ELMs and the H-mode pedestal in NSTX

We report on the behavior of ELMs in NBI-heated H-mode plasmas in NSTX. It is observed that the size of Type I ELMs, characterized by the change in plasma energy, decreases with increasing line-average density, as observed at conventional aspect ratio. It is also observed that the Type I ELM size decreases as the plasma equilibrium is shifted from a symmetric double-null toward a lower single-null configuration. Type II/III ELMs have also been observed in NSTX, as well as a high-performance regime with small ELMs which we designate Type V. The Type V ELMs are characterized by an intermittent n = 1 magnetic pre-cursor oscillation rotating counter to the plasma current; the mode vanishes between Type V ELMs crashes. Without active pumping, the density rises continuously through the Type V phase, albeit at a slower rate than ELM-free discharges. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.