Experimental evidence for a reduction in electron thermal diffusion due to trapped particles.

New high time resolution measurements of the electron thermal diffusion χ(e) throughout the sawtooth cycle of the Madison Symmetric Torus reversed-field pinch have been made by utilizing the enhanced capabilities of the upgraded multipoint, multipulse Thomson scattering system. These measurements are compared to the χ(e) due to magnetic diffusion predicted by using information from a new high spectral resolution zero-ß nonlinear resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulation performed, for the first time, at the Lundquist number of high current Madison Symmetric Torus plasmas (S≈4×10(6)). Agreement between the measured and predicted values is found only if the reduction in thermal diffusion due to trapped particles is taken into account.

Absence of complete finite-Larmor-radius stabilization in extended MHD.

The dominant finite-Larmour-radius (FLR) stabilization effects on interchange instability can be retained by taking into account the ion gyroviscosity or the generalized Ohm's law in an extended MHD model. However, recent simulations and theoretical calculations indicate that complete FLR stabilization of the interchange mode may not be attainable by ion gyroviscosity or the two-fluid effect alone in the framework of extended MHD. For a class of plasma equilibria in certain finite-beta or nonisentropic regimes, the critical wave number for complete FLR stabilization tends toward infinity.