Effects of three-dimensional electromagnetic structures on resistive-wall-mode stability of reversed field pinches

In this Letter, the linear stability of the resistive wall modes (RWMs) in toroidal geometry for a reversed field pinch (RFP) plasma is studied. Three computational models are used: the cylindrical code ETAW, the toroidal MHD code MARS-F, and the CARMA code, able to take fully into account the effects of a three-dimensional conducting structure which mimics the real shell geometry of a reversed field pinch experimental device. The computed mode growth rates generally agree with experimental data. The toroidal effects and the three-dimensional features of the shell, like gaps, allow a novel interpretation of the RWM spectrum in RFP's and remove its degeneracy. This shows the importance of making accurate modeling of conductors for the RWM predictions also in future devices such as ITER.