Mechanism of neoclassical tearing modes triggering by a magnetic perturbation

A new mechanism whereby Neoclassical Tearing Modes (NTMs) can be triggered through toroidal mode coupling to a magnetic perturbation is proposed. The physical picture is the presence of a relatively small “pre-NTM” magnetic island whose frequency is modified by the perturbation, changing polarization current effects from stabilizing to destabilizing.     

Stabilization of neoclassical tearing modes by an externally applied static helical field

The effect of a static helical magnetic field on the nonlinear growth of the neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) is investigated. The NTM is found to be stabilized by an externally applied helical field of a different helicity if the field magnitude is sufficiently large, suggesting a very simple method for stabilizing the NTM. The mechanism responsible for this stabilization is the decreased fundamental harmonic pressure perturbation of the NTM in the presence of the helical field.     

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利用离子香蕉轨道中心坐标和香蕉轨道平均算符,讨论了磁岛转动引起的沿磁力线电流分布及其对新经典撕裂模演进的影响.结果显示,考虑此电流的影响,当磁岛旋转频率ω=ω*i时,被离子香蕉轨道宽度效应削弱的自举电流驱动项基本恢复;当ω=ω*e时,离子香蕉轨道宽度效应对自举电流驱动项的削弱则加剧.这意味着磁岛转动方向不同时,此沿力线电流能显著增大或减弱离子香蕉轨道宽度效应对自举电流驱动项的削弱作用.     

小磁岛转动引起的沿磁力线电流对撕裂模的影响

利用离子香蕉轨道中心坐标和香蕉轨道平均算符,讨论了磁岛转动引起的沿磁力线电流分布及其对新经典撕裂模演进的影响。结果显示,考虑此电流的影响,当磁岛旋转频率ω=ω_*i 时,被离子香蕉轨道宽度效应削弱的自举电流驱动项基本恢复;当ω=ω_*e时,离子香蕉轨道宽度效应对自举电流驱动项的削弱则加剧。这意味着磁岛转动方向不同时,此沿力线电流能显著增大或减弱离子香蕉轨道宽度效应对自举电流驱动项的削弱作用。     

Complete stabilization of neoclassical tearing modes with lower hybrid current drive on COMPASS-D. RF teams

Lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) with modest powers ( approximately 10% of the total power input) has been used for the first time to completely stabilize performance limiting neoclassical tearing modes in many COMPASS-D tokamak discharges. The stabilizing effect in these experiments is consistent with a reduction in the free energy available in the current profile to drive tearing modes (i.e., the stability index, delta(')) resulting from favorable current gradients (from the LHCD driven current) around the rational surface.     

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研究了电漂移对通行高能离子与新经典撕裂模(NTM)共振相互作用的影响。利用漂移动力论方法,在求解共振相互作用产生的作用在磁岛上的环向力矩的过程中重新考虑了电漂移的作用。结果表明,在与磁岛运动相关的环向动量平衡中v>0的通行高能离子与v<0的通行高能离子作用恰好相反,当磁岛沿电子抗磁漂移方向传播时,前者趋向于使磁岛传播频率减小,后者趋向于使磁岛传播频率增大,通行高能离子产生的总的环向力矩几乎为零。仅将v>0的通行高能离子所产生的环向力矩带入由环向动量平衡方程和修正的卢瑟福方程所组成的方程组中,数值计算结果表明,描述磁岛旋转频率与宽度随时间做非线性振荡的稳定极限环并不存在。     

Complete suppression of neoclassical tearing modes with current drive at the electron-cyclotron-resonance frequency in ASDEX upgrade tokamak

Noninductive current drive has been performed in the tokamak ASDEX upgrade by injection of radiofrequency waves at the second harmonic of the electron-cyclotron frequency in order to suppress unwanted disturbances of the magnetic-field configuration. The current has been driven parallel [co-electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD)] and antiparallel (counter-ECCD) to the plasma current to compare the effect of heating with direct current drive in the magnetic island. For the first time it has been shown experimentally that total stabilization of neoclassical tearing modes is possible with co-ECCD. The experiments verify the role of direct current drive as opposed to local heating.     

Influence of energetic ions on tearing modes

In contrast with the stability effects of trapped energetic ions on tearing modes, the effects of circulating energetic ions (CEI) on tearing modes depend on the toroidal circulating direction, and are closely related to the momentum of energetic ions. CEI provide an additional source or sink of momentum to affect tearing modes. For co-CEI, tearing modes can be stabilized if the momentum of energetic ions is large enough. On the other hand, the growth of tearing modes can be enhanced by counter-CEI. Further, a possibility to suppress the island growth of neoclassical tearing modes by co-CEI is pointed out.     

From current-driven to neoclassically driven tearing modes

In the TCV tokamak, the m/n = 2/1 island is observed in low-density discharges with central electron-cyclotron current drive. The evolution of its width has two distinct growth phases, one of which can be linked to a "conventional" tearing mode driven unstable by the current profile and the other to a neoclassical tearing mode driven by a perturbation of the bootstrap current. The TCV results provide the first clear observation of such a destabilization mechanism and reconcile the theory of conventional and neoclassical tearing modes, which differ only in the dominant driving term.     

