Spatially resolved characterization of electrostatic fluctuations in the scrape-off layer of the CASTOR tokamak

The poloidal distribution of turbulence in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of the CASTOR tokamak is studied by means of a ring of 32 electric probes covering the whole perimeter of the poloidal cross section. Analysis of floating potential fluctuations in a SOL created in the top part of the machine by shifting the plasma downwards reveals a dominant periodic structure that propagates poloidally in the direction of the E-r x B drift. Its poloidal mode number is found to be equal to the local safety factor q. Correlation and pulse propagation analyses show that this high m mode is a signature of a single long flute-like structure that is aligned with the magnetic field and snakes around the torus several times before terminating on the limiter.