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Title: The q-profile effect on high-order harmonic q = 1 tearing mode generation during sawtooth crashes

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4731720· OSTI ID:22072447
;  [1];  [2]
  1. MOE Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Beams, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China)
  2. State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)

The effect of q-profiles on the excitation of high-order harmonic q=1 tearing modes during sawtooth crashes is investigated by a collisionless fluid model with the electron inertia term in Ohm's law. It is found that for a flat q-profile in the core region, the high-order harmonics, such as m/n=2/2 and/or m/n=3/3 modes, comparable to or stronger than the m/n=1/1 component, can be excited during tokamak sawteeth. The stronger the magnetic shear on the q=1 surface is, the more unstable the higher-m modes are. For smoothly monotonously increased q-profiles, a lower q value on the plasma edge tends to easily excite higher-m harmonics at the same level as the m = 1 mode simultaneously. The spatial characteristics of the eigenmodes in the cases with the typical q-profiles are also discussed. In addition, the basic feature of the magnetic island structures in the nonlinear evolution is numerically obtained, which is consistent qualitatively with the experimentally reconstructed phenomenon.

OSTI ID:
22072447
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 19, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English