Particle in cell simulations of tearing modes in reversed-field-pinch-like plasma
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
Particle in cell (PIC) simulations of tearing modes in two-dimensional plane geometry in a force free reversed field pinch (RFP) like plasma equilibrium are performed to study possible kinetic effects on these modes in RFPs. Linear tearing modes are compared in the PIC and two fluid models. The results showed that the growth rates and the profiles of magnetic field components in the two models are very similar, indicating that the kinetic effects on the tearing modes are weak such that the two fluid approximation is rather accurate for modeling these instabilities in RFPs. During the nonlinear evolution of the tearing mode in this geometry small scale secondary instabilities located near the internal layer of the primary tearing instability are excited. These secondary instabilities appear to be driven by the nonlinearly induced local pressure gradient in the regions of unfavorable curvature of the nonlinearly evolved magnetic field. They could also appear in a realistic RFP geometry and play a role during sawtooth crashes in these machines.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- OSTI ID:
- 962259
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-08-05922; LA-UR-08-5922; PHPAEN; TRN: US0903412
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas; ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Modeling of ion heating from viscous damping of reconnection flows in the reversed field pinch
Pressure-driven tearing and thermal transport in finite-beta reversed field pinch computations