Analysis of the HAE activity in the TJ-II stellarator using a Landau closure model

The aim of this study is to analyze the stability of helical Alfvén eigenmodes (HAEs) in TJ-II discharges and the stabilizing effect of the energetic particles generated by the neutral beam injector (NBI) on pressure gradient-driven modes (PGDMs). HAE and PGDM stability is studied using the linear version of the gyro-fluid code FAR3d and the continuous structure by the STELLGAP code. First, Alfvén eigenmode (AE) and PGDM activity observed in the experiments is reproduced by the simulations, identifying unstable m/n = 4/7 − 2/3 and 7/12 − 5/8 HAEs triggered around ρ = 0.66 showing a frequency of 209 and 204 kHz, respectively, as well as 5/3 PGDM. Next, a parametric study is performed with respect to the thermal ion density and iota profile in the middle-outer plasma region to verify the robustness of the simulation results with respect to the uncertainty of experimental profiles. The analysis confirms that experimental uncertainty does not cause large deviations in the simulation results, showing the destabilization of the same HAEs for all the configurations tested. The simulations also indicate the decay of the 5/3 PGDM growth rate as the energetic particle (EP) population in the plasma increases, consistent with the experiment. Stability analysis of the n = 3, 7, 11, n = 5, 9, 13, n = 6, 10, 14, and n = 8, 12 helical families is performed with respect to the NBI operational regime for different EP energies, β as well as deposition profiles. The most unstable configuration is the radially localized on-axis NBI operation (stiff EP density profile gradients nearby the magnetic axis). Using the simulation model that reproduces the observed Alfvén activity, we extend the study to analyze NBI performance within a theoretical framework. It shows that increasing NBI voltage (which raises EP energy) leads to a degradation in NBI performance for a given power (related to EP β and their density). To achieve better NBI operation, higher voltage must be balanced with lower inj. Authors: Ortiz, J. [Aix-Marseille Univ., Marseille (France); Univ. Carlos III de Madrid (Spain); Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)] (ORCID:0000000310278244); Varela, J. [Univ. Carlos III de Madrid (Spain); Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)] (ORCID:0000000261140539); Herrera Quesada, L. [Univ. Carlos III de Madrid (Spain)] (ORCID:0009000044170157); Pons-Villalonga, P. [Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT), Madrid (Spain). Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion] (ORCID:0000000332250592); Cappa, A. [Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT), Madrid (Spain). Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion] (ORCID:0000000222509209). DOE Contract: FG02-04ER54742. Subjects: Plasma confinement; Plasma diagnostics; Plasma heating; Plasma instabilities; Plasma properties and parameters; Plasma waves; Spectrograms; Stellarators; Thomson scattering; Tokamaks