PPPL-3962 is available in pdf format (780 KB).

Stabilization of Sawtooth Oscillations by the Circulating Energetic Ions

Authors: Ya.I. Kolesnichenko, V.S. Marchenko, and R.B.White

Date of PPPL Report: May 2004

Published in: Phys. Plasmas 12:2 (February 2005) Article No. 022501 (4 pages).

The influence of the well-circulating energetic ions on the ideal kink instability and semi-collisional tearing mode are studied. It is found that the precession of these ions can be a key factor that affects the instability: it can lead to the stabilization of the mentioned instabilities, the effect being weakly dependent on the direction of the injection. The developed theory is consistent with the experimental observations of the stabilization of sawtooth oscillations during the negative-ion-based neutral beam injection in JT-60U.