Impurity effects on short wavelength ion temperature gradient mode in elongated tokamak plasmas

Journal Article · Sun Feb 15 04:00:00 EST 2015 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4907788· OSTI ID:22408101

Du, Huarong; Wang, Zheng-Xiong ^[1]; Dong, J. Q. ^[2]

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1. MOE Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Beams, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China)
2. Institute for Fusion Theory and Simulation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China)

The effects of impurity ions on the short wavelength ion temperature gradient (SWITG) driven instability in elongated tokamak plasmas are numerically investigated with the gyrokinetic integral eigenmode equation. It is found that for a moderate electron density gradient, the SWITG mode is first destabilized and then stabilized with increasing elongation κ, which is different from the conventional long wavelength ITG mode. For a large electron density gradient, the elongation can effectively stabilize the SWITG mode. Moreover, the low Z impurity ions with inwardly (outwardly) peaked density profiles have stabilizing (destabilizing) effects on the SWITG modes in elongated plasmas. Interestingly, the high Z tungsten impurity ions with inwardly peaked density profiles play a stronger stabilizing role in the SWITG modes than the low Z impurity ions (such as carbon and oxygen) do. In particular, the high Z tungsten impurity ions with a weakly outwardly peaked density profile still have a stabilizing effect. Finally, the critical threshold of impurity density gradient scale length for exciting impurity mode is also numerically obtained, indicating that the impurity mode is harder to be excited in elongated plasmas than in circular ones.

• OSTI ID: 22408101
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 22; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
CARBON
EIGENVALUES
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELONGATION
ION TEMPERATURE
OXYGEN
PLASMA
PLASMA IMPURITIES
PLASMA INSTABILITY
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
TOKAMAK DEVICES
TUNGSTEN
WAVELENGTHS