In 2008, experiments have been carried out in ASDEX Upgrade to compare H-mode power threshold and confinement time in helium and deuterium. A scan in magnetic field and a wide density variation indicate that the threshold power in the two gases is very similar. The density dependence of the threshold exhibits a clear minimum. Confinement in helium is about 30% lower than in deuterium, mainly due to the reduction in the ion density caused by Z = 2 in helium.
The effect of the isotope on the H-mode density limit