Toroidal curvature induced screening of external fields by a resistive plasma response

Abstract

Within the single fluid theory for a toroidal, resistive plasma, the favorable average curvature effect [Glasser et al., Phys. Fluids 18, 875 (1975)], which is responsible for the strong stabilization of the classical tearing mode at finite pressure, can also introduce a strong screening effect to the externally applied resonant magnetic field. Contrary to conventional understanding, this screening, occurring at slow plasma rotation, is enhanced when decreasing the plasma flow speed. The plasma rotation frequency, below which this screening effect is observed, depends on the plasma pressure and resistivity. For the simple toroidal case considered here, the toroidal rotation frequency has to be below ∼10−5ωA, with ωA being the Alfvén frequency. In addition, the same curvature effect leads to enhanced toroidal coupling of poloidal Fourier harmonics inside the resistive layer, as well as reversing the sign of the electromagnetic torque at slow plasma flow.