High-{beta}, improved confinement reversed-field pinch plasmas at high density
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States)
- Consorzio RFX, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova (Italy)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1594 (United States)
In Madison Symmetric Torus [Dexter et al., Fusion Technol. 19, 131 (1991)] discharges where improved confinement is brought about by modification of the current profile, pellet injection has quadrupled the density, reaching n{sub e}=4x10{sup 19} m{sup -3}. Without pellet injection, the achievable density in improved confinement discharges had been limited by edge-resonant tearing instability. With pellet injection, the total beta has been increased to 26%, and the energy confinement time is comparable to that at low density. Pressure-driven local interchange and global tearing are predicted to be linearly unstable. Interchange has not yet been observed experimentally, but there is possible evidence of pressure-driven tearing, an instability usually driven by the current gradient in the reversed-field pinch.
- OSTI ID:
- 21069940
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 15, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2835439; (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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