Kinetic analysis of magnetofluiddynamic RFP quasi-equilibria

To the present knowledge, the most fundamental issue for RFP confinement devices is, in a proper sense [1,2,3], the existence itself of such MHD quasi-equilibria, The purpose of this paper is carry out a kinetic analysis of the conditions of their existence. In addition, the role of toroidal and poloidal rotation, strong equilibrium drift, as well as of external sources (such as pellet injection, neutral beams, etc.) is investigated. For this purpose, a recently developed approach to particle gyrokinetics [4] is here adopted. The formulation is used to propose a self-consistent kinetic theory for such magnetoplasmas. M. Tessarotto, J. L. Johnson, R.B. White and L. J. Zheng, Bull.Am.Ph.Soc. 40,1747 (1995. M. Tessarotto, J. L. Johnson, and L.-J. Zheng, Phys.Plasmas 2, 4499 (1995). M. Tessarotto, J. L. Johnson, R.B. White and L. J. Zheng, Phys.Plasmas, in press (1996). M. Tessarotto, L.J. Zheng and G. Favretto, Bull.Am.Phys.Soc. 40, 1683 (1995).