Toroidal kinetic eta{sub i}-mode study in reversed-field pinch plasmas

Journal Article · Sat May 15 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3425859· OSTI ID:21371121

Songfen, Liu ^[1]; Guo, S C ^[2]; Dong, J Q ^[3]

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1. Department of Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China)
2. Consorzio RFX, Associazione Euratom-ENEA sulla fusione, Corso Stati Uniti 4, Padova 35127 (Italy)
3. Institute for Fusion Theory and Simulation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China) and Southwestern Institute of Physics, Chengdu 610041 (China)

The ion temperature gradient (ITG) driven electrostatic modes in reversed-field pinch (RFP) plasma are studied with the gyrokinetic integral equation. A systematic threshold study is carried out and the results are compared with that in tokamaks with similar geometry and reveal that the ITG modes in RFP configurations are more stable than in tokamaks. The physics mechanism for such difference is that shorter connection length in RFPs leads to stronger landau damping, which is dominant and ultimately determinant for the stability threshold. The results confirm and extend the previous conclusion obtained with the differential equation [S. C. Guo, Phys. Plasmas 13, 122510 (2008)]. In addition, the effects of magnetic gradient and curvature drifts, which induce important interaction driving the modes, are carefully investigated. The effects of safety factor, ratio of electron temperature to ion temperature, magnetic shear as well as finite Larmor radius are also studied.

• OSTI ID: 21371121
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 17; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
EQUATIONS
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
INSTABILITY
INTEGRAL EQUATIONS
ION TEMPERATURE
LARMOR RADIUS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MECHANICS
PINCH EFFECT
PLASMA
PLASMA INSTABILITY
REVERSE-FIELD PINCH
SHEAR
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TOKAMAK DEVICES