Gyrokinetic studies of the effect of {beta} on drift-wave stability in the National Compact Stellarator Experiment
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544 (United States)
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 (United States)
- National Institute for Fusion Science, Toki, Gifu 509-5292 (Japan)
- Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Association, Teilinstitut Greifswald, Wendelsteinstr. 1, 17491 Greifswald (Germany)
The gyrokinetic turbulence code GS2 was used to investigate the effects of plasma {beta} on linear, collisionless ion temperature gradient (ITG) modes and trapped electron modes (TEM) in National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) geometry. Plasma {beta} affects stability in two ways: through the equilibrium and through magnetic fluctuations. The first was studied here by comparing ITG and TEM stability in two NCSX equilibria of differing {beta} values, revealing that the high {beta} equilibrium was marginally more stable than the low {beta} equilibrium in the adiabatic-electron ITG mode case. However, the high {beta} case had a lower kinetic-electron ITG mode critical gradient. Electrostatic and electromagnetic ITG and TEM mode growth rate dependencies on temperature gradient and density gradient were qualitatively similar. The second {beta} effect is demonstrated via electromagnetic ITG growth rates' dependency on GS2's {beta} input parameter. A linear benchmark with gyrokinetic codes GENE and GKV-X is also presented.
- OSTI ID:
- 22072622
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 19, Issue 12; 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
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