ISSN:
1089-7674
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Kinetic toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes (KTAEs) in finite-β circular tokamak plasmas are investigated. Here, β is the ratio between plasma and magnetic pressures, and, formally, β∼O(r/Rq2), with q being the safety factor, r and R denoting, respectively, minor and major radii. A new effect associated with finite parallel electric field effect due to the ion magnetic drift (IMD) is discovered, which is of the same order as that due to the well-known effect associated with the finite ion Larmor radii. The IMD-induced parallel electric field effect is shown to contribute to potential wells for the eigenmodes. Therefore, the IMD-induced parallel electric field effect can discretize the lower Alfvén continuum along the real eigenfrequency. Subsequently, this new branch of KTAEs could be readily destabilized by the energetic ions. © 1998 American Institute of Physics.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.872635
