Influence of scrape-off layer on plasma confinement

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how plasma phenomena in the scrape-off layer (SOL) can affect the plasma density gradient at the separatrix and hence the plasma behavior inside the separatrix. The parallel flow loss rate and ionization rate in the SOL (related to the electron temperature and neutral gas density) affect the curvature of the electron density profile, which limits the density gradient at the separatrix. This density gradient acts like a boundary condition for plasma inside the separatrix, affecting the ion pressure gradient, radial electric field, and plasma behavior. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3566008]