Theoretical analysis of the saturation phase of the 1/1 energetic-ion-driven resistive interchange mode Articles uri icon

authors

  • VARELA RODRIGUEZ, JACOBO
  • SPONG, D.A.
  • GARCIA GONZALO, LUIS
  • OHDACHI, S.
  • WATANABE, K.Y.
  • SEKI, R.
  • GHAI, Y.

publication date

  • October 2021

start page

  • 1

end page

  • 13

issue

  • 12

volume

  • 61

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0029-5515

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1741-4326

abstract

  • The aim of the present study is to analyze the saturation regime of the energetic-ion-driven resistive interchange mode (EIC) in the LHD plasma. A set of nonlinear simulations are performed by the FAR3d code that uses a reduced MHD model for the thermal plasma coupled with a gyrofluid model for the energetic particle (EP) species. The hellically trapped EP component is introduced through a modification of the averaged drift velocity operator to include their precessional drift. The nonlinear simulation results show similar 1/1 EIC saturation phases with respect to the experimental observations, reproducing the enhancement of the n/m = 1/1 resistive interchange modes (RIC) amplitude and width as the EP β increases, the EP β threshold for the 1/1 EIC excitation, the further destabilization of the 1/1 EIC as the population of the helically trapped EP increases and the triggering of burst events. The frequency of the 1/1 EIC calculated during the burst event is 9.4 kHz and the 2/2 and 3/3 overtones are destabilized, consistent with the frequency range and the complex mode structure measured in the experiment. In addition, the simulation shows the inward propagation of the 1/1 EIC due to the nonlinear destabilization of the 3/4 and 2/3 energetic particle modes, leading to the partial overlapping between resonances during the burst event. Finally, the analysis of the 1/1 EIC stabilization phase shows the excitation of the 1/1 RIC as soon as the flattening induced by the 1/1 EIC in the pressure profile vanishes, leading to the retrieval of the pressure gradient at the plasma periphery and the overcoming of the RIC stability limit.

subjects

  • Physics

keywords

  • mhd; ae; stability; eic; non linear; optimization; lhd