Synergistic effects of E×B drifts and neutral recycling on core-edge integration for next-step fusion development | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Synergistic effects of E×B drifts and neutral recycling on core-edge integration for next-step fusion development Hailong Du, Hailong Du, Houyang Guo, Na Wu, Huiqian Wang, Xavier Bonnin, and 18 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4812418/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract It is increasingly urgent to address core-edge integration issues for the design and construction of next-step fusion devices. Evidence of density shelf has appeared, for the first time, in the HL-2A tokamak with a closed, long-leg divertor configuration for the ion drift toward the magnetic X-point. The density shelf is manifested as local flattening of the radial gradient of plasma density at the core-edge interface, hence reducing neutral penetration into the core plasma and potentially improving edge stability and confinement. We find that the formation of density shelf results from the synergistic effects of divertor closure and drifts: (i) the improved divertor closure to sufficiently reduce and even reverse the parallel plasma flow along B from the upstream plasma due to strong particle recycling inside the closed divertor; (ii) the drifts to redistribute particle fluxes at the divertor target with spontaneous generation of a double-peak profile, leading to the reversal of the poloidal flow near the separatrix. Such a density shelf is enhanced with increased power density and decreased power decay length. Physical sciences/Physics/Plasma physics/Magnetically confined plasmas Physical sciences/Physics/Plasma physics Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4812418","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":342131946,"identity":"1cfbcccf-e601-4c92-a05b-5c6853d2fad1","order_by":0,"name":"Hailong 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