Bremen 2017 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik

P 15: Helmholtz Graduate School II

P 15.16: Poster

Tuesday, March 14, 2017, 16:30–18:30, HS Foyer

Quantitative study of kinetic ballooning mode theory in simple geometry — •Ksenia Aleynikova, Alessandro Zocco, and Per Helander — Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Greifswald, Germany

At high beta plasmas are expected to have electromagnetic microturbulence due to the kinetic ballooning mode (KBM) instability, which can generate anomalous losses of heat and particles. The stability of such plasmas has first been successfully studied within the ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model with use of the ballooning transformation [1].

In this work we study and extend the theory of kinetic ballooning modes proposed by Antonsen and Lane [2], and Tang, Connor and Hastie [3].

For large gradients and large inverse aspect ratio, a variational formulation of the eigenvalue problem for KBMs based on diamagnetically modified MHD, derived from Refs. [2-3], provides sufficient quantitative agreement with GK simulations performed with both GS2 and GENE codes. For small pressure gradients, a new finite beta formulation of the "intermediate frequency theory" of Ref. [3] is proposed. Such new theory also provides good quantitative agreement with numerical simulations.

[1] Connor J. W., Hastie R. J. and Taylor J. B. Phys. Rev. Lett. 40 (1978) [2] Thomas M., Antonsen Jr. and Lane B. Phys. Fluids 23, 1205 (1980) [3] W. M. Tang , J. W. Connor, and R. J. Hastie, Nucl. Fusion 20, 1439 (1980)