Generic structure of externally driven tearing modes instabilities

A major limit to steady state and advanced high operation of tokamaks of reactor class is due to the onset of tearing modes that develop magnetic and may cause loss of energy confinement or a major disruption. Here the structure of a classical problem about the effects of external control helical fields is analysed and it is shown to offer a general paradigm of response of low order classical and neoclassical tearing modes to a wide class of external perturbations. New results of principle on the structural stability of the response model are obtained, leading to a clear interpretation of the role of “seed islands" in the onset of neo-classical tearing modes and the role of finite ion larmor radius corrections to Ohm's law. Received 12 November 2001 and Received in final form 4 January 2002     

Exponentially growing tearing modes in Rijnhuizen Tokamak Project plasmas

The local measurement of the island width w, around the resonant surface, allowed a direct test of the extended Rutherford model [P. H. Rutherford, PPPL Report-2277 (1985)], describing the evolution of radiation-induced tearing modes prior to disruptions of tokamak plasmas. It is found that this model accounts very well for the observed exponential growth and supports radiation losses as being the main driving mechanism. The model implies that the effective perpendicular electron heat conductivity in the island is smaller than the global one. Comparison of the local measurements of w with the magnetic perturbed field B showed that w proportional to B1/2 was valid for widths up to 18% of the minor radius.     

Effect of heating on the suppression of tearing modes in tokamaks

The suppression of (neoclassical) tearing modes is of great importance for the success of future fusion reactors like ITER. Electron cyclotron waves can suppress islands, both by driving noninductive current in the island region and by heating the island, causing a perturbation to the Ohmic plasma current. This Letter reports on experiments on the TEXTOR tokamak, investigating the effect of heating, which is usually neglected. The unique set of tools available on TEXTOR, notably the dynamic ergodic divertor to create islands with a fully known driving term, and the electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostic to provide detailed 2D electron temperature information, enables a detailed study of the suppression process and a comparison with theory.     

A study of shear flows induced by nonlinear evolution of double tearing modes in Hall magnetohydrodynamics

Shear flows induced by the nonlinear evolution of double tearing modes are studied numerically using Hall magnetohydrodynamics simulations in a slab geometry. The Hall effect is shown to plays an important role when the thickness of current sheets decrease and falls in the range of ion inertia length d _i . Effective shear flows in the magnetic islands are generated during the process of magnetic reconnection and disappear finally. The induced toroidal velocity are shown to be more sensitive than the induced poloidal velocities in the Hall dominant systems. Moreover, the temporal evolution of the shear flows in the Tokamak resonant surface is studied and discussed.     

The influence of mode coupling on the non-linear evolution of tearing modes

On the basis of tearing mode theory a simple but physically explicit model of the evolution of toroidally coupled rotating magnetic islands has been developed. The basic mechanism identified by the model in the island evolution is the locking in phase of rotating islands that leads to rapid destabilisation of an initially stable mode. Destabilisation of marginally stable (2, 1) and (3, 1) modes is analysed in several scenarios. It is shown that mode coupling is an effective way of destabilising a m=3 island in a low- plasma. The numerical examples presented show the individual roles of coupling, inertia and a resistive wall. The model was applied for the analysis of MHD observations of an ASDEX discharge. Received 4 May 1999 and Received in final form 23 July 1999     

Fast resistive reconnection regime in the nonlinear evolution of double tearing modes

Phases of nonlinear double tearing modes are studied numerically. The first two phases lead to the formation and growth of magnetic islands and are followed by a fast reconnection phase to complete the process, driven by a process of neighboring magnetic separatrices merging and magnetic islands coupling. The fast growth can be understood as a result of the island interaction equivalent to a steadily inward flux boundary driven. Resistivity dependences for various phases are studied and shown by scaling analysis for the first time. It is found that after an early Sweet-Parker phase with a eta(1/2)-scale, a slow nonlinear phase in a Rutherford regime with a eta(1)-scale is followed by the fast reconnection phase with a eta(1/5)-scale.     

Nonlinear evolution of q=1 triple tearing modes in a tokamak plasma

In magnetic configurations with two or three q=1 (with q being the safety factor) resonant surfaces in a tokamak plasma, resistive magnetohydrodynamic modes with poloidal mode numbers m much larger than 1 are found to be linearly unstable. It is found that these high-m double or triple tearing modes significantly enhance through nonlinear interactions the growth of the m=1 mode. This may account for the sudden onset of the internal resistive kink, i.e., the fast sawtooth trigger. Based on the subsequent reconnection dynamics that can proceed without formation of the m=1 islands, it is proposed that high-m triple tearing modes are a possible mechanism for precursor-free partial collapses during sawtooth oscillations.     

An approximate analysis of the interaction between two tearing modes of the same helicity

The interaction between tearing modes with the mode numbersm=1,n=1 andm=2,n=2 is investigated for different initial amplitudes of the modes, using a single helicity approximation, a step-current profile and a time-independent resistivity. Also included are the results on the temporal behaviour of the amplitude of the uncoupled modem=2,n=2 in the situation with identical equilibrium parameters as ours.     

Structure-driven nonlinear instability of double tearing modes and the abrupt growth after long-time-scale evolution

The new nonlinear destabilization process is found in the nonlinear phase of the double tearing mode (DTM). This process causes the abrupt growth of DTM and subsequent collapse after long-time-scale evolution in the Rutherford-type regime. The nonlinear growth of the DTM is triggered when the triangular deformation of magnetic islands with sharp current point at the X point exceeds a certain value. Hence, the mode can be called the structure-driven one. Decreasing the resistivity increases the sharpness of the triangularity and the spontaneous growth rate in the abrupt-growth phase is almost independent of the resistivity.