Fast-Particle-Driven Alfvenic Modes in a Reversed Field Pinch

Abstract

Alfvenic modes are observed due to neutral beam injection for the first time in a reversed field pinch plasma. Modeling of the beam deposition and slowing down shows that the velocity and radial localization are high. This allows instability drive from inverse Landau damping of a bump-on-tail in the parallel distribution function or from free energy in the fast ion density gradient. Mode switching from a lower frequency toroidal mode number n = 5 mode that scales with beam injection velocity to a higher frequency n = 4 mode with Alfvenic scaling is observed.