Landau damping of Alfv\'enic modes in stellarators

TL;DR

This paper investigates how non-axisymmetric resonances in stellarators can stabilize Alfvénic modes through Landau damping, with implications for plasma stability in fusion devices like stellarators and reactors.

Contribution

It develops a theory describing Landau damping of Alfvénic modes in stellarators, considering non-axisymmetric resonances and applies it to multiple stellarator configurations.

Findings

Non-axisymmetric resonances can strongly stabilize Alfvénic modes.

Thermal ions absorb mode energy, leading to damping at medium pressure.

High pressure conditions enable damping of high-frequency Alfvén gap modes.

Abstract

It is found that the presence of the so-called non-axisymmetric resonances of wave-particle interaction in stellarators [which are associated with the lack of axial symmetry of the magnetic configuration, Kolesnichenko et al., Phys. Plasmas 9 (2002) 517] may have a strong stabilizing influence through Landau mechanism on the Toroidicity-induced Alfv\'en Eigenmodes (TAE) and isomon modes (Alfv\'enic modes with equal poloidal and toroidal mode numbers and frequencies in the continuum region) destabilized by the energetic ions. These resonances involve largest harmonics of the equilibrium magnetic field of stellarators and lead to absorption of the mode energy by thermal ions in medium pressure plasma, in which case the effect is large. On the other hand, at the high pressure attributed to, e.g., a Helias reactor, thermal ions can interact also with high frequency Alfv\'en gap modes [Helicity-induced Alfv\'en Eigenmodes (HAE) and mirror-induced Alfv\'en Eigenmodes (MAE)], leading to a considerable damping of these modes. Only resonances with passing particles are considered. The developed theory is applied to various modes in the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator and a Helias reactor, and to two TAE modes in the LHD helical device.