Intermittent structures and quasi-stationary equilibrium in a simple magnetized torus in open field line configuration

A steady regime dominated by intermittent blob and hole structures is identified in the plasma state of a simple magnetized torus by achieving a quasi-stationary equilibrium using an open magnetic field line configuration. The open helical field line configuration is characterized by a connection length, L_c=2a(B_φ/B_z )≳1750 cm, and pitch ratio, r_B=B_z/B_φ ≲0.01. This is realized by superposing a vertical magnetic fied, B_z, to the toroidal field, B_φ, and the regime is achieved for B_z≤0.4 mT. The combined effect of plasma rotation, arising from a substantial radial electric field, together with an open field line, results in vertically elongated plasma profiles and an asymmetric sheared poloidal flow. The analysis shows the existence of density fluctuations exhibiting universal statistical properties, dominated by non-Gaussian blob events in the edge region and holes in the core plasma, separated by a region ascribed as blob birth zone corresponding to a velocity shear layer. Two-dimensional conditional averaging analyses of fluctuations indicate that blobs form in the sheared layer, when the leading edge of an elongated coherent structure breaks off by differential stretching exerted by the background fluctuating field. Convection of this isolated blob out of the contour corresponding to the maximum radial electric field in the low field side, leads to its ejection while holes move along the same contour driven back into the main plasma. The corresponding potential structure shows counter-rotating E×B velocity field within oppositely charged structures, where the embedded electric field is consistent with the observed structure propagation. A comparison with cross-correlation analysis yields a similar conclusion except for a slight overestimation of the structure size and lifetime.