Radio frequency wave experiments on the MST reversed field pinch
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Physics Dept.
- Univ. of Montana, Missoula, MT (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
- Moscow State Univ. (Russian Federation)
- CompX, Del Mar, CA (United States)
- Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, MA (United States). Plasma Fusion Center
Experiments, simulations, and theory all indicate that the magnetic fluctuations responsible for the poor confinement in the reversed field pinch (RFP) can be controlled by altering the radial profile of the current density. The magnetic fluctuations in the RFP are due to resistive MHD instabilities caused by current profile peaking; thus confinement in the RFP is ultimately the result of a misalignment between inductively driven current profiles and the stable current profiles characteristic of the Taylor state. If a technique such as rf current drive can be developed to non-inductively sustain a Taylor state (a current profile linearly stable to all tearing modes), the confinement of the RFP and its potential as a reactor concept are likely to increase. Whether there is a self-consistent path from poor confinement to greatly improved confinement through current profile modification is an issue for future experiments to address if and only if near term experiments can demonstrate: (1) coupling to and the propagation of rf waves in RFP plasmas, (2) efficient current drive, and (3) control of the power deposition which will make it possible to control the current profile. In this paper, modeling results and experimental plans are presented for two rf experiments which have the potential of satisfying these three goals: high-n{sub {parallel}} lower hybrid (LH) waves and electron Bernstein waves (EBWs).
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-89ER53291
- OSTI ID:
- 348918
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/53291-315; CONF-990414-; ON: DE99002502; TRN: AHC29920%%69
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 13. topical conference on applications of radio frequency power to plasmas, Cambridge, MA (United States), 12-14 Apr 1999; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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