The effect of sawtooth oscillations on the alpha particle distribution and energy balance in the ITER plasma

Abstract

The mixing of toroidal plasma under the conditions of sawtooth oscillations is considered using the Kadomtsev model. A new mixing formula for the averaged distribution function of fast transit and trapped particles is proposed in the methodology of a kinetic equation averaged over drift trajectories. The proposed formula generalizes the known results for the case of non-circular magnetic surfaces, an arbitrary aspect ratio, and charged particle drift trajectories significantly deviating from the magnetic surfaces. The formula is applicable for a sufficiently wide class of instabilities. The 3D kinetic equation is numerically solved using the FPP- 3D computation code for parameters close to the ITER inductive scenario. The alpha particle distribution function and the power introduced by alpha particles in plasma when sawtooth oscillations occur are calculated. It is shown that such oscillations may change the energy input of a thermonuclear reaction in certain areas by several times.