Theory of the MHD stability of tokamaks with anisotropic plasmas

Journal Article · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982 · Sov. J. Plasma Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States)

OSTI ID:5575414

Mikhailovskii, A B

A theory is derived for the flute instability of a tokamak with an anisotropic plasma, which is pertinent to the injection of fast beams of neutral atoms into tokamaks and to rf heating. The calculations are carried out in a coordinate system with straightened magnetic lines of force; this coordinate system has previously proved useful for analyzing the stability of a tokamak with an isotropic plasma. Equilibrium equations are derived for an axisymmetric tokamak with an anisotropic plasma in this coordinate system. For a tokamak with a large aspect ratio these equations, with slight modifications, reduce to the equilibrium equations of a tokamak with an isotropic plasma. The Kruskal--Oberman potential-energy integral is written in the coordinate system with straightened lines of force. The small-oscillation equations which follow from this integral are simplified for a tokamak with a large aspect ratio. In this case the anisotropy enters the small-oscillation equations in an additive way. Without specifying the type of perturbation it is concluded that the anisotropy degrades the MHD stability of tokamaks with a large aspect ratio during longitudinal injection of fast neutrals and degrades this stability in the case of transverse injection. The effect of the anisotropy is of the same order of magnitude as the vacuum magnetic well and is therefore unimportant at a high plasma pressure. The role played by this effect in the flute and ballooning modes is analyzed.

• Research Organization: I. V. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, Moscow
• OSTI ID: 5575414
• Journal Information: Sov. J. Plasma Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Journal Name: Sov. J. Plasma Phys. (Engl. Transl.); (United States) Vol. 8:4; ISSN SJPPD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700107* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Instabilities
BALLOONING INSTABILITY
BEAM INJECTION
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
FLUID MECHANICS
FLUTE INSTABILITY
HEATING
HIGH-FREQUENCY HEATING
HYDRODYNAMICS
INSTABILITY
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MECHANICS
NEUTRAL ATOM BEAM INJECTION
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TOKAMAK DEVICES