Excitation of the Alfvén ion cyclotron mode due to an anisotropic heating
S.Kakimoto, D.Inoue, M.Ichimura, H.Higaki, K.Horinouchi, K.Ide,
Plasma Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
In the GAMMA 10 tandem mirror, production of the high beta plasmas is one of the most important themes. Fundamental ion cyclotron resonance heating produces the hot ion mode in GAMMA 10 [1]. Because ions are accelerated to the perpendicular direction to the magnetic field line in the ion cyclotron resonance layer, plasmas with the strong temperature anisotropy are formed. When the temperature anisotropy becomes strong, the magnetic field fluctuation has been clearly observed by using magnetic probes. This instability has been identified as spontaneously excited Alfvén Ion Cyclotron (AIC) mode [2]. The AIC mode in GAMMA 10 has been observed under the conditions well below the threshold predicted theoretically. Stabilizing the AIC mode contributes improvement of the particle confinement because axial particle loss is enhanced when the AIC mode is excited.
References
[1]T. Tamano, et al., in Plasma Phys. and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research 1994, Vol.2, IAEA, Vienna p.399 (1995)
[2]M. Ichimura, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 2734 (1993).
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