Hybrid simulations of sub-cyclotron compressional and global Alfvén eigenmode stability in spherical tokamaks

Lestz, J. B.; Belova, E. V.; Gorelenkov, N. N.

doi:10.1088/1741-4326/abf028

Title: Hybrid simulations of sub-cyclotron compressional and global Alfvén eigenmode stability in spherical tokamaks

Journal Article · Tue Jul 20 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Nuclear Fusion

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/abf028· OSTI ID:1808310

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Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States); Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)

A comprehensive numerical study has been conducted in order to investigate the stability of beam-driven, sub-cyclotron-frequency compressional Alfvén eigenmodes (CAEs) and global Alfvén eigenmodes (GAEs) in low-aspect-ratio plasmas for a wide range of beam parameters. The presence of CAEs and GAEs has previously been linked to anomalous electron temperature profile flattening at high beam powers in NSTX experiments, prompting a further examination of the conditions necessary for their excitation. Linear simulations have been performed with the hybrid MHD–kinetic initial value code HYM in order to capture the general Doppler-shifted cyclotron resonance that drives the modes. Additionally, three distinct types of modes were found in the simulations—co-CAEs, cntr-GAEs, and co-GAEs—with differing spectral and stability properties. The simulations revealed that unstable GAEs are more ubiquitous than unstable CAEs, which is consistent with experimental observations, as they are excited at lower beam energies and generally have larger growth rates. Local analytic theory is used to explain key features of the simulation results, including the preferential excitation of different modes based on beam injection geometry and the growth rate dependence on the beam injection velocity, critical velocity, and degree of velocity space anisotropy. The background damping rate is inferred from the simulations and analytically estimated for relevant sources absent from the simulation model, indicating that co-CAEs are closer to marginal stability than modes driven by the cyclotron resonances.

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Research Organization:: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-09CH11466

OSTI ID:: 1808310

Journal Information:: Nuclear Fusion, Vol. 61, Issue 8; ISSN 0029-5515

Publisher:: IOP ScienceCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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