Alpha particle physics for ITER

The paper is devoted to the analysis of a variety of physical processes which, in the ITER EDA configuration, determine the nature of alpha particle heating in the plasma interior and alpha particle losses to the first wall. The paper consists of results from the alpha particle toroidal field (TF) ripple loss calculations and an analysis of alpha particle collective effects including Alfven modes, sawtooth stabilization, etc. It is shown that the ripple loss in the present ITER configuration is only a few per cent, which cannot directly affect the achievement of ignition. In spite of the up-down asymmetry, the loss fraction does not strongly depend on the toroidal drift direction. However, the heat load is highly localized and can be as high as 1 MW/m2 on the top of the protective limiters. Preliminary calculations of toroidicity induced Alfven eigenmode (TAE) stability indicate that high n numbers may be unstable, but the computational tools, needed for reliable quantitative predictions, are still in a state of development. The likelihood of appreciable alpha particle loss will depend on whether TAE modes produce stochastic alpha particle diffusion or not. The effect of fast particles on the m = 1 mode is also discussed. (author). 15 refs, 2 figs, 1 tab