Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme

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P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik

P 11: Magnetic Confinement IV

P 11.2: Invited Talk

Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 14:15–14:45, KH 02.016

Equilibrium and stability in Wendelstein 7-X high beta plasmas — •Henning Thomsen, Christian Brandt, Charlotte Büschel, Edith V. Hausten, Martin C. Kelly, Kian Rahbarnia, Pedro Pons Villalonga, Sara Vaz Mendes, Ksenia Aleynikova, Golo Fuchert, and Niklas S. Polei — MPI f. Plasmaphysik, Wendesteinstr 1, 17491 Greifswald

High plasma pressures, characterized by the plasma beta, are necessary for future stellarator fusion reactors. The Wendelstein 7-X stellarator (W7-X) has been optimized to achieve stable plasma conditions with a volume-averaged beta (the ratio of plasma pressure and external magnetic pressure) of up to ⟨β ⟩ ≈ 5%. In the recent campaigns, measurements of magnetic diagnostics and equilibrium reconstructions [1], as well as tomographic inversions of the plasma radiation in soft-X ray range in high beta plasmas (⟨β ⟩ 3%) have been used to experimentally validate this optimization goal. The measured outward shift of the flux surfaces (Shafranov-shift) is consistent with the predictions. Coherent mode activity has been observed [2] during high beta plasma phases. Pressure driven, non-ideal ballooning modes are possible candidates, since those instabilities were not included in the original optimization of the magnetic configuration of W7-X. A summary of the current status of high beta plasma investigations in the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator will be presented.

[1] E.V. Hausten et. al, this conference

[2] C. Büschel et. al, this conference

Keywords: Stellarator; high-beta