The monoenergetic approximation in stellarator neoclassical calculations

Abstract

In ‘monoenergetic’ stellarator neoclassical calculations, to expedite computation, ad hoc changes are made to the kinetic equation so speed enters only as a parameter. Here we examine the validity of this approach by considering the effective particle trajectories in a model magnetic field. We find monoenergetic codes systematically under-predict the true trapped particle fraction. The error in the trapped ion fraction can be of order unity for large but experimentally realizable values of the radial electric field, suggesting some results of these codes may be unreliable in this regime. This inaccuracy is independent of any errors introduced by approximation of the collision operator.