A method of computational magnetohydrodynamics defining stable Scyllac equilibria

Area of Science:

• Plasma Physics
• Computational Physics
• Fusion Energy

Background:

• Accurate modeling of plasma behavior is crucial for fusion energy development.
• Previous models separately addressed sharp boundary and diffuse plasma profiles.
• Large amplitude plasma distortions require advanced computational tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a unified computational code for calculating toroidal plasma equilibria.
• To generalize existing models by incorporating both sharp boundary and diffuse pressure profiles.
• To investigate plasma stability in high beta toroidal confinement devices.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel computer code for numerical calculations.
• Integration of sharp boundary and diffuse pressure profile models.
• Application of the code to analyze equilibria in three-dimensional space.

Main Results:

• The code successfully calculates sharp boundary equilibria for plasmas with diffuse pressure profiles.
• Large amplitude plasma distortions were accommodated by the model.
• Stable equilibria, resistant to the m = 1, k = 0 mode, were identified for Scyllac.

Conclusions:

• The developed code provides a generalized approach to modeling toroidal plasma equilibria.
• The findings demonstrate the code's capability to analyze complex plasma configurations.
• Stable equilibria found for Scyllac contribute to understanding toroidal confinement for fusion energy.