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Linear and nonlinear resistive magnetohydrodynamic stability of tokamak discharges with negative central shear

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1376651· OSTI ID:40277828
Linear and nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) calculations have been performed to study the stability of tokamak discharges with reversed or negative central magnetic shear using the finite aspect ratio (FAR) suite of MHD codes [Charlton , J. Comput. Phys. 86, 270 (1990)]. The linear calculations confirm anew that radially localized resistive interchange modes can be unstable in the reversed or negative central magnetic shear region. The calculations further show that these resistive interchange modes are more unstable for toroidal mode numbers n higher than n=1. The nonlinear calculations do however demonstrate that toroidal mode number n=1, enhanced by the nonlinear couplings of the linearly more unstable higher n toroidal harmonics, dominates the nonlinearly saturated steady state. While the resistive interchange modes may account for the precursors detected experimentally, the saturated levels of magnetic fluctuations obtained in the nonlinear calculations do not appear large enough to cause the experimentally observed global collapse of such discharges.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Sponsoring Organization:
(US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-96OR22464; FG03-01ER54617
OSTI ID:
40277828
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 8; ISSN 1070-664X
Publisher:
The American Physical Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English