Resistive drift-Alfven instability in a cylindrical plasma

Linearized eigenmode equations governing resistive drift-Alfven modes are d erived by using the two-fluid model for a cylindrical plasma with a uniform longitudinal magnetic field. The local dispersion relation shows that the shear Alfven wave couples with the unstable resistive drift wave due to the finite Larmor radius effect measured with the electron temperature. The ei genmode equations are solved by the shooting method in the cylindrical plas ma. The eigenfunction of the drift-Alfven instability is more localized at the edge region for the larger poloidal mode number m. The growth rate of t he most unstable mode is independent of the plasma density. It decreases wi th the increase of electron pressure (electron temperature) for m greater t han or equal to 9, although the electron pressure effect is weak for the lo w m modes. This behavior seems consistent with a theoretical model that the stabilization of drift-Alfven wave induces the L (Low confinement)-H(High confinement) transition at the edge of tokamak plasma.