Stable MHD equilibria
Abstract
A necessary criterion and two sufficient stability criteria for magnetohydrostatic equilibria are given in Hamada coordinates. The necessary stability criterion is Mercier's criterion. It is only conjectured that Mercier's criterion on the magnetic axis is sufficient for stability of internal modes for the specific low-beta large-aspect-ratio limit of a conceptual sequence of configurations obtained by keeping the profiles fixed and increasing the aspect ratio by moving the p 0 surface toward the magnetic axis. Hence, more restrictive sufficient stability criteria are given, one for nonvanishing and the other for vanishing current density on the magnetic axis. These stability criteria are then applied in the search for stable three-dimensional toroidal configurations near the magnetic axis in the special cases of the l 2 stellarator and the i 0 equilibrium.
- Publication:
-
Theoretical and Computational Plasma Physics
- Pub Date:
- 1978
- Bibcode:
- 1978tcpp.proc..305L
- Keywords:
-
- Magnetic Field Configurations;
- Magnetohydrodynamic Stability;
- Plasma Equilibrium;
- Toroidal Plasmas;
- Controlled Fusion;
- Magnetic Flux;
- Plasma Temperature;
- Stagnation Point;
- Stellarators;
- Plasma Physics