Drift effects on the behavior of a low-beta axisymmetric toroidal plasma

Technical Report · Mon Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1971

OSTI ID:6016094

Bowers, E; Winsor, N K

Analysis of a low-..beta.. axisymmetric toroidal plasma is reported. This predicts shock structure in the presence of resistivity and viscosity. A one-fluid model is considered which includes the Hall terms in Ohm's law and gyroviscous corrections to the pressure tensor. In analyzing this behavior two orderings are used. For typical stellarator parameters, the first ordering (in which the mean free path is less than the connection length but greater than a critical value) leads to a stable rotational equilibrium with a positive potential on axis. In the second ordering the mean free path is less than this critical value and a shock develops toward the inside of the torus, leading to diffusion an order of magnitude larger than the Pfirsch-Schlueter value. A Korteweg-de Vries equation with an added dissipation term due to parallel viscosity governs the azimuthal density variation in the shock region. Agreement is found between theory and the results of a two-dimensional computer simulation of a toroidal plasma. 21 refs., 6 figs.

• Research Organization: Princeton Univ., NJ (USA). Plasma Physics Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH03073
• OSTI ID: 6016094
• Report Number(s): MATT-824; ON: DE88002016
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700103* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Kinetics
ANNULAR SPACE
BETA RATIO
CHARGED-PARTICLE TRANSPORT
CONFIGURATION
DATA
INFORMATION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MEAN FREE PATH
NUMERICAL DATA
OHM LAW
PLASMA
PLASMA DENSITY
POTENTIALS
RADIATION TRANSPORT
SPACE
TENSORS
THEORETICAL DATA
TOROIDAL CONFIGURATION
VISCOSITY