Kinetic simulations of the formation and stability of the field-reversed configuration

Journal Article · Mon May 01 04:00:00 EDT 2000 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.873963· OSTI ID:20216033

Omelchenko, Yu A ^[1]

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1. General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, California 92186-5608 (United States)

The Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) is a high-beta compact toroidal plasma confined primarily by poloidal fields. In the FRC the external field is reversed on axis by the diamagnetic current carried by thermal plasma particles. A three-dimensional, hybrid, particle-in-cell (zero-inertia fluid electrons, and kinetic ions), code FLAME, previously used to study ion rings [Yu. A. Omelchenko and R. N. Sudan, J. Comp. Phys. 133, 146 (1997)], is applied to investigate FRC formation and tilt instability. Axisymmetric FRC equilibria are obtained by simulating the standard experimental reversed theta-pinch technique. These are used to study the nonlinear tilt mode in the ''kinetic'' and ''fluid-like'' cases characterized by ''small'' ({approx}3) and ''large'' ({approx}12) ratios of the characteristic radial plasma size to the mean ion gyro-radius, respectively. The formation simulations have revealed the presence of a substantial toroidal (azimuthal) magnetic field inside the separatrix, generated due to the stretching of the poloidal field by a sheared toroidal electron flow. This is shown to be an important tilt-stabilizing effect in both cases. On the other hand, the tilt mode stabilization by finite Larmor radius effects has been found relatively insignificant for the chosen equilibria. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.

• OSTI ID: 20216033
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 7; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
FIELD-REVERSED THETA PINCH DEVICES
KINETIC EQUATIONS
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA SIMULATION
STABILITY
THEORETICAL DATA