  Transport-barrier relaxation oscillations in the presence of resonant
magnetic perturbations are investigated using three-dimensional global fluid
turbulence simulations from first principles at the edge of a tokamak. It is
shown that resonant magnetic perturbations have a stabilizing effect on these
relaxation oscillations and that this effect is due mainly to a modification of
the pressure profile linked to the presence of both residual residual magnetic
island chains and a stochastic layer.

Plasma Physics;Fluid Dynamics