Kinetic effects of thermal ions on internal kink modes in tokamak plasmas

Linear growth of internal kink mode is investigated using a kinetic-MHD hybrid simulation model under realistic tokamak conditions. By comparing purely fluid (single-fluid MHD) simulations with kinetic thermal ion simulations using various coupling schemes, it is demonstrated that thermal-ion effect...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jiangyue Han, Yasushi Todo, Hao Wang, Masahiko Sato, Jialei Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Nuclear Fusion
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/adf238
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Summary:Linear growth of internal kink mode is investigated using a kinetic-MHD hybrid simulation model under realistic tokamak conditions. By comparing purely fluid (single-fluid MHD) simulations with kinetic thermal ion simulations using various coupling schemes, it is demonstrated that thermal-ion effects—including finite orbit width and ion pressure anisotropy—can significantly stabilize the internal kink mode. The maximum perturbation of distribution function aligns with resonance regions and near the passing-trapped boundary, indicating outward transport and redistribution of thermal ions. The net positive energy transfer from the mode to thermal ions leads to a reduction in growth rate. These results underscore the importance of incorporating thermal ion kinetics when modeling internal kink instabilities in fusion plasmas.
ISSN:0029-5515