Major minority: energetic particles in fusion plasmas

This paper describes advances made in the field of energetic-particle physics since the topical review of Alfven eigenmode observations in toroidal plasmas (Wong 1999 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 41 R1-R56). The development of plasma confinement scenarios with reversed magnetic shear and significant population of energetic particles, and the development of novel energetic-particle diagnostics were the main milestones in the past decade, and these are the main experimental subjects of this review. The theory of Alfven cascade eigenmodes in reversed-shear tokamaks and its use in magnetohydrodynamic spectroscopy are presented. Based on experimental observations and nonlinear theory of energetic-particle instabilities in the near-threshold regime, the frequency-sweeping events for spontaneously formed phase-space holes and clumps and the evolution of the fishbone oscillations are described. The multi-mode scenarios of enhanced particle transport are discussed and a brief summary is given of several engaging research topics that are beyond the authors' direct involvement.