2008/06/30 by Robert W. Johnson
Physics and Astronomy · #Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics #Magnetic confinement fusion research #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #physics.plasm-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.mechrescom.2011.01.007
published as Mechanics Research Communications, Volume 38, Issue 2, March 2011, Pages 146-151 · 13 pages, 2 figures, moderate revision, final version, edited for length, to appear in MRC
arxiv created 2011/01/08 · openalex publication_date 2011/01/15 · arxiv updated 2011/04/29 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The neoclassical prescription to use an equation of motion to determine the electrostatic field within a tokamak plasma is fraught with difficulties. Herein we examine two popular expressions for the equilibrium electrostatic field so determined and show that one fails to withstand a formal scrutiny thereof while the other fails to respect the vector nature of the diamagnetic current. Reconsideration of the justification for the presence of the equilibrium electrostatic field indicates that no field is needed for a neutral plasma when considering the net bound current defined as the curl of the magnetization. With any shift in the toroidal magnetic flux distribution, a dynamic electric field is generated with both radial and poloidal components, providing an alternate explanation for any measurements thereof.