The monoenergetic approximation in stellarator neoclassical calculations

preprint2011arXivOpen access

Abstract

In the standard "monoenergetic" approach to numerical calculation of stellarator neoclassical transport, to expedite computation, ad-hoc changes are made to the kinetic equation so speed enters only as a parameter. Here we examine the validity of this approach by considering the effective particle trajectories in a model magnetic field. We find monoenergetic codes systematically under-predict the true trapped particle fraction, with the error in the trapped ion fraction being of order unity when the electric field is large, suggesting some results of these codes may be unreliable in this regime. This inaccuracy is independent of any errors introduced by approximation of the collision operator.

Explore this paper’s authors, topics and related work.

Building this map preview

BZPEER is loading the nearby papers, people, topics and institutions for this page.

Reviews 0

Write a reviewWrite

No reviews yet.

Discussion 0

Add a commentWrite

No comments yet.