Impact of safety factor and magnetic shear profiles on edge turbulence in circular limited geometry

International audience; The impact of magnetic configuration on edge turbulence properties in circular limiter geometry is investigated using TOKAM3X, a three-dimensional (3D), first-principle, fluid code for edge plasma. The theoretical spatial tilting of magnetic shear on turbulence fluctuations is recovered. Magnetic shear is found to generate or enhance poloidal high/low field sides (HFS/LFS) and up/down asymmetries. A simulation mimicking the impact of an X-point on circular limiter geometry leads to the formation of two transport barriers that are stable in time, thus leading to the improvement of core particle confinement and to reduction of radial turbulent transport. The magnetic shear, which also strongly enhances the E × B shear, is responsible for the barrier formation.