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Energetic particle physics in NIMROD using a continuum approach

Author: Eric Held
Requested Type: Poster Only
Submitted: 2015-01-20 09:08:56

Co-authors: S. E. Kruger, J. R. King and T. G. Jenkins

Contact Info:
Utah State University
4415 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT   84322-4
USA

Abstract Text:
The interaction of energetic particles with macroscopic fluid modes in
magnetized fusion plasmas affects both stability and transport. In order to
better understand these interactions, a continuum solution to the drift kinetic
equation (DKE) for energetic particles has been implemented in the NIMROD code
and used in different applications. Two advantages of the continuum hot
particle implementation are (1) that the solution to the DKE is fully implicit
in time and (2) that a finite-element approach in pitch-angle effectively
resolves trapped/passing physics in velocity space. Growth and rotation rates
from a verification exercise involving an ideal kink show agreement between
NIMROD's continuum approach and NIMROD's footnote{Kim, {em Phys. Plasmas} {bf
15} 072507 (2008)} and M3D's footnote{Fu, {em Phys. Plasmas} {bf 13} 052517
(2006)} delta-f PIC algorithms. In another application, NIMROD's continuum
energetic particle and two-fluid models are used to verify RSAE/TAE physics
with the TAEFL, GYRO and GTC codes footnote{D. Spong, et al., {em Phys.
Plasmas} {bf 19}, 082511 (2012)}. Qualitative agreement on the evolving real
frequency as the minimum in the q-profile increases is shown between the four
codes and DIII-D shot #142111. Finally, we discuss the implementation of an
energetic particle current component in NIMROD's Grad-Shafranov solver footnote{Howell et al., CPC 185 1415 (2014)}. This
provides self-consistent equilibria for linear and nonlinear simulations of
energetic particles interacting with macroscopic fluid phenomena.

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