Experimental validation of non-uniformity effect of the radial electric field on the edge transport barrier formation in JT-60U H-mode plasmas*

Non-uniformity effects of the edge radial electric field (Er) on the edge transport barriers (ETBs) formation have been identified with high-spatiotemporal resolution spectroscopic measurement. We found the decisive importance of Er-curvature (2nd derivative of Er) on ETB formation during ELM-free H-mode phase, but there is only a low correlation with the Er-shear (1st derivative of Er) value at the peak of normalized ion temperature gradient in the pedestal region. Observation of a uniform toroidal MHD oscillation (i.e. Geodesic Acoustic Mode having toroidal mode number n $=$ 0) during the ETBs formation can also support the hypothesis of turbulence suppression in association with Zonal-flow (and/or Er-curvature). Furthermore, in the ELMing phase, the effect of curvature is also quantified in terms of the relationship between pedestal width and thickness of the layer of inhomogeneous Er. This is the fundamental basis to understand the structure of transport barriers in fusion plasmas.