prof. Francesco Romanelli
Program
The course covers a series of in-depth topics for the physics of fusion reactors for a total of 30 hours. The expected topics are the following
- Particle orbits. Using the Hamiltonian formalism, the orbits of particles in axisymmetric confinement systems will be rigorously classified.
- Modeling of plasmas as fluids. We will discuss the main models of description of plasma as superposition of two charged fluids and as single fluid (MHD model).
- Waves in plasma and MHD stability. The classification of wave propagation modes in plasmas described by the MHD model and the free energy sources that generate macroscopic instabilities in thermonuclear plasmas will be presented.
- Small-scale instability. The instabilities generated in plasmas with a wavelength of the order of the Larmor radius of ions are believed to be responsible for the turbulent transport of energy in thermonuclear plasmas. A simplified description of these instabilities will be given and a simple expression of the associated heat transport coefficients will be obtained.
- Simplified MHD equilibria. This part of the course aims to give an introduction to a class of MHD equilibria for which the solution of the Grad-Shafranov equation can be done analytically and which can therefore be used as simple models in many problems concerning thermonuclear plasmas.