3rd IAEA Technical Meeting on the Theory of Plasma Instabilities

26 - 28 March 2007, University of York, U.K.

The Third IAEA Technical Meeting (IAEA-TM) on the Theory of Plasma Instabilities will take place from 26 March to 28 March 2007 at the University of York in the U.K.; it will focus on the confinement and stability of burning plasmas. The meeting will be hosted by the Plasma Physics Group in the Department of Physics. After a kick-off meeting in 1999, previous meetings in this series were held at Kloster Seeon in 2002, and at Trieste in 2005.

Objectives

The Third IAEA-TM on Theory of Plasma Instabilities will provide a forum for open discussion on theoretical and computational physics issues of relevance to burning plasmas. The meeting will cover linear and non-linear theory of large and small scale plasma instabilities, including turbulence, magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) effects and integrated modelling. All physics issues of relevance to the performance of burning plasma devices will be covered, but special attention will be paid to the modelling and prediction of instabilities generated by fast alpha particles and their role in the plasma confinement. This subject is of significant importance for the ITER project and for the performance of future fusion power plants. The meeting will aim to identify directions for future fusion research in preparation for ITER and fusion power plants.

Topics

(1) Overview

• State of the art, and needs for ITER and fusion power

(2) Improved Performance

• Comparison between turbulence/stability calculations and experiments
• New theoretical paradigms including statistical approaches
• Transport barrier dynamics including pedestal formation
• Active control of transport barriers in future devices
• Control of plasma instabilities (ELMs, NTMs, etc)

(3) Turbulence and Nonlinear Instabilities

• Direct numerical simulations and analytic theories elucidating turbulence saturation and transport mechanisms
• Nonlinear theory of meso-scale self-organized structures (zonal flows, streamers,...)

(4) Energetic Particle Physics

• Alpha particle induced collective instabilities
• Nonlinear theory/simulation of Alfvenic instabilities
• Energetic particle effects on MHD instabilities (eg sawteeth, NTMs, ELMs)
• Relation between radial electric field and energetic particle dynamics

(5) Interaction of Macroscopic Instabilities and Transport Process

• Recent progress on neoclassical tearing mode physics
• Theories on ELM dynamics, ELM classification
• Theories on disruptions and resistive wall modes,
• Physics basis for integrated modelling