Drift-Alfven kinetic stability theory in the ballooning mode approximation

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Phys Fluids B; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.858937· OSTI ID:5971327

Hong, B; Horton, W; Choi, D

The coupled drift-shear Alfven mode including the complete Bessel function gyroradius effect and the /del//sub /perpendicular///ital B/ -curvature guiding center drift resonance of kinetic theory is solved for the toroidal ballooning mode eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. Comparisons between nonlocal (ballooning) and local kinetic theory and between nonlocal fluid and kinetic theory are made. The critical plasma pressure for kinetic ballooning mode instability is only the same as the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theory critical pressure /beta//sub MHD/ for /eta//sub /ital i//=0. The critical kinetic theory plasma pressure /beta//sub /ital K//(/eta//sub /ital i//) is well below /beta//sub MHD/ and the kinetic theory growth rate is unstable for all /ital k/. The MHD second stability region is also unstable in the kinetic theory. The kinetic theory growth rate is a maximum around /ital k//le/0.3--0.5 for finite aspect ratio /epsilon//sub /ital n//=/ital r//sub /ital n////ital R/. The effects of trapped electrons are found to be weakly stabilizing both analytically and numerically, and the instability is still significant outside the ideal MHD stable window from the ion magnetic drift resonances when /eta//sub /ital i///approx gt/1. The kinetic growth rate is a function of the six dimensionless parameters /ital k/, /ital q//sup 2//beta/, /epsilon//sub /ital n//, /ital s/, /eta//sub /ital i//, and /tau/=/ital T//sub /ital e////ital T//sub /ital i//.

• Research Organization: Department of Physics and Institute for Fusion Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712(US); Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Post Office Box 150, Cheongryangni, Seoul, Korea
• OSTI ID: 5971327
• Journal Information: Phys Fluids B; (United States), Vol. 1:8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
LOW-BETA PLASMA
ALFVEN WAVES
TOKAMAK DEVICES
PLASMA MICROINSTABILITIES
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
BALLOONING INSTABILITY
BESSEL FUNCTIONS
DRIFT INSTABILITY
EIGENFUNCTIONS
EIGENVALUES
GUIDING-CENTER APPROXIMATION
KINETIC EQUATIONS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
THRESHOLD ENERGY
TOROIDAL CONFIGURATION
ANNULAR SPACE
CLOSED CONFIGURATIONS
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONFIGURATION
ENERGY
EQUATIONS
FLUID MECHANICS
FUNCTIONS
HYDRODYNAMICS
HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES
INSTABILITY
MAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATIONS
MECHANICS
PLASMA
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
SPACE
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
700107* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Instabilities