Neoclassical Tearing Modes
Fusion Science and Technology / Volume 61 / Number 2T / February 2012 / Pages 113-121
Equilibrium and Instabilities / Proceedings of the Tenth Carolus Magnus Summer School on Plasma and Fusion Energy Physics / dx.doi.org/10.13182/FST12-A13498
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Tearing modes often limit the performance of tokamak plasmas, because the magnetic islands which they generate lead to a loss of confinement, or even a disruption. A particularly dangerous instability is the neoclassical tearing mode, which can grow to a large amplitude because of the amplification effect that the bootstrap current has on an initial `seed' magnetic island. This paper will address the mechanisms which dominate the neoclassical tearing mode evolution, and thereby identify possible control techniques.
