Comparison study between the observed ELM dynamics in the KSTAR H-mode and simulation results from BOUT++*

The BOUT++ simulations [1] of edge localized modes (ELMs) have been quantitatively compared with high resolution 2D images of ELMs observed in typical KSTAR H-mode plasmas through an electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) system [2]. The poloidal structure of the most unstable mode predicted by the linear 3-field simulation qualitatively matches with the observed ELM structure. As the next step, simulation studies for the nonlinear aspects of the ELM dynamics are planned; in particular, the transient mode structure change prior to the ELM crash [2] will be investigated. In addition, the parametric dependence of the observed ELM suppression/mitigation process during resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) [2, 3] and supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI) experiments will be studied using 5-field BOUT++ simulation.\\[4pt] [1] X.Q. Xu et al., PRL, \textbf{105} (2010).\\[0pt] [2] G.S. Yun et al., Phys. Plasmas, \textbf{19} (2012).\\[0pt] [3] Y.M. Jeon et al., accepted for publication in PRL.