Determination of q during sawtooth from inverse evolution of BAEs in Tore Supra

Measuring the value of the safety factor (q) in the core during sawtooth cycles is still an open issue. A new method to measure q in Tore Supra plasma core is presented here. It relies on the analysis of the time evolution of a set of MHD modes detected after the sawtooth crashes. These modes are in the frequency range of previously observed Beta-induced Alfvén Eigenmodes, but with a frequency declining in time. The mode frequency analysis shows that the q profile is reversed when we have ICRH, after the sawtooth crash. In high current discharges (Ip>1.15 MA), the q-profile remains reversed for a longer time compared with lower plasma current discharges. Non-linear 3D MHD simulations of sawteeth performed with the XTOR-2F code (Lütjens and Luciani 2010 J. Comput. Phys. 229 8130-43) exhibit features that are similar to these observations.