Wall-locking of kink modes in a line-tied screw pinch with a rotating wall

Journal Article · Tue May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3694521· OSTI ID:22072382

Paz-Soldan, C; Brookhart, M I; Hegna, C C; Forest, C B ^[1]

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1. Physics Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States)

The effect of rotating conducting walls on mode-locking is studied in a line-tied, linear screw pinch experiment and then compared to a torque balance model which has been extended to include differential wall rotation. Wall rotation is predicted to asymmetrically affect the mode-unlocking threshold, with fast rotation eliminating the locking bifurcation. Static error fields are observed to lock the resistive wall mode (RWM) variant of the current driven kink instability by modifying the electromagnetic torque. Using locked modes, the stabilizing effect of wall rotation on the RWM is experimentally demonstrated by illustrating a reduction of the RWM growth rate and an extension of the RWM-stable operation window.

• OSTI ID: 22072382
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 19, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
BIFURCATION
KINK INSTABILITY
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MODE LOCKING
PLASMA IMPURITIES
SCREW PINCH
TORQUE
WALL EFFECTS
WALLS