An energy principle is used to obtain the solution of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium equation J×B−∇p=0 for nested magnetic flux surfaces that are expressed in the inverse coordinate representation x=x(ρ, θ, ζ). Here, θ are ζ are poloidal and toroidal flux coordinate angles, respectively, and p=p(ρ) labels a magnetic surface. Ordinary differential equations in ρ are obtained for the Fourier amplitudes (moments) in the doubly periodic spectral decomposition of x. A steepest‐descent iteration is developed for efficiently solving these nonlinear, coupled moment equations. The existence of a positive‐definite energy functional guarantees the monotonic convergence of this iteration toward an equilibrium solution (in the absence of magnetic island formation). A renormalization parameter λ is introduced to ensure the rapid convergence of the Fourier series for x, while simultaneously satisfying the MHD requirement that magnetic field lines are straight in flux coordinates. A descent iteration is also developed for determining the self‐consistent value for λ.
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December 1983
Research Article|
December 01 1983
Steepest‐descent moment method for three‐dimensional magnetohydrodynamic equilibria
S. P. Hirshman;
S. P. Hirshman
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
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J. C. Whitson
J. C. Whitson
UCC‐ND Computer Sciences, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
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S. P. Hirshman
J. C. Whitson
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
Phys. Fluids 26, 3553–3568 (1983)
Article history
Received:
June 13 1983
Accepted:
August 23 1983
Citation
S. P. Hirshman, J. C. Whitson; Steepest‐descent moment method for three‐dimensional magnetohydrodynamic equilibria. Phys. Fluids 1 December 1983; 26 (12): 3553–3568. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.864116
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