Linear kinetic stability of a field-reversed configuration with two ion components

It has been suggested that a small fraction of non-axis encircling high energy ions may be sufficient to stabilize the tilt mode in a large s FRC. Experimental alteration of the ion distribution function in this manner might be achieved by rf heating the tail of the distribution function or by neutral beam injection. A linear Vlasov-fluid eigenfunction-eigenfrequency approach was used to investigate possible stabilization of the tilt mode by a high energy component. The ion distribution function is modeled as the sum of two Maxwellians with separate temperatures and no ion flow velocity. The cold component has a thermal s = 7, where s is the approximate number of ion gyroradii contained between the field null and the separatrix. The temperature ratio of the hot component to the cold component (TH/TT) was varied from 2 to 100. Global hot particle fractions (nH) up to ∼ .5 were used in the computations