Divertor plasma conditions and neutral dynamics in horizontal and vertical divertor configurations in JET-ILW low confinement mode plasmas

Abstract Measurements of the plasma conditions at the low field side target plate in JET ITER-like wall ohmic and low confinement mode plasmas show minor differences in divertor plasma configurations with horizontally and vertically inclined targets. Both the reduction of the electron temperature in the vicinity of the strike points and the rollover of the ion current to the plates follow the same functional dependence on the density at the low field side midplane. Configurations with vertically inclined target plates, however, produce twice as high sub-divertor pressures for the same upstream density. Simulations with the EDGE2D-EIRENE code package predict significantly lower plasma temperatures at the low field side target in vertical than in horizontal target configurations. Including cross-field drifts and imposing a pumping by-pass leak at the low-field side plate can still not recover the experimental observations.