of higher electron density. This results in significant profile modifications including enhancement of the core radial electric field to a large positive value, possibly through an electron-root ambipolar condition. The characteristics of islands are found to be dependent on the plasma collisionality and island width.