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Weakening of magnetohydrodynamic interchange instabilities by Alfven waves

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2837516· OSTI ID:21103847
 [1];  [2]
  1. Department of Mathematics, University of Limerick, Limerick (Ireland)
  2. Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States)
Alfven waves, made to propagate along an ambient magnetic field and polarized transverse to a gravitational field g, with wave amplitude stratified along g, are shown to reduce the growth rate of interchange instability by increasing the effective inertia by a factor of 1+(B{sub y}{sup '}/B{sub z}k{sub z}){sup 2}, where B{sub z} is the ambient magnetic field, k{sub z} is the wavenumber, and B{sub y}{sup '} is the wave amplitude shear. Appropriately placed Alfven wave power could thus be used to enhance the stability of interchange and ballooning modes in tokamaks and other interchange-limited magnetically confined plasmas.
OSTI ID:
21103847
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 15; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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