Ballooning instabilities on the surface of a general toroidal fusion plasma with ion-scale effects

What is it about?

In a magnetically confined fusion plasma, equilibrium magnetic field variations and equilibrium plasma pressure variations excite ballooning instabilities. Here it is proposed a theory of such modes that takes into account the variation of the strength of the equilibrium magnetic field over the toroidal surface that confines the plasma itself. The theory is valid for perturbations that can vary over the most relevant micro-scale of the system (the ion Larmor radius).

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Why is it important?

We re-derive a pivotal stability criterion, used in fusion reactor design, from a framework valid to describe electromagnetic turbulence. Hence we are now able, for the first time, to relate electromagnetic turbulence transport properties with some important design requirements of a fusion reactor.

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