What is it about?
Turbulence is the main contributor to the loss of heat and particles in magnetic-confinement-fusion devices. By modifying the magnetic field geometry in a quasi-helically symmetric magnetic field, we show computationally that the growth rate of the primary instability that drives trapped-electron-mode turbulence can be significantly reduced.
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Why is it important?
The ability to minimize turbulent transport in a magnetically confined plasma will allow for steeper density and temperature gradients, thereby making fusion energy more accessible. Our findings provide a crucial physical insight that can inform the design of next-generation turbulence-optimized fusion reactors.
Perspectives
Not only have we identified a novel technique for reducing the growth rate of a prominent instability, but we also demonstrate a deep physical understanding of how this stabilization is achieved. We are excited to investigate further what impact this might have on turbulent transport.
Michael Gerard
University of Wisconsin Madison
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: On the effect of flux-surface shaping on trapped-electron modes in quasi-helically symmetric stellarators, Physics of Plasmas, May 2024, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0203569.
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