Electron energy distribution function in the divertor region of the COMPASS tokamak

The plasma parameters during an L-mode hydrogen discharge in the COMPASS tokamak with a toroidal magnetic field B_T =1.15 T, line-averaged electron density n_e = 6×10¹⁹ m^-3 and a plasma current variation from 209 kA to 100 kA were studied in the divertor region. The electron energy distribution function for 209 kA at the high-field side and the private region is Maxwellian with a temperature in the range of 5 -- 9 eV, while around the outer strike point and the low-field side it is bi-Maxwellian with a low-energy electron group (4 -- 5 eV) and higher energy electrons (10 -- 20 eV). As the plasma current decreases, the appearance of the bi-Maxwellian EEDF is shifted towards the low-field side; at plasma current of 100 kA, the EEDF is Maxwellian in the whole divertor region.