Curvature of Radial Electric Field Aggravates Edge Magnetohydrodynamics Mode in Toroidally Confined Plasmas
We show that the radial electric field (E r ) plays a dual role in edge magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) activity. While E r shear (first spatial derivative of E r ) dephases radial velocity and displacement, and so is stabilizing, a new finding here is that E r curvature (second spatial derivative of E r ) tends to synchronize the radial velocity and displacement, and so destabilizes MHD. As a highlighted result, we analytically demonstrate that E r curvature can destabilize an otherwise stable kink mode, and so form a joint vortexkink mode. The synergetic effects of E r shear and E r curvature in edge MHD extend the familiar E × B shearing paradigm. This theory thus explains the experimental findings that a deeper E × B well may aggravate edge MHD, and so trigger the formation of the edge harmonic oscillation. Here, a simple criterion linking E r structure and the edge MHD activity is derived.