Pressure-gradient-induced Alfvén eigenmodes: II. Kinetic excitation with ion temperature gradient

Bierwage, A.; Chen, L.; Zonca, F.

doi:10.1088/0741-3335/52/1/015005

Pressure-gradient-induced Alfvén eigenmodes: II. Kinetic excitation with ion temperature gradient

Journal Article · Mon Nov 23 23:00:00 EST 2009 · Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0741-3335/52/1/015005· OSTI ID:1130355

Bierwage, A. ^[1]; Chen, L.; Zonca, F.

University of California, Irvine

The kinetic excitation of ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) discrete Alfvén eigenmodes in the second MHD ballooning stable domain is studied in the presence of a thermal ion temperature gradient (ITG), using linear gyrokinetic particle-in-cell simulations of a local flux tube in shifted-circle tokamak geometry. The instabilities are identified as α-induced toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes (αTAE); that is, bound states trapped between pressure-gradient-induced potential barriers of the Schrödinger equation for shear Alfvén waves. Using numerical tools, we examine in detail the effect of kinetic thermal ion compression on αTAEs; both non-resonant coupling to ion sound waves and wave–particle resonances. It is shown that the Alfvénic ITG instability thresholds (e.g., the critical temperature gradient) are determined by two resonant absorption mechanisms: Landau damping and continuum damping. The numerical results are interpreted on the basis of a theoretical framework previously derived from a variational formulation. The present analysis of properties and structures of Alfvénic fluctuations in the presence of steep pressure gradients applies for both positive or negative magnetic shear and can serve as an interpretative framework for experimental observations in (future) high-performance fusion plasmas of reactor relevance.

Research Organization:: Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) (SC-24)

DOE Contract Number:: FG02-04ER54736

OSTI ID:: 1130355

Report Number(s):: DOE-UCI-ER54736

Journal Information:: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Journal Name: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 52; ISSN 0741-3335

Publisher:: IOP Science

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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