Abstract
The properties of linear instabilities in the Large Plasma Device [W. Gekelman, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 2875 (1991)] are studied both through analytic calculations and solving numerically a system of linearized collisional plasma fluid equations using the three-dimensional fluid code BOUT [M. Umansky, Contrib. Plasma Phys. 180, 887 (2009)], which has been successfully modified to treat cylindrical geometry. Instability drive from plasma pressure gradients and flows is considered, focusing on resistive drift waves and the Kelvin-Helmholtz and rotational interchange instabilities. A general linear dispersion relation for partially ionized collisional plasmas including these modes is derived and analyzed. For Large Plasma Device relevant profiles including strongly driven flows, it is found that all three modes can have comparable growth rates and frequencies. Detailed comparison with solutions of the analytic dispersion relation demonstrates that BOUT accurately reproduces all characteristics of linear modes in this system.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 102107 |
| Journal | Physics of Plasmas |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
This work was supported by DOE Fusion Science Center Cooperative Agreement, under Grant No. DE-FC02-04ER54785, by NSF, under Grant No. PHY-0903913, and by LLNL, under DOE Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344. B.F. acknowledges support through appointment to the Fusion Energy Sciences Fellowship Program administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education under a contract between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Oak Ridge Associated Universities.
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