H-mode power threshold and transition in ASDEX Upgrade

Global and local H-mode threshold analyses are presented and discussed. The density window was extended up to the density limit towards which the power threshold exhibits a dramatic increase. First results with the new divertor are compared to the previous threshold scaling. Local edge measurements at the L-H transition show that the temperature decreases slightly with density and increases with magnetic field, and that the ion collisionality at the plasma edge is always clearly above unity, between 5 and 15. Experiments at high power threshold exhibit improved L-mode confinement and suggest that two mechanisms are required for the L-H transition.