The behavior of impurities in the Large Helical Device (LHD) is reviewed based on the knowledge acquired since LHD experiments started in 1998. As a result, a consistent physical picture of impurity transport is obtained in the vast plasma parameter range. The essential points are: (1) the impurity confinement time increases monotonically as the bulk electron density increases in the plasma core; (2) the balance between the friction force and the thermal force on the impurities plays an important role in determining impurity transport in the stochastic layers; (3) a positive electric field leads to outward convection, and a negative electric field generally leads to inward convection (except for the impurity hole case); and (4) in the case of the impurity hole phenomenon, with a high ion temperature plasma and a steep ion temperature gradient, outward convection of the impurities in the plasma core is apparent in spite of the negative electric field. The mechanism for producing outward convection in the impurity hole plasma has not yet been clarified. The effects of the magnetic axis shift and the magnetic island are summarized, and some possible methods for impurity control are also discussed.
Abrupt reversal of convective flow of carbon impurity during impurity-hole formation on the LHD