Experimental Study of Sheared Poloidal Flows in a Linear Plasma Machine

The radial profiles of fluctuations have been investigated in the Santander Linear Plasma Machine (SLPM). Experimental evidence of significant poloidal and E×B sheared flow has been observed in the plasma periphery. The resulting shearing rate of poloidal flow is comparable to the inverse of the correlation time of fluctuations, and the radial correlation is significantly reduced in the shear layer location. The possible role of flows driven by fluctuations and electron temperature gradients to explain these results is at present under investigation.