The Role of Thermal Conduction in Tearing Mode Theory

Abstract: The role of anisotropic thermal diffusivity on tearing mode stability is analysed in general toroidal geometry. A dispersion relation linking the growth rate to the tearing mode stability parameter, Delta, is derived. By using a resistive MHD code, modified to include such thermal transport, to calculate tearing mode growth rates, the dispersion relation is employed to determine Delta in situations with finite plasma pressure that are stabilised by favourable average curvature in a simple resistive MHD model. We also demonstrate that the same code can also be used to calculate the basis-functions [C J Ham, et al, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 54 (2012) 105014] needed to construct Delta.