English

Fast ion effects on the threshold conditions of ion temperature gradient mode and electron temperature gradient mode

Plasma Physics 2026-05-22 v1

Abstract

We investigate the fast ion effects on the threshold conditions of ion temperature gradient (ITG) mode and electron temperature gradient (ETG) mode both analytically and numerically using gyrokinetic equation. The onset condition for ITG mode shows a strong and monotonic favorable dependence on the fraction of fast ions, and mostly favorable but non-monotonic dependence on the fast ions' normalized temperature Tf/TiT_f/T_i (TfT_f is the effective temperature of fast ions, TiT_i is the temperature of thermal ions). Overall favorable parametric trends are consistent with those for the linear growth rate reported in previous papers, as they are largely determined by kinetic wave-particle resonance effects. While general analytic expressions for the critical normalized thermal ion temperature gradient scale length (R/LTi)c(R/L_{T_i})_c are quite complicated, an explicit compact expression (RLTi)c=(43+32π2s^q)(1+TiZi(1fh)Te)\left(\frac{R}{L_{T_i}}\right)_c=\left(\frac{4}{3}+\frac{3}{2}\sqrt{\frac{\pi}{2}}\frac{|\hat{s}|}{q}\right)\left(1+\frac{T_i}{Z_i(1-f_h)T_e}\right) has been derived for the mode with its perpendicular scale larger than thermal ion gyroradius, but much smaller than the fast ion gyroradius so that finite Larmor radius effects are manifested in opposite asymptotic limits depending on ion species when TfTiT_f\gg T_i, and weak density gradient. Here, qq is safety factor, s^\hat{s} is magnetic shear, ZiZ_i is thermal ions' charge, and fhf_h is fast ion charge density fraction. In this limit, only the fast-ion-induced thermal ion dilution effects persist as fast ion density response becomes unmagnetized and negligible. On the other hand, the fast ion effects on ETG-threshold are found to be unfavorable.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2605.21953,
  title  = {Fast ion effects on the threshold conditions of ion temperature gradient mode and electron temperature gradient mode},
  author = {Min Ki Jung and Taik Soo Hahm and Yong-Su Na and Eisung Yoon},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.21953},
  year   = {2026}
}