Bifurcated stability of a family of stellarator equilibria
The ideal magnetohydrodynamic free boundary model is employed to study the bifurcation of a family of helically symmetric equilibria. The equilibria correspond to an L=2 stellarator. The plasma column has finite length and is surrounded by a vacuum region enclosed by an outer conductor. The stability analysis is based on a determination of the sign of the second variation of the potential energy. The column length is chosen to avoid ''kink instabilities'' for some range of the angular wavenumber, m, for which the theory applies. At a critical value of beta, a marginally stable state of principally m=1 long wavelength modes is determined and serves as the starting point of bifurcation. Neighboring bifurcated equilibria are found to be stable when the conducting wall is within 1.15 plasma column radii of the plasma vacuum interface. This position was not sufficient to stabilize the original equilibria. (AIP)
- Research Organization:
- The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York, New York 10012
- OSTI ID:
- 7285209
- Journal Information:
- Phys. Fluids; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Fluids; (United States) Vol. 19:5; ISSN PFLDA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic equilibria of toroidal stellarators
Bifurcation of sharp boundary. beta. =1 multipole equilibria