Reduction of the turbulent blob transport in the scrape-off layer by a resonant magnetic perturbation in TEXTOR

During the static 6/2 Dynamic Ergodic Divertor experiments in TEXTOR, a significant influence of the edge resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) on the turbulent blob transport in the scrape-off layer (SOL) has been observed. In ohmic discharges without the RMP, the blobs extend 4-5 cm deep into the SOL with a radially outward moving speed of about 1 km s^-1 and hence constitute a strong outflow of mass. With the application of the RMP, the blob amplitudes and their radially moving velocity are both reduced, resulting in a significant reduction of the blob transport in the SOL. The reduction effect of the RMP on blobs is found to be robust to changes in the operational regime and to phasing variations of the RMP as well. The blob dynamics appears to be consistent with the paradigm of the radial motions of the blob structures driven by the interchange instability.