Abstract
A new approach to high pressure magnetically-confined plasmas is necessary to design efficient fusion devices. This Letter presents a new sort of equilibrium combining two solutions of the Grad–Shafranov equation, which describes the magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium in toroidal geometry. The outer equilibrium is paramagnetic and confines the inner equilibrium, whose strong diamagnetism permits to balance large pressure gradients. The existence of both equilibria in the same volume yields a dual equilibrium structure. This combination improves free-boundary mode stability.
Highlights
A new approach to high pressure magnetically-confined plasmas is necessary to design efficient fusion devices
This Letter presents a new sort of equilibrium combining two solutions of the Grad–Shafranov equation, which describes the magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium in toroidal geometry
While the toroidal field Bφ is the main cost of the reactor, it does not play any role in the macroscopic MHD equilibrium
Summary
A new approach to high pressure magnetically-confined plasmas is necessary to design efficient fusion devices. In order to obtain a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium, a toroidal current density Jφ runs inside the plasma and generates a poloidal field B P and the resulting inward Lorentz force balances the pressure gradient. Previous research has demonstrated that high pressure equilibria exist and are stable to fixed boundary modes n = 1, 2 and 3 [2], internal instabilities typically leading to confinement degradation or plasma disruptions.
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