The origin of the long time correlations of the density fluctuations in the scrape-off layer of the Tore Supra Tokamak

It is shown that intermittent density bursts observed in the scrape-off layer of Tore Supra [J. Jacquinot, Nucl. Fusion 43, 1583 (2003)] are detected in packs on the probe. In such a pack, typically two to three bursts are separated by time intervals smaller than the mean separation time. The long tails above 50 m s observed on the autocorrelation function of the density fluctuations are found to be the temporal correlation between the individual bursts within their pack. Packs of density bursts can be detected in two limiting states of the turbulence: when the coupling between density and potential is strong and large density bursts split during their radial propagation or at the opposite when the coupling is weak so that different density bursts can propagate radially along the potential valleys. The lack of spatial resolution of the diagnostic does not allow to discriminate between the two mechanisms. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.