Peeling-ballooning modes in spherical tokamaks: Multi-branch instabilities and effects beyond ideal MHD

Liu, Yueqiang; Zhao, Chen; Ebrahimi, Fatima

doi:10.1063/5.0305045

Peeling-ballooning modes in spherical tokamaks: Multi-branch instabilities and effects beyond ideal MHD

Journal Article · Mon Dec 22 00:00:00 EST 2025 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0305045· OSTI ID:3013658

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General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)

A number of important physics effects on the stability of relatively high-n (n is the toroidal mode number) peeling-ballooning modes (PBMs) are investigated based on an equilibrium reconstructed from a NSTX discharge, utilizing extended magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) eigenvalue solvers. For a given toroidal mode number n, multiple branches of instabilities are computed, with the total number of unstable branches roughly linearly scaling with n. Most of the unstable branches are located in the plasma core region, but edge-localized branches, i.e., PBMs, are also identified at higher n-numbers. For the single-fluid-wise most unstable PBM with n = 19⁠, stabilizing/destabilizing effects due to various physics beyond ideal MHD are systematically investigated. Plasma toroidal flow is found to be weakly stabilizing. Local flow shear is generally stabilizing as well, with the degree of stabilization depending on the initial growth rate (without flow shear) of the mode. The plasma resistivity can strongly destabilize the PBM within the single-fluid framework. Anisotropic thermal transport, strong parallel sound wave damping, as well as two-fluid effects are all stabilizing to the mode. In particular, diamagnetic stabilization (within the two-fluid model) is found to be very strong for this mode.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)

Grant/Contract Number:: FG02-95ER54309; AC05-00OR22725; AC02-09CH11466

OSTI ID:: 3013658

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 3011967

Journal Information:: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 32; ISSN 1070-664X; ISSN 1089-7674

Publisher:: AIP PublishingCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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