Drift-Alfvén vortex structures in the edge region of a fusion relevant plasma

Edge turbulent structures are commonly observed in fusion devices and are generally believed to be responsible for confinement degradation. Among their origin drift-Alfvén turbulence is one of the most commonly suggested. The drift-Alfvén paradigm allows the existence of localized vortex-like structures observed also in various systems. Here we present the evidence of the presence of drift-Alfvén vortices in the edge region of RFX-mod reversed field pinch device, showing how these structures are responsible for electromagnetic turbulence at the edge and its intermittent nature.