Approach to steady state high performance in DD and DT plasmas with optimized shear in JET

Steady state high performance with improved core confinement and sustainable plasma edge conditions has been approached on JET in a double barrier (DB) mode. The DB mode combines an internal transport barrier of the optimized shear regime with an edge transport barrier of an ELMy H mode regime. Improved confinement with an H factor HITER-89 ≈ 2 has been maintained for four energy confinement times. Ion and electron temperature profiles remain peaked in the DB mode, while the density profile is broad and similar in shape to the conventional ELMy H mode profile. The energy confinement improves across the whole plasma cross-section, and the ion heat conductivity falls to the neoclassical level in the core. Particle transport studies show that impurity accumulation can be avoided in the DB mode. In DT discharges the DB mode has attained a fusion gain of Q ≈ 0.4, producing 6.8 MW of fusion power, compared with Q ≈ 0.2 in the conventional sawtoothing ELMy H mode. The ELMs are more benign, with an amplitude an order of magnitude smaller in the DB mode. The DB mode has a high potential to improve performance in reactor relevant conditions.