Dynamic behavior of potential in the plasma core of the CHS heliotron/torsatron

During combined electron cyclotron and neutral beam heating, an abrupt drop and rise in potential by about one half of the central electron temperature (similar to 400 V) was observed in the core of the compact helical system heliotron/torsatron plasma. Drastic changes of radial electric field between positive and negative states occur over periods as short as 60 mu s, which is much shorter than the energy confinement time scale of about a few milliseconds. A nonlinear relation between the radial electric field and radial current is obtained. This is the first experimental observation of a microsecond time scale spontaneous transition based on an electric field bifurcation in toroidal helical plasmas.