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(THP2/23) Global Alfvén Eigenmodes Stability in Thermonuclear Tokamak Plasmas

A. Jaun1, A. Fasoli23, J. Vaclavik4, L. Villard4

1 Alfvén Laboratory, EURATOM-NFR Association, KTH, Stockholm, Sweden
2 Plasma Science and Fusion Center, MIT, Cambridge MA, USA
3 JET Joint Undertaking, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 3EA, United Kingdom
4 CRPP, Association EURATOM-Confédération Suisse, EPFL, Switzerland

Abstract.  Relying on the good agreement observed between the gyrokinetic PENN model and the low n damping measurements from JET, the stability of Alfvén eigenmodes (AE) is here predicted for reactor relevant conditions. Full non-local wave-particle power transfers are computed for the $ \alpha$-particles in an ITER reference equilibrium, showing that low n $ \simeq$ 2 modes are strongly damped and intermediate n $ \simeq$ 12 with a global radial extension are stable with a damping rate $ \gamma$/$ \omega$ $ \simeq$ 0.02. Even though an excitation of $ \alpha$-particle driven instabilities remains in principle possible, this study suggests that realistic operation scenarii exist where all the AEs of global character are stable.

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IAEA 2001