Role of vertical magnetic field on intermittent transport in simple magnetized torus

Role of vertical field on intermittent transport is investigated in a simply magnetized torus (SMT) THORELLO. A SMT is a device in which plasma is confined purely by toroidal field. The main challenge in this device is the cross-field drift of particles caused by charge polarization, which leads to particle loss. Additionally, the lack of rotational transform prevents the system from reaching a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium. To address these issues, a quasi-stationary equilibrium is achieved by introducing a vertical magnetic field in addition to the toroidal field. This effectively reduces the connection length, meaning that the plasma is confined within finite values rather than extending to infinity. By varying the applied vertical field strength, different operational regimes is identified above and below 0.4 mT. To study the behavior of the plasma under different connection lengths or applied vertical fields, time-averaged measurements and conditional averaging techniques are employed. These techniques provide insights into the dynamics of the plasma state and allow for the analysis of intermittent turbulent fluctuations, often referred to as "blobs".