Study of resistive drift and resistive interchange modes in a cylindrical plasma with magnetic shear

Journal Article · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Phys. Fluids; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.866699· OSTI ID:5222858

Sugama, H; Wakatani, M; Hasegawa, A

The resistive drift mode and resistive interchange mode in the presence of magnetic curvature and shear are studied theoretically as well as computationally, based on the electrostatic model equations of isothermal electrons and two-dimensional cold ions in a cylindrical geometry. There are two branches of unstable modes: one has characteristics similar to the resistive drift wave instability with a real frequency ..omega../sub r/ of the order of a diamagnetic frequency ..omega../sub */, and the other is a curvature driven mode (the resistive interchange instability) with chemically bond..omega../sub r/chemically bond = chemically bond..omega../sub i/chemically bond localized in the neighborhood of the resonant surface. The growth rates of both of these instabilities are proportional to ..nu../sup 1/2/sub e//sub i/ in the small ..nu../sub e//sub i/ limit, where ..nu../sub e//sub i/ is the electron--ion collision frequency. The resistive interchange instability is dominant even when the curvature drift frequency is a fraction of ..omega../sub */. Nonlinear evolution of these instabilities with multihelicity modes based on the model equations demonstrates a global spectrum condensation at the m = 0 mode, where m denotes the poloidal mode number. The saturated state generates a region of zonal flows in the azimuthal direction. Since particle transport across the constant phi surface vanishes, the zonal flow is expected to improve global confinement.

• Research Organization: Plasma Physics Laboratory, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji 611, Japan
• OSTI ID: 5222858
• Journal Information: Phys. Fluids; (United States), Vol. 31:6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
COLLISIONAL PLASMA
DRIFT INSTABILITY
FLUTE INSTABILITY
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
COLD PLASMA
CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRON-ION COLLISIONS
ELECTRONS
ELECTROSTATICS
EQUATIONS
HELICITY
INSTABILITY GROWTH RATES
IONS
ISOTHERMAL PROCESSES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
RESONANCE
SHEAR
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
COLLISIONS
CONFIGURATION
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRON COLLISIONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
INSTABILITY
ION COLLISIONS
LEPTONS
PARTICLE PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
PLASMA MICROINSTABILITIES
700107* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Instabilities