Investigation of ballooning modes in high poloidal beta plasmas in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor*

Abstract

Medium-n (toroidal mode number) instabilities with ballooning characteristics were investigated using x-ray and electron-cyclotron emission (ECE) imaging techniques in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [R. J. Hawryluk et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 33, 1509 (1991)]. The poloidal mode numbers were determined by fitting the data to soft x-ray signals simulated with a wave-packet model, and the toroidal mode numbers were determined from the phase difference between the soft x-ray and ECE signals. The modes are identified as ideal ballooning modes from the observation that the identified mode numbers are much higher than that of the usual kink or tearing modes, the mode has a strong ballooning characteristic, the growth rate is consistent with the theoretical prediction, and the equilibrium is theoretically predicted to be marginal to the infinite n ballooning mode. The ballooning mode accompanies a β collapse which happens near the Troyon limit in TFTR. The ballooning mode has also been observed just before a major disruption in TFTR.