Topology of tokamak plasma equilibria with toroidal current reversal
- Associacao Euratom-IST, Instituto de Plasmas e FuSao Nuclear, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal)
Some general principles about scalar functions with critical points are used to rigorously ascertain that magnetic equilibria with both toroidal current reversal and nested magnetic surfaces are atypical solutions and highly unstable to arbitrary perturbations of boundary conditions and other parameters. The cause for such is shown to lie in the condition of nested magnetic surfaces and not in the possibility of current reversal and consequent vanishing of the poloidal field inside the plasma. Rather than supporting the claim that instability against experimentally driven perturbations forbids configurations with toroidal current reversal, it is argued that these can be attained if an axisymmetric island system is allowed for in order to break the condition of nested magnetic surfaces. A number of results previously reported in the literature are discussed and reinterpreted under the proposed framework, providing some physical insight on the nature of equilibria with toroidal current reversal.
- OSTI ID:
- 22043580
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 19, Issue 1; Other Information: (c) 2012 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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