Institute for Fusion Theory and Simulation, Zhejiang University


Kinetic theory and global dispersion relation
of Alfvén waves in tokamaks - Spring 2019

Announcement


Lecture Plan and Teaching Material



Abstract: These Lectures on the Kinetic theory and global dispersion relation of Alfvén waves in tokamaks are the continuation of the Spring 2018 Course on Physics of Alfvén waves and energetic particles in fusion plasmas. Mode structures and global dispersion of Alfvén waves in tokamaks. These Lectures will cover with pedagogical style the first part of Reviews of Modern Physics 88, 015008 (2016). Prerequisite of the course is a preliminary knowledge of general plasma physics and classical mechanics, and the Lecture Notes of the 2018 Intensive Course. General theoretical aspects are treated in Lectures (1 ÷ 6), which are complemented by corresponding Q&A Sessions.
 
Main areas that will be explored are:  
   (I) Shear Alfvén waves in tokamaks. Mode structure decomposition  
      i) Shear Alfvén continuous spectrum and frequency gaps. (Lecture 1)  
   (II) Variational methods for Alfvén waves in tokamaks  
     ii) Variational formulation and variational principle
          Integral form of the dispersion relation: Ideal MHD. (Lecture 2) 		 
    iii) Variational formulation and variational principle
          Integral form of the dispersion relation: Kinetic theory. (Lecture 3) 		 
   (III) Kinetic description of Alfvén waves in tokamaks  
    iv) The linear gyrokinetic equation and the global dispersion
          relation of Alfvén waves in toroidal geometry. (Lecture 4) 		 
    v) Kinetic Alfvén waves and low-frequency
        Alfvén Eigenmodes in tokamaks. (Lecture 5) 		 
   vi) Toroidal Alfvén Eigenmodes and
         Energetic Particle Modes. (Lecture 6) 		 

Lecture Notes: Available in electronic form. At the end of each lecture and during the Q&A time, a list of specific reading material is given explicitly. Should you have difficulty in finding literatures and papers, please contact me at fulvio.zonca@enea.it.
 
Exercises and Research Projects: In the lecture notes, Exercises (E) of various difficulty levels are suggested. These are meant to be important part of the lectures themselves. Possible topics for Research Projects (RP) are also indicated, which require significant more in depth analysis and work.
 
Q&A Sessions: Devoted to detailed discussions and analysis of technical aspects. They are meant to be complementary to general lectures and are a necessary addendum for full appreciation of the material presented in the course.
 
Time and Location: Lectures (9am-11am) will be held at IFTS on June 4-6-10-12-18-20, with corresponding Q&A Sessions (3pm-5pm).
 
   
 
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