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Compressibility effects on ideal and kinetic ballooning modes and elimination of finite Larmor radius stabilization

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5438115

The dynamics of ideal and kinetic ballooning modes are considered analytically including parallel ion dynamics, but without electron dissipation. For ideal modes, parallel dynamics predominantly determine the growth rate when ..beta.. is within approx.30% of the ideal threshold, resulting in a substantial reduction in growth rate. Compressibility also eliminates the stabilization effects of finite Larmor radius (FLR); FLR effects (when temperature gradients are neglected) can even increase the growth rate above the MHD value. Temperature gradients accentuate this by adding a new source of free energy independent of the MHD drive, in this region of ballooning coordinate corresponding in MHD to the continuum. Analytic dispersion relations are derived demonstrating the effects above; the formalism emphasizes the similarities between the ideal MHD and kinetic cases.

Research Organization:
Texas Univ., Austin (USA). Inst. for Fusion Studies
DOE Contract Number:
FG05-80ET53088
OSTI ID:
5438115
Report Number(s):
DOE/ET/53088-172; IFSR-172; ON: DE85017162
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English