Observations of ELM Magnetic Precursors and Harmonic Oscillations in NSTX

Recent experiments on NSTX have shown n=1 dominant and n=2 mode ELM magnetic precursors with mode frequency in the 30 to 90 kHz range. The growing magnetic oscillations measured with the NSTX high-n Mirnov diagnostic occurred simultaneous with the onset of the increase in fast D$\alpha $ signal. These bursts of dominantly n=1, some n=2 and fewer higher modes resemble the predictions of a model simulation of ELMs by T. Evans in which a feedback amplification mechanism causes explosive growth of the separatrix topology driven by thermoelectric currents in flux tubes connecting the divertor plates. The n=1 mode remained dominant as wall recycling was reduced with lithium conditioning and n=3 RMP was applied, suggesting the trigger mechanism remained the same. Sufficient lithium suppressed ELMs and made the occurrence of low-frequency, low-n Harmonics Oscillations (HOs) more frequent. The HOs are consistent with modes localized in the edge with the frequency of the n = 1 harmonic near the rotation frequency of the edge plasma.