2026/07/23 by T. Brewer, X. Zhang, C. Marsden +11
#physics.plasm-ph
Very narrow heat flux profiles have been observed on ST40 with decay lengths in the near scrape-off-layer (SOL) of λq,near<~1~mm in H-mode plasmas. Measurements from divertor Langmuir probes are compared with an infrared (IR) thermography system for upper-single null diverted plasmas in L-mode and ELM-free H-mode. SOL current to the grounded divertor targets is measured from the Langmuir probes with profiles exhibiting a similar exponential decay to λq,near suggesting the near SOL heat flux is related to enhanced electron current to the divertor. Inclusion of electron current contributions to the heat flux transmission coefficient is crucial in capturing similar narrow profiles to those from the IR thermography system. Ongoing upgrades to ST40 will enable more investigations on SOL power decay lengths on inboard and outboard targets in double and single null configurations.