Understanding the L → H and H → L transitions is crucial to successful ITER operation. In this paper we present novel theoretical and modelling study results on the spatio-temporal dynamics of the transition. We place a special emphasis on the role of zonal flows and the micro → macro connection between dynamics and the power threshold (PT) dependences. The model studied evolves five coupled fields in time and one space dimension, in simplified geometry. The content of this paper is (a) the model fundamentals and the space–time evolution during the L → I → H transition, (b) the physics origin of the well-known ∇B-drift asymmetry in PT, (c) the role of heat avalanches in the intrinsic variability of the L → H transition, (d) the dynamics of the H → L back transition and the physics of hysteresis, (e) conclusion and discussion, with a special emphasis on the implications of transition dynamics for the L → H power threshold scalings.
L-H confinement mode dynamics in three-dimensional state space