A Grad-Shafranov model for compact quasisymmetric stellarators

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Nikulsin, Nikita, Sengupta, Wrick, Buller, Stefan, Bhattacharjee, Amitava
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Nikulsin, Nikita
Sengupta, Wrick
Buller, Stefan
Bhattacharjee, Amitava
author_facet Nikulsin, Nikita
Sengupta, Wrick
Buller, Stefan
Bhattacharjee, Amitava
contents A Grad-Shafranov equation (GSE) valid for compact quasisymmetric stellarators is derived by an asymptotic expansion around a vacuum field carried to first order. We obtain an equation for the existence of flux surfaces leading up to the GSE. The flux surface label must simultaneously satisfy the existence equation and the GSE, which generally leads to an overdetermined problem. We show how the overdetermined problem can be resolved within our model for a class of hybrid devices similar to that studied by Henneberg and Plunk (S. Henneberg and G. Plunk, PRR 2024). We are also able to solve the existence equation for flux surfaces analytically in the most general case by introducing a special coordinate system. This will enable us to carry out an optimization seeking to minimize the error in our GSE while obeying the flux surface existence equation, which will allow us to find solutions outside the class of hybrid devices. This will allow for a coarse-grained approximate search in the space of quasisymmetric equilibria that should be faster than a conventional stellarator optimization. Nevertheless, it would still be necessary to fine-tune the approximate solutions using conventional tools to obtain a more precise optimized equilibrium.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_11424
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Grad-Shafranov model for compact quasisymmetric stellarators
Nikulsin, Nikita
Sengupta, Wrick
Buller, Stefan
Bhattacharjee, Amitava
Plasma Physics
A Grad-Shafranov equation (GSE) valid for compact quasisymmetric stellarators is derived by an asymptotic expansion around a vacuum field carried to first order. We obtain an equation for the existence of flux surfaces leading up to the GSE. The flux surface label must simultaneously satisfy the existence equation and the GSE, which generally leads to an overdetermined problem. We show how the overdetermined problem can be resolved within our model for a class of hybrid devices similar to that studied by Henneberg and Plunk (S. Henneberg and G. Plunk, PRR 2024). We are also able to solve the existence equation for flux surfaces analytically in the most general case by introducing a special coordinate system. This will enable us to carry out an optimization seeking to minimize the error in our GSE while obeying the flux surface existence equation, which will allow us to find solutions outside the class of hybrid devices. This will allow for a coarse-grained approximate search in the space of quasisymmetric equilibria that should be faster than a conventional stellarator optimization. Nevertheless, it would still be necessary to fine-tune the approximate solutions using conventional tools to obtain a more precise optimized equilibrium.
title A Grad-Shafranov model for compact quasisymmetric stellarators
topic Plasma Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.11424