Abstract
The highly indented plasmas of the PBX-M tokamak experiment [Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research (IAEA, Vienna, 1989), Vol. 1, p. 97] have reached plasma regimes of both high volume-averaged beta (βt), and high-beta poloidal (βp), and show evidence of the suppression of external surface modes by the passive stabilizing system. Values of βt up to 4.0 I/aB (% MA/m T) with 'T i(0)≈4keV have been obtained. A magnetohydrodynamic analysis of plasmas with βp=2.0 indicates that these plasmas are near the threshold of the second stability regime. A value of βt of 6.8% has been reached with Ti(0)>5 keV and an indentation of 28%. Control of plasma shape is accomplished with a feedback system that uses a moment expansion about a single equilibrium and is augmented by time-dependent waveforms to redefine plasma shape. Diagnostics to measure the safety factor q have been developed and used to make accurate measurements q(r) and to verify changes made in q(0).
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1271-1279 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Physics of Fluids B |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1990 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Computational Mechanics
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanics of Materials
- General Physics and Astronomy
- Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes