Loss of Second-Ballooning Stability in Three-Dimensional Equilibria

C. C. Hegna; S. R. Hudson

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.035001

Loss of Second-Ballooning Stability in Three-Dimensional Equilibria

C. C. Hegna and S. R. Hudson

Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 035001 – Published 27 June 2001

Abstract

The effect of three-dimensional geometry on the stability boundaries of ideal ballooning modes is investigated. In particular, the relationship between the symmetry properties of the local shear and the magnetic curvature is addressed for quasisymmetric configurations. The presence of symmetry breaking terms in the local shear can produce localized ballooning instabilities in regions of small average magnetic shear which lower first-ballooning stability thresholds and can potentially eliminate the second stability regime.

Received 13 March 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.035001

Authors & Affiliations

C. C. Hegna¹ and S. R. Hudson²

¹Departments of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1687
²Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543