Description
A class of exact three-dimensional steady states of a magentized plasma with nested, toroidal magnetic surfaces and anisotropic pressure is constructed by perturbing the well-known Solov’ev axisymmetric equilibrium. The perturbations are taken to be sinusoidal with arbitrary amplitudes and mode numbers. For certain values of the free parameters involved, the perturbations lead to the formation of chains of magnetic islands and stochastic regions, primarily near the axisymmetric separatrix, while well-defined magnetic surfaces persist in the inner region. The impact of the free parameters relating to the perturbation’s amplitude, mode number, aspect ratio, elongation of the magnetic surfaces and the external toroidal magnetic field on the equilibrium characteristics, and in particular on the extent of the stochastic region, is examined systematically.
Acknowledgement: This work was conducted in the framework of participation of the University of Ioannina in the National Programme for the Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion, Hellenic Republic.